Page 51 of Omega in Hiding

A phone buzzes in the room and Dario says, “I need to get this. It’s Valentino.”

“Should I go back to The Green Leaf Café and offer Connor money?” Enzo asks.

“Nah. We’ll just sit tight for now.” Dario’s chair creaks as he stands. “If he tries to come back, we’ll deal with him then.”

I’m relieved when their voices move toward the door.

“Hello?” Dario answers his phone, and then there’s the sound of the door closing.

I wait a minute, to be sure they’re both really gone, and then I sit up. I climb to my feet, excited that at the last secondEnzo said the name of the place where he saw Connor. The Green Leaf Café. That should be easy enough to find. That means I have a trail to follow which should lead me to Connor.

I leave the study and immediately look up The Green Leaf Café on my phone. There are several Green Leaf Cafés across the state, but one is located in the city of Beacon Hill, which is only a few hours away. It makes sense that would be the location Enzo saw Connor at.

While I’m ecstatic at the thought of seeing Connor, I realize he might not be happy to see me. He ran for a reason, and it’s possible he’ll be scared or nervous at my sudden appearance. I’ll do what I can to reassure him that I’m on his side. I need to remind him of the connection we shared. I know it wasn’t just me who felt it.

Connor needs to learn to trust me.

After all, I’m not the enemy.

****

I’ve been parked outside The Green Leaf Café for ten minutes. My heart is racing. I called the café and made sure Connor is working tonight. I can’t see inside the restaurant from my car, so I haven’t had a glimpse of him yet. But just knowing he’s inside that building has butterflies in my stomach.

I didn’t expect to be so nervous. My hands are trembling as I grip the steering wheel. I can’t wait to see Connor, but at the same time, I’m terrified he’ll be upset that I found him. But I need him. I need a part of him at least. I realize our situation is tricky. There are a lot of obstacles to us being with each other.

I can never claim him.

I can’t believe the thought of not being able to claim Connor bothers me. I’ve never wanted to claim an omega before. I’ve had many arguments with Valentino over my unwillingness to claim anyone. But when it comes to Connor, I’m not myself. He does something to me that I simply can’t fight. But as strong as my feeling are for him, I can’t give him my bite. My family would never approve of Connor being my omega because he can’t have kids. It’s bad enough that he isn’t Italian, but being barren is unacceptable. Any omega I pick has to be able to give me heirs. That’s the one thing that is non-negotiable, and even I know that.

But I can still take care of him. I can still protect him. Connor can still be mine. I can set him up in a nice place where we can be together when we want. We’d belong to each other, even if I can’t claim him. I know that eventually, Valentino will insist I get married and procreate. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t still have Connor on the side. Lots of the guys in the Mafia marry suitable omegas, but then have an omega on the side.

It worries me that Connor might not go for that sort of arrangement. He might be too prideful. But I can’t just give him up without a fight. I need a part of him. I need him in my life. I have to find a way to convince him that being together part-time, even if it’s not the ideal situation, is better than nothing. That’s definitely how I feel. We bonded that day we slept together. I know he felt that too, but will it be enough? I have toconvincehim to be with me, even if he’s scared.

However, I’m not going to convince him of anything if I’m too cowardly to even get out of my car. I blow out a shaky breath and open my car door. At that exact moment, the door to the café opens suddenly, and Connor steps out. At the sight of him,my heart literally somersaults. I flair my nostrils and swear I can smell his sweet scent, even across the parking lot.

My chest aches as I take him in. He’s wearing jeans and a white T-shirt and my cock hardens instantly. His blond hair is a bit longer and he is thinner, just like Enzo said. But he’s still the most beautiful omega I’ve ever seen. My soul seems to throb painfully at the sight of him. I need to touch him. I need to be near him.

I start to climb out of the car, but freeze when a redhaired alpha slips out after Connor. They’re laughing with each other, and the alpha takes hold of Connor’s arm as they go down the steps. Jealousy thunders through me like a firestorm, and it’s all I can do not to roar my displeasure from across the parking lot.

Who the fuck is that alpha?

I watch as they move toward what appears to be Connor’s car. They stop to talk beside his vehicle, and they’re still grinning at each other. I feel sick to my stomach as I watch them. I’m terrified that the alpha is going to lean in for a kiss. I’m not sure what I’ll do if he kisses Connor. I feel hot and out of control. I might attack that guy. I might rip his fucking head off if he puts his mouth on Connor’s.

But they don’t kiss, they hug. I’m relieved they didn’t kiss, but Connor looks so fucking happy, my stomach aches. How can he look so happy when I’m so miserable? I’ve been suffering for an entire month, and he looks like he’s unfazed. I know I didn’t imagine the connection we had, so how come he looks like he’s just fine?

The alpha turns and moves toward a different car parked a few feet from Connor’s. I’m frozen in the same spot, not sure what to do. Neither one of them noticed me, thankfully. They both get in their cars and start them up. I get back in my vehicleand start my engine too. I wait for Connor to pull out of the parking lot, and I follow at a distance.

My heart is racing and my mind is swirling. It never occurred to me that Connor might have started seeing someone. I’m not even sure why it didn’t occur to me. It’s been a month. Of course he might have moved on. I’d been unable to do that, so I’d assumed he couldn’t either. But it looks like he’s trying to move on.

Am I misreading the situation?

That red haired alpha didn’t kiss him, but he did seem like more than just a platonic friend. There was something about the way he looked at Connor, and touched him. The way he guided him down the stairs so protectively. That’s how alphas are when they’re interested. They protect the omega that catches their eye.

I’m following Connor to what I hope is his home, but once we get there, I don’t know what my next step should be. This isn’t going at all how I hoped it would. I’d expected after some initial awkwardness, Connor would be in my arms by now. I assumed we’d have shared a kiss. I wanted to take Connor somewhere private and tell him my plans for us. I knew that if I could just see him. Touch him. Hold him. I’d be comforted that he still wanted me as much as I wanted him.

Not so much?

He didn’t appear to be missing me at all. He looked perfectly happy with that other alpha. Now what? Part of me wants to run home to lick my wounds. But a larger part of me wants to stay and fight for Connor. Is there anything to fight for though? What I had with Connor was short, but intense. We never really got to explore what it would be like to spend qualitytime together. I know I like him as a person. I know I crave him sexually. But I don’t know anything about him really.

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