Page 27 of Omega's Reluctant Mate
“For who he is?” I blinked, trying to figure out what he was trying to say. Why wouldn’t I see my alpha for who he was?
“That’s right. I know it’s vague, but it’ll eventually make sense.”
“Ok…”
“Tiny!” Wes called in that faux-excited voice every dog owner has. “Look who’s here to see you!”
A skitter of paws on the floor, and Tiny scurried into view, tail wagging.
I attached Tiny’s leash and he pulled me through the house to the patio door.
Tiny picked out a stick from the pile at the bottom of the patio steps, but was confused when I didn’t let him off-leash. Still, he took it in stride as we headed down the beach towards the wider strip where we played fetch—and Zaya’s house.
Would Nate be there, waiting for me?
What did Wes mean when he said that I needed to see Nate for who he was?
We rounded the outcropping, and there he was, sitting on the sand just as he’d been the day before.
I was about to call out to him when I noticed his pose. His shoulders were slumped, arms hooked around his knees.
How many times had I seen that stance before? Only I’d seen it in dogs. Leaning forward, hoping for somebody to notice them, but feeling invisible.
“Just see him for who he is.”Wes’s words came back to me.
What I saw in front of me was a man looking for anybody to reach out to him.
Nate didn’t need a mate, he needed a friend.
I took a deep breath and remembered the scent strip in my pocket. I pulled it out, opened it, and secured it under my nose. Then I unclipped the leash from Tiny’s collar.
“Go get him,” I said, pointing at Nate.
Tiny gave me a goofy dog grin, then took off towards Nate.
I watched for a couple seconds, then cupped my hands around my mouth.
“Look out!”
Chapter 12 - Nate
The waves lapped at the sand, and I played the conversation with Wes over and over in my mind.
Was I protecting Corey, or myself?
I’d always told myself that I was running for his sake. If I was out of my mate’s life as soon as I’d entered it, he could move on. But was that the part of me that had felt broken rearing its ugly head again?
There had been a time when I’d been comfortable with my sexuality. I’d accepted that any relationship would have to build slowly. What changed?
I sighed and rested my chin on my knees. I knew what changed: I’d realized that I had a fated mate, and that society expected me to bond and knock him up that same night—that he would expect that.
Was Wes right? Was I scared that my mate would see me as broken, so I’d decided to push him away first?
“Look out!”
I turned to see Tiny barrelling towards me, but once again there wasn’t enough time to react.
For the second time in as many days I was knocked to the sand by Wes’s oversized dog. I wondered why Corey had let him off the leash if he knew that it was likely to happen, then I realized that I hadn’t heard him calling the dog. Instead he’d given me a last minute warning.
