Page 18 of Omega's Reluctant Mate
I froze, not used to anybody just sitting out there, and I didn’t recognize them.
Tiny trotted out a few paces ahead of me. Then it hit me.
That wasn’t just a random person. That was Nathan—Zaya’s brother.
My alpha.
I took several steps back. What was he doing there? Zaya had texted that he’d left town.
My omega side demanded that I go to him—beg him to tell me why he’d rejected me. But it wouldn’t solve anything. He’d made his position clear, and I wasn’t going to be like one of those weak omegas from the movies.
“Come on Tiny,” I said, turning to head back. “We’ll go play up by Beau’s house.”
Tiny paused, looking back and forth between Nathan and I.
“Tiny,” I warned.
He decided, and, for the first time, I regretted letting him off-leash.
“Tiny! No!” I shouted. “Heel!”
It was no use. He was a dog on a mission, which seemed to be to introduce himself to Nathan at full force.
“Look out!” I yelled, and took off after the dog.
Chapter 8 - Nate
The ocean was beautiful and powerful. Watching the waves lap at the sand was intensely calming, and yet I couldn’t forget that the water could be ruthless as well. It could kill me without notice or remorse.
It was humbling in a way. I was used to being able to control everything around me because of the money. But there was no controlling the ocean.
Just like there was no controlling fate.
I wanted to leave, to give Corey a chance to move on. Instead I’d returned without any idea of what to do next. Luckily Zaya and Cadence had both already left for the day when I’d slunk back in, and Reginald was kind enough to not call them.
There were more questions than answers, and I was glad for the solitude.
There was a commotion behind me, a man yelling.
“Tiny! No! Heel!”
I sighed, it seemed that my peace and quiet was over.
“Look out!” he yelled.
I blinked, and turned to see my omega—Corey—running at me. Then I saw why he’d shouted. A dog—who despite the name was anything but tiny—was barrelling towards me.
Time slowed to a crawl. A large stick fell from the dog’s mouth, abandoned in favor of an excited grin.
The Great Dane barrelled into me, knocking me over onto the sand. Then he promptly started alternating sniffing me and licking my face, grinning at me as if I was the best new toy he’d ever been given.
It was ridiculous, and hilarious. Here I was, trying to figure out if I could even show my face in the presence of the other man again, and now he was a witness to me being tackled by a dog. I started laughing while trying to push Tiny off me, which he treated as some sort of game and played even harder.
A sigh, and I managed to push the dog off just enough to see Corey standing several yards away.
“Sorry about that,” he said softly. Then his voice developed a hard edge. “Tiny, come.”
Tiny froze, and I turned to see him looking expectantly at me as if it was my decision.
