Chapter 26
Mavi
Sai’s been in a funk all day. He went to his shoots this morning before coming straight into my apartment after lunch. I canceled my get-together with Noemi, laughing when Sai stood in the middle of the bedroom for fifteen minutes before I pulled him into my nest.
It’s the first time anyone has been there and it’s been a while since I even was there because my nest has become Sai and wherever Sai is, I am.
But this feels right. Sai immediately relaxes when I put the collar on him too.
“All tied up for me, aren’t you?” I mutter against his forehead but just lying there, running my fingers across his hair.
He melts into the nest, the tension draining out of his shoulders as I hold him close. Almost an hour later a knock sounds on the door. Sai is near sleep, his breathing slow and even. I murmur, “I got it. You just stay here, precious.”
I fiddle with the camera app on my phone but I don’t recognize the large Alpha standing there. He’s even larger than Sai. Is it a subscriber? Someone from the school? I slowly open the door, getting a full hit of their scent, and then something clicks. This has to be a Hollis.
I open the door wider and we see each other properly for the first time, not even surprised to see the truth behind the mask. Another Hollis Alpha performing. Even the laid-back part of whoever this is is just a show. Just a different performance than Sai’s.
“So, you must be Mavi.” The Alpha looks me up and down without being rude about it. “He didn’t tell me much but he didn’t have to. You are exactly the kind of trouble I expected.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“From me? Always.” Koda muses as he throws out a hand for me to shake. “Koda, Sai’s cousin. We go way back but I knew he was off today and was going to come over when Sai said to come to this door.”
I snort. “I am guessing you are not one of the cousins who are asshats.”
Small laughter passes between us just as we hear footsteps.
I brace for the worst as Sai comes into view, the collar still on, my Alpha shirtless.
He looks absolutely adorable and thoroughly claimed from the last several days together but I have no idea how Koda is going to react. He says they’re close but...
Sai and Koda’s eyes meet, both Alpha's staring at each other in silence. I hold my breath as I wait for the moment Koda goes off on Sai for being who he is. I know I will protect Sai, whatever the cost.
Koda’s gaze drops to the collar around Sai’s throat, then to the anklet visible at his bare ankle, then back up to Sai’s face. The laid-back mask slips for half a second, something real flickering behind it. Not anger. Not disgust. Something closer to understanding mixed with worry.
Koda lets out a low breath. “Well. That explains a few things.”
I step slightly in front of Sai, my body language clear.
If this turns ugly, I will put myself between them.
Koda notices the movement and his mouth quirks in a half-smile that looks genuine.
“Relax, trouble. I’m not here to start anything.
” He looks at Sai again, voice a bit softer.
“You hung up on your mother and skipped the dinner. Lyric’s been telling everyone that it was just a mistake but I thought, I figured I would check on you before the rest of the family decides to send someone less friendly. ”
Sai’s shoulders loosen a fraction. “I am fine.”
“You’re wearing a collar in the middle of the afternoon while you canceled all your plans so your Omega could pull you into his nest.” His smile widens.
“Jesus Christ, you’re more than fine.” Koda’s voice lightens further, a chuckle rumbling through his chest. “You look better than you did the last time I saw you when you texted me and you smell claimed.”
I have to bite my lip to keep from saying anything because Koda doesn’t know the half of it.
Sai’s wearing the cage, too, though it’s hidden beneath the pants.
And Sai’s submitted to me in more ways than I can count.
My only saving grace is that I’m fully covered, even if the boxers I stuffed myself in earlier are a tad short.
Sai shifts closer to me, his hand finding the small of my back, a silent request for contact. I lean into him, letting him feel me there.
Koda rubs the back of his neck. “Look. I am not going to lecture you. I know how loud it gets in there.” He taps his own temple.
“You know how much I love you, cousin. How much I’ve been rooting for you to find a happiness that’s all yours but the family is circling.
If you’re going to keep doing this you need to be careful. Or at least better at hiding it.”
Sai’s voice is quiet but steady. “I don’t want to hide it forever.”
Koda’s eyebrows lift. “That is a big statement coming from you.”
Koda looks between us for a long moment.
Then he nods once, like he has seen enough.
“Alright. I’ll cover for you as long as I can.
But if Lyric starts digging, I might not be able to stall him forever.
” The cousin slowly steps inside and closes the door before leaning against it. “So. How long has this been going on?”
Sai tenses beside me. I answer before he has to. “Long enough.”
Koda’s grin is genuine this time. “Fair. I’m not here to interrogate. I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t spiraling alone in his apartment again. Looks like he found a better place to land.”
Sai’s arm tightens around my waist. “I’m okay.”
“Yeah, you are and thank fuck for that. Your parents plus Lyric together? I would never wish that shit anyone.”
I sag into Sai’s hold, tuning out as they throw information back and forth.
Very little of it makes sense, something about dinners and events, race cars even comes at some point and Koda complaining about his mechanic.
I manage to keep a smile on my face, kind of wanting Koda to disappear so we can return to my nest.
Instead, Sai’s presence suddenly leaves me, my gaze wandering my apartment as I see him disappear into my room. “Wha—”
Koda laughs. “I think one of our other cousins called him. Lyric’s the lawyer, so not him. Probably Alistair? Not Sure.”
I frown at the Alpha still in my doorway, confused on why he’s still here. That is, until real, genuine concern filters onto his face, different from when he was asking Sai earlier. “You know what you are doing with him? Really know?”
“Yes.”
“Because Sai isn’t someone who does things halfway. If you’re in, he’s all in. And if you leave—”
“I am not leaving.”
Koda studies me. Whatever he sees in my face satisfies something. He nods before saying something else. “He’s good for you too, is he not?”
The question cuts closer than expected. That I need this too. “Yeah,” I say. “He is.”
His smile returns as the tension in his shoulders sags a little. “You’re going to need that confidence and whatever is driving you two together. Navigating our family sucks ass, Mavi and they don’t take kindly to disruptions to their plans.”
This time, it’s my turn to laugh. “I’m well versed in families making plans that don’t involve me or my desires.” He raises an eyebrow, daring me to explain that. “Seriously? My parents disowned me for not choosing the Alpha they wanted so I threw them the finger and made it on my own.”
The Alpha nods, pushing off the wall. “So, this is a thing, yeah? For real?”
“I am not going anywhere,” I say again, quieter this time. “He needs structure. I need to be the one who provides it. It works for both of us.”
“I can see that. The collar, the anklet, the way he relaxed the second he walked in here after seeing you. I have never seen him like this. Still. Quiet. Like the noise finally stopped.”
I feel a small surge of pride at the words, Koda opening the door and leaving me with one last word. “Get my number from Sai. You might need it and I always come running for family. The family I choose.”
The door shuts a second later, leaving me in the aftermath of Koda’s presence.
I head back into my bedroom to see Sai finishing up his call, his gaze darting to the door.
“Koda left. He really did just come to check on you, Sai.” I move closer, caressing his face in my hands.
“I’m so proud of you, you know? You came straight here when things got loud and you even let your cousin see you. That takes strength.”
Sai hums as he stares into my eyes, a slow grin spreading on his face. “I’ll always come to you, Doll. Always.”
“You’re safe,” I murmur against the top of his head. “No one is taking you from me. Not Lyric. Not your mother. Not whatever other crazy shit your family wants to throw at us. You’re mine and I keep what’s mine.”