Page 62 of Undone
She smiled, but she couldn’t hide the concern in her eyes. “People will not be kind when they find out,” she said quietly. “I take it you’re not going to hide it?”
Michael shook his head. “I thought of hiding it, but it doesn’t feel right. I can’t live a lie all my life.”
She nodded, her lips pursed in thought. Her expression became shrewd, penetrating. “And it’s the only reason you want to reveal the truth?”
Licking his dry lips, Michael hesitated. “Not the only reason. I want to—I want...”
“You want Anthony Blake,” she said. At Michael’s stunned silence, she laughed a little. “Did you really think I had no idea what was going on in my own house? He’s always here these days, Michael. And you always reek of him.”
Michael flushed. “You didn’t say anything,” he said, though he’d seen her look at them oddly sometimes.
“Darling,” she said with a pinched expression. “Alpha-alpha sexual relationships are hardly spoken about in polite company. I was willing to turn a blind eye, as long as you married and continued the line. But that duty will now fall to Jerome.”
Right. Jerome would be the Earl of Terlaine, since the titlewasentailed to alphas. The thought didn’t make Michael feel much of anything. The title had always been more of a burden to him. His financial position wouldn’t change significantly—he would lose the portion of the estate entailed to the title, but most of the properties and businesses would remain his.
“Are you...” His mother seemed to hesitate, her expression uncomfortable. “Can you even have children like this?”
Michael’s face felt on fire. “My doctor said my biology isn’t any different from born omegas,” he said stiffly, unable to look her in the eye. He felt completely comfortable with the thought of being bred during the act of sex, but when he was away from Anthony, it was… definitely weird.
“I see,” she said, and smiled. “I’m glad.”
Right. This was the most uncomfortable conversation of his life, and Michael wanted it over yesterday.
“Right,” he said, clearing his throat a little.
“So, has Anthony confessed his feelings for you?”
Michael found himself blinking at her, unsure what to say. Anthony’s words had strongly implied that, but it hadn’t exactly been a love confession.
“Sort of.”
“Sort of?” his mother said incredulously before narrowing her eyes. “Well, that’s completely unacceptable. That won’t do.”
“Mother—”
“No, darling,” she said. “Since you were an alpha all your life, you simply don’t understand that you can’t allow an alpha to take you for granted. He should be begging for the privilege of courting you, not making half-hearted ‘sort-of’ proposals.”
Michael laughed. “Sorry, but no. I’m not going to play hard to get when I know exactly what I want. Maybe it’s not a very omega-like behavior, but I’m not going to change the way I act just because my designation is different now.”
His mother sighed, but she was smiling. Rounding his desk, she leaned in and hugged him gently. “Anthony is a very lucky man. I’m very proud of you. You’re being very brave.”
Michael smiled wryly. “Mostly I’m just being selfish. I want him too much to give him up.”
“That takes bravery too,” she said, running her fingers through his hair. “Giving your heart to someone is always scary.”
Michael’s breath caught in his throat. He opened his mouth to deny that, but he found that he couldn’t.
It was true. And itwasscary.
He couldn’t shake the underlying fear that he was just a passing fancy to Ant, that Anthony didn’t actually see him as mate material. There was also an underlying fear that Anthony didn’t actually see him as a real omega, that Michael was lacking in some way compared to born omegas. It was ridiculous, because at the same time he was scared that Anthony saw him as lesser now that he wasn’t an alpha any longer. He was made of fears now, some of them clashing, all of them exhausting.
There was understanding in his mother’s eyes as she kissed him on the forehead. “You’re a catch, whether you’re an alpha or an omega: beautiful, smart, kind. Never doubt yourself.” She smiled mischievously. “I bet we’ll be beating suitors off with sticks once people find out you’re an omega.”
Michael snorted. “I doubt it.”
“I don’t,” she said with a smile. “For years, you’ve been one of the top dogs, the main competition for other alphas. They resented you for your looks and wealth, they admired you, and they envied you. The moment they find out they can suddenly have you...” She smiled. “Anthony will have to do much better than a ‘sort-of’ confession if he wants you to be his mate.”
Michael’s stomach clenched. He couldn’t deny there was a certain appeal in that, in being chased by Anthony and making him suffer with jealousy. Ant had always been too confident, too certain of his appeal. He’d never had to lift a finger to earn anyone’s favor.
