Page 7 of Charming the Orc's Mate

“No, first I noticed how she glared at me for being too loud in her store.” Heat crept up my neck. “Which, fair. But then she turned around and...gods.”

Osen’s eyes softened with understanding. He’d felt it too, that moment when the whole world realigned to putherat the center. “You sound properly besotted already. So when’s the handfasting?”

“There’s no handfasting.” I scowled at his brotherly shiteating grin. The memory of her dismissal stung. “She barely acknowledged my existence. And then I fucked up by forgetting about deliveries with Zral...”

“Smooth.” Miranda curled into Osen’s side, his arm wrapping around her automatically. “Nothing says ‘mate material’ like being unreliable.”

I groaned and slumped further into the chair. Gus took advantage of my new position to claim my lap. “Then Tate showed up, and I don’t know what would keep her in Silvermist?—”

“Tate Gerrard?” Osen sat straighter, dislodging Miranda. “At the bookstore?”

“Yeah, trying to ‘take the burden off her shoulders’ or some bullshit.” My lip curled at the memory. “Slithered in with his fake sympathy and preliminary offers.”

“So that’s where he plans to get the land.” Osen’s expression darkened. At both our confused looks, he explained, “Something the Silvermist mayor mentioned at our last meeting. Gerrard’s been giving the planning department hell since they rejected his condo proposal. Needs more parking or something.”

My blood ran cold. “You think he’s targeting Carissa’s store specifically?”

Osen’s fingers traced idle patterns on Miranda’s shoulder. “A downtown property that size would solve his problems.”

“I tried to warn her about him.” The growl rumbled in my chest before I could stop it. Gus’s ears flattened at the vibration. “She shut me down completely. Said she could handle her own business dealings.”

Miranda hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe try not charging in and assuming she needs protecting? Let her set the pace.”

“Right, because you’re the expert on taking things slow?” I rolled my eyes. “Didn’t my brother literally kidnap you?”

“And it worked out beautifully.” She grinned up at Osen. “Eventually. After I got over the whole ‘stolen from my bed’ thing.”

“You loved every minute of it.” Osen nipped her ear, and I fought the urge to throw something at them.

“The point is,” Miranda continued, swatting his wandering hands, “humans need time to process the concept of fated mates. We know it exists, but we don’t have the same recognition others do. It’s a big leap to take based on nothing but someone else’s feeling.”

“It’s their inferior blood,” Osen teased, earning an elbow to the ribs.

My mind spun as the laughter faded. I traced the tattoos curling around my wrists—swoops and curls meant to represent strength and wisdom. Right now they felt more like mockery. Every instinct screamed to claim what was mine, to sweepCarissa off those ridiculous heels and carry her back to my bed. To show her exactly how perfectly we’d fit together.

But Miranda was right. Humans needed time. If Carissa felt it at all, she wouldn’t show it. Not with all that armor and formality. But she couldn’t possibly deny it forever.

Could she?

“It’ll be good having another human around,” Osen mused, nuzzling Miranda’s neck. “Someone to share the stares with you at clan gatherings.”

Miranda’s noncommittal hum spoke volumes. She pulled back just enough to give him a pointed look. “A bookstore’s a bit harder to move back and forth than my apothecary shop.”

The words lodged in my throat like splinters. I hadn’t even considered… But of course she wouldn’t want to live in Grimstone. She had a life in Silvermist Falls. A business. Responsibilities.

Could I leave the clan? It wasn’t unheard of for an orc to live outside a clan. Uncommon, sure, but not impossible. Vanin left.

And got shit for it every time one of us walked into One Hop Stop when visiting Silvermist.

The thought of abandoning my duties, leaving Osen to shoulder everything alone… My stomach turned. But living without Carissa, existing in a world without her scent and her smile and the sound of her voice… that seemed a worse fate.

Fuck.

“You two are disgusting.” I threw a cushion at them as Osen’s hands started wandering again. “Some of us are having actual crises here.”

“Mmm.” Miranda’s eyes had gone heavy-lidded. “Crisis time’s over. Get out.”

“But—”

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