"My brothers know who you are," he reminded her. "They know you belong to me. There's not a soul out there who would dare touch you. I already promised you that. No one is ever going to take advantage of you again."
Her eyes crinkled at the corner as she smiled, and a giggle escaped her throat.
"What's so funny?"
"Just something Paige said," Mia answered. "She told me that I would be so much happier after the claiming bite, and I didn't believe her. I guess I owe her an apology."
"She's not the type to hold grudges," Ty shrugged. "Trust me. I know."
A second later, Samson stuck his head through the door. "Sorry to interrupt, but Russell and Gail are here to meet Mia."
Mia looked at him curiously. "Gail?"
"Another omega," Ty said, leading her out of the storeroom. "For a long time, the only one. But now there's three of you, which will make her very happy."
Her eyes widened in mock amazement. "Three? Wow. We're taking over the neighborhood."
"You won't hear Gail complaining."
"Won't complain about what?" a woman's voice asked from the closest stool at the bar. Gail was older than Mia by a couple of decades, but the silver in her hair did not detract from her timeless beauty. A huge smile was plastered on her face, and it only grew wider when she set eyes on Mia.
Her mate Russell, on the other hand, gave Mia a single silent nod of acknowledgment.
"Having another omega in the Boundarylands," Ty answered.
Without asking permission, Gail ran behind the bar and wrapped Mia in a big hug. Fortunately, Mia didn't seem to mind the affectionate introduction.
"You must be Gail," she said when the other omega finally pulled back.
"And you're Mia." Gail's gaze swept up and down Mia's body. Her expression went tight when it landed on the faint bruise that still lingered on Mia's cheek. "So, it's true. Those beta bastards attacked you."
"I also heard that Ty made sure that they had to drag him away in a body bag," Russell said.
Mia looked back and forth between the two. "News travels fast."
"Yeah, well, you're pretty big news," Gail said.
"No offense," Mia said. "But I'm looking forward to the day when I'm not."
"I bet that's true," Gail said with a laugh, returning to sit by Russell's side.
"You want a beer?" Ty asked.
Russell nodded. He was an alpha of few words, but Gail more than made up for him. Ty knew that they been mated for years already, but there was still a palpable fire between the two. It was enough to make him secure in his hopes for the future.
"I'll have a scotch and soda," Gail said.
Ty busied himself, pouring those two drinks as the women talked.
"I want to invite you to tea at my house on Tuesdays," Gail said. "Paige and I have been getting together every week since she arrived."
"For tea?" Mia asked with a smile. "Not scotch?"
"Not until after Paige has her pup," Gail laughed. "Anyway, I'd love it if you would come and visit us."
Mia turned to Ty with a hopeful look in her eyes.
He shrugged. "I don't see any problem."
H was rewarded with a bright smile that lit up her face.
"Thank you," she said, giving him a spontaneous hug before he was able to place the drinks down on the bar. A splash of Gail's drink ended up on Mia's shoes, but she didn't seem to notice. "The thought of having friends is…"
She looked up at the ceiling, struggling to find the words.
"A lifesaver," Gail offered up.
"Exactly."
Chapter Thirteen
Tuesday couldn't come fast enough.
It wasn't that Mia was unsatisfied with her new life. Far from it. The truth was everything really was better than before.
She and Ty couldn't get enough of each other, day and night.
Working at the bar was difficult, but Ty was patient, showing her, again and again, the correct way to pour and mix and shake, and the customers were surprisingly kind.
She hadn't expected such easy acceptance from a bar full of alphas.
Well, mostly alphas, anyway. On some nights, a few trusted betas came, most of them men who traded with the residents of the Boundarylands.
Mia quickly learned that there was one simple rule in the Boundarylands—respect, and you will be respected.
She'd already seen the consequences of breaking that rule—break the rule, break your neck.
Fortunately, nothing like that had happened at Evander's since she began working behind the bar. For the most part, individuals who didn't get along knew to stay out of each other's way, and no one seemed interested in provoking anyone else.
But as surprisingly pleasant as her time in the bar was, it still wasn't the social interaction that Mia craved. She didn't just want respect. She wanted to laugh and smile and feel at ease around people who really understood her.
She wanted friends.
And that was why Tuesday couldn't come fast enough.
By the time Ty was driving up the tree-lined path to Gail's house, Mia felt like she was going to burst with anticipation. She couldn't imagine how Gail had managed as the sole omega for so many years. It must have driven her mad with loneliness.
A wave of happiness hit her as Ty rounded the curve, and she saw Gail and a very pregnant Paige already sitting on the porch. Their alphas looked up from the opposite corner, where they were sitting and talking.
"Thank you for bringing me out here," Mia told Ty.
"Anything to make you happy."
She leaned over and kissed him, almost overwhelmed by her love for him. Mia hadn't believed that Paige could be telling the truth, but she was so happy, it was almost overwhelming. Never in her life had Mia dreamed that love like theirs was even possible.
She jumped out of the truck and bounded up the steps. Gail rose from her seat to wrap her in a big hug, but Paige stayed in her seat, hands folded over her round belly.
"I'm so glad you could make it," Gail said.
"I wouldn't have missed seeing
