Page 48 of His Impossible Elf Mate
“Ax, no!” Blake’s face was filled with conflict. He knew as well as I did the pack would make it difficult for him to keep me as Second. When my omega instinct kicked in, I wouldn’t be as quick to attack. I would be more guarded, defending others in the pack instead of taking out the aggressors. Unless I was like Kade, but he only did that to protect his babies.
“It’s fine, Blake. It’s my choice to make and I’m happy to do that for the good of the pack. Anything to make life easier for you. Goddess knows, you’ve had it tough since you took over.”
“Wow!” I chuckled, since I knew Blake likely wanted to swear. The babies were talking and little sponges that they were, copied everything. Chase was barely allowed to speak around them. “An omega, huh? That’s awesome. I’m glad you got what you wanted.”
“Yeah, I can’t wait. One day I’ll have a baby of my own.”
“We better get on with unlocking all these alphas and omegas then.”
I left Blake’s office feeling a lot lighter for finally telling him. We’d parted with hugs and promises he would do all he could to keep me as his Second. It was sweet of him to even think of trying, but I’d already made my mind up. I was in a relationship with an elf prince, my time as Second was coming to an end, regardless.
Dalton looked flustered as I returned to my office. Chase and I both had desks inside the small room, though we tried to stick to only one of us working at a time since the space was so cramped. As it was, Dalton had to have his desk outside in the vestibule, there just wasn’t the space for three desks.
“Everything okay?” I asked as I took a seat.
“Um… there were a couple of calls while you were out. I filled some orders and pushed off emails for Dakota… nothing much.
None of that really accounted for how twitchy Dalton was. He paced the room, straightening things that were perfectly fine.
“Are you excited about the testing starting again?”
He cocked his head but avoided eye contact. “Yeah, I was thinking about taking part. I’ve wanted…”
“I’ve seen you with the babies. You’ll be a great omega,” I said honestly. Dalton loved little kids, wasawesome at looking after toddlers, and could change a diaper without blinking. The man was gifted.
The corner of his mouth twitched with a smile before it dropped.
“So, I, uh, well, the thing is…” He resumed pacing.
“Spit it out, Dalton, please. It’s been a long day. I need to finish up these reports and go home.” I shuffled the papers about, giving him time to find his words.
“A condition of the testing is a partner,” he finally said, nerves written all over his face.
“And? What’s the problem?”
“I was wondering ifyou’dbemypartner?’ He said it so quickly the words ran together. He braced himself on my desk while waiting for my answer.
“What?”
“Would you be my partner? The alpha to my omega?” He looked so hopeful it actually hurt that I was going to break his heart.
“I can’t.” I tried not to show my pity. Dalton hated to be pitied.
“Why not?” He backed away from the desk, frustration written all over him. “We’d make a great couple! I’ve had a crush on you for the longest time. I know you’re with the elf, but—“
“That’s not why, and while I’m flattered, we couldn’t work.” I played with the wolf ring Teárlach had gotten me for Valentine’s Day. It was comforting and designed to shiftwith me, thanks to magic.
Dalton’s face was so flushed, he looked like all the blood had shot to his face. He was one of my favorite people, despite his tendencies to organize me within an inch of my life. He put up with my shit, and I was just finding out why.
Damn. I had not seen the crush.
“Why, for goddess’ sake, wouldn’t we?” He tugged at his hair. “We’re friends, have fun together, I love your family—“
I took a deep breath and just told him the truth. “Dalton, I’m an omega. Like you.”
He crumpled to the floor, stunned. “What?”
I went to his side and wrapped my arms around him. “That’s what I was just telling Blake. So, while I’m flattered, we just aren’t compatible.”
