Page 28 of 20% Stud 80% Muffin (Alien Fated Mates #1)

28

U nited, Geo and I disembarked, my leaden feet rattling on the ramp’s metal grate. Wind howled against the domed windows of the arrival’s hangar, and lyre tree leaves the color of Geo’s bruises slapped the roof angrily. The residents of the capital city, Navra, should’ve been tucked in their dwellings out of the storm. Instead, nearly all of Lorne stood gathered, awaiting their wayward lord.

Jast and Bonic were unsurprisingly absent, but my parents stood front and center, flanked on either side by their personal guards, minus Tunt, who stormed ahead of us on the ramp. A host of advisers fanned out behind the guards.

The thin thread of sanity I hung on to stretched taut and threatened to break as I struggled through each minute of fanfare. I glanced at Geo. “Here we go.”

Hundreds of Lornians—alphas, betas and omegas, each with their tail linked to their neighbor’s above their heads—bowed toward me. A gentle purr rose from the omegas, welcoming my return and warming my heart. They calmed the alphas in the cavernous space, and my shoulders relaxed bit by bit.

I swept my hand in front of me, and the hangar grew quiet. Even the howling wind cooperated. “Thank you, citizens of Lorne. You bring me great honor with your fine welcome.” From the top of the shuttle ramp, my voice carried over the masses below. In my head, it quavered like a loose tooth.

Geo’s shoulders rolled back, and he squeezed my hand. His obvious approval helped fortify me. His maroon uniform fit snugly over his broad shoulders, and even if I hadn’t been in between waves of my heat, I wouldn’t have been able to keep my hands off him. A long sash crisscrossed his barrel-shaped chest as an indication he was tied to the royal line. I shouldn’t have been surprised by how well Lornian clothes suited him.

My father’s face contorted in anger, one fist clenched at his side. His glare moved from my changed eyes to where my hand clasped Geo’s. “You claim him as your mate. He’s not Lornian!” The staff he always carried scraped across the metal floor of the port with the force he exerted. His roar was all alpha, and those who gathered quailed in submission.

My mother gripped my father’s elbow. He would pay for his outburst with a bruise. I’d experienced her steely clutches more times than I cared to remember.

“Regent Tuniga, let us greet our long-lost son more privately.” She leaned closer to one of her guards, who signaled for the elite protectors to disperse the crowd as she marched us toward the loading docks.

I obediently trudged between the guards with Geo at my side.

“Your father seems like an interesting guy.” The absurdity of Geo’s comment immediately dragged me from the pit I’d been stewing in.

It took me a second to compose myself before I dipped my mouth toward his ear. “Stop, you’re going to make me laugh.”

His cheek pulled to one side in a smile just for me. “And…” Then his face sobered. “Makir, I don’t give a flying fuck what your parents think of me.” His warm hand brushed down the gold-threaded seam on the spine of my jacket. “I’m here for you.”

I bit my lip to hide my overflowing emotions. Never had I been so glad to have someone stand beside me and give me their support as in this moment. Geo doesn’t care what my parents think.

Geo and I, along with my parents, a member of their guard and an elite protector, were ushered into a small, sparsely furnished room. A pile of fabric heaped in one corner urged me to make a nest.

My mother’s nostrils flared. “You’re in heat.” She snorted as soon as the door closed. With a practiced motion, two unmated males in their entourage donned their masks.

No matter how much I wished it didn’t, her disgust still crushed me when she showed no compassion for needs I had no control over. But I shouldn’t have expected more. My mother was the least empathetic omega I’d ever known.

“Regents.” I bowed toward my parents, one arm locked on my leg to stop the tremble. “May I present my true mate, Head Archbuilder of Tern, Geovani Natali.”

Geo’s hand tightened around mine—the only sign of his surprise over my knowing his full name. Had he thought I wouldn’t quiz Ginger a little during our time together? My lips twitched.

Geo bowed. “Regents.” His deep voice grounded me, but the greeting went unacknowledged by my parents.

