My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 14

Sera

The silence in the hall was heavy enough to choke on. I’d been too loud, and now every pair of eyes in the room was pinned on me. My heart was slamming against my ribs like a trapped bird. I realized in that heartbeat that I’d just made a massive, impulsive mistake.

Mina’s hand landed on my shoulder, her fingers squeezing hard through the shawl. I didn't look at her. I couldn't look away from the other tables. The warriors were staring, their expressions a mix of confusion and predatory amusement. Suddenly, the charcoal shawl felt like it was made of tissue paper. It wasn't covering anything.

I looked at Fenris. He hadn't even flinched. He was still leaning back in that massive oak chair, casually flicking nuts into his mouth as if I hadn't just insulted him in front of his entire pack . My hand was shaking under the table, so I clamped it into a fist and shoved it against my thigh to keep it still.

Does he even care?

"Are you scared?"

His voice was a low, vibrating rumble. It had a drawl to it, a slow Northern grind that made the hair on my arms stand up. I hadn't memorized his voice yet, but the bond recognized it instantly. He was still looking straight ahead, his jaw moving rhythmically as he chewed.

"What?" I asked. My voice sounded small in the high-ceilinged room.

Fenris finally turned his head. His grey eyes hit me like a physical force, and for a second, I felt like he was looking through my skull . It felt like he could see every dirty thought I’d had in that cabin, every flash of his naked body that had burned into my brain—the massive slabs of muscle and the way he looked completely bare .

"I asked if you were scared," he repeated. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes never leaving mine. "I can hear your heart. It’s beating loud enough to drown out the chatter."

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. As if on cue, the hall suddenly erupted back into noise. The warriors went back to their food, though I could still feel the occasional glance sticking to me like burrs.

I didn't have time to answer. A woman was walking toward the high table from the side entrance. She was thick in all the right places, with a walk that suggested she knew exactly how her hips were swinging. She was wearing a version of Northern furs that was far more exotic—the neckline was cut deep, showing off a pair of heavy breasts that looked like they were struggling to stay inside the fabric.

She didn't look at me. She rolled her eyes past my face as if I were a piece of furniture that had been moved into the wrong room. She reached Fenris and dropped to her knees beside his chair. The angle put her cleavage on full display, right in his line of sight.

"Alpha," she said. Her voice was like honey poured over gravel. She reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder, her fingers digging into the heavy fur of his coat. "You’ve been gone too long. The hold feels empty without you."

Fenris looked down at her, and a small, slow smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. "Taya."

"My Alpha." She laughed, her hand sliding down his shoulder to rub his forearm, her touch lingering on his skin. "My father sends his greetings. He’s quite impressed. He told me he congratulates you on your new conquest."

She finally flicked a glance toward me, her eyes cold and dismissive.

Conquest? Fenris looked at me then. His expression was a blank wall. He didn't defend me. He didn't correct her. He just turned back to the woman kneeling at his feet.

"I expected Kael to be here tonight," Fenris said.

"Oh he’s… out on a business trip in human territory," Taya answered, leaning closer until her breath was likely hitting his neck. "He was devastated to miss your return. He wanted to be here to see... everything you brought back." She glanced at me again, then back to Fenris, her voice dropping to a theatrical whisper.

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