Page 48 of Alpha's Embrace
So, I thought. Even Prim had been affected by him. I wasn’t alone. But Misha had not imprinted in Prim. He had imprinted onto me, and a bond began to form through something never before understood. Or if it was understood, it wasn’t talked about, or written about in any textbooks I had seen.
My mind supplied the numerical figures of the bond again. A three point nine. That was too close to half of a full bonding for me not to realize it was forming into a full bond. I was already vulnerable to Misha and his effects. It would only continue to get worse.
“About my blood test. I’ve heard bonds cannot be broken except through death or divorce and re-bonding to another.” Like with Mase. “Are there other ways? Maybe medical ways?”
Prim’s eyebrows came together. “You aren’t sure about this Omega, then?”
I could be honest about this answer. “I’m not.”
“Medical intervention in a bond involves sedation, tricky for an Alpha, and must be closely monitored. If there are other ways, I don’t know them.”
I nodded, staying silent.
“Well, something is happening there, Geo,” Prim said. “It should be a good thing. I wish the best for you.”
“Thank you.” I could tell he was curious about why I was asking these questions. But he said nothing.
I rose to leave.
Prim said, “Are you going to be seeing Misha today?”
“Not today.”
When I walked back to my office, I kept wanting to divert to the elevator and go to the second floor. I had to force myself to stay on track.
I sat behind my desk the rest of the afternoon, most of that time with my head in my hands. Never in my life had I been one to make rash decisions. But I was facing one now.
I remembered my first Burn after I turned eighteen. Mase had been gone two years and it was still painful. I had cried for wanting him. The Omega who was servicing me didn’t know what to do. I was convinced it was the worst first time an Alpha could go through. And that was with a partial bond that had been broken.
What I had with Misha was alive and growing. How would it feel to take another knowing I was leaving him behind, breaking our connection?
I had two weeks now before my scheduled Burn. Not enough time to plan anything, really, except defeat.
I stared at my blank computer screen for another hour before grabbing my jacket and calling it quits for the day. There was no use staying. I couldn’t concentrate.
That night I found myself researching houses in Tarn, the country to the north. Just for fun, I told myself. Just to see what might be out there.
But I knew better. I wasn’t researching fun. It was a fact that I would have to move far away. In Tarn, I could get a new start far from Riverside Colony. Distance was the answer. Distance and time for the bond to be broken.
I created a new file containing all the things I might need to get away and begin a new life. Start over. It felt good to be prepared even if it amounted to nothing.
In the file I added photos and links to the houses to the north. I gathered my financials to see what I might be able to swing. I was young, so I hadn’t had time to invest much. But I had equity in my current home from which I could get a loan. I had modest savings. And I owned a fairly expensive car.
Also added to the file were two names. Mathias Vandergale. And Alden Norris. I’d gone to school with Mathias and we’d roomed together for two years. He was an asshole but a whiz at accounting. All kinds of accounting. He’d done a few scams in college and never been caught, or even suspected. I thought he was reckless and arrogant. His father was one of the richest men in the country. He didn’t need the money. He did it for fun. He held a position on the board at Great East Bank due to his name. He might be able to help me get some quick money together.
Alden was worse than Mathias. He also went to the same college and dropped out his third year after he figured out he could sell his computer services, much of which included identity theft, for more than he could ever make at a legit job. Last I heard, he also worked for some underground organization, the kind of people you never wanted to piss off, let alone meet.
I told myself I wouldn’t really connect with these men unless it came down to no more options, no more time. I had their names and contact information only to make myself feel more whole.
After a night of research, I went to bed tired. Misha, of course, was always on my mind. His smile, his pale eyes, his curls. His bubble bath scent. I had no rest from that. I fell to sleep thinking of him and woke the same.
My skin flamed but I wasn’t in the Burn. I could feel it in my blood. Desire. I simply wanted him, I told myself. That was it. It had nothing to do with the Burn. Or if it did, it was his Burn I felt.
Whatever was happening between us, the barriers were falling lower and lower.
*
Alden stood behind the pawn shop counter looking decades older than when I’d last seen him, yet we were the same age. His thin brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, and he eyed me with the same smirk I remembered from our college days.