My father’s staff screeched across the floor before the sharp point was directed at Geo. “Under no circumstance will an omega from the Tuniga line ever be serviced by an off-worlder. ”

I cringed at my father’s outburst. His lack of decorum bordered on cruelty, and was so unlike his typical stoic behavior. His disdain, always clear to me, usually had to be peeled back from under many layers for outsiders to glean the same knowledge.

Geo stood steadfast beside me as perspiration beaded my brow. I ignored my father’s words, more worried about my mother than my blustering father, as she whispered to her guard, who slipped out the door a moment later.

What’s she up to?

I addressed my parents with as much poise as I could gather, but my fluttering tail gave me away. “We’re bonded. The tether’s engaged.”

I was moments away from losing all reason. A sharp pang nearly buckled my knees, and I clutched my cramping stomach. Geo turned to face me and loosened the buttons on the high collar at my neck. The heat bubbling beneath my skin turned unbearable.

My father’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Tether? You lie. What a fool you take me for, High Lord Tuniga. Not even you would tether with an off-worlder.” Disgust furrowed his brows as he spat out words of disbelief. “You have known from birth that no one of the royal line will ever be mated without a full bond—without evidence of true matehood.”

Geo smoothed his cupped palm along my tail, coiling it around his wrist to stop its relentless lashing against the floor. “I would like to request privacy. Makir needs my attention. We would be happy to resume this conversation—”

The door to the small room burst open, and my mother’s guard returned alongside another alpha.

“Ah, finally.” My mother smoothed her palms over the front panel of her long skirt, chin held high.

I recoiled. Reinik.

All but climbing Geo, I turned to him to keep me safe. How could my parents be so… heartless?

Geo’s firm grasp cuffed my wrists together. “Shhh…I’ve got you.” He gathered me into his arms effortlessly.

Terror turned to desire as I lost focus and succumbed to my heat, shamelessly rubbing myself against Geo, trying to rid him of his handsome uniform. Why did it have so many damn buttons and ties? My womb clenched, and I blinked back the tears pooling in the corners of my eyes.

A small part of me was distantly aware of a conversation I could no longer participate in.

“Ah, my dear friend Reinik,” my father addressed the new alpha in the room. The long scar Reinik had seemed to smirk at me from temple to chin where it distorted one side of his face. His cold, rapacious eyes had not left mine since his entrance.

Cradled in Geo’s arms like a youngling hiding, I ignored the weight of Reinik’s gaze. My legs dangled over Geo’s muscled arm, my hands were bound, and I turned my nose to press against the spot behind his ear that smelled of summer fields. I was lost to need.

My father spoke to his closest friend, not caring that he had ruined my life. “Your timing is impeccable. High Lord Tuniga has worked himself into quite a state, and your shared past will allow you to fulfill his needs.”

Geo’s grip tightened uncomfortably. “Hold on, little lion. I need to take care of this.” His deep voice rumbled, a balm to my jagged nerves, stirring the desire more.

My mother’s tail stood high in the air beside her. “A fine choice to get him through his special time, my dear.”

My father linked his arm with my mother’s, claiming the decision to call upon Reinik as his own—a common practice.

Geo’s warm summer field scent grew stronger. “Clear this room…now!” Geo growled. “Makir and I require privacy.”

The tension in the room swelled to a thick, uncomfortable silence save for the hiss of forced air through the overhead vents .

Reinik advanced toward the corner of the room where Geo cradled me in his arms. “You have one thing correct, intruder.” The scar across Reinik’s face froze half his mouth, and his lips twisted in a familiar mangled sneer. “The room will be cleared immediately. Only I’ll be the one doing the servicing.” His eerie laugh sent cold shivers rolling through my body.

I wrestled my hands out of Geo’s grip and placed them protectively over my stomach, shielding my womb from the remorseless male who had broken it. Chest heaving, my locked elbows trembled and my legs kicked out as Reinik moved to gather me in his arms.

“Now, now, sweet lord… I’m here for you. Quiet yourself.” Reinik’s tail wrapped tightly around my elbow. “I know you missed me. It will only be a second until I soothe your fears away.”

