Page 82 of The Delta’s Rogue (Crescent Lake #4)
“I will fix it for you later,” Queen Tatiana says to Sarina, softening once more. She releases Sarina from her grasp and tucks herself into King Malachi’s side, her chin jerking at me as Sarina makes her way back to my arms. “I want one of those.”
King Malachi raises his eyebrows in confusion. “A Sebastian?”
Tatiana laughs and shakes her head, pointing at my chest as she corrects him. “No, a Luna Tatiana shirt.”
His gaze follows the path of her finger. His eyes light up, and a soft chuckle rumbles through him as I puff my chest out proudly to better show off the glittery words on my T-shirt.
“That’s funny,” he says.
I laugh in agreement. “Reid thought so too.”
“You know that’s not how it works, though, right?”
I shrug. “Sarina told me. But Reid already ordered me enough screen-printed shirts to wear one every day of the week for the next month, if not more. I don’t have it in me to break his heart and force him to cancel the order.
” I glance down at my mate in my arms, where she’s once more tracing over the puff paint letters.
“Plus, it brings a smile to Sarina’s face. ”
King Malachi’s mouth splits into a wide, cheesy grin, and I realize I’m seeing a side of him that he only shows to those closest to him—a side he only shows to his family. The family I am now a member of.
“The others are on their way downstairs.” Queen Tatiana shoves King Malachi towards the table. “Go sit down while I make sure everything is ready. Take these.” She hands him a tortilla warmer and a dish of homemade salsa.
“I told you he’d come around,” King Malachi whispers to Sarina as he passes us on his way to the dining room table.
“Daaaaad…” Sarina groans and buries her face in my chest.
I laugh, stroke her hair, and kiss the top of her head.
“Where’s Micah?” she asks her dad, changing the subject.
“Sebastian, I need your help in here.”
Queen Tatiana summons me to the kitchen with a curled finger. Other members of our combined packs make their way to the table from various places around Peter’s house.
The noise in the dining room grows louder as I give Sarina another kiss on her head. “I’ll join you in a minute.”
She lifts her chin higher and kisses me on the mouth—another short and sweet kiss, but I tuck it into my pocket with the others, recognizing it for the gift it is.
I will treasure every kiss she gives me for the rest of our lives .
“Micah will be here later,” King Malachi tells Sarina. “We’re trying to space out our departures, so we don’t draw attention to ourselves since your mission is still classified. He’s not happy about being the last to see you, though.”
“What did you need help with, Queen Tatiana?” I circle the counter towards the stove.
“Tati, please. Or Mom.” She flashes me a smile that is identical to Sarina’s. She wipes her hands on a towel and then wraps her arms around me in a giant, motherly hug. “Thank you for bringing my daughter back safely.”
“I’m sorry I messed up her hair.”
She laughs in my ear at my teasing, her eyes squinting shut with the glee-filled sound. “You can make it up to me by making me a shirt like yours. I want mine to be purple, though.”
“Noted.”
“Good. Now dish up food for your mate!” she orders, thrusting two plates into my hands. “You too, Alpha Wesley!” she shouts into the dining room.
My brother jumps from his chair and rushes into the kitchen.
Reid and Nolan both follow him, neither wanting to be scolded by our queen for not getting food for their mates.
I prepare our plates quickly so I’m not separated from Sarina for a second longer, and as soon as they’re both filled, I grab two forks and make my way back to her side.
King Malachi sits at the head of the table, and Taryn, Haven, and Cassandra all sit at various points along both sides of it, each with an empty spot next to them. Sarina’s pack mates all sit at the far end, waiting their turn to enter the now crowded kitchen to dish up their meal.
Sarina stands off to the side, hands folded as her eyes dart around the table. Uncertainty swirls around her, and her gaze locks onto me as I set our plates down in front of the empty seat next to Haven.
“Do you want to sit with me? On my lap?” I lean down towards her ear in an attempt to keep our conversation private.
She relaxes slightly and slips her hand—finally not hidden by the massively long sleeves of my sweatshirt—into mine to follow me back to the chairs. “Please.”
