Page 12 of Met Your Mate

"Hey baby," I coo, gently swiping her gnarled white hair away from her reddening cheeks. "Shh, I'm here now." My voice trembles, but I'll be strong for her.

I barely register Ken's sigh before he's hovering over us in his dark suit. "Lovely. We'll see how long you can control yourself, pup."

All I can do is watch my mate's eyes widen in shock and pain as Ken plunges the needle into her bicep. "No, no, no! What did you do?!" I shout, pulling her arm to me and inspecting the little droplet of blood rolling down her arm.

"Tick tock, young alpha. Your mate needs you. Will you deny and kill her, or finally bond your one true mate and save her life?" Then the door slams behind Ken and the other betas, leaving us alone. Well, as alone as we can be with cameras in every corner of the room.

The way he words the ultimatum makes it sound like an obvious choice. And as the almond bark notes of Freya's chocolatey scent rise, I'm finding it harder and harder to understand why I shouldn't be touching her.

"Ronan," Freya whispers, but I barely hear her. "Alpha!"

Not only do I snap to attention, but my alpha side does too which scares the ever-loving shit out of me. Guilt builds and builds as blood rushes to my cock.

"Ronan! Look at me!"

Freya's tone shocks me out of whatever trance her scent put me under. Christ, this isn't how this is supposed to go.

"No it's not, Ro. But I haven't expected my first time to be magical in years," my mate says softly, stroking my cheek. Oh, I said that out loud. I can't tell if it's my face that's sweaty or her little palm. "Alpha, I need you to listen to me before we're both swept away in the fog. Can you do that for me?"

I frown. "I would do anything for you, Freya, you have to believe me. God, I'm so so sorry this is happening. Please, you have to stay away from me. I won't do anything you don't want. Fuck, I'm so sorry! I should have realized who you were to me sooner. But you have to know I fell for you long before I knew you were my match. It's not just your scent and the fact that fate made me yours and you mine, but it's you. Please believe me, my love!"

A soft puff of air tickles my face right before my mate shuts me up with a soft caress of her lips, but she's gone before I can kiss her back properly.

"Thank you, Ronan," she whispers, placing her forehead on mine. "It's not just about how delicious you smell to me either."

Something inside of me uncoils at her admission and loving touch.

"I'm scared too," she admits, but when I open my mouth, she rushes on. “But they aren't going to let you out of here until you settle my first wave. I need you to hear me when I say this. You have my consent. I will be lucid for only a few more minutes, and you need to know it's me saying it and not my omega."

"But—"

She shushes me. "It's my choice and I choose you. If your choice is not me, then yes, you need to move away because I won't be able to stop myself from having you body and soul."

"I will always choose you," I growl, forcing the words out through our combined pheromones and scents.

It's like a fucking aphrodisiac being this close to her. If it wasn't obvious she was my mate by her scent alone, then our scents swirling together just confirms it. My toffee and whiskey with her vanilla chocolate.

Freya gives me a soft smile and breathes out a sigh of relief. "Then I'm going to need you, Alpha. I don't know what he gave me, but this already feels different. Just remember, I choose you lucid and horny. Knot, bond... all of you."

My chest heats with warmth at the same time a bead of sweat rolls into her eyebrow. I wipe it away as gently as possible, knowing from all my education that her skin must be so sensitive right now.

Less than a few millimeters away from me, I see the moment Freya shivers and her eyes droop in a lusty haze that has my alpha perking up.

"I'm so sorry I brought you into this," she whispers, but before I can tell her she has nothing to apologize for, her lips are on mine and all thoughts of the outside world blur as her heat and consent roll around in my head.

Freya needs me. Wants me. Chooses me.

I will take care of her even if it's not how I imagined this would happen.

Chapter Twelve

FREYA

Alpha.

My alpha is here! He will take care of me.

It's easy to fade away and allow my omega to take the reins when I'm gazing into Ronan's soul. He is comfort and safety wrapped in one man, and it's everything I haven't had in so long. My alpha is exactly what I need in this fucked up scenario and even if there is some nefarious reason for what's about to happen, I just have to hold on to him.

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