Geo’s growl had the hairs on my arms rising in a prickling warning. “That’s close enough, asshole.”

Geo’s alpha voice rattled my bones and commanded the room. Even my father took a small step back. But Reinik continued to advance, caught in the thrall of my heat. In one swift move, Geo threw Reinik’s tail to the ground, crouched low and nestled me softly among the old fabric, stale with disuse.

Geo twisted, releasing like an sprung coil. The heel of his hand shot into the soft underside of Reinik’s chin. His head snapped back, sending a line of bloody saliva into the air, and my first heat partner roared and launched himself at Geo in a full-blown alpha rage.

An elite protector rushed from my parent’s side.

“Leave them,” my father commanded.

The fabric, though dusty, was soft and inviting. My need was so intense that I itched everywhere, and my clothes against my fevered skin were agony. They had to go. I wove my shirt into the dusty fabric of my nest, and my pants followed suit. They had Geo’s scent on them, and my nest was one hundred percent improved .

The masked protector turned toward me, his shoulders hunched away from my parents’ view. With an assessing gaze and tense shoulders, he typed a message into his com port.

After burrowing into the nest, my flaming skin finally freed from my itchy uniform, my gaze found Geo.

He moved like a dancer. His fluid bulk countered every move Reinik threw his way, stealing my breath. Arms overhead one minute, knees deeply bent the next, on his toes and twisting in the span of a breath, then pivoting as if second nature. He controlled the room and his opponent.

My heart drummed a longing beat. I was mesmerized, like a starbug to a flame.

Reinik lunged, ripping off Geo’s Lornian sash, and maneuvered to wrap the long fabric around Geo’s neck. His scar stretched as his face contorted into a smile sure to scare the most hardened criminal. “You think a mere human has a chance against me?” Reinik’s maniacal laugh chilled me to the bone.

Geo had rid himself of his fine coat, but Reinik had torn the white high-collared shirt beneath. The shreds stuck to Geo’s sweaty torso, plastered in damp patches over his swollen biceps. His muscles throbbed and bulged, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off the round balls of his shoulders when he quickly reversed their positions and launched fists like hammers into Reinik’s gut.

I wanted to collect the scent gathering in the fuzz between his blocky pectoral muscles with my tongue. The maroon sash floated to the ground like a white flag saturated in blood—peace never negotiated.

Hidden deep under the base desire of my heat was a sense of redemption so strong that the long-tattered pieces of my heart were being sewn back together. Geo was healing the fragments of me Reinik had so callously broken.

Geo caught my eye and roared. As if fueled by my red-hot need, he drove his knuckles into the skin above Reinik’s eye. His long scar split wide, and blood dripped down his face, blinding him in one eye. My hero slammed the much taller Lornian to the wall and pinned him with one meaty hand around his neck. “Have you had enough?” Geo snarled .

Reinik’s blue fur, purple with matted blood, showed a large bruise on the exposed skin of his stomach, his shirt long shredded. He panted, and his eyes drifted toward my father. “Regent Tuniga, I beg you to end this farce. Certainly, my prowess has been demonstrated.”

Geo shook him, and Reinik’s head slammed against the wall. “You will sub—”

Bonic burst through the door with the grand omega at his side.

My heart fluttered even as my hands kneaded my thighs. Bonic and the grand omega took in the scene: me naked in a pathetic nest, whimpering with need, Reinik pinned against the wall by Geo, and my parents—avid spectators—protected by their guard.

“Father, how could you let that”—Bonic balled his fist into his palm and squeezed—“creature near your son after what he did?”

My mother straightened the large amulet hanging from her neck. “How nice of you to join us, Bonic.” She smiled politely. “I have no idea of what you speak. We only have one son in this room.”

My father shuffled his feet, and his lips turned down as he dropped my mother’s arm.

