Page 13 of Marking Mia

“Stop gloating and get it together,” I bark at both of them. “How can it be possible that she’s without a pack? Surely someone is protecting her?”

“Worse. She has a measly human boyfriend who beats her, it seems. Shouts at her, makes her feel small so he can feel like a man,” Finn growls, speaking every word like they taste foul.

Jace nods, his eyes stony. “She seems very alone. I haven’t noticed any friends. She just works her shift, comes home, and tries to sleep through all the noise of her boyfriend yelling at the TV.”

“What the fuck?” I say, my stomach turning at the thought of her unable to sleep. And she’s alone.Alone. Itphysically hurts to imagine this omega being vulnerable with a male who dominates and berates her.

My blood boils at the thought.

“We need to intervene,” Jace says. “You’re not going to like this, but the boyfriend, some low-life named Justin, has already left a nasty bruise on her. Who’s to say he won’t do worse next time? We need to stop this before she gets truly hurt. If we bring her into our pack, we can better protect her as our mate.”

Sliding the silky material between my fingers, I consider the situation. On one hand, he’s right. This omega needs our protection. But on the other hand, I don’t want to anger any potential pack she might belong to.

We must do this the right way.

“I get your urgency, Jace. But we need to move more cautiously. I want to be sure that she isn’t mated to a pack. And I want to see her for myself.”

Finn and Jace exchange a look. They clearly aren’t happy with my tactics, but they’re willing to submit to me as the leader.

I just hope I can hold them back from making rash decisions and ruining this. This is entirely new territory for us.

“What’s her name?” I ask.

“Mia,” Jace replies proudly. “I saw her name badge. Her name is Mia.”

“Mia,” I murmur, feeling out the name. Her scent still surrounds me, and I can almost picture the beautiful omega it belongs to. “For now, I will observe her. I want to be sure before we make any kind of move.”

Jace nods. “We should move tonight.”

I let out a low growl. I don’t like it when Jace pushes boundaries. But at the same time, I know he’s right. “We will.”

We move swiftly through the night. Small snowflurries fall from above, but I hardly feel the cold as I race toward the omega’s home. Jace and Finn keep pace with me, their expressions intense and filled with fervor.

The sight of her apartment complex fills me with equal parts grief and rage.

Mia shouldn’t be living in a place like this, unprotected and alone. As my boot crunches down on broken glass, I shake my head in disgust.

“Her apartment is this way,” Jace says, his voice a low rumble. “First floor.”

I follow Jace and Finn to a window on the first floor. Making my way around the mangled shrubbery, I kneel beside the other two alphas.

The window looks into Mia’s bedroom. It’s dim, lit only by a small lamp, but my eyes adjust, and I can make out the omega.

“Oh, she’s awake now,” mutters Finn. “She was sleeping when we left.”

Mia is gorgeous. The way her chestnut hair glimmers in the stream of moonlight through the window is mesmerizing. The sway of her hips as she moves toward the bed captivates me.

I suddenly notice her boyfriend standing by the bed, his face set in a bored expression.

“He probably woke her up,” I growl.

His clothes are ratty and ill-fitting. He clearly takes no pride in his appearance. I don’t like the way his lecherous eyes follow Mia. He doesn’t deserve her. The bruise on her face hasn’t even faded yet.

“Look at her,” Jace says with a sigh. “Gorgeous. Those curves.”

“And that hair,” Finn adds, flexing his hand as though imagining how her locks would feel between hisfingers.

Still, a simmering rage lies beneath our words. Watching Mia with another man is difficult, regardless. But with a guy like Justin? We are barely contained.

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