Talons

Chapter 124: The inevitable

Rhea's POV

I can feel my eyes bulge out of the sockets with Colton's last statement. I'm pretty sure he meant that in a s****l way, but then again, it could be my mind.

He could’ve been talking about taking me on dates or buying me gifts. Yeah... that’s what he meant.

"Don't stick around to find out. Leave now."

My wolf is absolutely right, so I tried to make my way out of Colton’s office as fast as possible, but I feel myself being held back by the wrist.

"I’ve been meaning to ask; do you remember the first time we met?" I shake my head at Colton, afraid that he may be offended that I don't remember, but he releases me with a sad expression.

"Sorry," I whisper. Colton may be a jerk, and he may have tortured me for many years; however, right now, he is a slave to some type of compulsion to want to be with me.

"Rhea, please stop apologizing for things that you shouldn't be sorry for. I'm not sad that you don't remember. You could not have been more than three at the time. I just wanted to confirm that I wasn't imagining things."

I don't understand what Colton is talking about, and I don't want to find out, so after taking his permission, I bolt.

Colton's POV

The look of shock on my mate's face when I told her I will show her she's wrong was comical to me, but her reaction afterward brought me back to reality.

It will be a long time until she is ready to be together in a romantic way, and sexually, it may take even longer. While I’ll wait, it's not going to be easy. My mate's smell alone is enough to arouse me, and anytime I touch her, small bursts of pleasurable tingles shoot up and down my spine.

I don’t know if she feels them, but when she was in the hospital, she did have some sort of reaction to my touch, I just don’t know if it was from the mate bond or not.

I've asked Carter about it, and he told me that it was the same for him and Mandy, only on a much grander scale because she wouldn't let him touch her for weeks. He also told me that by the time she allowed any portion of their bodies to touch, he was ready to pin her down and take her by force.

I definitely don't want that to happen to me and Rhea, so I make sure to touch her whenever I can. I hope that it will help curb my desire to have her physically, but sometimes, I feel like I might be making it worse.

"Carly is about to be two. It's been long enough; our mate needs to understand that." Orlin is talking as if he’s going to do something stupid, but I know that he wouldn't cross that line because he had the chance and he didn't take it. Now as for a forcible mark, he is much more willing to take that bite. "She is my mate, it's my right."

Arguing with my wolf about Rhea's rights is never ending, so I just don’t do it. Yes, she is my mate, and yes, I want to claim her as my own, but I don’t want to taint something special by taking away her ability to choose. Carter and Mandy had an experience like that, and the man is still bothered by it.

The same goes for s*x, when she is ready, I will show her just how badly I’ve wanted to be with her. I just hope she makes up her mind soon because I’m ready now.

Rhea’s POV

The Iron pack is paranoid, so when the delivery men came, they were quite literally asked to hand over their truck keys to pack members who would drive the vehicle inside and off load the items themselves.

Fortunately, one of the men is Coach Jim’s nephew, so I was able to convince the man to trust me.

After a very awkward conversation about why it was an all-male crew who delivered the items I ordered, Colton finally allowed me to oversee the renovations. Building went smoothly, and thanks to Coach Jim, I was able to order the correct extension unit, so the classrooms connect properly.

The only thing I don’t like is the fact that they don’t match or blend seamlessly, but an omega handyman helped me collect all the spare paint on the pack grounds, and after getting Colton’s permission, we were able to use something called liquid siding to make the daycare look like one solid structure, then paint it all the same color.

There is still so much work to do, but the people upgrading the school tell me that they can manage it without my help, and since 7PM is quickly approaching, I start heading back to the Packhouse, surprised when I run into Colton, Trey, and Mandy along the way.

“We were just coming to get you,” Mandy says, and while my internal clock is telling me that I’m not late, that is where my mind has gone.

“Sorry, I don’t have a way to keep time and I was told I had until seven.”

Colton’s POV

Words cannot express the way I feel right now. I told my mate that I would like her home by seven and although it's only been a day, she is already making sure to adhere to the rules I set forth.

