Page 25 of Unsubmissive Omega
“Of course,” my sister nodded, a teasing smirk curving the corners of her lips. “Any excuse for the new mates to spend some private time together, eh?”
She gave me a not-so-gentle shove in the ribs with her elbow as she walked past me to the door. I felt my cheeks heat, but I didn't think she'd notice. I hoped not, anyway. Xander made me feel… things.
“You should make him come,” Zendius insisted.
“No!” I snapped, annoyed at my second inserting himself where he didn’t belong. “It’ll be his choice.”
“I’ll leave you two to get along,” said my sister, sidling out the door. From the way her shoulders were shaking, I was sure she was laughing at me.
“I’m going to talk to Xander,” I told Zendius, “If I’m not at lunch, start without me.”
There washumphbehind me as I left the office and headed down the corridor towards my mate and our bedroom.
*****
Xander did not want to go to the pack lunch (I couldn’t blame him for that). He also didn’t want to have lunch with me (I was disappointed).
Every time I seemed to make a little headway with Xander, he suddenly retreated and was hostile or dismissive to boot. I didn’t understand the to-and-fro. I knew we’d gotten off to a bad start, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t pick things up from there.
Maybe I was being insensitive, or maybe I was just being hopeful. Our mating had not gone as planned, and I needed to get over myself. Although Xander had agreed to it, now I understood he’d had few, if any, options, my view of the previous evening was tainted. Although I hadn’t realized it at the time, his consent for a permanent union was not freely given. Now he might never forgive me. I might have lost the one omega that had ever truly appealed to me.
I sighed to myself as I trudged heavily to the dining hall, the sound of my footfalls echoing in the empty corridors emphasizing how alone I felt. I couldn’t stop myself ruminating over the whole situation. I reminded myself that I’d had time to prepare myself for all this, whereas it had been sprung on Xander. I’d given him the opportunity to call a stop to it, but hehadn’t taken it. I understood now that he’d had few options and taking his chances with me was a better bet than staying with his uncle. That didn’t make it any better for him, but equally I wasn’t to know. Well, I mentally kicked myself, maybe I should have looked into it further. Why would a gorgeous, sexy omega like that agree to a permanent union with an alpha he’d never met. He could have had anyone. With hindsight, I’d been stupid. Blinded by my visceral reaction to his photo, I hadn’t thought too deeply about it. As a responsible alpha, I should have known better.
The truth was, I was sure he was the omega for me.
Maybe with time he’d come around. In the meantime, I just had to make his time here as easy and stress-free as possible.
My mood lifted as I approached the dining hall and the cheerful sounds of the pack spilled out down the corridor. Most of our pack either worked on the premises, or in the nearby town, and it was customary for everyone that could to gather for lunch. Usually that would be followed by a siesta and then back to work in the early afternoon. It wasn’t an obligation by any means, but most people seemed to enjoy this opportunity to come together.
A hush fell over the dining hall as I entered the room, and all eyes turned towards me. I could see the excitement in their eyes and a few necks craned to see past me. When I entered the room alone and it became clear my mate was not following me, there was a moment of deathly silence, followed by the scuffing of shoes on the linoleum floor, the squeak of a chair, and an almost collective sigh.
My seat, as Pack Alpha, was at the head of the long table, with my back to the door; the seat reserved for the Alpha Mate was to my left. All the remaining seating ran the length of the tableon both sides. All the seats were occupied, except the two at the head of the table. I frowned. It was rare for the entire pack to assemble at the one time; usually one or two were missing. Someone had clearly given the impression the Alpha Mate would be attending this lunch.
Dayla got up from her seat part-way down the table and hurried up to me.
“He didn’t want to come?” she asked in a low voice, resting her hand on my arm, and leaning in close. The semblance of privacy was just that. It wouldn’t matter how quietly she spoke, any shifter near us would be able to hear. I thought carefully about how to reply.
“It’s too soon. He needs time to get used to all the changes.”
“You didn’t have to dine with us,” Dayla murmured.
“No, it’s fine,” I told her. “He wanted to rest.”
Dayla put her arm around me and gave me a hug. “That’s alright, brother. I’m sure you’re disappointed, you want to show him off to the pack. But the pack can wait. The most important thing is to let Xander settle in in his own time.”
She gave me a squeeze and returned to her seat. My ears caught the faintest rustle from somewhere behind me but when I turned, there was nothing there.
The pack had waited for me, even though they didn’t need to. I understood it for the mark of respect it was.
“Let’s eat,” I announced. “I look forward to formally introducing you to my mate when he’s had a chance to settle in. As you can imagine, it’s been a big couple of days for him.”
A few grunts of assent rumbled around the table. Lids clanged as they were lifted off the platters, forks scraped on the dishes. The delicious aroma of roasted meats filled my nostrils; beef, lamb, chicken – it was all there and the sight and scent was probably making every one of us drool. A loud gurgle from my stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten since yesterday and I’d used up considerable energy last night.
Chapter 12
XANDER
After rebuffing Darius’ invitation to the pack lunch, I had a change of heart. It wouldn’t hurt to put in an appearance. It wasn’t as if anyone was going to be rude to the Alpha Mate, at least not in front of the Alpha, so even if I didn’t enjoy the company, I could at least fill my stomach in peace.