My newly fortified heart shielded me from my mother’s harsh words, and my father’s reaction buoyed me. Her crowning achievement had been birthing the high commander of the elite protectors. Her entire identity was wrapped up in my brother. She’d never gotten over the fact that she had also birthed an omega, the pinnacle of weakness, even though she was one herself. Over the years, her poison had infected my father, her omega sway only used to manipulate.

Bonic’s stance grew rigid, regaining the staid composure rarely broken since he had taken on his role as High Protector. “Place Reinik in custody.” Two elite protectors advanced at Bonic’s command.

I fisted my sweaty hands around the nest’s fabric. Would justice be served at last?

Geo growled, near animal, as the elite protectors attempted to pry Reinik from his death grip. He smashed an elbow into Janny’s eye and swung his heaving body around before he slammed his heel into Wen’s knee as they cornered him and endeavored to free my worst mistake.

“Geo, I will not allow him to go free. He’ll be in my custody. Release him.” Bonic’s command went unheard, and he motioned for two more of his men. “Don’t injure my brother’s mate.”

My mother hissed at my brother calling Geo my mate.

Mind muddled, stomach roiling in pain, waxy slick oozing down my leg, I could do nothing but burn up until Geo filled my needs. Wait…there was one thing. My gentle purr filled the room. Geo’s ravenous gaze locked on me. The raging alpha settled, and Janny coaxed him to release his prey from his stranglehold.

Clutching his neck and choking, they marched Reinik toward the exit.

My mate bolted toward me.

The whole room shuffled or averted their gazes when the grand omega spoke.

“Evlyn…” Her disappointment, although directed at my mother, radiated through the room.

The grand omega rarely intervened, allowing my parents to rule Lorne on all matters outside of security, but that didn’t change the fact that she had the final word.

“Makir is of your womb and is an omega in need.” She ran knobby knuckles through a long purple mane threaded with silver that skimmed the floor as she walked toward me. “When it comes to your designation, you’ve turned your head and closed your eyes for long enough. Without omegas, there’s no future in Lorne. I had high hopes your reign would be a strong voice advocating for omega rights, but the truth is I’ve gone far too long without righting your shortcomings.”

Chagrined, my mother dipped her head, joining my father’s already bowed one. The way his fist tapped the bulbous jeweled top of his staff clearly indicated his discomfort. My mother was the better actress though, her acquiescence likely temporary .

The grand omega lifted a graceful chin toward Bonic, but her words were for my parents. Combined, they were the true rulers of Lorne. “This will be rectified when I meet with your advisers new week.” Although an omega, her omnipotent presence filled the room.

A wide grin spread across my brother’s face. “Protector Sim, please escort Reinik to Station Eight. I understand they require people of his skill set to guard the imprisoned Snaks held there.”

I gasped and whispered to Geo, who nuzzled at a spot under my ear. “Station Eight is one of the most feared penal colonies in the galaxy.”

Geo wrapped his warm hand around the base of my tail and squeezed. “Too little too late if you ask me.”

“My Regents,” Reinik begged. “I’ve only taken what you freely gave.” He pleaded as he was dragged away, heels scuffing across the floor where he flailed.

My body shuddered in protest. I had to say something, but it went against every omega instinct. “It wasn’t theirs to give!” I lurched to my feet, shouting. Geo threw his jacket over my shoulders and stood behind me, his strong hands on my waist a grounding force. Buoyed by his strength, I looked directly into Reinik’s twitching eyes. “To survive Station Eight, you’ll have to show true courage.”

“Then he’ll be dead on landing,” Geo growled, pulling me back into our nest.

My father’s knuckles turned white where they gripped his staff. Had the grand omega’s presence finally convinced him of the atrocity of his friend’s crime?

Bonic’s men led Reinik from the room. Courage was not a character trait I would have ascribed to the bastard who had left me barren, and I wouldn’t shed a tear if he fell prey to a Snak within the week.

“Come, my dear.” The grand omega lowered herself to my side with regal grace. While I lay swaddled in discarded fabrics, she ran her hand over my sweaty curls, sending cooling peace over me and my cramping womb.

