Page 3 of Fritillaria

“Oh, did I tell you I’m taking Rosie out to that restaurant again? The one I took her to on Valentines?” Finnegan turns to me as he holds open a door for me.

“No, actually. Big plans? Is it her birthday or something?”

“Honestly, I can’t help myself. There’s no reason for it but I just can’t help taking her out and giving her gifts.”

Forcing my smile, I pat my friend on the back as I head into my office and say goodbye.

I’m happy for him, truly I am. I just can’t help my jealousy bubbling up.

Finnegan and I were both the single guys in upper management, and it was fun to have a partner in crime. Now that he’s met his mate, Rosie, I can’t help but want that for myself too. Someone to bring out to nice dinners, or take away on impromptu trips.

My thoughts stray to mating as I click into the video call and turn myself to mute. I sometimes wonder if my mate is hiding in plain sight, the bond waiting for its perfect moment to show itself. Other times I imagine what it would be like, to stumble upon a complete stranger and scent them.

Matilda’s warm and bubbly face enters my mind for the tenth time today. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her lately, but I haven’t scented her, not even in the slightest.

She is a beautiful female, so delicate and pretty. I can’t help but give her a little praise here and there. She does great work on the socials for the label, so I just happen to drop that into break room conversation. Her blush is worth it every time.

Would it be unfair to ask her out on a date sometime? If she’s not my mate, I think it would devastate her.

Yeah, I need to keep my shit in line.

Naga’s are supposed to be solitary creatures. In fact, it’s rare for us to even have a true mate. Although I wonder if that’s just because we tend to keep to ourselves. Not me though, I like to be around people. It’s hard for me to hold back when I really like someone like I do with Matilda.

Maybe it’s because of my parents, they’re actually pretty close for a pair of Nagas. They supported me through my undergrad in music. But when it came to law school, I was on my own.

I got through law school by tutoring piano in my spare time. I had such a heavy workload with school that I couldn’t teach much, so my lifestyle was pretty minimal to say the least.

Honestly, it’s not much better now. I spend my whole day here, working away at the label. By the time I get home I just crash into my bed. I’m so tired that I hardly notice that my place is a dump.

Not that it has any reason to be, I have plenty of funds to furnish it nicely. Hell, I could even buy a new place. But what’s the point when I’m never there, anyway?

Maybe it’s good that I don’t have any mates, I’m definitely not prepared for them. I don’t even have a proper Omega nest in my home.

Minimizing the meeting that is droning on, I open up a search tab and look up reviews for realtors in the city. They all look exactly the same, so I ping Finnegan a note to send me the name for who he uses.

My computer speakers start a chorus of “goodbyes”, and I quickly log off the meeting. Only two more to go.

There’s a party tonight at the studio that I should probably show my face at. So I guess I’ll place an order for some takeout and settle in to get through my workload until then. The problem with all these meetings is that they take up the time for me to actually do my job.

But when you’re the Head of Legal, you have to be present to make sure that no one fucks anything up too badly.

I am looking forward to the party though. I like the artist that the launch is for, and my friends will be there. I just might need a drink or two to get through my tiredness from this day.

Guess I’m locking in for a hangover tomorrow.

Chapter 4

Aspis

Stifling a quick yawn, I hold out my hand to get the bartender’s attention and order another beer. I focused far too hard in those last few hours of work and I barely managed to scarf down a tray of sushi.

“Aspis!” Rosie sidles up to me at the bar, flicking her pretty brown waves over a shoulder. Her bright and cheery blue eyes look up at me as she stumbles a little.

Oh shit, she isdrunk.

“Hey, Ro,” I grab her by the shoulder in time to keep her standing. “Let’s go find your mate.”

Flipping her around and holding on to her shoulders from behind, I guide Rosie ahead of me in search of Finnegan. It’s a quick and easy process, you can’t miss that big green guy anywhere.

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