Page 22 of Omega's Tempting Fate
I walked over to the window and looked out as well. I saw another man approach Cody’s car, then get in. They talked for a few minutes, then Cody got out.
I rushed to the front door, hoping that Theo had convinced my omega to return to me. Instead Donna stopped me as I watched Cody shakily make his way around to the passenger side. Then his friend got behind the wheel, and drove out.
My last glimpse of my mate was through the window as the car left the lot.
I collapsed to my knees, hurt and desire still at war inside me.
∞∞∞
I sat on the sandy beach, tossing a stick for Tiny.
He took off down towards the water and retrieved the stick, barking happily as he ran. It was a joyous moment for him, having never played on a beach before. But his excitement did nothing to dull my pain.
I’d thought my heart was broken when Cody left, but the hurt only increased when his friend called a few hours later and informed Donna that he’d gone into heat.
I was supposed to be there, helping him through it. I couldn’t imagine the pain he was subjecting himself to. Supposedly he hadn’t been in a serious relationship in years, and I could already tell that he didn’t seem the type to have a heat partner with whom he wasn’t comfortable.
Or maybe that was me hoping. I really didn’t know him. Donna had said he hadn’t had a serious boyfriend, but maybe he was into one-night-stands.
I growled at the thought, then shook my head. I wouldn’t judge him for his life before I met him. That wasn’t who I was, and I wasn’t going to become a judgemental person now.
Tiny trotted over, flopped onto the sand next to me and set his head on my lap.
I scratched behind his ears, listening to the thump of his tail.
“I’d ask if he was ready for his afternoon w-a-l-k,” said a familiar voice, spelling out the keyword. “But he looks pretty happy.”
I turned to see the dog-walker, Corey, standing behind me.
“Sorry,” I said. “I guess I should have called and informed you that you weren’t needed this afternoon.”
He shook his head and took a seat where I could see his face. “It’s ok. I wanted to talk to you anyway.”
“Huh?”
He sighed. “I haven’t known Cody as long as Theo, but we’re pretty close. So of course I heard what happened.”
“Oh.” Was everybody going to be in our business?
He leaned back and planted his palms on the sand. “Theo always teased Cody about having a fated mate.”
“He did?”
Corey nodded. “Cody… well he never seemed very interested in alphas, at least not in the way you’d expect. It was always as if they never met his expectations; they were never right for him. For a while we just thought his standards were too high, but the longer it went on the more we realized that it wasn’t a matter of standards, as of him just not finding what he was looking for.”
For some reason it didn’t exactly make me feel better. My alpha side liked it, but I hated the thought of my mate being alone.
“Cody is going to kill me when he finds out that I talked to you about this, but I think it’s important.” He paused and let out a long breath. “He’s convinced that fate removes a person’s choice in the matter, that a person might even find a better match if they weren’t so driven to mate.”
Maybe I should have been more surprised, but after having watched him run that morning, it made sense.
I sighed, unsure what to do next.
“To be honest,” Corey continued. “I think there’s more to the story, but I don’t know what it is. I just know that if you want him, you’ll have to help him overcome his inhibitions about having a fated mate.”
I flopped back on the sand, which Tiny took as an invitation to roll over and start licking my face.
Corey laughed, and for some reason that made me smile. I could almost imagine that it was Cody there, laughing at my goofy dog.
