Roman’s POV:
I looked at my mate seriously after setting her down in front of me.
She was quietly gazing into my eyes, as if expecting me to react negatively.
When I had lifted her up, I was expecting her to put up a fight or yell at me to put her down. The fact that she did none of that didn’t sit well with me.
“Are you happy to see that boy toy?” I asked seriously, then frowned deeply when she burst into laughter.
“Boy toy?” she asked between laughs.
I loved that she was laughing, but at the same time, I hated it.
I growled loudly in warning, and she instantly stopped and composed herself.
“No, he isn’t my boy toy or anything. He’s just my first crush and our pack’s warrior,” she answered seriously as I raised a brow to make sure she was telling the truth.
“Who in their right mind would reject their mate for someone else?” she asked, and I sighed softly.
She was right. Those assholes who willingly rejected their own mates were insane. While it was common in a werewolf pack, it wasn’t the same in lycan packs. The only time a lycan rejected their mate was when they were not of their own kind, and even then, it took a great decision, because most saw that as an irrelevant reason.
“If that little boy approaches….”
“Me in any way, will you rip him into pieces, right?” she asked, cutting me off with a smile on her face.
For some reason, she was enjoying our conversation, and I couldn’t understand why.
“Close, but not exactly what I wanted to say,” I answered.
She moved, closing the space between us, and wrapped her arms around my waist.
“I’m glad that you’re jealous,” she whispered as I looked down at her speechlessly.
Garren and I didn’t want to admit it at that moment, but we were both jealous and didn’t like feeling that way.
We were now beginning to see how bad of an idea it was to live in the same pack as that warrior.
“You know, I can’t wait to show you my room. It’s not all that, but I’m sure you will like it,” she said, then chuckled after pulling back.
I looked at her face with a frown.
She was too innocent and thoughtless about the weight of her own words.
I raised my hand and gently touched her cheek.
“Inviting me into your room may mean nothing to you, but to me, it means us going through with our mating,” I answered.
She widened her eyes in shock and quickly moved her hands to her face to cover her cheeks, which were turning a beautiful shade of red.
Garren was laughing hard at how straightforward I was being with her and at her cute reaction.
“I… I think we should go back and join the others, don’t you think?” she asked once she had dropped her hands.
“Well, does that mean you are taking back your offer?” I asked simply.
She quickly rushed past me without an answer, making me laugh softly.
“She acts nothing like an Alpha queen,” I whispered as I followed her.
“I know,” Garren answered happily.
“I meant that in a good way because if she was as cold as ice and very serious, my interest in being with her would have been slim,” I said silently to let him know my true thoughts about her.
The fact that we were her first and that she was sensitive, as well as different from all the girls we had ever met, is what made her so unique.
“Did you have to make her feel so self-conscious?” Garren asked seriously when we reached the door to the pack house.
“My intention wasn’t to make her feel conscious. My intention was to make her realize that sooner or later, one of us was going to embrace her to fully seal the mate bond. We need her to fully submit and be ours before we end up killing some males who might eye fuck her,” I answered as I opened the door.
I looked around and noticed a few warriors looking at me. They couldn’t even hide their hateful emotions because it was clearly written on their dumb faces. I sighed softly, then walked in comfortably.
I didn’t know how long Garren was planning on delaying our mating with her, but what I knew was that I was going to make the first move if he wasn’t going to do it. Because that was the only way to make sure she would forever belong to us.
As I walked through the corridor, I could hear low voices coming from the room ahead.
“You have truly disappointed me,” Ian’s voice sounded with emphasis.
“I’m so sorry, uncle,” Larson’s response came through.
“I know Tamara might be a little childish and she does act spoiled, but she’s your one and only true mate, for goodness’ sake. You can’t reject her no matter what, Larson. Not only will you live with regret in the future if she does move on, but you will break her heart and cause her so much pain,” Ian said on top of his voice.
I stood outside the door where the voices were coming from, with clenched hands, waiting to hear Larson’s response.
I couldn’t believe the fucking bastard was already mated! He had the guts to say all that in front of my woman when he already had someone destined for him.
“I know, Alpha, and believe me when I say I had thought seriously about everything. Tamara may be my mate, but I feel nothing for that kid. I actually never want to, ever. She’s like a little sister to me who is born from another family. Uncle, what I feel for Roxanne is deep, deeper than words could explain. She has been my best friend since childhood, and we have loved each other for a long time. I acknowledge that I was an asshole who caused her pain due to my messed-up actions, but I’m more than ready to pay for everything because I’m so in love with her. All I want is for you to accept us, please,” he said as I grabbed the door handle to walk in.
“Never,” Ian answered, surprising me.
I instantly halted my movements without thinking.
“I know my little girl better than anyone, Larson. You might have had a chance with her back then, but now things are different. The man she loves and desires isn’t you, but the hybrid,” he answered as a smirk touched my face.
I didn’t like him referring to me as the hybrid, but I didn’t mind because his response was exactly what I wanted to hear from him.
“I have never seen her so in love since she was born. She was even willing to choose him over all of us. She made it clear with everyone where her heart belongs, so I expect you to accept and respect her decision, even if it’s not what you want. I won’t force you into accepting Tamara, and I will try to talk Felix out of killing you. So for now, I pray that the goddess forgives you and shows mercy on your loser self,” he said.
“Uncle, please, I really can’t live without…”
“Don’t say Roxanne, because we both know you can. The one you should be referring to is your mate, because when you lose her, you will cross the path of no return. Sadness and guilt will be your companions, that’s if you still have your sanity. I’m telling you this now because I almost made that same mistake in my past with Amelia,” he said.
His voice held so much pain and sadness, and it made me feel uneasy.
“I will think about it,” came Larson’s low response.
“Please do, because it might not seem like it now, but Tamara will play a major role in your life, and your wolf will need her a lot more than you do, so be wise,” he said.
I let go of the handle and turned, following the scent of my mate.
There was no need for me to interfere in their conversation anymore, because Ian was doing his best to keep him in check, and that was more than I could have requested.