by Athena Blaez
Wyatt couldn’t get out of the bedroom fast enough. After a half-hearted attempt at finding something to write on to thank Gage for a fabulous night yielded nothing, he gave up and just left.
It was just supposed to be a one-night thing anyway. Gage had offered to help him out; Wyatt took him up on it. That was that, right?
Right.
So why did he feel like his troubles were just starting?
The weeks flew by in a blur of activity. Wyatt spent the majority of that time getting Jason up to speed on what to do while he was gone.
“Are you ready for lunch?” Wyatt asked as his stomach growled.
“You brought danishes in for breakfast, and then proceeded to eat them all. If you keep eating everything in sight, you’re not going to fit into any of your clothes for your vacation.”
Wyatt frowned and looked at the now-destroyed box of pastries. “I’ve just been so hungry lately.”
Jason was looking at him funny.
“What?”
“Have you tested for—”
The door at the front of the shop rang cheerfully. “You keep working on the accounts payables,” Wyatt said, “I’ll watch the front for a while.”
Noah was standing at the counter, drumming his fingers. “There you are,” he said when Wyatt came into view. “Don’t you ever answer your phone?”
“Sorry. I’ve been busy making sure Jason is up to speed. What’s up?” Noah never came in Wyatt’s shop. If he ordered flowers, he usually called Wyatt on the phone and made vague noises of ‘I trust you’ in regards to choices.
Noah waved his phone. “Do you read the paper?”
“I get my news from the local gossip.”
“Well, you really should get online more. The entertainment pages are all abuzz about you.” Noah thumbed at his phone. He stopped on a page and slid it over to Wyatt.
On the screen was a picture of Wyatt and Gage sitting at Jinx’s. Below was a caption:
Who’s the newest squeeze? Is Gage Weston finally looking to settle down?
Guilt stabbed at him. He’d left the man’s house without saying goodbye or without any way to contact him. “Yeah. He took care of my problem.”
Noah sighed in exasperation. “Wyatt, if that’s the guy you hooked up with? He’s only the most eligible Alpha in the city. He’s the head Alpha of the Weston pack on the upper west side. They own ungodly amounts of real estate downtown and in the upper state area.”
“Oh.” Wyatt looked again. Now that his heat was long gone, he got a really good look at the man in the cold light of day.
He was still drop-dead gorgeous.
Also, apparently filthy rich.
His heart constricted in his chest. Ever since walking out, he’d been unable to shake the regret he felt. The short time he was with Gage, while fueled by his heat, had been the most amazing experience he’d ever had with an Alpha.
The man had been kind and gentle in bed, showing concern and care the entire night.
His bed felt empty now.
“Have you put on weight?” Noah asked out of the blue.
“God, not you, too.” Wyatt handed Noah his phone back when his own phone chimed. “Oh, they have my test results.”
“So you got it expedited?”
“Yeah. It’s cutting it really close as it is.” Wyatt opened the email and skimmed through it.
Rejected.
His application had been rejected again.
“Jesus,” Wyatt said with an exasperated sigh.
Noah craned his neck to try to get a look at his phone. “They said no again?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, did they say why? You said the guy knotted with you, right?”
“Several times,” Wyatt said. His face grew heated from thinking about how many times Gage had knotted with him.
“So what’s the reason this time?” Noah, now impatient, grabbed Wyatt’s phone. Wyatt made a futile attempt to get it back before Noah walked out of reach.
“Oh. Shit. Wyatt?”
“Oh God, what?” Wyatt hurried over to Noah’s side. “What?”
“Um…the reason they turned you down?” Noah scrolled to the explanations section and handed the phone back to Wyatt.
Wyatt’s eyes skimmed down the page until it landed on the results.
Pregnant.
What?
Wyatt scrubbed at his eyes to focus again just in case he read that wrong.
Nope. It still said pregnant in large red letters.
“Wyatt, you don’t look very good. Maybe you should sit down.” Noah led Wyatt back to the counter but Wyatt hardly noticed. His head was light and he felt dizzy.
“I can’t be pregnant.”
“Did you use condoms?” Noah dug around in the small fridge beneath the counter. He shoved a fresh bottle of cold water into Wyatt’s hand.
Wyatt tilted it to his mouth and blinked when he realized the cap was still on. Noah took it from him, cracked the cap, and handed it back.
He swallowed several gulps before coming up for air. “No, I completely forgot that we didn’t use them.”
Noah blew out a slow breath, his hand resting comfortingly on Wyatt’s shoulder. “Man, I’m so sorry. Maybe…maybe the test is wrong. You can get another one done.”
“Not in time for my vacation. I guess I’m writing it off. Oh God, Noah, what the hell do I do?”
“Get tested anyway; see if their test is wrong. Maybe it was a false positive.”
Wyatt brushed his hand across his stomach. Even though it was a shock to have proof, this was something he had suspected in the back of his mind. He’d just been very good at ignoring the obvious signs in favor of going on his vacation. “No, I think it’s right.”
“Wow. Okay. So,” Noah pulled up a stool to sit with Wyatt, keeping his hand gently on Wyatt’s arm.
