Page 29 of Omega's Pretend Mate
Christian couldn’t have picked out a better ring if he’d had me point out exactly what I wanted. Even if he had, I probably would have chosen a lesser ring. The one he bought was both stunning in its simplicity, and at the same time the detail in its intricacy was a subtle statement that he saw how much there was to me.
Ivy would probably scoff and proudly proclaim how many carats of diamond her ring had, but it didn’t matter. That wasn’t who I was, and Christian clearly understood that.
In fact, the only problem with the ring was how emotional it made me. For almost anybody else it would have been a source of joy, but for me it was a reminder of what we were doing and the people we would hurt. Including myself.
We’d shared the news with our families the morning after his proposal, mine via video call, and his on the telephone.
My family had been thrilled until they started asking questions. They wanted to know about Christian’s career, and his plans for the future. He discussed how he’d been setting aside money to buy into the firm as an equity partner. My parents, while polite, didn’t seem enthusiastic about my choice in alpha.
They’d probably expected me to marry another billionaire. It seemed that even doing what they wanted and was expected of me, wasn’t good enough.
Christian’s family, in contrast, was overjoyed. They gushed over the ring, and made sure that they thought Christian had good taste, while gently ribbing him about how I had to be too good for him. His papa asked me my favorite dishes, so he could learn to make some when we eventually came to visit, and his omega brother and brother-in-law insisted that we all get together for bonding time at some point.
I was only his fiance, and they already treated me like part of the family.
Luckily everybody on both sides accepted Christian’s reason for not bonding me already. There were some disappointed looks, but no arguments.
I took a deep breath, pulling his scent into my lungs. It had only been a week since he’d moved in, but the smell of alpha already filled my home and I couldn’t get enough.
I needed more.
I stood from my desk and made my way into the living room, where I saw Christian lounged on the couch, reading a book.
My legs carried me towards him without my brain giving the go-ahead. Then I was there, trying to crawl into the space between his chest and the book.
I needed his scent wrapped around me; filling me.
“Gabe?” he asked, setting aside the book.
“Please,” I murmured. “I need… I need…” I trailed off. What did I need?
Christian frowned and pressed the back of his hand to my forehead. “God, Gabe, you’re burning up.”
How could I be burning up when his warmth felt so good? And his scent… I buried my nose against his chest and inhaled deeply. It was amazing, and my body responded to it immediately, my dick hardening and slick starting to ease from me.
Hands on my shoulders, and I whined as Christian pushed me off and into a sitting position.
One hand held my shoulder, while he slid the palm of the other down my cheek.
“Fuck,” he murmured, a low growl in his tone. “You’re flushed too. Gabe, when was your last heat?”
I blinked, forcing myself to think. “Two months?” I guessed.
“Well it looks like your next one is early.”
“Huh?” I asked, head foggy. Then his words sunk in. My heat was starting early.
Christian gently shook my shoulders. “Listen to me Gabe. I need you to focus, ok?”
I nodded.
“You need to tell me what you want to do. You probably thought you had time, but that time is up. You’re going into heat.”
Why was my alpha asking what I wanted to do? I wanted him inside me for my heat. I needed to feel him moving within, knotting me and filling me with his seed.
“Gabe!”
I shook my head at the shout, and managed a moment of clarity. “Condoms…” I gasped. “I don’t have any.”
