Page 26 of Duke's Baby Deal
“We support this mating,” the shifters gathered around us said in unison.
Dad called me forward to stand between him and Duke. He undid the tie holding my mating tunic closed and draped it over his arm. I shivered and stared up at Duke.
I don’t know what he saw in my eyes, maybe uncertainty, maybe fear, but he smiled gently at me. “It’ll be all right,” he mouthed. I wasn’t so sure, and I had to swallow hard against the churning of my stomach.
Dad pulled the tunic off over my shoulders and slipped it down my arms. “Duke Mercy Hills, by removing the garments in which I have clothed this omega, I do hereby withdraw my claim on him and leave him free of impediment, that you may claim him.”
Duke held out his hand, without taking his eyes off me, and Samuel came forward carrying something—my mated tunic, I guessed—over his arm. He placed it in Duke’s hand and retreated back into the crowd again. Duke shook it out and stepped toward me. “I claim this omega as my own, and as a symbol of that claiming and the shelter I offer, I clothe him with my hides, and thus he will know he is mine.” He helped me into the tunic and pulled it tight around me. “Don’t want you to get cold,” he whispered in a conspiratorial tone, then brushed my cheek with his fingers. “It’s almost over,” he reminded me. “You gonna be okay?”
I nodded and closed my eyes for a moment, shutting out the world until I could stop my spinning thoughts. “I’ll be fine,” I whispered. I felt his fingers on my cheek again and opened my eyes to see him watching me with concern. “Really,” I said. “I just didn’t eat much today. Too much to do. Let’s keep going.”
He nodded and turned to the crowd again. Mac stepped forward, holding a light-colored belt. Duke took it from him and turned back to me. “With this hide and with this belt, I claim you. You are mine, for now and always. I will shelter you and defend you, and raise your pups in the right ways, both the old and the new.” The belt tugged at my waist as Duke made the first ceremonial knot in it. “You will sleep by my side, and your days will be filled with plenty, with good work, and useful work, and together we will tread the path of virtue.” He winked at my startled expression and finished the final knot, sealing his part of our mating. I’d expected to have to hold in a wince at the traditional line, which said that he could keep me on the path of virtue, but my mate seemed to be more perceptive than I’d realized. I smiled up at him to show him I recognized his kindness and he smiled back.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.
Now it was my turn. I prayed I didn’t flub my lines. “Duke Mercy Hills, I do hereby deliver myself to you, to be your companion and your aide, to bear your pups and keep your household in prosperity and joy.” Oh, hell, that was awkward. Mutely, I held out my hands so my dad could wrap my old belt around them and officially turn me over to Duke. As he did it, I sputtered through the rest of the words. “With this cord, I give you myself in all that I am and all I may provide for you, submitting my own desires to the peace and prosperity of you and yours.”
Dad gave Duke the end of the belt, and Duke led me over to another small table. A cup and a bowl sat in the center.
“You will not hunger,” Duke said, holding a small piece of meat to my lips. I took it and chewed, nearly choking even though it was tender. Yes, I knew the ceremony inside and out. But I hadn’t stopped to think about the last bit. This bit.
I wanted to bolt and hide in Bax’s bedroom. Poor Duke. Why had he insisted on this? I know I’d always wanted the traditional thing, the binding and the vows, but this was just cruel to Duke.
He held out another piece to me and waited for me to take it. I cast him a desperate pleading look, and he shook his head slightly. “It’s okay,” he said, so quietly I almost didn’t hear him. “It’s just words.”
But it wasn’t to me. Numbly I took the second piece of meat from him and chewed while he promised to provide for our pups. Then he held the cup to my lips, and gave me a careful swallow while he swore to provide for me and mine no matter what. The hand under my chin was warm and when I met his eyes, it seemed to me that he knew what was coming, and that he saw it as part of his duty. He was mating me for my child, and doing his best to protect both my reputation and my heart.
I owed him. Owed him so much. With that in mind, I pulled myself together and loudly proclaimed my last words of the ceremony, the ones that bound me to him completely. “I offer my gratitude and my desire in recompense of your generosity. Pups to increase your line, and my care to ensure their health and prosperity. This I do promise.” Maybe I couldn’t offer him real desire, but I wasn’t going to deny him his rights in the bedroom. I’d find a way to make it work.
My dad nodded solemnly. “Duke Mercy Hills, he is yours. Care for him, as I have.”
Duke looked up at him. “I will.”
And that was it—we were mated. The only thing left was the signing of the paperwork and then…the bedroom.
I swallowed against the rising sickness in my stomach. It wasn’t a good sign if you puked at your mating.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Duke walked a foot ahead as Bram’s dad led a pale-faced Bram toward the small round table that Duke had borrowed from Abel and Bax, the one they had used for their mating ceremony. The contract sat on top of it, held in place by the weight of a sleek black pen and a small carved-stone statue of a wolf with amber eyes. He was worried about his new mate, and they hadn’t really had time to talk since the night he’d proposed. Duke had been working and arranging for the traditional ceremony that Bram had always wanted, and Bram had been putting together his mating suit.
Bram’s father had called Duke the day after his proposal. He wanted to have a quiet signing of the mating contract, given the circumstances. But Duke wasn’t going to pull that veil of shame over their mating, and when Bax had caught up with him later that day to talk about Bram, he’d decided that Bram was going to get his traditional ceremony. Just in case—in hopes that—this was the only one he had. But maybe he should have waited to make that third chair, and instead spent the time with Bram. He’d seemed completely collected whenever Duke had seen him, but looking at him tonight, Duke realized that it had to have been an act. And a good one, too. He’d have to keep that in mind when dealing with Bram in the future.
Duke signed both copies of the contract, and then Bram’s father added his signature. They each took one and tucked them securely away into a pocket. Then Bram’s dad passed over the end of the belt to Duke.
“Duke Mercy Hills, I hereby give him to your keeping.”
A roar went up from the crowd of shifters around them, making Bram jump. He looked anxious, and his hands worked against the binding as if he was desperate to escape.
Duke quickly undid the knot and loosed Bram, then put an arm around his shoulders. He could feel the tension in the young man’s body, and he suddenly wished he had gone with the quiet signing, instead of putting Bram through all this. It hadn’t occurred to him that Bram’s feelings about a traditional ceremony might have changed, but now he was wondering if they had.
Too late now. Abel, Quin, and Mac were piling wood into the firepit. Dolph brought a small bottle of gasoline and a torch. He soaked the torch over the pile of wood, letting the extra gasoline fall over the logs, then handed the torch to Duke and lit it.
The sky was gone dark dusky blue, and the torch flickered shadows over the faces around them. He glanced down at Bram, who appeared mesmerized by the flames. “Hey,” he said, nudging his mate. “You light it.”
Bram stared up at him, open-mouthed. “But that’s the alpha’s job.”
Duke shrugged. “Aww, who wants to be just like everyone else, hm? Come on.” He put the torch in Bram’s hand, then wrapped his own around it. “A mating is a partnership. We’re going to be working together from now on to get things done. Let’s start now.”
