Page 9 of The Feisty Omega

“Nope,” mumbled Tal. “We’ll all pitch in for it later. Hold on a minute. I’m looking for something.”

“Can I help?” I asked, moving towards him.

“No! Don’t come over here!” Tal’s voice was muffled from behind the tree, but even so it felt like a slap. Had I done something wrong? I bit down on my bottom lip until it pained me more than the little ball of hurt that had lodged suddenly in my chest. That was the first harsh tone he’d used with me and I didn’t know what to do with it. I didn’t like it, not one bit.

Maybe he was tired of me hanging around. Tal was almost an adult, unlike me, who was clearly still a kid. Quite possibly he wished I’d go outside with the younger kids. I glanced towards the doorway. I wasn’t quite young enough for that though, and besides, I wanted to hang with him.

I suppressed the sigh hovering behind my pursed lips, uncharacteristically indecisive. I didn’t want to make a bigger nuisance of myself…

Maybe Ishouldgo outside…

“There!” Tal emerged from behind the Christmas tree. Voice high-pitched and cracking slightly, it was like he’d had a major success.

“Wait!” He sounded shocked when he saw where I’d paused half-way to the door. “Where are you going?”

“I… I wasn’t sure you wanted me to stay,” I stammered. “I didn’t want to overstay…”

Tal frowned. “Of course, I want you to stay. I was just… you know, I’m sorry. I’m really happy you’re here.”

He looked sheepish. “I guess I can be a bit abrupt when I’m focussed. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” I tried for an upbeat voice, keeping the tremble out of my voice. I wasn’t sure why I was so sensitive, but for some reason it was really important to me that we got along well. “I probably over-reacted. I just thought… well, maybe you were getting tired of me, seeing as I’m… younger.”

“No! You’re perfect… I mean, you’re…” his cheeks flamed pink and it was unbelievable how attractive that was on an alpha, “…fine. You’re fine. We’re fine,” he finished awkwardly.

He thrust out his hand towards me, a crumpled bundle of Christmas paper in his palm.

“Happy Christmas!”

My eyes flicked from his hand to his face and back again. Was he making fun of me? Handing me a scrunched-up bundle of paper? I didn’t know enough about his sense of humor to understand if this was some kind of joke or not.

I hesitated, frowning and tilting my head while I tried to figure it out. He looked serious, even anxious. Okay, I decided, I’m gonna roll with this. If it was a joke, I trusted him enough that it wouldn’t be a mean one.

I reached over and took the crumpled-up bundle, surprised when the weight of it was heavier than I expected. Was there something inside? I turned it over. I frowned, staring at it, wondering what it could be.

“Go on, open it,” Tal urged.

I looked up at him, startling at the intensity of those blue eyes. His crazy fringe had fallen across his face and one eye was half hidden. His hair was all messed up and I was starting to realize that was a permanent look for him. It suited him. But it was the intense focus that got me. I shivered. He was so very alpha. And so very, very hot.

With an effort, I returned my attention to the strange, crumpled object in my hand. It was wrapped but not sealed, and the paper was wrinkled and scrunched. There were suspiciously similar pieces of paper lying discarded on the floor. But Tal was watching intently. Okay, so I should probably open it then. Carefully peeling back the layers, I discovered… a Christmas ornament! It was a silvery ball covered in snowflakes and wolf prints, and it had a little string to hang it with. When I turned it over, I saw the letters T-A-L written in wonky gold ink. It was beautiful and I had to blink the blurriness from my eyes before I looked up at him.

He was very still, waiting for my reaction, and the only thing that let me know he was unsure was the small tic above his eye. Fuck, he was gorgeous.

“Did… did you make this?” I’m not sure how I even found the words. I didn’t have to be a genius to know this gift was special. “It’s beautiful!”

I cradled it in my hands like the most precious treasure, which for me, it was.

“Yeah,” Tal rumbled, a touch of pink highlighting his cheeks. “All the kids make one when they start school and we hang them all in the tree every Christmas. I know it’s not much, but I wanted to give you a present and that’s all I had.” He shrugged. “Didn’t know you would be coming, so…”

“Thank you! I love it!”

I was so overcome with emotion that I didn’t stop to think before launching myself at him, wrapping my arms around him and hugging him. There was no time to be embarrassed about my spontaneous display of emotion, because he squeezed me right back.

Chapter 05

TAL

If he wasmyChristmas present from the Goddess – and I was convinced he was – then I could hang on to him as long as I liked, right?

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