Chapter Nine – Ours To Keep
CHAPTER NINE
Ours To Keep
H er dark hair is down, shiny like ink, brushing the middle of her back. I can’t tell if she styled it or if it just naturally falls like that, but either way, it works.
The stitched cut on her left arm still looks red and a little raw, and the fact that she’s moving so carefree unsettles me. I just hope she’s not in pain and trying to hide it.
She’s not wearing much makeup, just enough that her lips look soft and red, like a perfect apple. Tiny gold earrings catch the light, and a slender bracelet gleams whenever she moves.
“Is it too much?” she asks, pressing her hand nervously against the front of her dress. “I wanted to wear something nice on my bonding day, so I brought this outfit just in case.” She bites her lip. “But now I feel kind of overdressed.”
I try to say something, but I fail.
“You’re perfect, Jo,” Jay says, his voice soft and certain. “Just perfect.”
Her shoulders ease, and she gives us a small smile.
The cafeteria is crowded when we arrive for breakfast. Jo’s the only nyra in the entire room, and the second she walks in, at least half of the aegis turn to look. Their eyes follow every move she makes.
We close ranks fast. Jay and Shane flank her, one on either side, and I fall into step just behind. Without thinking, we move like a unit, the way packs naturally form around their nyra. Funny how easy it is, falling into place around her.
I’m too wired to care about food. I just grab the first things I see and throw them on my tray. My brothers are also distracted, just tossing food on trays while their eyes keep scanning the room.
Jo doesn’t say anything, but she’s bothered by the attention. She moves a little tighter, a little less freely. She picks out a few small sugar-dusted breads and a pineapple juice.
We get a table and start eating. Jay asks her something about the food, clearly trying to distract her from all the staring. She answers between bites, her voice still light, though I can hear the edge of discomfort there.
There’s a pack at the table in front of us that doesn’t even blink, just gawking straight at her while she eats, not even trying to hide it.
I feel the growl rising in my throat, part possessiveness, part pure rage.
I know exactly how it feels to have an entire room stare you down.
We’ve been there too many times at Greenster PD .
Shane snaps first. His voice is loud enough for the whole place to hear. “You wanna quit staring at my mate?”
The three aegis break their stares at Jo and narrow their eyes at Shane for a heartbeat before looking down at their food. This is one of the good things about being among strangers: if they don’t know we’re strays, they usually show the same respect they would to any blood pack.
The second they stop staring so openly, Jo relaxes. “I used to wonder what it would feel like to sleep in a nest, and now I know,” she says.
Jay’s eyes flick with something almost nervous when he asks, “Was it good?”
She closes her eyes dreamily. “Your scents are so relaxing. And I was wrapped in arms the whole time… I’ve never slept that well before.”
I can’t help but smile wide, like an idiot, right in front of all the aegis watching us. “I thought you were going to say the mattress and blankets were soft,” I tease.
“Oh, that too,” she grins. “But what about you? You’ve always slept in a nest together. Was it different, having me there?”
It’s our turn to close our eyes, just for a moment.
I was about to tell her that sleeping with her curled between us was literally a dream come true, but Shane beats me to it. “I can’t put into words what last night was, Jo,” he says.
She doesn’t answer, but her smile grows just as wild as ours.
When we finish breakfast, it’s eight-thirty. The administrative building is close, so there’s still time for us to walk there without any rush.
Jo offers her hands to Shane and Jay on either side of her. They lace their fingers with hers and hold hands until we reach the building.
I check us in at the front desk. The officer barely looks up, just nods, and we sit down to wait.
My heart is racing. I can’t believe I’m really going to bite her and make her mine.
My brothers and Jo are nervous too; we’re all bunched up, clinging to any kind of contact.
I’m next to Shane, our shoulders pressed together.
Jo is on my other side, between me and Jay, his arm draped around her shoulders.
Shane stretches his arm across me to hold her hand, and I rest my hand on her thigh.
After a few minutes, the desk guy calls Jo’s name and opens the door behind him, motioning for her to enter. We stand to go with her, but he stops us halfway. “The medical team will have her for a check-up now. You stay here.”
I don’t like the idea of letting her go in alone, but she squeezes my hand and smiles.
“See you in a minute,” she says, then she disappears behind the door.