He appreciated that. If Noah removed his hand now, Wyatt was afraid he’d fall apart. With his friend there, he was able to keep it locked down and pulled together.
“What are you going to do?” Noah asked.
“I don’t know. I am not even sure I can support a baby. The business is making money but I’m paying myself as little as I need to survive and turning everything else back around into the shop. This could wreck my long-term plans.” Wyatt pressed a palm to his forehead. He was feeling really faint.
“Make Gage Weston pay child support—”
“Absolutely not. I’m not about to soak him for money.”
“It’s not soaking him, Wyatt,” Noah said in a reasonable voice. “It’s about having him step up and take responsibility.”
“He would not have time for someone like me. He probably doesn’t even remember me.”
That realization made him feel even worse.
“I think I need to go home.”
He tried to stand up but Noah pushed him back down to sit again. “I’ll go get Jason, and then I’ll take you home.”
6
Gage
“What is your malfunction?” Aaron asked on Gage’s umpteenth pass as he paced the floor of his penthouse. “You’ve been out of sorts for weeks now.”
Gage flailed his arms around. “I can’t stop thinking about him, Aaron.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Every time I try to find another omega, he keeps popping up in my thoughts. He’s like a burr, in my brain.”
“Well, the gossip rags were all a wag over him but no one seemed to know who he was.” Aaron sipped at his whiskey. On another pass, he flagged Gage down with his own forgotten drink.
Gage took it with a sigh and sat down next to him. “This has never happened before.”
Aaron remained quiet.
“You don’t believe me.”
“Well,” Aaron hedged. “I can say that I’ve never seen you fixated on someone before. Is he why you’ve missed the last three business meetings in the past week?”
“Shit.” Gage scrubbed at this face. “I completely forgot about them.”
“At least it wasn’t because you were drunk.”
Gage turned a dark gaze on Aaron. At least Gage’s second-in-command had the wherewithal to look contrite.
Gage sipped on his drink and sat back on the sofa. “Do you believe in fated mates?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” Aaron said without hesitation. “I honestly believe there is someone out there for everyone whom the universe has set aside just for us. A once-in-a-lifetime epic love affair,” he finished with a flourish of his drink hand.
“You’re drunk,” Gage growled.
“No, my friend, I’m not.”
“Then why isn’t the whole world married to their fated mates?”
Aaron’s expression grew dim and he stared into his drink. “Because sometimes we make foolish mistakes and push the rhythm of our lives so far out of balance that our fated mate never crosses our path. Or perhaps they show up but we aren’t ready for them in some form. Or we are already mated to someone else, someone that we settled for, even if we don’t believe we settled at the time. But I believe they’re out there.”
“Sounds like you’ve been there already,” Gage said softly.
“What? Me? Heavens no. I know to look out for my mate, Gage, because I believe in it. I think subconsciously you do, too.” Aaron leaned in toward Gage. “Do you believe he may be the one for you?”
Gage sighed. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I even believe in it at all. All I do know is that I’ve never been this obsessed over an omega before—” he held a hand up to silence Aaron. “Not like this. I can’t get him out of my mind, Aaron. I think about him all the time, what it would be like to come home every day to him instead of an empty house. What he would look like at Christmas. Does he even like Christmas? Or if he sings in the shower. Or if he keeps his eyes open when he dives underwater.”
“Wow,” Aaron said, mouth open. “You do have it bad. It’s kind of cute.”
“Are you going to be a dick about this—”
“Fine, fine.” Aaron set his glass on the coffee table. “So, with all the pack resources at your disposal, why aren’t you looking for him?”
“Because I don’t do that sort of thing well.”
Aaron snorted. “Try ‘at all.’ You have no romance in your soul, man.”
“If you’re not going to help—”
“Oh, I’ll help, if it will get you to stop moping around already.” Aaron drew his phone out. “What’s his last name?”
Gage paused, scrunching his nose in thought. “Taylor, I think?”
“You think?” Aaron made a note. “What does he do?”
“Look, I can’t remember. He was pretty deep in his heat when I took him home. I was distracted.”
Aaron held his hand up and nodded. “Fine. I’ll make you a deal. I will find this Wyatt maybe-Taylor who does something nebulous for a living. You have to promise to go to the business meetings as they’re scheduled. No more putting them off or conveniently forgetting. There are several agenda items coming up that require your input.”
“Agreed. I’ll go to the meetings as soon as you find him.”
“Not the agreement, Gage. Don’t pull your Alpha routine on me. It doesn’t work. You’ll agree to start going as of right now.”
Gage grumbled but he stood up to take Aaron’s hand to shake on it. “Fine.”
“Good.” Once Aaron dropped Gage’s hand, he wagged his phone. “You have half an hour to get to the mansion for the meeting with the elders.”
Gage groaned softly and scrubbed at his face. “I hate those meetings most of all. They keep pressuring me to settle down and have pups.”
“Well, maybe that’ll happen when I find Wyatt.” Aaron buttoned his suit jacket. “You have half an hour, Gage. Don’t be late.”
Gage glared at the front door as it swung shut behind Aaron.
True to his prediction, the meeting with the elders went on stupidly long while they hounded him to find a mate to settle down. They even gave him a list of suitable omegas from good breeding stock.
