Omega Bound Chapter 164

Cyrus

My stage shenanigans may have me looking completely unhinged. I am, but it's the power move I need to shut down Fireball's trust issues surrounding our mating bond. I publicly claimed her. Not only did I lay claim to her in front of every shifter, but I also told every she-wolf present that they don't matter to me. Yes, name-calling wasn't necessary, but for public displays of affection for my Fireball, it was. She needs to understand that they don't matter. I don't want them; they don't freaking exist to me. 

She may be acting tough right now, trying to push me away, but I know that she is replaying everything I just said and trying to figure out how she feels about it. Which is why I am spending the whole night working on tearing down her wall—brick by brick.

"Get off of me." Raven snipes at me. My feelings would hurt if I didn't find the fact she is a brat a turn-on. 

"Food's this way Fireball." I grab her wrist and pull her along with me because she can pretend all she wants that she is in charge in this situation, but I know she enjoys being dominated. Even if it is difficult for her to admit. She can let her body speak for her.

She doesn't pull away, but I do hear her growl. I would rather listen to her growling than hear her complaining about me anyway.  We hit the buffet line, and I noticed Fireball was barely putting anything on her plate. I quickly remedy this by putting food on her plate. My girl needs to eat. 

"Here, you don't have any meat on your plate yet." 

"I haven't gotten that far, Cyrus."

"Take this too," I say as I put a baked potato on her plate, and she starts growling again. Cute.

I retake her wrist and smile as I feel her attempts to pull away, but her steps don't falter as we walk over to a table. Progress.

"You did great on the stage tonight. Your speech was excellent." I pull her plate over and start cutting her meat, which earns me another scowl, but I dare say less of a murderous scowl and more of an "I can do it myself" scowl.

"Speech? I said, 'Thanks'."

"You should give yourself more credit. You were standing in front of an entire pack you didn't know, and you kept your cool the whole time. You could have said nothing at all. I am proud of you. Damn, this elk is good. Try the elk babe."  I cut a piece off and held the fork up to her mouth, patiently waiting. Yes, I know I'm pushing it, and there is a high likelihood of getting attacked, but she needs to know that I want to take care of her, and it pleases my wolf.

She smacks my fork away from her face and sends it flying across the table. Luckily, I know my mate better than she thinks and pull out another set of silverware from my pocket and unravel them from their napkin. Good. Now she has two knives to stab me with.

I take a few more pieces and sit them down gently on her plate, and I am jealously watching as that meat passes her pouty lips. 

I look up as Tyler is getting close to our table, no doubt hoping to sit in one of these empty chairs, but that isn't happening tonight. I growl, and he immediately turns on his heel and walks in the opposite direction. The only shifter I would possibly entertain sitting with us tonight is Larry's mom, and she's busy flirting by the booze stand. Man, I love his mom. 

"You embarrassed me with your dumbass speech tonight," she says quietly as she finishes off the elk I put on her plate. 

"No, I didn't. You loved it. I claimed you in front of every shifter here. There isn't a single one that would attempt to touch what is mine." 

I leave out "Now they won't dare help you through your heat" because I don't think she would like to hear that. I don't know if she realizes it will be here soon.

I continue, "I made it so no shifters will touch you, and now you know that no shifters will touch me. You cannot argue over my history anymore. Every single she-wolf here knows that I only want you." 

"Just because you told every she-wolf here that you have a mate doesn't mean that you aren't talking to one." Raven counters. That little slip tells me that her dirtbag ex must have been caught or admitted to already pursuing that skank he left Raven for before their mating bond was revealed.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and tossed it over to her. She looks at it briefly but doesn't pick it up.

"Go ahead, go through it, or wait until I am asleep if you don't want me to see you do it," I reassure her. She may think she is calling my bluff, but she isn't. And it is full of junk pics.

"Giving me access to your phone doesn't mean that you aren't mind-linking your slut pack." I prepared for that.

"You know exactly when I mind-link. From what Ayla told me; you can read her too. You are skilled at reading body language. You have a keen sense of detail. I can't hide anything from you."

"That doesn't mean you won't do it, Cyrus." 

"No, I won't. I don't have a 100% way to prove it. Marking each other and feeling each other's emotions would help. We would smell mated, which would also help. It comes down to trust because even mated shifters can cheat on each other if they want to, but you rarely hear that. I think there is a reason why."

Her eyes are full of trepidation as she asks me, "Why?"

"You know why, Fireball. Constantly in tune with your mate's emotions can only be a perk. Having a bond so deep nothing can break it, and nobody stands a chance against it, would be the safest feeling in the world. Us against the world Fireball."

Raven swallows slowly, and I return to eating. A few minutes later, Damon arrives with more elk for my girl.

"Have another shifter be your errand bitch next time." Damon drops the plate, and I scoot it over to Fireball. She doesn't scowl at me this time. 

"We're going to dance or go for a walk after we eat. You choose." I could give her the choice to do neither, but then she would go home and leave me here.

"A walk," Raven whispers. Her voice sends a shiver down my spine. Fates, she is sexy.