***
In the morning, my face was puffy from crying and I spent a long time in the shower, trying to look presentable again. Then I primped in the bathroom, perfecting my makeup, covering the dark circles under my eyes and doing my hair so it was the way Mace liked it, up in a bun, neat and tidy.
Finally, I headed downstairs to where our cook, Miranda, was busy in the kitchen. She smiled at me and passed me a plate with an egg white omelet and a glass of low-fat milk.
"You look very nice today, Liora."
"Thanks, Miranda. Just trying to look good for my men."
"They're not here right now. I had a message saying not to make breakfast for them," she told me.
"Oh. Alright. Thank you." I went to the dining room and sat in my usual spot, which should be Mace's right side, picking at my omelet. My appetite was completely gone and I wasn't sure what to do with myself now.
They hadn't come home. That meant they'd spent the night with her. My belly twisted and I gave up on eating, going out into the back garden. The fresh air felt good against my too-hot cheeks, and I stood there for a long time, staring at the roses that Finn had imported for me. I'd seen them on a tv show and fallen in love, so he'd surprised me by having a rose garden planted out here. There were only a couple of roses blooming right now, but I ran my fingers over the soft petals and bent to smell the delicate scent. It reminded me of Finn, with his rose and lime aroma.
The rest of the day, I spent wandering aimlessly around the house or searching "how to know if your alphas are done with you" on the internet.
When the sound of the limo arriving reached my ears, I was on my fifth circle of the house. I'd stopped by each of their rooms to sniff their scent, wondering if this was going to be the last time I smelled it. Now, I walked demurely down the stairs to stand and greet them with a smile when they came in.
All three men looked exhausted. Finn had lost his suit jacket somewhere and his tie hung askew. Aiden was rumpled and tired while Mace was still looking pristine as always, but with circles under his eyes.
"I thought you were coming home last night?" I hated the way the omega whine crept into my voice. Even with suppressants, it was there.
"Not now, Liora." Mace snapped. He immediately turned toward the kitchen, looking for Miranda and coffee.
Biting my lip, I watched him go before turning my attention back to the others.
"We had a lot of work. One of the permits for the lab was misfiled and it took all night to figure it out," Aiden told me.
"I'll get you some food." I took the last three steps down and headed for the kitchen. Miranda was in the middle of making dinner, but there was already a plate of the caviar topped crackers with the crème fraîche they all liked. I picked it up and carried it into the living room where they were settling in.
"Thanks, babe," Finn gave me a tired smile when I offered him the plate. He shoved two crackers in his mouth and leaned back, groaning. "I need a fucking shower."
The other two looked equally worn out from their night's activities and I held my breath, not wanting to smell the scent of another woman on them. Once I'd served them each, I set the plate on the coffee table and went to mix them each their favorite drink.
They were talking in low voices, but stopped the second I came back into the room. My stomach clenched. Something was verywrong here. None of the men looked at me as they took their drinks, giving a quick nod.
It was obvious they didn't want me here, so I darted back out of the room, trying to keep from crying. The next half hour, I sat out on the balcony overlooking the gardens and waited until dinner was ready. Then, gathering myself, I forced down the urge to cry, reapplied my makeup and went down with a smile.
Chapter 3
Unwanted
Liora
Dinner was almost silent. The guys had all showered and were in less formal clothing now, but they still looked weary as they dug into their steak and green beans. I could barely touch my portion, my stomach was twisting so badly. The tension in the air made it obvious something was going down and despite my best efforts, I couldn't ignore it and act totally normal.
Finally, plates were collected by Miranda and she disappeared into the kitchen. No one moved, so I stayed seated too, hands clenched in my lap.
"Liora, we had a long discussion about our situation this morning," Mace started. His dark eyes lifted to meet mine.
"Situation?" I swallowed hard.
"You've seen how hard we have to work to get this company off the ground. It's taking all of our energy and time and quite frankly, that's not fair to you or any omega." He folded his hands on the table. "We don't want to continue like this."
"I'm fine! You can spend all the time you need on the business," I said desperately. "I don't mind."
"You do mind. You're here, waiting for us and when we see you as we come through the door, it's obvious you're desperately in need of more attention." Aiden gave me a sad smile. "It's not fair to you and it's not fair to us, either, to have that weight."
