Page 87 of His Bonded Omega Mate
If we could just get Asher home with us, then it would be perfect.
A Reprieve
Asher
FindingoutthatTatehad fathered a child with his other mate opened my mind a little. I realized how limiting my thinking had become for the gendered expectations that came with the designations of alpha and omega.
From the very moment my alter had woken that first morning as an alpha and scented our omega in heat, he had taken all the alpha experience we’d had from our childhood and followed that advice verbatim, forgetting that we hadn’t been an alpha before, we had no right to another’s body. Tate wasn’t a natural omega, born and raised expecting heats and the potential of pregnancy.
Our first mistake had been trying to take his agency from him, demanding that he give us cubs as if they were our right and not just a precious gift.
In her wisdom, The Luna had changed my mate, making him not only an omega, but one special enough to sire children with his other mate. It explained why she had allowed Tate and Hiroshi to stay together, and why I could never tear them apart.
Whether I liked it or not, Roan was my family. My child would share a sibling with Roan’s child. They tied us up in a messy knot of family, and we’d have to make it work.
So I tried harder, and it was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. It made me feel pathetic because, as much as I wished and worked for it, progress with my alter was slow.
By the end of March I was around betas with no issue, even with Tate by my side. Alphas were another problem altogether. My lion refused to tolerate anyone that had the potential to rival us near our mate. He was a problematic little fucker. Now that the pack was partnering with demons and they were moving into the area, it meant I’d had to rename him to Monster. Especially seeing as the demons were far more useful to the pack than Monster was to me and our mate.
With their help, the factory was now thriving, and the old machinery was slowly being updated. We had a regular supply of the amazing hell-spice apples and were working on recipes for the cider. I was a tad fixated on my job as a way of coping with the lack of actual progress. Having an outlet for my frustration in the group of friends I’d made at the factory certainly helped. The ogres were free of the stupid shifter hierarchy, making time with them uncomplicated and trouble free.
The big revelation of Hiroshi’s discovery along with Ívarr’s quieter one had blazed through the shifter world, and, despite the proof, half were convinced this was an elaborate lie to hide that me and Tate were unnatural.
While arguments broke out and more incursions happened into pack lands, the experiments that they had proposed had halted. No one wanted to risk changing and being attacked. It also opened up the possibility of omega and omega pairings, something that had never been done before. There was much to discuss around it all. It made me glad I’d picked a simple factory job and didn’t have to deal with the headache of politics.
I was also lucky I was still living with the elves and didn’t have to deal with the extra security that Hiroshi and Tate did because of this new information. Somehow Hiroshi’s babies parentage had gotten out and everyone had an opinion.
A guilty feeling bubbled in my stomach as I thought about how simple my life was compared to theirs. It made me wonder if Monster was doing this on purpose. I knew he liked the simplicity of our routine. Each day I portaled to the factory for work. I’d spend some time with Tate and our baby and head back to the little cottage I’d made mine. Occasionally, Tate would come and spend the night. We’d tried me staying in our new home, but it had been saturated with Roan’s scent and it had set Monster off. At least that time we had run, rather than scaring our mate.
This far on in Tate’s pregnancy, I had really hoped that I’d be back to living with them and able to at least tolerate the other alpha, but worry festered that I’d never cope with his scent around Tate.
The factory was just up ahead, a short distance from the portal, when I got a call from our alpha. “Hello, Sir.”
“Asher, would you mind coming to my office? I’d like to speak to you.”
“I was just about to head into work.” I really didn’t want to go in front of Alpha Blake. In fact, I’d been avoiding the man wherever possible, even offering to work delivery jobs outside of Northarbor and Sweetwater to get that distance from the pack if I knew he was coming to the factory. The man held my fate in his hands. I’d never forgotten his threat to petition the council to end my bond with Tate.
“I’m sure they can spare you for a little while.”
“I’ll —“
My elven guard interrupted, “we can speak to your manager and head to the mansion.”
Guess I wasn’t getting a choice.
It was a silent walk to the big house. The security was tighter than ever, with checks for glamours and pat downs. Inside, they still masked scents to hide the location of the alpha’s children. Fear and Magic filled the air. Unhappiness tinged everything, making me wish for a simpler time, before we’d messed everything up.
My guards stayed outside the house, and Melody and Sam escorted me to the alpha’s office. “Don’t worry,” Melody said with a pat on my arm, “the alpha is in a good mood.” With a parting grin, she and Sam left me at the door.
“Hey, Asher, Blake is waiting for you. Go right in.” When I first came to the pack, I found it amusing that Blake’s father-in-law was his assistant, but no one could handle all that the alpha threw at them like Dakota could. It made sense to have someone he could trust so implicitly close to his family with all the threats against them. Those babies were Dakota’s grandchildren, and he was a fierce alpha bear with their safety.
“Thanks,” I said as I pushed the door open.
Both of the alpha pair were waiting for me when I entered the office. Kade was resting his head against his mate’s shoulder, putting down his tablet, when I entered to give me his full attention. The Alpha had been speaking to someone.
I hadn’t noticed him at first because of the alpha pair.
Roan. The alpha was sitting in the far corner with a tablet in hand, looking pensive as his gaze caught mine. He dropped his eyes quickly and shifted in his seat, making Monster purr with satisfaction.
