Page 72 of Waiting for Fate
Studying her for several seconds, I relent when I see the plea for normalcy in her eyes. “He’s no longer a mystery. The alpha who helped me through my heat in June. His name is Orion.”
Omen’s grin grows as I tell her about running into him at work and our date. “He had to fly to California for awhile for work,” I admit with a half smile. I’m not going to mention why he is there, as his story isn’t mine to tell.
“That sucks. He’s coming back though, right?” I nod. “And Ridley will be back soon too. Hopefully. So you’ll just have to get cozy with Shiloh while you wait!”
My smile falls, twisting into a grimace. “I can’t… Shiloh and I aren’t happening. Outside of him helping me through my heat, we will only be boss and employee.”
“What happened?” Concern and indignation lace her voice, reminding me of why I love her so much. Without knowing the reasons, she’s already pissed on my behalf.
“He said he won’t share me, and thinks it would be unfair to ask me to choose him over my other mates,” I tell her.
“That asshole is rejecting you?!”
My head shakes in denial. “No. Well, maybe. My omega isn’t taking it that way, so I don’t know.”
“Lucky.” She whispers the word softly enough I know it wasn’t meant for my ears. Her instincts took her mate’s cutting her off as a rejection, resulting in the chemical Rejected Omega Syndrome she has been battling. They never specifically said the words to reject her, which is how most omega’s get ROS.
Until she mentioned it, I hadn’t considered the possibility that Shiloh’s refusal to be part of my pack could lead to ROS. Unlike Omen, I believe the connection I feel to my other mates is what saved me from sharing her fate.
“I don’t know the full story,” I continue, “but he seems to think sharing me with the others would be bad for all of us. It fucking sucks, and he has been a complete dick about it, but I refuse to chase a man who won’t even give me a chance.”
To distract her from her own struggles for a bit longer, I recount all my run-in with Shiloh after my lunch with Ayla, and the slew of other times my handsome boss has shown how cold he can be. I know his frigidity is a mask he wears to protect himself, but that doesn’t make his cutting remarks hurt less.
“We really drew the short straw, didn’t we?” Omen asks, the words muffled by the blankets piled on top of her sleepy figure. We’ll have to end the call soon so she can get some much needed rest. “Mates who can’t accept our pasts or who can’t move on from their own. Fate must enjoy the torture we’re being subjected to.”
With a sigh, I roll to my back and stare up at the ceiling. Omen’s eyes are closed now and she’s starting to softly snore. “Fate only creates the paths,” I whisper. “It is us who decides where they will lead us.”
No one know what trouble the future will bring. Whatever hurdles I come across, I know I can pass them. Mated or mateless, as long as I have my family and friends at my side, I can survive anything.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
WE’VE BEEN HUNTINGDoctor Harrison for a month and we have nothing to show for it. Not a trace of the escaped madman has been discovered.
I’m done with this shit. Especially after feeling the pain my omega was in over the weekend. I know she was in heat, a perfectly natural experience, but I. Wasn’t. There. Instead, I’m thousands of miles away chasing the trail of someone who has clearly disappeared.
Feeling her pain and knowing what was happening nearly made me feral with the need to go to her. Lex had to knock me out before I destroyed our van and all the FCDA equipment in it.
A punch I am still sporting a bruise from.
“I’m going home,” I declare when Lex opens the hotel door. He pauses mid-step, staring at me, before he sighs and walks inside.
“You’re going to abandon our search, knowing Bea is in danger?”
“At least if I’m by her side, I can keep her safe. Being here isn’t accomplishing anything except straining the bond I’ve spent the past three months growing. He’s gone, Lex.” I throw my arms out wide, gesturing to the map of locations we’ve already searched. “Staying here is going to drive us both mad. It’s time to throw in the towel.”
Lex shakes his head, running a hand through his blonde hair. It has grown out over the past month, hanging down over his brows now. “If you want out, that is your choice. I’m staying here and tracking this bastard down before he can get to Bea or Omen.”
How can he not see how obstinate he is being? If we were going to find Doctor Harrison, we would have caught some hint of him by now! All he is doing by staying is punishing himself and our omega.
Our secure work cell rings with an incoming call. I groan, throwing myself backwards on the bed while he answers it.
“Have you assholes killed each other yet?” Jericho asks. This dick got to go home tohisomega. I don’t see why it’s such a big fucking deal that I want the chance to do the same.
“To the point, Jericho,” Lex grunts, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at me as if he can read my mind.
“Yeah, yeah. Listen, we got a hit. A new drug hit the streets of Silverstone, Alabama over the weekend. Turns alpha’s feral while it is in their system. Our team at the FCDA believes it is the work of Doctor Harrison. We want you to head down there and investigate.”
Of course they have a new lead for us to follow as soon as I try to leave. I’m leaving the DAU after this job is over. Bea’s job at Soulbound is more enough to support the two of us, even better if she can convince Shiloh to join our pack.