“Out, now!” Geo growled, nearly animal, as his need grew to match mine. He gathered me in his lap, running his palms over my arms, down my tail, and up my torso. Claiming me. I sighed.

Her hand was tiny against Geo’s shoulder, where she patted the beast, voice laced with reassurance. “Only but a minute more now, alpha.” She stood tall. The air shimmered as her hands arched to her sides and swept over her head, weaving energy as her medallioned belt jangled in a symphony of bells. “A true mate bond has been found. The rarest and most beautiful of matches. The connection sings to me. Makir, please rise and face your true mate.”

Geo scrambled for his sash, haphazardly winding it around my middle.

“The goddess Sola has spoken to me.” The grand omega’s long purple fingers waved in the air in front of her as if she were plucking invisible threads, and her eyes closed. A quiet calm filled the air. When her eyes flared open, lavender and silver swirled like mist. “The ceremony will begin now.” Her skirts chimed as she walked in front of us. “Do you, Geo, take Makir as your soul-linked mate while you walk this life?”

My heart thundered like a herd of mantu under attack as I waited for Geo’s answer. He’d traveled with me unprepared and knew so little of my history. Even with no blanting idea what it meant to be bound by the grand omega as soul-linked, he stood unwavering, his green eyes wide open and locked on mine.

After Reinik had so callously used me to the point where I could no longer bear younglings, I had finally found myself in the place every omega dreamed of. Face to face with their true mate at a bonding ceremony performed by none other than the grand omega herself. It no longer mattered that in my dreams, we were dressed in luxurious finery, the room was filled with the fragrance of the Jas fertility flower, and my loving parents shed tears of joy. That dream faded. The only thing that mattered was Geo at my side.

This ceremony was a much better fit. Stripped down to the raw, naked love that shone like a bright star from Geo’s eyes. A beacon of love so pure I basked in its glow.

“I accept Makir with all my heart.” Geo twined his fingers through mine.

Tears fell unhindered down my face. Each landed on my trembling hands, made steady by Geo’s solid grip and unwavering gaze .

“A fine answer.” The grand omega squeezed her thin fingers around our joined hands. Her faded purple and pink fur denoted her age, adding to her mystical presence.

“Now, Makir, sweetheart.” She smiled, her gaze brimming with acceptance. “I must ask of you the same. Do you take Geo to be your soul-linked mate while you walk this life?”

My mother grumbled in the background and my father paced beside her while Bonic gazed at the two of us with his heart in his eyes.

“With all that I am.” My voice, true and clear, filled the space.

“Then, with the goddess Sola’s blessing…” She waved a brindled hand in the air. “Place your tail’s suction over Geo’s heart and cover it with your palm. Good. Now, Geo, place your thumb over Makir’s heart.” Her wide-sleeved tunic shifted, exposing her thin arms. “Geo, with your free hand, take Makir’s.” Her serene voice carried to our ears only.

Her tail bound our wrists, and her powerful voice lifted me higher, commanding the tether to tug me to my tiptoes. A deep thrum came from Geo. His position matched mine.

“The goddess Sola gifts you with the energy that flows through your bond, providing enduring strength. Her golden light allows your hearts and minds to speak freely to each other. You have been blessed.”

Heat burned through the tether, bolted down my tail and fused to Geo like a brand. My tail’s suction was directly over Geo’s heart, and the blazing gold it emitted flared and turned my blood molten.

Geo shuddered, the only sign of his pain as a fire-etched imprint of my tail’s healing source stamped his heart.

His thumbprint scorched like lava, marking the same place on me, and my gaze clouded with stinging tears but never broke from his.

The grand omega’s eyes rolled until only the whites were visible as her tail guided the bond .

My blood swelled, filling every cell with the hot syrup running in my veins. Every nerve was blackened, charred to ash and blown away, until all that remained was my connection to Geo.

Geo’s love hurtled through the bond at light speed, incinerating any lingering doubts.

“Come now,” the grand omega whispered in the background as she ushered everyone out of the room. “They’ll need time together.”