Page 23 of A Promise of Forever
Astra shrugs and chugs the rest of his champagne before stretching out a little further. He maintains his space from me, though, giving me the room I need. "Forrest will take good care of you, I promise. I mean, he brought you here, didn't he? And gave you his coat. You just have to tell him what you need. Sometimes our mates are a little dumb about figuring out what we want without being told."
I glare at the Omega even if I know that Forrest is my Valla.Mates.I’ve just been trying to find out where I belong but mates? "That's not... we're not..."
Astra lets out an exaggerated sigh. "Babe, seriously? Are you actually wondering about that? Forrest is definitely yours. God, watch this."
Before I can ask what he means, Astra holds up his champagne flute and then simply drops it. The glass shatters on the floor with a crash that echoes through the quiet room.
Astra doesn't even count to one before the other Valla stalks over to inspect him. Astra giggles the whole time, clearly enjoying the immediate response, as the Valla runs his hands over Astra’s arms and shoulders checking for injury.
"What the fuck happened?" He growls, his voice rough with concern. "Are you okay?"
"Bryn, I'm fine. I promise. It just slipped." Astra's purrs, his tone slightly more affectionate than it was with me. His melonscent bleeds out a little more, the Omega completely unbothered by the intensity of Bryn's reaction. Bryn lets out a deep, rattling purr before dragging Astra into a full, tongue-licking kiss that’s more claim than passion.
I watch with wide eyes, fascinated by the casual intimacy and the way Bryn's entire demeanor shifts from aggressive concern to tender possession. My body heats a little and I shove my hands between my thighs to hide the growing bulge between my thighs. The sudden surge of coconut and rum has me looking past Astra and Bryn to my Valla and his brother, both of them just as in tune with the scene.
However, none of them seem surprised or concerned by Bryn's reaction.
When Bryn finally walks back over to join the business discussion, Astra sighs with obvious pleasure and settles back into the couch. And then there’s me, confused, turned on, and just a tad uncomfortable. I do haveonequestion, though. "Why didn't Caelan come over to you? He didn’t even move."
"Because he knew my Valla had it." Astra says it like I’m supposed to just know that. "Now you do it."
I stare at him, not understanding what he wants me to do.
"I saw Forrest look up when I dropped that glass," Astra continues, pointing toward where Forrest is standing. "He was making sure you were okay, checking that the sound didn't scare you or that you weren't hurt by the broken glass. Your Valla is already attuned to you."
I shake my head firmly. "We're not mated. It doesn't work like that."
Astra sits up a little and curls one of his legs beneath him before meeting my eyes. The sparkle in those green depths remind me of a time when I used to think I’d have a wonderful family of mine and children running around that called me Dad. “Babe, look at me. Biology doesn’t work the way we want it to.And mates are a funny way of saying that fate has plans. It’s not always about the physical stuff and I can tell you that the connection starts happening the moment you accept each other. Which by the looks of it? Has already started.” He gives me a softer smile before raising his hand to one of the waiters for another glass.
Mates.
I’m tempted to look over at Forrest again but I refrain, continued to stay curled up just like this until the waiter approaches Astra. He takes a glass and then gestures to me, the waiter taking a step closer to offer the tray. I shake my head politely, not wanting alcohol on top of everything else overwhelming my system.
“It’s from the top shelf, Mr. King.”
Discomfort swirls around in my gut as I just shake my head again. “No, thank you. I don’t really drink.”
But the waiter doesn't back off. Instead, he leans in closer, his acrid scent assaulting my senses. "Come on, just one drink. It'll help you relax."
"He doesn't want any," Astra says firmly, his earlier playfulness disappeared.
"I'm just doing my job," the waiter snaps back. His nostrils flair in defiance, the Beta’s lip snarling up. "Back off." He then turns back to me and reaches forward, his fingers inches from touching my arm.
The hostility in his voice drags a small sound of distress from me, my body automatically curling in on itself. And sure enough, like Astra predicted, Forrest is suddenly there.
He moves so fast I don't even see him cross the room. His hand closes around the waiter's wrist and snaps it backward with a sickening crack. The waiter cries out in pain, Caelan swooping in to pull the man away before Forrest can do more damage.
I make another sound, this one closer to a whimper, and the word tumbles from my lips before I can stop it. "Red." A tear runs down my cheek as I wrap my arms around my knees and bury my face in my lap. I should have never thought I could do this.
Strong arms wrap around me and tug me into a firm chest, Forrest’s scent so much stronger now that he’s holding me. I just stuff my face into his neck as he carries me away from the couch, silence meeting my ears as the lights dim until it’s just darkness surrounding me. Forrest doesn’t stop moving until I hear a door close, my Valla sitting back into a chair before pulling me tighter against him.
Panic surges through me, Forrest slowly twisting me around until I’m sitting between his thighs, my back against his chest. His large hands splay across my chest, covering what feels like my entire torso, his lips moving to my ear seconds later. “Breathe, little dove.Breathe.”
I should feel trapped like this but the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat against my back and his thighs on either side of mine feel good.Reallygood. My panic starts ebbing away the moment his purr rumbles to life beneath me. We sit there in silence, just breathing together, my racing heart gradually slowing to match his steady rhythm.
"I'm so sorry," I whisper once I can form words again.
"I'm not. He should have never fucking tried to touch you." Forrest tells me, his lips attaching to the side of my head. "Do you want to go home?"
