Chapter 43
The sun spills through the open blinds to hit my face, waking me. Madison’s heat broke the day before yesterday, after everyone’s bonds were in place. Her omega is a greedy little thing, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Nix is pressed against my side, Sebastian asleep on his chest. My best friend is purring in his sleep, content even in this state.
Caspian is sprawled face up on the other side of the nest, his impressive cock half-hard with morningwood.
The only member of my pack missing is our omega.
Undoubtedly the most important piece of our puzzle.
I single out my tether to her, assuring myself she’s still close and hasn’t disappeared or been taken again. But there’s something off about how she’s feeling. Not quite sadness, per se. Something a little more nuanced than that.
Rolling away from Phoenix, I grab a pair of shorts and slip them on as I head out of the nest. I still can’t quite identify the emotion I’m sensing in the bond, but my omega can’t be far, and I intend to find out.
She isn’t in the kitchen, but when I glance out to the lanai, I see her leaning against the railing overlooking the ocean.
Her dark blond hair floats on a tropical breeze, and she’s sipping something out of one of the hand-thrown coffee cups we found in the cabinet.
She’s wearing one of my shirts, and it barely covers the round curve of her bare ass.
Damn, she’s a sight. I want to see her like this every morning. A pang tugs at my heart that has nothing to do with the melancholy in the bond. It’s all me. Once we’re back at the University, lazy mornings together will be few and far between, stolen and secret.
Madi’s pina colada scent drifts to me through the open windows, and I find myself walking to her automatically. I stand beside her, my shoulder touching hers to let her know I’m here while still giving her some space. “Everything okay, sweetheart?”
She doesn’t answer right away, but she traces patterns over the back of my hand while she thinks. The waves lap at the beach, the early morning sunlight making the water look like sparkling glass. It’s peaceful here. Our own little haven away from it all.
“I’m not ready,” Madi whispers after a few minutes.
I look over at my omega, trying to discern what she means.
Not ready for what, exactly? Is she concerned about going back to Woodhurst?
I have to admit, I am. Who knows what trouble the Prescott pack has gotten up to.
I probably should have checked in with someone, reached out to the university president and let him know some version of what’s been going on, but I’ve been too focused on saving Madi, then helping her through her heat, to do anything else.
But those are my worries, not necessarily my omega’s.
Sometimes it’s better to let the silence draw out the answers, instead of prodding, so I wait. That theory is proven true when she goes on.
“I’m not ready to go back,” she admits. “To Woodhurst. To humanity. I hate that we have to hide our bond. We have to hide Caspian’s true nature.
” She leans her head against my shoulder.
“It feels like taking a step backward when I want to go forward. I’m not sure I can keep up the lie for two more years. Here, we can be ourselves.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulder and kiss her temple. “I understand it seems daunting, angel. You know I’m not ashamed of you right? That I’m not trying to hide you for any other reason than our careers?”
She chuffs mirthlessly. “Well, I wasn’t worried about that until you just said it.”
“Omega,” I drop my tone to a register that is commanding, but isn’t quite a bark. “Look at me.” Brilliant green eyes meet mine, so full of love and trepidation. “I am proud to have such a brilliant, strong, caring, brave, beautiful mate. I don’t want to hide our bond, but we have to.”
It’s not just that I’d be fired if the university found out. My real concern is that people would look at Madi differently. They’d make judgements and assumptions about the student who slept with her teacher. I don’t want her to live with that stigma.
“What if we don’t? How bad would it be if we just told everyone?” She grips my hand that’s still resting on the railing. “We’re scent matches, after all. That has to be an exception to the rule, right?”
I search her gaze and realize I can’t deny her anything, much less this.
If I force us to hide our relationship, it could cause irreparable damage.
Deep down, I know that’s not something I’m willing to risk.
I won’t be the crack that fractures our pack.
But I’m torn between giving her what she’s asking for and guarding her from the accusations of the world.
I turn my hand over and interlace our fingers. “I just want to protect you, angel.”
She smiles softly. “I know. But I want this. You. I don’t want to stay in the shadows, sneaking around and hiding.”
“I don’t either.” Hope surges down the bond, and my purr rattles to life in response. “If hiding our mating will hurt you, it isn’t worth it. We’ll have some time when we get back to look into what going public would mean for us. If I have to retire early, so be it.”
“Hunter!” she gasps. “Wait. You can’t quit your job because of me! I don’t want—”
“I can, and I would,” I assure her. “Haven’t you heard Phoenix?
I’m an old man. Washed up. Practically one foot in the grave.
” Madi smacks my chest with the back of her hand, and I pull her close.
“I’ve had my time in the sun, sweetheart.
If it’s a choice between my career and yours, there’s no question.
It’s time for you to shine, and even if I can’t stand next to you, I’ll always be behind you. ”
Madison nuzzles my cheek, scent marking me, before giving me a slow, lingering kiss. “I love you so much, Hunter Anderson.”
I look down at my mate, and I know I’d do anything to make her smile at me like that. “I love you more than you could ever know, Miss Grant.”
She rolls her eyes, but her mood is dramatically lighter.
“Come on.” I turn her toward the inside and smack her ass to get her moving. “The jet will be here in an hour to pick us up, and I can think of a couple things I’d like to do to you before we have to return to reality.”
Madison laughs and runs off. I let her have a headstart while I admire the view, then take off after her, shoving away my lingering concerns about how our revealed relationship might be received.