Page 71 of Claiming Xan
I was pissed.Beyondpissed.
Howdarea human try and harm what was mine?
I’d heard Xan scream and my blood had run cold, and when I saw that man on top of him… Something inside of me snapped. I couldn’t have stopped myself if I’d tried.
Now, sitting in the car, trying to catch my breath and steady my rampaging heartbeat, I tried to calm down. Xan needed me to be strong right now, even if all I wanted was to explode.
My fingers squeezed over the steering wheel, and I noticed my knuckles were bloodied from punching that bastard’s face in. Anger sparked anew.
Breathe, River. It’s over. Xan’s safe. You did what you needed to do to save your mate.
I glanced over at Xan, crying softly in the passenger seat, his knees drawn up to his chest. I reached over and placed my hand on one of them, squeezing as gently as I could.
“It’s gonna be okay,” I promised him.
He sniffled. “I know.”
The drive home was tense and quiet. I was angry—at that Alpha prick who thought he could take advantage of Xan, at thesituation, at everything—but anger wasn’t going to get me very far.
What Xan needed right now was comfort and reassurance. He needed his mate to calm the fuck down. To step up and be an Alpha.
So I did.
When we got home, I set my frustrations aside and focused solely on my Omega. I sat him down and made him a cup of hot cocoa, kissed him atop the head, then went and drew him a hot bath.
As the tub filled up, I stared at my reflection in the mirror, my blond hair mussed and my eyes still a little wild around the edges. I willed myself to be calm. I stopped things before they went from bad to worse. I saved Xan.
“Baby?” I called from the doorway once the tub was full and I’d lit a couple of candles—one of Xan’s favorite “relaxation techniques” after a long day at work. “I drew you a bath so you can soak.”
Xan finally shrugged out of his winter coat, which he’d been wearing almost like a coat of armor. He stood and came into the bathroom, peeking around the corner at the tub, then up at me. I hated the fear that lingered in his dark eyes.
He reached for my hand. “Stay? I don’t really want to be alone right now,” he admitted quietly, lowering his gaze. “We could bathe together?”
“Of course,” I assured him, ushering him inside the bathroom before closing the locking the door.
I stripped from my clothes and slipped into the tub first, humming softly at the kiss of the hot water against my skin.
Once I settled in, Xan was quick to join me, nestling between my thighs. I wrapped my arms around his torso and pulled him to my chest, the water sloshing gently in the tub.
Xan leaned back against me with a soft, tired sigh. After a moment, he murmured, “Thank you.”
“For what?” I asked.
“For this. For the cocoa. For the bath.” A pause, then softer, “For saving me.” He sniffed. “I was scared. I never thought TJ would act like that. Like I’m just a piece of meat?—”
I couldn’t help the growl that erupted. “You aren’t,” I told him firmly. “Don’teverthink that. You’re an intelligent, beautiful Omega—and you’re mine. And if he so much as looks at you again…”
Xan nodded soundlessly, then rested his head on my shoulder. “Thank you, baby.”
“I love you, Xander Price,” I murmured, my throat aching with the truth of it. “I would do anything for you. I would lay down my life for you, if that’s what it took. You’re my mate. My Omega. The man carrying my child. Mine. I’m never letting you go.”
Xan sniffled again, and when he looked up at me, there were tears in his eyes. He bit down on his bottom lip, but smiled through them. “I love you too, River. So much.”
We soaked until we were waterlogged and the bath went cold. Then we dried off and cuddled in bed. As Xan fell asleep tucked in beside me, I breathed in his sweet honey-almond scent and gently ran my hand over the swell of his belly.
A couple more months, and we’d be parents. I never thought I’d ever escape the hell that was the facility, let alone have a mate who loved me despite my flaws and my anger issues, but here we were.
I thanked the moon every night that Xan Howell was mine.
