“Tristan?” Billy guessed. Once they’d gotten to the event, Cece never sat still for long. “It was probably Tristan, right?”
“That’s what I thought, too, so I called Tristan over. There we were, two peas in a pod standing shoulder to shoulder on the dance floor, and this alpha is sniffing us, and then…” Cece started to laugh again. “He pointed to the non-existent space in between us and said – I kid you not – he said, ‘the one in the middle.’”
Cece’s laughter was contagious. “Oh, dear,” Billy said when he’d stopped chuckling long enough to speak. “So this was a long winded way of telling me you’d met an alpha who had a few issues with his vision, perhaps?”
“He was referring to you as the third person.” Cece paused a moment, and while Billy was still trying to work out what he was getting at, he continued, “Tristan and I sat on either side of you in the taxi. It was you he scented and then got all hot and bothered about. Honestly, his friend Bullet, you’ve heard memention him before I’m sure as he’s a well established local, but anyway he had to clamp his hand on this man’s shoulder to stop him wolfing out. Overyourscent…” he added for emphasis.
“Are you sure? Are you positive it was my scent?” Billy whispered. He’d only ever seen an alpha get hot and bothered over a scent once before, at another Omega Hearts event. The man had come so close to shifting his jacket split at the seams, and he had to be escorted off the dance floor so he could get himself together.
“Yes. You were the only one Tristan and I sat close enough to for a scent transfer. It was you, Billy, it was you, and I was right. Go on, tell me I was right.”
“Right about what?” Billy was still imagining an alpha getting all hot and bothered over his scent.Gods. What if he’s disappointed when he sees me in the flesh?
“I said you’d be the first one between the three of us to find their mate. I said it in the taxi last night.”
“You were right,” Billy echoed faintly. “Cece!” Panic and reality hit him at the same time. “What do I say? What do I wear? What does he look like? Does he have a name? Give me something here, Cece, I’m freaking out.”
“I knew you would be. Tristan is already on his way to pick me up – we’ll grab breakfast for all of us and head straight to your place. Go and shower again, cleaneverywhere, and we’ll be there by the time you’re finished. Billy, this is a good thing,” his friend added in a lower tone. “You deserve this, and I promise I’ll tell you all about him when we get there. All right?”
“All right.” Billy wasn’t sure if Cece even heard as the call disconnected. His email pinged, and he saw his client had another job for him. He reached for the mouse, ready to read the message and schedule the work, but then shook his head andclicked the button, putting his computer into sleep mode. For the first time in his life, Billy had something else to focus on than keeping clients happy… like a mate. Maybe. Possibly.Oh shit, what if it’s actually true?
Chapter Five
Cord knew it would be impossible to sleep, but he did his best for about four hours, getting up as the light just began to tinge the sky. He considered going for a run in his wolf form, but given that his wolf was still hyper-fixated on the scent they’d picked up the night before, he decided that wasn’t the best idea. Alphas were expected to follow certain rules when courting an omega, and he wasn’t about to be banned from seeing a young man he hadn’t met yet.
Working out in his human form helped. Some routines were so ingrained in Cord’s psyche that his body moved automatically through what many would call a punishing workout. He was mopping up the sweat from his bare chest and neck when Bullet stuck his head out of the range slider and grinned. “Rough night, I take it. Coffee’s on when you’re ready.”
Short but efficient showers were also something Cord was used to, and he was in the kitchen in less than ten minutes. Bullet was cooking, and Cord fell into the nearest seat at the small kitchen table. “I’ve been making so many assumptions,” he said – it was the first thing that came into his head, but now he’d voiced a single concern, the others just tumbled out.
“I have no idea what this person looks like. All I really know about him is his gender, and his scent drives me wild. I know he wasn’t accepted by his parents, but why? Surely, parents don’t just kick their kids out for no reason, especially when they’re omegas. He works for a living. How weird is that? I thought omegas were provided for, but he makes his own money. Is he going to be happy just fitting into my life after he’s worked so hard to create a life of his own? What if he doesn’t even like me? I’m hardly the conversationalist of the year. And then…”
“Stop,” Bullet said firmly. “Just stop. You’re going to talk yourself into not making the lunch date at all, and if thathappens, I will personally beat you into a pulp and stamp on your bones. Cut it out.”
