Page 89 of Abel's Omega
“Dabi!”
Abel twisted to see Teca running toward them across the grass, Jason right behind her. Behind them, right at the front of the crowd, stood Becca and Jason’s dad with Macy, Beatrice, and Noah. Abel let out of sigh of relief that Jason looked unharmed; in fact, completely unruffled. Maybe he didn’t know Montana Border had attempted…something. He’d dig into that later.
Jason caught up with the little girl just as she reached the circle. “Dabi’s busy, but he’ll come for you as soon as you can. You come watch the fun with me, okay?”
Her lower lip trembled and Bax went to her. “Hey, baby girl, it’s fine. I’m going to do some stuff with Abel, and then we’ll have a party.”
“You’re keeping a dance for me, right, Teca?” Abel called, and gave her a thumb’s-up when she nodded excitedly. “Good.”
“See?” Bax said. “You hang out with Jason, and we’ll get you as soon as the party starts.”
She nodded and flung herself on him to press a loud kiss on his cheek, then let Jason carry her back to the edge of the surrounding crowd. Bax came back to his place, visibly easier now that he’d had a chance to check on his babies. He glanced at Abel, let out a long breath, and bowed his head. “I’m ready.”
Abel went to the table, where the Mate’s tunic waited. It, too, was a family heirloom, soft doeskin dyed in the symbols of his great-great-great-grandfather’s packname, a huge silver moon bleached out on the back with a row of trees around the hem, each one of them growing from a wolf’s footprint. It was plain, but lovely in its simplicity. He carried it back, hanging from the shoulders so it was visible to everyone. Bax’s eyes went wide when he saw it and he almost missed stepping into the mating ring when Mitchel called him. Abel grinned at him and Bax blushed, then came to stand between Mitchel and Abel.
Mitchel untied the knot holding Bax’s mating tunic closed and reached for the edges. “Alpha Mercy Hills, in the removing of 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.” Slowly, he slipped the tunic off Bax’s torso, revealing the swirls of body paint covering him. Bax shivered briefly in the chill, but held his arms out to Abel.
Abel lifted the tunic. “Alpha Buffalo Gap, I claim this omega as my own, and in symbol of that claiming and the shelter I offer, I clothe him with my hides, and thus he will know he is mine.” Carefully, he held the tunic out for Bax to slide his arms in.Dammit. Quin had the belt; he was supposed to come play this part before going back to security. Abel looked up in consternation, his eyes flicking through the crowd, hoping Quin had come back.
“Alpha?” Holland stood beside, his head lowered. Fan’s head lolled against his shoulder, but under one of his paws sat the belt. “Your son brings you a cord to bind the omega in your care.”
“Lisoonka bless you,” Abel muttered, and slipped the belt out from under Fan’s paw. Holland blushed and moved back to his place.
Abel wrapped the belt around Bax’s waist, making sure the tunic was closed—it was getting colder. “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.” He made the first twist of the knot. “You will sleep by my side, and your days will be filled with plenty, with good work, and useful work, and I will see that you tread the path of virtue.” He had to fight to keep from rolling his eyes at that last line, but Bax had insisted on the traditional form, saying they both knew what they meant.
Abel tied the knot off the rest of the way and stepped back. The next part was Bax’s.
Bax swallowed and gazed up at Abel. “Alpha 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.” He held out his hands, palms pressed together, and Mitchel began to wind the original belt around him. “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.” Mitchel pulled the cord through the bindings, creating a sort of leash on Bax’s hands. Abel might have objected despite his agreement to let Bax have his way on this, except that Bax looked so serene at the moment, standing patiently in Abel’s hides with his hands bound, waiting for Abel to claim him entirely.
Holland came forward with a bowl of food, small squares of meat coated in Duke’s barbecue sauce. Abel picked out a chunk and held it up to Bax’s mouth. “You will not hunger.” Bax opened his lips and accepted the meat, a movement shockingly sensual for such a serious ceremony. Abel’s hand shook as he reached for a second piece and held it to Bax’s mouth. “Nor will the pups that you bear for me.” He ran his thumb over Bax’s mouth to collect a few stray smears of sauce. Holland reappeared with an old carved wooden mug, the smell of some sweet, fruity juice drifting on the night air. Abel took it and held it to Bax’s mouth to drink. “Nor will you thirst, for I will provide for you and yours in all ways, as you provide for me.”
Bax’s eyes looked like stars, bright shining green in the lantern-light. “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.”
“Alpha Mercy Hills, he is yours.” Mitchel passed the end of the belt over to Abel and turned toward the tents where the contract waited. It was tradition that the omega’s guardian left the circle first, then Abel would lead Bax over to watch as he and Mitchel signed the mating contract, and then the party could begin. He looked over at his mate, relieved and proud. “You ready?”
Bax smiled back at him. “Since forever.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
I jumped at the cheers of the crowd as Abel led me over to see the contract signed. Fan yipped and squirmed in Holland’s arms until Abel put a hand on his head.
“Hush, give us a minute, then we’ll get you.” He signed at the bottom of both copies of the contract, then picked up his copy and folded it, tucking it inside his shirt. Then he turned to me. “Come here.”
I went to him joyfully, and melted into his kiss. My bound hands rested against his chest, and his heart pounded beneath them as it wanted to leap out of his body to embrace me itself. It was done, we were mated, my pups were his, and I was the happiest I’d ever been.
Abel ended the kiss and pressed his forehead to mine. “Time for the bonfire.”
I giggled in excitement and tucked myself in under his arm. He extended the other one and Holland carefully transferred Fan to it. “Get your gifts,” Abel told him, then led me back out to the mating ring, which has been transformed from flat grass to a heaping pile of wood as if by magic. The last pieces were being tossed onto the mound as we arrived, and Quin appeared carrying a red plastic can of gas. He sprinkled it over the wood, then picked one specific branch out of the pile. The end had been wrapped in cloth and he soaked it in gasoline as well before bringing it to Abel. I ducked out of his hold to leave him a free hand, the belt on my still-bound hands dangling almost to my knees.
Abel took the unlit torch and held it high to the cheers of the assembled pack. Quin grinned, a rare occurrence I gathered, and lit the cloth.
“In honor of my great fortune, and in prayer for our continued prosperity and the increase of our people, let us dance and take joy in the night, and the moon, and the fire, the child of the moon and sun.” He tossed the torch on the bonfire and it went up in flames with a roar that almost outdid the one coming from our pack.
Then one by one, the omegas in my rozvennya came to hand Abel my offerings to the fire and he tossed them in, repeating the old words that begged safety and fertility and plenty from the air and the moon and earth below us. Then, other young shifters approached, because I’d spread the word of our old customs in Buffalo Gap. They tossed slips of paper into the fire and watched as the smoke and sparks rose into the air, carrying their wishes and dreams to the moon above.
As the pack spread out to begin the celebration, Abel used his free hand to undo the belt around my wrists. “I think this can come off, Baxter Mercy Hills.”
“Oh, I like the sound of that.” I wrapped my newly freed arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. “Is it time to go?”
