Page 25 of Omega's Reluctant Mate
“Why did you feel ok telling me all this, but not Corey?”
I looked up and stared at him, then shook my head. “I don’t know.”
“May I guess?”
I motioned for him to continue.
“I think it’s because you’re scared he’ll reject you.”
“What?” I asked, attention snapping to him.
He nodded. “It’s safe. This is who you are, and you can’t change it. But nobody wants to be rejected because of something out of their control. You knew you had a fated mate, but was scared of how he’d react. So you decided to leave him before he had a chance to abandon you.”
I swallowed. It made sense.
He finished off his lemonade and stood. “You’re probably hearing this from everybody, but you need to give Corey a chance. Alpha-to-alpha, he’s the best omega that fate could have picked for you. He’s patient and kind. If anybody will be able to meet you where you are, it’s him.”
“I see…”
Wes sighed. “I’ll see you around.”
“Sure…”
With that he descended the steps, and the sound of him walking across the sand signaled his exit.
Could Corey really be what I needed in a mate?
Chapter 11 - Corey
Iwanted to say that I was less sore the second day, but that would have been a lie. My body was still angry about the continued lack of a knot from my mate, and was making its displeasure very clear.
I sat up and checked my phone, half-expecting another text from Zaya about Nate running. But the only messages waiting for me were in the local dog-walker group chat, asking if anybody could take a couple extra pups as another walker went into heat.
I smiled. These were my people. We all competed for the finite number of clients in the area, but we also had each other’s backs. We never let a dog go un-walked just because somebody was sick or unable to work a particular day. We all chipped in to make sure we each had at least one day off a week.
I saw one dog on the schedule that hadn’t been claimed. It would mean cutting my lunch short, but I could take it right after Tiny as it was just a few minutes down from Cody’s place.
My finger hovered over the phone, ready to type in a response.
Taking the extra walk could mean less time with Nate—if he decided that he wanted to talk.
I took a deep breath, then put in my response.I can do the Cliffside at 12:15 if nobody else takes it, but if anybody wants it go ahead.
It was the best option, and something we all respected. Whoever was out knew it would be covered, but it was left open if somebody wanted the extra walk. Odds were good somebody else would snag it. Walks so close to Billionaire Row were additional chances to meet staff at the mansions and beach houses, which could land a name drop in the future.
I stared at the group chat for another minute, then exited to go shower.
In an ideal world I would have called on my peers to take over for me for a day or so in order to take as many knots as Nate could give. But now it felt like a remote possibility.
I shook my head as I stepped into the shower. He was still in town, and had promised to tell me why he’d run. While there was no good reason to trust him, given his actions, I wanted to.
Fate wouldn’t let me down like that.
Sure enough, by the time I got out of the shower another walker had snagged the Cliffside spot, and the man who’d given up his day would be able to go into heat without worrying about the dogs he looked after.
I dressed slowly, trying to decide if I wanted to stay casual, or if I wanted to play it up slightly with a short-sleeve button up to impress Nate. I finally decided to split the difference, with an open button-up over a t-shirt.
Anticipation built inside me as I drove. Was Nate waiting on the beach for me, or had he decided that I wasn’t worth his time?
