Kieran POV
I had difficulty sleeping last night. My wolf, Karr, was loud in my mind all night. He was so elated to be sleeping beside our mate that he couldn't calm down. I am just glad that Mae couldn't hear the ridiculousness that was going on in my mind.
She is sleeping soundly beside me. Her face is nuzzled into my chest and I can feel her soft breaths fanning against my skin. The tingles from the bond between us are soothing, and I want to drift back to sleep.
I close my eyes, meaning to only rest them for a few moments before starting my day. I feel like my eyes have only been closed for a second when my alarm goes off. Reaching around Mae, I turn off the alarm. She stirs slightly in my arms, but she doesn't wake. Mae rolls away from my body and curls up under the covers hugging my pillow close to her chest.
I want to watch Mae sleep for a little longer, but I know I can't stay in bed all day. Carefully, I slip from the bed and tuck the covers in around Mae's body.
I don't want to bother Mae, so I decide to skip my usual morning shower. Slipping on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, I run my fingers through my hair, trying to tame my bedhead. I take one final look at Mae before I leave my room.
As I open the door, something heavy falls into my bedroom and lands on my feet. I look down and see Tish wiping her eyes sleepily. I glare down at her as she stretches her arms to the side and yawns loudly.
"What the hell are you doing?" I whisper harshly.
Tish runs her fingers through her dark hair and smirks at me. "Good morning to you, too."
I shush Tish as I gesture back to Mae, who is sleeping on the bed. Mae's eyebrows are furrowed in her sleep, and I am afraid she is going to wake up.
Tish gets to her feet and brushes her hands over the clothes, trying to smooth out the wrinkles. She tries to march past me toward Mae, but I grab her arm and pull her back.
"What are you doing?" I hiss at her.
"I am getting into bed with my friend," Tish says matter-of-factly. "It is what I always do after we have a fight."
"Not anymore," I groan as I pull Tish out of my bedroom.
I quietly shut the door behind us, and Tish stands with her arms crossed over her chest in anger. I know she is waiting for me to walk away from my door so she can go inside and be with Mae, but that is not happening. Not anymore. I refuse to have the two of them alone together in my bed.
"Why were you outside my door?" I demand to know.
"I just needed to know that Mae was okay," Tish fumbles over her words, and I am not sure if I believe her or not.
"Why wouldn't Mae be okay?" I snap at her.
"Because she isn't this type of girl," Tish says in a hushed voice. "It is unlike her to want to sleep with a man she just met."
I look around the hallway, and the Omegas are beginning to move from room to room. I don't want to have this conversation out in the open like this. I grab Tish by her upper arm and lead her down the stairs to my office.
Tish tries to fight me but she isn't strong enough to break through my grasp. I open my office door and shove her inside. Tish falls roughly to the ground and glares up at me. I shut the door behind us and step over her on the way to my desk.
I sit behind my desk and wait for Tish to get back to her feet. She mumbles under her breath about overprotective dogs before she sits in the seat across from me. Tish glares at me, refusing to be the one who speaks first.
"Mae officially recognizes the mate bond between us," I tell Tish. I cannot keep the smugness from my voice.
Tish's face falls. "How is that possible? She is a human."
"Just because she is a human doesn't mean that she cannot feel the bond between us," I respond to Tish.
"Did you sleep with her?" Tish asks.
"I don't think that is any of your business," I growl. "Mae is no longer your responsibility to take care of."
Tish pushes herself out of her seat and begins to pace the floor of my office. She is twirling her fingers in her hair in frustration.
"Mae and I have always taken care of one another," Tish says, and her voice is full of panic.
Leaning back in my chair, I study Tish carefully. I will have to play my cards carefully. Even though she and Mae had a fight last night, it doesn't mean Mae won't be upset with me if I kick Tish out of the pack house.
"I know that," I say harshly. "That is why I am not asking you to leave."
Tish looks taken aback by my words. "You would really ask me to leave her here with you? I have seen your kind. I know what you are capable of."
Slowly, I rise out of my chair and lean forward with my hands on my desk. A low growl rumbles in my chest. I throw my Alpha Aura over the room, and Tish sits down in the seat across from me. She is staring at her hands in her lap and she is shaking. I didn't think it was possible to intimidate Tish, but I succeeded.
I sit back down in my seat and lift my Alpha Aura from the room. Tish lets out the breath she was holding and tears drip down from her eyes.
"Just because you are a familiar, it doesn't mean you understand our world or how it works," I say slowly. "You have been surrounded by rogues. Living within a pack is much different. Do you understand?"
Tish nods but she is still refusing to speak.
"Do you have any other questions?" I ask.
"Are you going to ask me to leave one day?" Tish's voice is trembling.
"I already told you. I understand that you and Mae are a package deal. If keeping you around means that I get to keep Mae, then you are welcome to stay here for as long as you would like."
"She is all I have in my life," Tish responds honestly.
Jealousy flares in my chest, but I push it to the side. "Then I suggest you start acting like it."