Chapter 17

It had been three weeks since they bonded with one another, but he and Kian were determined to go through with the final gift of the courting ritual, which was comfort and home. Since they already had a house, Kian came up with the suggestion of a nursery, which Mason agreed was an excellent idea. A nursery could represent comfort and home to their future child. He figured that would be close enough to fulfill the requirement of the courting ritual.

Mason, Blake, and Kian had gathered all of their parents ten days after they mated for a cookout in the backyard. They also invited James and Anthony, who were responsible for them being able to meet and eventually mate. One or more of them must have been carrying a virus because Blake had started vomiting on and off three or four days after that day.

He and Kian were terrified and worried about their omega. Moreover, they were both busy with work and trying to complete the nursery in secret. It didn’t help Mason’s temper that Blake was being stubborn, insisting on continuing with designing the websites for his clients or finishing some translation jobs, even though Mason and Kian kept telling him to rest. Blake seemed so exhausted and pale that Mason couldn’t stop hovering over the omega, preferring to leave most of the operational and financial stuff at the diner to the managers.

He and Kian were stressed to their limits at the moment, so the two of them couldn’t stop snapping at each other inside the locked extra bedroom while they put the final touches on the nursery. He glared at Kian when the other alpha thought it would be better to change the color on the walls. Again. He liked the current one just fine. Moreover, he was exhausted, so he refused to compromise. He thought the two of them should concentrate more on Blake to make sure their omega could regain his health as soon as possible.

“Kee, for fuck’s sake. Enough!” Mason hissed.

“The yellow is too bright. Maybe we should use a dimmer shade.”

He closed his eyes and counted to ten. He didn’t want to turn into one of those alphas who ended up in a fistfight with his alpha mate. He waited until he could control his anger before opening his eyes. He glared at Kian. It didn’t help that Kian was just as much of an alpha as he was. He could tell they were seconds away from blowing their tops. He decided to walk out of the bedroom before he did something that he would regret for the rest of his life. He and Kian would do that every time they argued in the past.

However, Mason was shocked when Kian grabbed his collar and pushed his face against the door. He turned to face the left side of the bedroom and snarled. He struggled to break free, but Kian managed to hold him in place despite the disparity in their physical sizes. He could sense his canines and claws were about ready to pop out, especially when his vision grew redder by the second. Kian growled at him. The still sane part of Mason knew a bloody fight was inevitable now, but he was still doing his best to hold back. Then, he and Kian smelled the distressed scent of their omega coming in through the crack of the door.

“Alphas?”

In an instant, Mason felt Kian’s hold on him loosening, and his vision cleared. He turned around and yanked Kian close to him. “We’re mates. I’ll forget this ever happened. Do that again, and I’ll snap your neck off.”

Kian sneered at him. “Bring it on.”

“Alphas!” Blake called again, more frantic this time.

He and Kian stared daggers at each other for a few more seconds before they unlocked and opened the door together. Blake rushed in and eyed them back and forth.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Mason greeted, trying to calm himself down.

“Hey, babe. Are you okay?” Kian asked.

“Are you?” Blake scoffed at the two of them with barely concealed anger. “I could smell your fury throughout the house, not to mention the bonds among us. Both of you still have a little bit of redness in your eyes. What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Mason and Kian replied at the same time.

It was obvious Blake didn’t believe them because the man reached up and placed a hand behind each of their heads before tugging them forward until they rested their heads on Blake’s shoulders. The calming omega scent worked immediately. All of Mason’s tension disappeared. He sagged against Blake and nuzzled into the crook between the omega’s neck and shoulder, breathing in the sweet scent of his mate. He was startled when Kian put an arm around his waist, so he returned the gesture. Then their other hands met at the back of Blake’s waist.