Page 108 of Home: Posy 5

Panicking, I squeezed his hand, hoping he'd look at me again. He didn't, but he nodded, so I tugged him toward the open gym doors.

Is he scared of us?Larch rumbled.I told you not to get that neck tattoo! Now our little mate is scared of us because you look like a mean biker gangster thug or something!

I don't think it's my tattoos.I rolled my eyes at my wolf.But you're right. We probably do look scary to a gentle omega. Is his wolf talking to you?

No! See? They're scared!

Once we were inside and alone, he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, Gamma Reuben," he whispered. "I'm so sorry!"

"What are you sorry for?" I asked with a frown of confusion.

"That you got stuck with me," he whimpered, breaking my heart. "A gamma should have a strong mate, not an omega. I'm sorry."

"I'm not sorry. Not at all." I grinned, something I hadn't done in a long, long time. "I'mhappyit's you."

That made his head fly up and those eyes - Goddess, those eyes! - met mine again, this time with hope shining in them.

"You are?" he breathed. "But I thought— I thought you were bringing me in here to reject me in private."

"There are a lot of things I want to do to you in private," I teased with wagging eyebrows and had the pleasure of watching him turn red, "but rejecting you will never be one of them."

"You—" The hand I still held in mine gripped my fingers tightly. "You wantme? You really wantmefor your mate?"

"More than you can imagine. I'm proud to say you're mine. I want to shout it to the world." I took a deep breath, not wanting to say what I had to, but he deserved to know what had happened to me at Tall Pines. "If anything,Ishould apologize toyou,Bram. I— There was— Back in June—"

"Hey, it's okay." His fingers threaded through mine to gently squeeze them. "You can tell me anything, and I promise I won't judge."

I took a deep breath and tried again.

"Something happened to me in June. Something ... bad. I'll explain more later, but for now, you should know that I struggle with nightmares, flashbacks, and bouts of depression. The witches are working with me, and Dr. York gave me some coping strategies, but it's slow going. I'm sorry that you're stuck with a train wreck."

"Oh, no, no! Don't be sorry for something like that!" His handsome face filled with sympathy, and he dropped my hand so he could stretch up and lay his palms on either side of my face. "I'll help you, gamma. I'll do anything I can to help you heal."

"You're not going to reject me?"

"No, silly!" he giggled. "The only things that will ever drive me away are if you cheat on me or treat me like garbage."

He called you silly,Larch said with a dreamy smile.

I would have preferred darling,I said with an eye roll.

"I would never do either of those things, Bram. Loyalty is the most important thing to me, and I plan to treat you like the priceless treasure you are. In fact, if anyone ever treats you like garbage, I'll tear them to bits, and that's nothing to what my wolf will do to them." Pulling his hands away from my face, I laid them on my chest and flattened my palms over them. "Speaking of, Larch wants to know why your wolf won't talk to him. He's afraid you're both scared of us."

"Even you have to admit that you look scary, gamma." His eyes crinkled up as he grinned. "But we're not scaredofyou. My wolf is very shy. Larch will have to be patient, but once Smoke warms up to him, he'll cling to him like glue."

That was the third time my mate called me by my title and not my name.

"Reuben. Call me Reuben. Or Rube. Or whatever term of endearment you want. Just not gamma. And notsilly, either."

I fake-frowned at him, and when he giggled at that, my heart blew up like a balloon.

You made mate giggle!Larch cooed.

"Although I admit that's hardly fair," I continued, "since I'll probably call you my omega. Would that bother you?"

"I like it whenyousay it. You make it sound special." He lowered his eyes as the tips of his ears turned pink and whispered, "You smell like old books."

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