Page 23 of Redeeming His Omega Mate

“I, um, I’m staying for a while. Stonehart entered into an alliance with another pack, Silver Fang, and I am overseeing the progress.”

“So, what are you now? A council member for Silver Fang?”

“Yes,” I responded.

The awkward silence resumed, and neither Gina nor I said anything. I had plenty to say and ask, but I didn’t know if I had the right to ask about her life after I left. I didn’t feel guilty for leaving; I only felt guilty for not at least informing her. But it was a decision I made in the spur of the moment, and I just did it.

I breathed out, attempting to curb the awkwardness, and said, “He looks exactly like you. Aiden, I mean.”

“Really?” Gina’s smile spread the moment I spoke. “Some people say he’s a spitting image of Rowan.”

“Rowan, huh?”

“Yeah,” she chuckled. “I told you he was my fated mate.”

A pang shot through me, and I sipped from my tea. It scalded my tongue, but it didn’t burn nearly as much as the memory of Damian’s rejection. I thought he was my fated mate. I was sorely mistaken.

Gina seemed to notice the slight change in my mood as she came to sit beside me, her voice soft and tender. “I’m sorry about what happened to you, Tala. You didn’t deserve any of that.”

Tears stung my eyes. “No, Gina. It is me that should be sorry. I was selfish. I should never have left you like that.”

She touched my arm gently. “I understand. I was mad when I found out. I thought you’d just wanted to get away for a while, but when it became apparent that you weren’t coming back, I was mad. But trust me, I understand why you left.”

I exhaled, some of the tension leaving my shoulders. She took a sip of tea, and the conversation finally seemed to relax. Though it wasn’t the same as it used to be, it felt like a step in the right direction.

“So, anyone in your life?” Gina asked, her tone lighter than it had been earlier.

I smiled as I responded. “My daughter.”

Gina blinked, clearly surprised. “You have a daughter?”

“Yeah. She’s about the same age as your boy.”

“What about her father?”

I kept my expression neutral and simply said, “Not in the picture.”

Her lips parted as though she wanted to press further, but she stopped herself. I hated lying to her, but something about the truth felt like it would unravel everything. Avoiding her gaze, I traced the rim of my cup.

Gina broke the silence after what felt like an eternity. “So, what is it like working with Damian?”

I scrunched my face, trying to mask the rush of emotion. “I’d rather not talk about him, Gina.”

She paused, her eyes softening with understanding. “I get it,” she said quietly, but there was an edge to her voice. She hesitated for a moment before continuing. “You know, I wasn’t the only one who searched for you.”

Her statement caught me off guard. I looked up at her as she continued.

“I was furious with him, Tala, after what he did to you. But he didn’t stop. He waited. Almost every day, he came to your house. He patrolled the forests and stood by the pack borders, hoping you’d return. Even when I gave up, he didn’t. He kept looking for you.”

I felt my chest tighten. An ache started to form beneath my ribs.

“I asked him why he was doing it,” she continued, her voice quieter now, almost reverent. “If he knew he loved you this much, why then did he reject you? But he never answered me. All I saw was how broken he was. He was shattered, Tala, and all he clung to was the hope that you’d come back. Or that he would find you. That’s what kept him going, day after day. Right up until his father died, that’s when he stopped searching.”

Her words settled over me like a storm, and for a moment, I imagined Damian feeling just a fragment of the hurt I had felt, that he still cared, which was why he searched for me. But that thought faded as quickly as it came, and the familiar feelings engulfed me. Anger twisted inside, like a clenched fist in my chest. Yet there was something else, something I couldn’t deny, something that clawed at the edges of my resolve no matter how hard I tried to ignore it.

I let out a pained wince. “Why are you telling me this, Gina?”

She hesitated, her gaze flickering to the floor. “I don’t know. Just thought you deserved to know.”

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