Page 94 of The Pregnant Wolf Omega Next Door

“I’m a wolf too,” Emre blurted.

“I’mnotletting you out there right now,” Zenith growled.

It didn’t really help. “If it’s really Ronald, I don’t want him to hurt you.”

“Ronald’s a wolf, isn’t he? He won’t be able to harm my dragon.”

“But your human shape is still squishy. And Ronald plays dirty.”

Zenith looked at Emre. Emre knew what he was seeing—the claw marks that Ronald had dug into his skin, the patch of pink onEmre’s neck where Ronald’s bonding mark had once been. Emre had sliced it off to end the telepathic bond between wolf mates.

Zenith bared his teeth, danger flashing in his eyes. “I will rip him apart for hurting you.”

“As long as you don’t get hurt.”

“I’ll try my best.”

It eased some of the fear in Emre’s bones. Zenith was still tense, so Emre snuggled deeper into his side, keeping an eye on Bean splashing water everywhere.

“Let’s not talk about Ronald right now,” Emre said. “Tell me your embarrassing childhood story.”

Zenith groaned, but the stiffness in his body eased. “Damn it.”

“I’ll tell it!” said Huxton’s disembodied voice. “Once upon a time, when Scribbly Master was a wee lil one, he accidentally swallowed his Papa’s precious gold ring.”

Emre cringed. “Oh gods.”

Zenith’s sigh sounded like it had come from the depths of his soul. “I regret that Hux ever met my dads.”

“You love it,” Huxton said. “Now, that ring was a very precious ring. It bore a royal crest, and it was a gift from a King that Zenith’s Papa used to serve. Tons of status attached to it. Wave it in one of those exclusive clubs, and it would grant you entrance. Anyway, that ring captured lil Zenith’s fancy.”

Emre could already see where this was going. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes,” Huxton said gleefully. “He would wriggle the ring up and down his Papa’s finger, but Papa always caught the ringbefore it slipped off. Except one day, Papa was distracted. And lil Scribbly Master freed his Papa’s precious ring, popped it into his mouth, and swallowed it.”

“I would freak out so badly,” Emre whispered, feeling sorry for both kid-Zenith, and adult-Zenith.

“The entire household was in chaos. They tried turning him upside down, but the ring would not fall out.” Huxton popped his head into the bathroom and wriggled his eyebrows. “No one had the heart to make him puke. Guess how they got the ring back.”

Zenith groaned, burying his face in his hand. His ears were bright red.

Emre could already imagine it, but he also wanted to spare Zenith the humiliation.

Huxton barreled on. “It came out the other end. As alump of metal.It had completely melted in his digestive tract, and would no longer provide anyone with a status symbol.”

Zenith shoved his hand over Huxton’s face and pushed him out of the bedroom. “He won’t want to be my mate after that story.”

Emre’s stomach flipped. He went over and wrapped his arms around Zenith. “I’m still here.”

Zenith sucked in a sharp breath, peering down at Emre hopefully. “Really?”

His expression was so adorable that Emre melted.

“Really,” Emre said.

Zenith looked so awed and relieved that Emre wanted to kiss him, except he was too short to reach Zenith’s mouth, even on tiptoes.

So Emre reached up, wriggling his fingers.