Gage crumpled it and dropped it into the garbage in his office. He kicked his feet up on his desk and stared out over the estate grounds.
The mansion had been in his family since the Revolutionary War. Despite urban sprawl, the family had managed to maintain the rural feel to the place with high privacy brush along the outsides of the property and a private drive that was found only if the driver knew how to look for it.
Much of the pack lived at the estate. They were a clannish lot, preferring to stay in the pack, much like their wild brethren.
He knew that the elders meant well. If something were to happen to Gage, the pack would be in an uproar as Alpha and beta families would vie for right of succession. It would tear the pack apart.
Gage needed offspring to ensure the continued security of the family.
He fought it for so long, hating the idea of being tied down, even if it was for the good of the family. He’d never met anyone who he felt like he could spend the rest of his life with and he wasn’t about to settle for anything other than what he wanted.
Which brought him back to the little omega and their one-night stand.
Normally, Gage would have been over it and long forgotten him. There was something about Wyatt that stayed buried under his skin, like a splinter, always worrying at him.
Any thought given to having an omega brought Gage back to Wyatt.
If there was any truth to this whole fated mates thing Aaron went on about, Gage was beginning to believe there was something to it.
In any event, Gage decided that he wanted Wyatt as a mate, fated or not.
His phone vibrated on his desk. Aaron’s name flashed.
“Did you find him?”
“Did you have any doubt?” Aaron’s voice sounded like he was outside. “How did the meeting go?”
“They bitched at me, like I said they would.” Gage dragged a notepad over and dug around for a pen. “Where is he?”
“They’re just worried about the continuation of the pack, Gage. Besides, they got their monthly bitch out of their system so now you’ll have a whole month of peace and quiet until they bitch at you again.”
“If you don’t tell me where he is—”
Aaron laughed. “Flowers Inc. on 10th southbound side, between Virgil and Sessions Avenues.”
“Right. I remember him saying he was a florist. Thanks, man.”
“Now you remember? God, you’re killing me. Go easy on him, Gage. Rein in your inner asshole and talk nicely to him. If you get all growly you’re going to scare him off. I assume you don’t want that.”
“Are you a matchmaker now?” Gage folded the paper and grabbed his keys.
“Someone has to since you’re not listening to the elders.”
“You go with me to the next meeting. They can bitch at you for a bit.”
“Who says they haven’t?” Aaron laughed as he hung up the phone.
Gage had to park along Virgil Avenue and hoof it back to 10th to start looking for the shop. A lady breezing out of the shop with a large arrangement of flowers let him know he’d found the place. He looked in the front display windows. It was a really neat little shop. Flowers, arrangements, a small gift section.
It was located in a really good part of the city, and judging by the people in the shop milling around, it looked like it had a good amount of foot traffic.
A small, dark-haired omega was behind the counter. “Welcome to Flowers, Inc. What can I do for you?” he asked cheerfully.
“Yeah,” Gage went to the counter and leaned on it. “I’m looking for Wyatt. Is he around?”
The clerk drew back a bit and looked Gage up and down. He was being inspected. He didn’t know if he should be insulted or not. “Who’s asking?”
“A friend. If he’s here, could you tell him someone’s here to see him?”
From leery to stubborn in zero time, the omega crossed his arms. “He’s not here.”
Gage drew up to
his full height. When he drew in a deep breath, he could still smell Wyatt’s scent, although it was just a little different now. Maybe it was because his heat was done. But he could also tell that Wyatt wasn’t there, either. “Where can I find him?”
“I can take your name and number and let him know you’re looking for him,” the omega—his name tag said Jason—offered.
“Look. Can you give me a phone number or an address? I’d like to see him myself.” Gage was trying, valiantly he thought, not to get angry at this Jason. “It’s important.”
Jason maintained his stubborn pose. “You didn’t even give me your name. Why should I tell you anything? I’ll let him know you stopped by but that’s all you’re getting.”
“You know—” Gage leaned in, ready to lay on the intimidation on Jason to get him to come up off the information. Aaron’s warning rang in his head. While the words weren’t exactly meant for some clerk in a flower shop, Gage knew that he’d get more cooperation if he weren’t a jerk.
“You’re right. I’m being too forward.” He reached into his wallet, pulled out a business card, and slid it across to Jason. “When he checks in, tell him to call. He should remember me.”
Jason took the card. He looked at it before putting it by the register. “I’ll do that,” he said coolly. “Anything else?”
“No,” Gage ground his teeth. “Thanks.”
Back outside, Gage took several deep breaths. Wyatt’s scent lingered in the air. He was either close by or hadn’t been gone long. Stepping down into an alley, Gage decided he’d do this the old-fashioned way.
He shifted form and put his wolfen nose to the ground to look for Wyatt.
Gage would find him.
7
Wyatt
“We’ve been over this a dozen times, Noah.” Wyatt got up from the chair to stand on his feet. His back was starting to hurt with more regularity, which is why Jason had sent him home early last week and he hadn’t been back. He went to the bathroom, hunting for the Tiger Balm to put on his aching muscles to get some relief.