Page 47 of One Wild Omega

Raimy was quiet, staring with a confused look on his face. His eyes were huge and round. Tanner knew Raimy didn’t understand. And he wasn’t sure he had the words to explain it.

“Look… when Quinn met Bellamy… Bellamy was onScentex,” Tanner said. “Quinn hadno ideaBellamy was his… yet there wasthis thread. This invisible pull Quinn felt toward Bellamy. Quinnknew. He instinctively sensed there wassomethingbetween them. They told me about it one night when I was over there for dinner. And the way Quinn has always looked at Bellamy? My brotheradoreshis omega. I’ve heard that story over and over and over again from my mated friends. From relatives. Haven’t you heard the same?”

Raimy nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

“You were there, Raimy! When I metmyalpha, he hated me at first glance.” Tanner bit back the roil of emotion within. “He tossed me to the floor like a piece of worthless trash. There’s this… anger… that seems to roil up in him whenever I’m around. He’s never been more than barely polite.” He paused, remembering the way Fitz had looked sitting across that table the day before. It wasn’t just the look in Fitz’s eyes… it was the tone of his voice. His body language. Then, more so than any other time, he felt the anger.

And he literally saw it.

Tanner feared it was his breaking point.

“It killed me when I saw him and he practically disposed of me the first time we met. Then when I saw him that night with Bellamy at the club… even though they both swore up and down they were only friends… I could see the way Fitz looked at him. It was the way I wanted him to look atme. There was love in his eyes for another omega…” Tanner cringed, the pain hitting him in the gut.

“You should’ve at least told Bellamy. Maybe he would’ve walked away if he knew,” Raimy said. “Without involving Fitz.”

“Yeah,” Tanner said. “He probably would have.” Tanner stared down at his hands a moment before lifting his stare. “As fucked up as it sounds… and itisso fucked up, I know… by not telling Bellamy… at least I wasnearFitz. I got to see him on occasion. Sure, it was contentious, at best. Yeah, I pushed his buttons, hoping I could rile him up and maybe, just maybe, he would have this epiphany and realize what he’d done, but that never happened. He endured my presence because I was Bellamy’s friend. It’s as simple as that.”

“You’re a sadomasochist. Why would you do that to yourself?”

Tanner chuckled mirthlessly. Maybe he and Fitz did havesomethingin common. “Fate fucked things up when it chose Fitz for me. It’s that simple. We don’t fit… I doubt we ever will. Now I have to find a way to move on without him.”

Raimy remained quiet a moment, as if he was digesting everything Tanner had said. “Maybe you should consider coming off theScentexand see what happens. I bet everything would change then. Once he scented you.”

Tanner shook his head. What if he went off and everything became ten times worse? What if Fitz knew the truth and still hated him? He couldn’t handle that. It was bad enough when his alpha was none the wiser. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not? Slap some sense into that man!”

“I don’twantto,” Tanner cried. “I won’t let him have the power of knowing who he is. I won’t give him a weapon he could use to destroy me.”

Raimy reached out and brushed a few strands of hair from Tanner’s cheek. “Or maybe… just maybe… it could be the thing that brought you two together.”

“I don’t know if I want him at this point. Not after all that’s happened. Yesterday, he and I had an argument and… the hate in his eyes, Raimy. The things he said. Itguttedme. I don’t know if there’s a way back after that.” He paused. “Why would I want a man who treats me the way he has?”

Raimy was thoughtful a moment. “You deserve better.”

“I do.” Tanner eyed Raimy. “So let’s get to my place. Stuff our faces with some pizza and drink too much whiskey.”

“That’s still the plan, hmm?”

“It’ll make me feel better.”

Raimy chuckled as he turned to face forward. “I somehow doubt that. But whatever you need, babe.”

Chapter Eleven

The following day…

Fitz leaned back in his office chair, stretching his arms above his head while he reviewed the rough draft of the blueprint he’d been working on. He quickly realized the dimensions weren’t correct after checking his notes. No wonder the layout wasn’t fitting. Digging one hand through his hair and pushing it back, he groaned.

It didn’t help that he was preoccupied and still felt like an asshole. The fight with Tanner kept repeating over and over in his mind, prolonging the guilt. He wanted to let it go… just walk away and never look back. His conscience wasn’t going to let him off the hook so easily.

Minimizing the computer program, he went online to look for a flower shop that delivered.As if flowers would be enough to smooth this over.Before he could pick any, a knock came to his door. His boss, Allyn Landry, peeked his head in. “How’s it coming?”

Fitz minimized a florist’s website and smiled. “It’s coming.”

“Good,” Allyn said, entering Fitz’s office. He leaned his hip on the edge of the chair opposite Fitz. “Because I have something for you.”

“What’s up?”

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