“That’s a bit harsh.” Cord took the coffee mug Bullet handed to him. “Wouldn’t you be worried if you were me?”
“I’d be curious if I was in your situation.” Bullet bent over, pulling a large casserole dish out of his oven and coming over to the table with it. “You’ve forgotten the main thing here. You, my friend, have hit the holy grail, the one thing all alphas of any species longs for – an omega to call your own. Don’t you think you’re being a bit shallow, wondering about his looks and things like that when his scent tells you anything important you need to know – like he’s yours?”
Swallowing hard, Cord tried to pluck some coherent thoughts out of his rattled brain. “I saw all the omegas at the event last night…”
“Not all of them,” Bullet reminded him, going back for plates and cutlery. “You didn’t see Billy,” he added as he came back to the table, taking a seat across from Cord.
“Okay. Fair point. But why didn’t I see Billy?” Cord thought he was being reasonable in asking. “You said yourself that I was ‘fresh meat,’ I think you called it, and so many omegas came up to say hello I lost track. Why didn’t Billy? See, maybe he didn’t like the way I looked, so he never bothered.
“And I know you’re used to the omegas we met last night, and I’m not saying they’re not a fun bunch, because they truly are, and I felt very welcome by everyone, but Bullet, they were all so… so…” Cord struggled to find the right word. He didn’t want to sound as if he was judging the men and women he’d met the night before because he wasn’t. “Pampered... Refined... Pretty... Polished…not me.”
“Hmm…” Bullet grinned as he dished up a large plate of food and passed it over. “They are all those things and more. You have to understand that most of the omegas we met last night never had to worry about where their next meal was coming from or if they ever had to get a job. They are raised by loving parents who hold fast to the idea that their omega will make a great match with an alpha one day. I know, I know,” he added when he must’ve caught sight of Cord’s expression, “Not all omegas are that lucky, and honestly, just thinking about the alternatives is heartbreaking, but the ones we met last night have a good life, and expect to go on and have an even better life with an alpha who will treat them right. I’m almost certain your Billy is barely on the fringes of that lucky category.”
“Do you know him? Have you seen him? Why didn’t you say something last night?”When I was pestering the living shit out of you about him,although Cord didn’t say that out loud.
“I was thinking about it before I went to sleep, and I think I have seen him, not to talk to, but I’ve seen him in passing. I’ve met Cece and Tristan at Omega Hearts events before, and we’ve always been friendly, so I notice them when they’re out. I’m almost certain your mysterious Billy is a third man they’ve had with them on occasion. If it is the man I’m thinking of, he never dances at any of the events. He smiles and responds if someone talks to him – he seems friendly enough - but he tends to sit in a corner with a single drink and watches his friends having fun.”
“That sounds a little sad.” Cord had picked up his knife and fork but stopped to rub his chest. “He should be out having fun with his friends.”
“There’s a bit of a stigma among omegas – against those that don’t have parents or family to look after them,” Bullet said quietly. “The fact that Cece and Tristan have stayed friends with him says a lot about them, along with Billy’s personality,of course. Cece has very loving parents with three older alpha brothers, and Tristan is being cared for by his alpha brother.”
“Yes, well. We’ve seen the other side of omega life, where they haven’t got parents that support them – cases where they’ve been abused and exploited instead.” Cord shoveled some food into his mouth, trying to let the taste block out some memories he wished he didn’t have. Bullet did the same, and Cord knew it was for the same reason.
The plates were almost empty when Bullet spoke again. “This Billy, if he is who I think he is, is a bit of a cutey. He’s not tall, probably about the same height as Tristan and Cece but he has a shock of dark hair and a wide smile. He wears glasses, which might be because of his computer work, but don’t quote me on that, and he’s got one of those faces… ugh, it’s hard to explain, but when I saw him, I wanted to tuck him under my arm and shelter him from life’s hardships. He just had that look about him, you know?”