We wait for what feels like an eternity, but when I check the time, it’s been just over half an hour.
If anyone saw us right now, they’d probably think we were having some kind of collective breakdown.
All three of us are twitching in some way: Shane tapping his foot, Jay drumming his fingers against his leg, and I can’t stop chewing the inside of my cheek.
Every time our eyes meet, we end up grinning like idiots again.
Finally, the desk officer calls us and leads us down a corridor to an office. When I walk in, I’m surprised to see Deputy Commander Julius Eneas.
He doesn’t waste time on pleasantries. The second we step in, he gestures for us to sit and gets straight to business.
“Effective immediately, you are Special Operations personnel.” He slides a set of folders across the desk.
“These are your official transfer orders. They document your reassignment from Greenster PD to Special Ops, with a provisional placement at Great Sky PD until you complete Tier-Two certification.”
He leans back in his chair, fingers laced. “Your rank remains the same, but your pay scale and benefits are now under Special Ops standards. That means your salary is adjusted to Special Agent status.”
Shane exhales. “Shit.”
Julius smirks. “Yes, it’s a step up.”
He taps a pen against the desk. “Your interim assignment is with Great Sky PD’s High-Risk Operations Unit. They handle violent offenders, tactical entries, and high-threat calls. Once you qualify for Tier-Two, you’ll report to the Special Ops garrison. Any questions?”
“No, sir,” I say.
He stands. “Then sign your orders. You’re dismissed.”
After signing the paperwork, we return to the reception in silence.
We wait a little longer, and then a human doctor comes to take us down another corridor. He leads us into a small office and gestures for us to sit.
He adjusts his glasses and looks at us flatly. “As part of the bonding process, we offer a counseling session. It’s optional, so you can refuse. Your mate already declined hers, but she insisted that you go through with yours.”
From his tone, it’s obvious he was hoping we’d say no too.
“We’ll do it,” I say.
He sighs, annoyed, and looks at me like I’ve ruined his day. “In a few minutes, I’ll take you to the bite room. After you bite the nyra, the physical changes to her body, and yours, can’t be stopped or reversed. There’s no turning back.”
He sounds like he’s given this same speech a thousand times, and maybe he has. But every word sends a thrill through me.
“How fast the changes occur varies from pack to pack,” he says.
“But with scent-mates, they usually happen faster. The nyra’s body changes are more predictable than the aegis’.
After the bite, her reproductive system will exit the dormant phase and be active.
She’ll likely experience her first heat within three months, and then heats every ninety days or so.
Heats last, in general, two to three days.
During that time, she’ll be fertile, and odds of pregnancy are high. ”
Jo in heat. I can’t even think about that. If I do, my pants will explode and I’ll embarrass myself right here in this chair.
“She’ll require the presence of at least one aegis the whole time, ideally all three,” he continues. “If you neglect her during heat, it’ll not only be very painful, but dangerous to her health, and the heat period will extend, lasting up to a week.”
Now I’m a little annoyed at the warnings in the doctor’s voice. Of course we would never let her go through a heat alone.
“We usually give mild sedation and painkillers to ease the bite, but among scent-mates, aegis sometimes develop the ability to purr, and that sound can ease the nyra’s pain. Your mate informed us that you are already capable of that and declined both the sedation and the painkillers.”
Fuck.
Panic creeps in. I still don’t know how to make the humming happen on command. What if we can’t?
“After the bite, you may feel dizzy or confused. The nyra will likely feel fatigue and may need to sleep for several hours. That’s normal. You can leave MAB when you feel ready, but we advise waiting at least twelve hours before traveling.”
He stands abruptly. “Follow me.”
We file out behind him, stunned by how fast everything’s moving. The guy didn’t even give us a chance to ask questions.
He leads us to a new room, and I know Jo’s inside before the door even opens, her lily scent already seeping through. When we step in, the space is different. Empty, except for one large nest in the center. And in that nest, waiting for us, is her.
My pulse races again, pounding even harder than before.
Two human doctors, one man and one woman, stand nearby, but I barely register them, can’t take my eyes off Jo. In the background, I hear the woman saying, “Whenever you’re ready.”
We cross the room, instinct pulling us forward.
Jo smiles. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Shane answers.