Page 26 of Omega's Reluctant Mate
Was that why he ran? Sure Cody and Theo had found true love with billionaires; Beau, David and Christian too. But there was no denying that we came from different worlds. Maybe he’d been expecting some heir to a fortune, somebody who could be an omega on his arm at fancy dinner-parties and blend seamlessly into the upper crust.
No, he’d said that he’d been scared of meeting me. And my scent didn’t seem to affect him at all.
Did he have a steady boyfriend back in Chicago? Was that why he was scared? Was I in the way?
I stopped at a red light and shook my head. I was letting my fears get in the way, and I needed to knock it off. He’d promised me an explanation, and I needed to wait for it.
Still, by the time I walked through the employee entrance of Cody’s house my stomach was in knots.
How long did I have before my fated alpha ran again?
“Hey, got a minute?”
I looked up from where I hung Tiny’s leash to see Wes standing in an archway.
“Um, sure.”
He gave me a weak smile. “I went over to talk to Nate last night.”
My stomach dropped.
Wes must have seen something on my face, because he immediately shook his head. “No, don’t worry. I just…” he paused to run a hand through his hair. “I’ve been where you are, ok? Not knowing, feeling rejected. And I guess I’ve gotten a bit protective of you since I saw him run. So I decided that I had to go find out for myself why.”
My mouth was dry. “Did he tell you?”
Wes nodded. “After some prodding.”
It stung. My alpha was willing to talk about it to somebody else, but not me. I took a deep breath and leaned against a counter.
“He wants to tell you,” Wes said softly. “He just doesn’t know how, and it’s clear he doesn’t want to hurt you any more than he already has.”
“Why doesn’t he just tell me then?”
“I don’t think it’s that easy. He’s built himself a wall of assumptions, and that takes time to tear down.”
“Assumptions?” I asked, making eye-contact with Wes.
He nodded. “Not about you in particular, but about what you—as his fated mate—expect from him.”
“What could be so bad that…?” I started.
Wes walked over and placed his hands on my shoulders. “I understand. Believe me I do. However, he needs to talk to you himself. But, if it makes you feel better, I think that the two of you can have a happy life together.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Really.”
I took a deep breath, counted to ten, then blew it out again. “Ok. I trust you.”
Wes smiled. “I’ll let Tiny at you now.”
“Ok.”
He took several steps away, then turned. “Corey?”
“Yeah?”
“He didn’t say anything, but I get the feeling that Nate is profoundly lonely. I think… it might be best—for now—if you don’t look at him like a mate. Just see him for who he is.”