I sit, and she sets herself right in my lap without prompting or hesitation.
My arm winds around her waist, and I hold her tight against me, ensuring she is safe and comfortable.
She relaxes further at the reassuring, protective embrace, but her hands tremble as she reaches for her fork and eyeballs the piles of food I placed on her plate.
“Just eat what you can,” I murmur to her. “Whatever you’re hungry for, okay?”
I kiss her shoulder as she takes a small bite of her rice and chews it methodically.
I gave her way more food than she’ll be able to eat.
As far as I know, the yogurt I made her for breakfast is the only meal she ate yesterday.
But she needs the fuel. And whatever she doesn’t eat, I’ll finish for her.
“That’s spicy, Twinkle Toes.” Wesley’s voice draws my focus to him and Haven, where he watches her with a frown as she spoons salsa onto her eggs.
“I like spicy.”
“I know, but it will give you heartburn.”
Haven rolls her eyes and adds an extra spoonful of salsa onto her plate, exaggerating her movements as she does. “Everything gives me heartburn right now, Wesley. Even water.”
“When are you due?” Sarina asks.
“June, but the doctor says it could be any day now, especially since I’m carrying an alpha.”
“And you?” Sarina switches her gaze to Taryn.
“June as well.” Taryn smiles and rests her hand on her stomach. “So they’ll be close, like Reid and Wesley are.”
Sarina glances at Reid. He watches Taryn with pride in his eyes and a huge grin on his face as he takes Savvy from Dominic so Dominic can grab his food.
Reid bends to kiss Taryn’s cheek before sitting in his seat, and his attention remains on her even though his plate sits untouched in front of him.
Sarina’s mouth slides into a smug smile. “Looks like you finally figured out your type.”
Reid laughs. “I suppose I did.”
King Malachi chuckles. Reid winces and flicks his eyes towards him apologetically, his head dipped low, which makes Sarina and her dad laugh harder. I join them, shoulders shaking with noiseless laughter, and Reid shoots me a glare.
“What did you do with the potion Amara gave you?” Dominic asks, making his way back to the table with a plate piled high with food.
“I gave it to Dr. Russo for safekeeping. ”
“Are we sure they weren’t giving it to Sarina?” Reid asks. “Maybe that’s why she can’t feel your bond right now.”
“Sebastian wouldn’t be able to feel it either if they gave it to her,” Rune says. “The separatum amoris nexum potion blocks the mate bond from both ends.”
“I felt it when Taryn was taking it,” Reid informs her.
“That was a rare case,” Taryn reminds him. “Maya and her mom both agree it’s because my wolf built up an immunity to the ingredient that’s supposed to block your partner from feeling it.”
“I can feel it sometimes,” Sarina says.
My fork freezes above my plate of food, and I stare at her with raised brows. “You can?”
“Little flickers of your emotions or brief sparks when we touch. Never like before, but…it’s there. It’s behind a dense wall of fog, but it’s there.”
“That’s good, though.” I squeeze her hip. “Something is better than nothing.”
“And your lycan?” King Malachi asks.
Her head shakes, and her hair sways with the movements, the ends brushing her collarbones. “Still quiet.”
Sarina turns her focus back to her meal. Her lips pinch together, and she pushes the food around on her plate. She’s silent for the rest of the meal, not eating and not talking to anyone or even following the conversation. At one point, she leans back into me and rests her head against my chest.
“Your lycan will come back.” I nuzzle my nose closer to her ear. “I know she will. She needs to heal too, and once she’s ready, she’ll come back.”
“I know.”
I cradle the back of her head as she hides her pain-filled face from the others, who thankfully continue talking to each other as they clean up their dishes. They pretend as if they can’t see or hear us.
I hug Sarina closer, waiting for all of them to finish leaving the dining room.
“Maybe spending some time with your family will help.” I continue speaking to her in a low tone right next to her ear, even though the only ones left in the room are her parents, who converse on their own in whispered voices as well.
“I need to let my lycan out for a run, so while I’m running, maybe— ”
She jerks herself upright before I can finish my sentence, her eyes wild, hopeful, and bright. “Will you take me with you?”