Page 309 of Labor of Love

“Society has normalized suppressing our animal instincts, like it’s something to be ashamed of, but they forget how our ancestors came to be. We’ve evolved and gained human intellect, but that doesn’t erase the natural instincts we’re born with.”

“And what? Your instincts tell you we’re supposed to be together?” he asked with a brow raised. And then there was that cute little frown again. He was pulling out all his nervous habits, nibbling on his bottom lip as well.

I was doing a terrible job at explaining this to him, but I never dreamed of being lucky enough to meet my fated mate. They were rare; most believed it to be a fairy tale. If my parents weren’t living proof, I might have believed that, too.

Taking his hand again, I let our bodies do the talking. The air seemed to come alive when we connected. Warm tingles shot up my arm from our palms, sending a pleasant shiver to the rest ofmy body. And even though we were only holding hands, it felt like a warm hug. Our pheromones mingled, cautiously at first, but then blended together until it was impossible to tell they were separate entities to begin with.

The world had been upside down, and now everything was in balance again. Like I’d found my sanctuary.

I knew Onyx wasn’t unaffected, either. His features had smoothed out, and his poor, abused lip had formed a tiny ‘O’ shape.

Onyx abruptly broke our contact and slid his hand onto his lap. Using his other hand, he lightly caressed the area I’d touched. He looked at it almost in wonder, and at the same time, as if it were a foreign object.

“I have to admit,”he said slowly, his eyes finally meeting mine again, “the attraction is there, and usually that’s enough for me to agree to some rut fun, but with you...” As he waved between us, his eyes fell on his hand again, and he balled it up in his lap. “Every part of me is screaming that spending more time with you is dangerous. You just got out of a relationship, and I’m the rebound. I need to run before I get hurt.”

I wanted to scoop him up and do everything possible to wipe the fear from his expression. But I kept my hands to myself, because while my touch might soothe him physically, that wasn’t what he needed right now.

“I hate the circumstances that led to our paths crossing, but I can’t lie and say I regret it, because I got to meet you… even if our meetingwasdisastrous.”

That got a tiny smile out of him.

“It was my first time vomiting on someone,” I admitted.

“It was my first time being vomited on,” he replied, his smile growing bigger.

I smiled as well, entirely too thrilled we shared a first together, even if it was something less than desirable.

“And the getting wasted because of my ex... you’re not a rebound. I wasn’t in love with him. That’s not why I drank so much,” I said with a heavy sigh.

Onyx leaned over the table to land a hand on my shoulder. It was the first time he’d initiated contact, and it made my heart soar. I covered his hand with mine, then put our combined hands on the table between us.

“My ex and I grew up together. Our parents are part of the same circle, and when he presented as an omega, and I as an alpha, our parents had the dream of us getting married and officially tying our families together. I guess it felt like the most natural progression, so we started dating in college, but we weren’tin lovewith each other. I loved him, and I won’t lie and say that a part of me doesn’t still love him, but it’s the kind of love you have for a family member, for someone you shared most of your life with. Can you trust me when I say that?” I asked, searching his eyes for a hint of his current emotion.

His bottom lip slipped between his teeth again, but he nodded and gestured for me to continue.

“I caught him cheating on me,” I said with a shaky breath. Onyx squeezed my hand and shot me a look of genuine concern.

It made me chuckle. Here was my fated mate, comforting me over another guy. I didn’t know if Onyx was just selfless or what, because I would be blinded by jealousy if I had to watch him hurt over someone else.

“I wasn’t upset over the breakup,” I quickly added in case he got the wrong idea.

“We probably would have broken up eventually, to be completely honest. We didn’t fit, and we both knew it, but neither of us was interested in anyone else, so we just stayed together. Or at least that’s what I thought,” I said with a huff.

Onyx gave my hand another comforting squeeze. I brought my other hand into the mix so that his was in between bothof mine. Playing with his fingers while thinking about my childhood friend and ex soothed me more than the alcohol ever did.

“It was the betrayal that hurt more than anything. He was my best friend first and foremost, and it really fucking stung that he couldn’t give me the courtesy to end things before jumping in bed with someone else. I’m not upset things ended with him. It’s the betrayal by someone I thought I could trust that really got me,” I said, and brought his hand up to my lips for a kiss.

“Are you still friends with him?” he asked. I didn’t sense jealousy in his tone, just concern, curiosity.

“Our lives still intersect,” I replied with a shrug. “Our parents are good friends, and our social circle is only so big, so I can’t avoid him forever, but I don’t think we’ll ever go back to how we used to be. Are you okay with me seeing him around?”

“Why are you asking me?” he asked with genuine shock.

I laughed and kissed the back of his hand again. “Because if I have it my way, we’re going to be together for alongtime, and I never want to do anything to betray your trust.”

Onyx flapped his mouth open and closed for a second, but no words came out. He settled by shutting them and nibbling his bottom lip.

It took everything in me not to lean over the table and suck on them myself.

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