Page 31 of Unwanted

Could there be a whole new way of feeling waiting for me, rewiring my brain? Like teaching an old dog new tricks. I ran my hand over my neck and felt the glands beneath my skin. They were swollen. I quickly rushed to the bathroom to look in the mirror, and… Liam wasn’t the only one who had changed. Of course, I noticed that my glands had changed during these three days, but now they were seriously bulging!

As Liam, I was transitioning too—I was becoming a full-blown alpha. Oh, my…!

Staring at my face, familiar until now, felt strange. Because there was a new person behind it, coming to the surface. And really fast, too! Alphas spent their whole lives learning to manage their strong, volatile emotions. I’d always been free of that, comfortable in my lukewarm existence. Was this what it truly felt like to be an alpha? Overreacting, being intense,quick to jump to conclusions? Hot-headed, even? I was about to experience it, I guess.

But since I still had the pragmatic mindset of a beta, I decided to take practical action. So I opened the internet and typed into ChatGPT: "What to do when your True Mate is missing?"

ChatGPT immediately gave me a long list of suggestions, like calling friends and family, reporting it to the police, or going over their usual routine. But one suggestion caught my eye:

"There is some scientific evidence that True Mates can sense each other, even over long distances. If you follow this instinct, you may be able to find them, almost like following a thread. But it requires a bit of focus and letting go of doubts that block intuition."

This resonated with me. It could work… I already knew I had a strong sense of where Liam was when we were in the house, but maybe I could take it to another level? I took a deep breath, stepped outside, and walked straight to my car, determined to put it to the test. I had to find Liam, no matter what.

With a furrowed brow, I got behind the wheel, started the engine, and drove off.

I made an almost impossible effort to stop overthinking. I decided to just drive wherever I felt pulled, and it was a strange experience. At first, I was too overwhelmed—my mind was a chaotic mess, buzzing like bees in a hive. But after about ten minutes, things started to calm down. I realized I had certain preferences when it came to which direction to go. I kept turning right. Some roads felt more appealing than others, like I was meant to follow them.

After another fifteen minutes, I was almost perfectly in tune with the feeling. It was as if something was gently but firmly pulling me along, guiding me. Soon I felt certain—I was on theright track. A few more streets, a few more turns, and I pulled up in front of a small building nestled among other commercial spaces.

After scanning the surroundings, I was stupefied when I saw the sign above one of the doors.

A tattoo parlor? Could this really be it?

The neon sign read "Timeless Tattoo Art Studio." I stared at it in disbelief for a moment.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, then got out of the car. And just like that, I knew I was in the right place. I could sense Liam’s energy nearby—he was definitely here, no doubt about it. I was probably within a hundred feet of him.

The True Mate bond was real; I could testify to that now. No matter how much my scientific mind wanted to dismiss it, I couldn’t deny that it worked.

Walking closer, I scanned the area around me—a bit unusual for me, almost animal-like, being so alert, as if searching for other predators.

Wait, now that was strange. Winter always laughed at alphas, calling them mindless beasts. Was there something to it, that "beast" aspect, if nothing else? Feeling jittery, I walked into the parlor. The receptionist was a young, tattooed omega. And he smelled—a slightly sour odor. Was this how incompatibles reeked to alphas and omegas?

He looked at me with a strange kind of confusion, and I couldn’t quite figure out why. Or maybe I could? I still looked like a beta, but most likely, I smelled like an alpha to him—or worse, like one of those beta alpha-wannabes who douse themselves in alpha pheromone spray.

Trying to put on a friendly face, I walked up to him and asked, "Is there a young beta here—" I cut myself off, suddenly realizing something.

How would the outside world see Liam now if I was perceived as an alpha? His glands had activated, and he wasn’t on suppressants, so omegas and alphas would likely see him as… well, as an omega! And he was actually small enough to match an omega’s typical height.

As I struggled to put it into words, the omega furrowed his brow.

"There are no betas here," he said, tilting his head slightly, still with that confused look.

"Sorry, I misspoke. Is there a young omega with strawberry-blond hair here?"

He pursed his lips. "I’m not allowed to give out that kind of information."

I gritted my teeth, and a sound escaped me—a low, vibrating one.

The omega looked even more shocked. An alpha wannabe that could make AO sounds? That was new to him, clearly!

Ignoring his puzzled expression, I looked around. There was a long row of doors along the wall, each leading to separate rooms where artists were probably working with clients. I had always pictured tattoo parlors as open spaces, with several artists working on clients in shared areas. Apparently, I was wrong—this place looked more clinical, like a row of doctor’s offices.

"Well, then I’ll just wait here for him…" I grinned, maybe a bit too widely.

"Sir, if you’re not a client, you can’t wait here in the lobby." The omega was starting to look uneasy.

Suppressing another low sound that threatened to escape my throat, I quickly reassured him, "That young omega is my True Mate. I came here because I was worried about him—"

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