Page 26 of His Innocent Omega
“But when did you stop to have any fun, Wyatt?” I asked out loud, taking another sip of my coffee. He’d been in academia his entire life. He’d been twelve years old and in college. Living in the dorms. Away from his parents, with kids much older than him. Most of them considered legal adults. “And who the fuck was taking care of you?”
Fucking hell, anything could have happened to him. What the fuck had his parents been thinking? I knew better than most just how ugly and depraved people in the world could be. I had seen it up close and personal and had spent years–along with Jamie–hunting down the worst of the worst and trying to stop them. By any means possible.
Leaning back in my chair, I stretched, popping my back. Jamie’s oldest son, Matty, was a genius, too. Jamie and his husband, Sebastian–Bash–had been struggling with what the best course would be for Matty, moving forward academically. No one liked the idea of him being in high school at such a young age. As Bash had pointed out, he wasn’t sure Matty was emotionally prepared for all the crap high school could throw at a kid.
Had Wyatt been prepared for high school? He was still a child, no matter the size of his I.Q. And entering college at the young age Wyatt had. The thought of him being pushed into a dorm room, away from his family, surrounded by kids much older than him, doing adult type things, didn’t sit well with me. Unexpected protectiveness for him welled up inside me, clogging my throat with the fierceness of it.
Matty was wicked, scary smart, but emotionally was he ready to be away from his family, living in a college dorm? The answer had always been a resounding no with Jamie and Bash. They’dbeen considering online college classes, with Matty arguing that he wanted to be somewhat normal and have real school experience, with friends and sports.
Wyatt could be a wealth of information and insights for Jamie and Bash, and maybe even help find a proper tutor that could keep up with Matty’s brain. Since Jamie had put this file together, I knew he had all this information, but I made a mental note to bring the subject up to him in the future.
Getting past all the academics, I moved to his personal information. Giraffe shifter. Only child of Jane and Robert Cooper. They were a wealthy family, who on paper appeared to keep a tight rein over their son. Jane had acted as Wyatt’s manager from a young age, fielding offers for his time and putting a price tag on her son’s intellect. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that either. It left me with an ick factor. Robert seemed to stay in the background and out of his alpha wife's way.
Months ago, Wyatt had started negotiations with Miss Rose when she had decided to sell her daycare business. Once the sale had gone through, he had finished up the current project he’d been working on, finished out the spring semester at Columbia, and resigned from his teaching position. He had bought a house here in town, closing just a couple of weeks ago, and for all intents and purposes, appeared to be planning to make a life for himself here in Sweet Alps.
Looking at the date he had first met with Miss Rose about purchasing the daycare, and the sale documents that had been drawn up, I inhaled sharply. It was just a couple of days after our meeting in the hotel room had taken place. About how much time it would take to drive from Dallas to Sweet Alps. It seemed Wyatt had already been on his way to Sweet Alps when we had both ended up in Dallas at the same time, using the app.
It still smelled like Fate had her hands in all of this though, damn her.
Why had I thought Fate would just let me walk away from my mate, and it would be that easy? Jamie was right. The Goddess might say you could walk away, but could you really? Maybe for a time, sometimes even years, but eventually She got her way, and true fated mates always found their way back to each other. And if they didn’t, She would give them a strong nudge until they did. From what I had seen of the friends I knew with fated mates, a baby seemed to be the quickest way She accomplished this.
Rubbing at the weird ache in my chest that flared again, I wondered what this overwhelming protective feeling I had for Wyatt was. And not just Wyatt. Julianna. I had held babies before, of course. Hell, the Sinclairs were reproducing at an alarming rate and it seemed like every time I blinked there was a new one. Babies and toddlers were always about, at any holiday or dinner they had that I was invited to.
But nothing, absolutely nothing, had ever felt the way holding Julianna in my arms had felt. Looking down into her red, wrinkly face for the first time had my heart stuttering.
She wasmine, and the ferocious need to protect her had overwhelmed my senses.
Mate, my wolf huffed in what could only be annoyance.Protect.
Choosing to ignore him, I drained the last of my latte and tossed the cup in the trash. I wasn’t happy about how things had been left between Wyatt and I at the hospital. That weird ache I had in my chest spasmed again and I pushed my hand against the spot, like that was going to make it stop. I felt on edge, like something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
Picking up my phone, I shot off a text to Jamie.
Me:I think I’m having a heart attack.
Jamie:*eye roll emoji* Drama much? You’re not having a heart attack. Probably that double cheeseburger you inhaled at lunch.
Jamie was guessing that that had been what I’d eaten today, but it was my usual lunch four out of five days. Even at my age, my wolf and I still had a super-fast metabolism. It wasn’t like I didn’t work it off. I stayed in excellent shape and I knew it. And apparently, since I’d stripped my shirt off to take care of the afterbirth–something I could have happily lived the rest of my life without seeing–my abs were now the talk of the town. I was mortified by that thought and gleefully proud at the same time.
Me:I could be dying and you don’t even care.
Jamie:If you were actually dying, I would care a tiny bit. But you’re not. It’s most likely due to your fated mate being so close, and all those feelings that come along with that.
Me:What kinds of feelings?
Jamie:Like you need to protect them. See to their comfort. Feed them, make sure they have all they need. Think aftercare to the Nth degree. Factor in the pup you didn’t even know about and I imagine you’re in ultra-possessive/protective mode.
I twirled a pencil while I thought about what Jamie said. Was he correct? Was whatever I was feeling in direct correlation to Wyatt’s nearness?
Jamie:I know you don’t want to hear this, butI would bet that a small bond started the first time you two did the bow-chicka-bow-wow. Wyatt basically dropping in your lap–with your pup–has strengthened it. Set it into overdrive.
Fuck, I didn’t know enough about fated mates to know if that’s what was happening. Had we started a bond that night?
Me:I don’t know what to do. Every time I get near Wyatt, I get all growly and overbearing. I just start taking charge and giving orders, and acting like Wyatt is mine. I act like an alphahole. I hear myself, but I can’t seem to stop it. He is NOT a fan.
That was hard to admit, even to my best friend. I always, always knew what to do in any situation. And I never considered myself one of those alphahole’s wanting everything his way, but even I knew I was stepping over lines with Wyatt. Lines I would never dream of crossing with anyone else. But Wyatt was different, somehow. Though I hadn’t missed the hurt on his face either, earlier. And I didn’t blame him. He had every right to feel whatever he was feeling. He wasn’t the only one dealing with confusing emotions right now.
Mate. Mine.Pup. Ours.My wolf supplied, unhelpful as usual.