Fixing the daycare must be important to her because so far, she hasn’t deviated from any of the requests I’ve made of her.

“You aren’t late,” I say. “We just wanted to see how your project was coming along.”

I can tell by the amount of dust and paint on my mate's clothing that she wasn’t just supervising the work being done. She actually helped the men work, and I find myself growing jealous. I wonder if any of them flirted with her.

Omegas have a better sense of smell than humans, but it is not as sensitive as a full wolf. Still, they may be drawn to her, especially if they can sense that she is a rogue.

While I have never seen it done, I’ve heard of omega males specifically seeking out rogue females to mate with. I’m not entirely sure what benefit it serves them, but I’m guessing it's to have stronger offspring.

Rhea would be a catch to any male, and not just because she’s gorgeous, but because she comes from a good lineage.

The group starts walking toward the daycare, and one of the men working on the building starts chuckling when he sees my mate.

“Couldn’t trust us for a few minutes?” he says, and my mate giggles, making me extra annoyed.

“Your alpha wanted to see how far we’ve gotten.” The man climbs down the ladder he was on, and I feel the need to stand in front of my mate.

She doesn’t smell like me yet, and I may have to start taking naps in her bed to ensure that my scent covers her. Any omega within this pack would be able to recognize the scent of their alpha, and it should act as a deterrent.

“Bro, he’s old and married,” Trey says over the link, and I shoot him a guilty glance.

“Yes, but the others aren’t.”

“Carter very specifically chose men who were either married or mated. I thought he was overdoing it, but I guess he was right.” I relax a little, knowing that after having children, omegas stay together forever. It's like their equivalent of the mate bond.

Rhea was oblivious to my display because she was too busy talking to Mandy about how they made the two structures look like one. She steps from around me, and starts pointing out things that are done, things that will soon be put in place, and when we step inside, I'm already blown away.

The space is significantly larger, and while there is nothing inside of it, thanks to Rhea’s explanations I can already visualize how perfect it's going to be.

With the tour done, we start heading back to the Packhouse when a regret of mine rears its ugly head.

“You must be Colton’s mate,” Gale says, but Rhea doesn’t respond the way the woman was expecting, and introduces herself as B instead.

“Gale, you can leave now,” I say, but the woman is still sizing my mate up. Rhea is just looking at her in confusion, and Gale smirks as if she had just thought of the perfect insult.

This interaction is inevitable, so I decide to let it play out while I'm around. If Gale passes her place, I will do what I have to do, but so far, she is just looking.

“How does Colt’s d*ck taste to you?” she asks, and my mate literally flinches at the question. I was also shocked by the woman, so my mate is already answering before I can even open my mouth.

Rhea’s POV

The woman looking me up and down must be one of Colton’s girlfriends, and the way he just asked her to leave made that clear to me. I don’t like these sorts of interactions, especially since it involves a man I don’t want.

The woman looks me up and down before her mouth curls into a smile that lets me know she is about to say something vulgar.

“How does Colt’s d*ck taste to you?” She asks, and I quite literally flinch in disgust.

“Eww, I wouldn’t know, but based on its proximity, it probably tastes like a combination of butt crack and scrotum.” Mandy snorts in laughter, but I don’t understand what’s funny about what I just said.

I turn to see Colton staring at me with wide eyes, and I just realized that I may have offended his girlfriend.

“Are you trying to say that I stink?” The woman questions, and now I’m even more confused.

“Listen miss, whatever tastes or smells you and Colton have going on between your legs is none of my concern. If the odor makes you self-conscious, then I encourage you to seek medical advice from a physician; I do not want to play doctor for either of you.”

People tend to think that because I’m smart, I can answer medical questions, but I’ve never studied medicine, and the woman in front of me has gone too far.

“B, she was trying to say that Colt tastes like her; she wanted to make you jealous.” Mandy can barely speak because she and Trey are doubled over in laughter and now, I’m embarrassed.

“Oh… but... doesn’t he shower?”