Page 4 of The Monster at the End of This Molt

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"It's my birthday." Tears welled in his eyes, but there was anger there, too. Good. He should be angry he got stuck with me.

"I came to claim what's mine."

Just when I thought he finally saw it my way … "Those are alpha words."

"Yeah, well, someone's gotta be the alpha here. Three years, and you didn't come."

"You're still too young." In a year, he'd be half my age. Every year after that, the age gap would matter less and less, but now it was an immense chasm I wouldn't cross.

"Too young?" Robin shoved his thick black hair out of his face. He looked so much like his omega dad. No wonder I'd tried to steal Punky away from Lark. Robin was my ideal mate in every way.

"I'm still too young." He scoffed and dropped his hands to his sides. "When were you planning on telling me this?"

"I was going to show up on your doorstep on your twenty-eighth birthday and surprise you."

"Surprise, motherfucker. I'm here now."

Yes, he was, and he looked glorious, backlit by the setting sun.

"I guess I'll stay in those rooms for visiting omegas until you get your head out of your ass."

Robin turned toward the barn, and the center of my chest nearly burst with disappointment. My every instinct demanded that I stop him, but I let him go.

I could do this. I could stick to my original plan and wait two more years.

"Wait."

He turned back to me with so much hope in his gaze. I backed up a step, tripped over the edge of the tire rim, and landed hard on the dented steel.

Robin rushed to my side, pulling me up. "Are you hurt?"

My backside twinged, but my pride rankled more than anything. "I'm fine. You surprised me, is all." I should have been able to feel his approach through our bond. My magic had gotten stronger over the years, but I'd focused most of it on dampening the bond now impossible to ignore.

Before I could cast a quick spell to clean myself off a little, Robin took my hand and closed his eyes. His magic kneaded away all pain in my backside, and then the gentle touch dissipated. "There. All better."

"You're supposed to kiss it better." It took a moment for the words to register in my brain after I'd spoken them, and then I groaned. "Not that you should … I mean …"

"It's okay, Weld. I won't kiss you again. I saw how disgusted you were the first time."

"Not disgusted," I whispered. "I can't believe you're here."

Robin glanced over my shoulder and froze, a small smile spreading across his face, displaying his beautiful sharp teeth. "Are the sunsets always this pretty here?"

I turned around to see it for myself. "It's the main reason I stayed," I said. "Sometimes, the horizon turns a beautiful shade of gold, like your eyes."

My hand drifted to his chin of its own accord, turning those gorgeous eyes toward me. Gold with flecks of green, they complemented my green and gold perfectly.

"We're going to miss it," he said. "I don't want to miss a single sunset with you, now that we're together."

"It's going to be a long two years," I muttered.

"Two years?" A frown marred his beautiful face. "You still plan to make me wait another two years?"

"I'm still over half your age, Robin. You've got to understand?—"

"No. You're the one spouting bullshit. The agreement you made with my parents was to wait until I reached maturity. For changelings, that was when they turned twenty-five, but now that we live on Ignitas, it happens sooner. I lost my tail at twenty-three, Weld. We could have been together the last two years, nine months?—"

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