After gettingan ass-kicking from my brother Hunter, who thought I was an idiot for having a chance with a mate that wanted me and fucking it up, I was finally here.
I parked outside the Kincaids’ house. They lived in one of the older estates in town, not that you could tell because every house on Longcreek Drive was very well maintained. I parked in the driveway and drew in a breath. Truth was, I didn’t even know what I was looking for here.
But maybe seeing a couple like Kian and me would help. Although calling us a couple was stretching it.And whose fault is that?
I’d done a lot of berating since Friday, and it hadn’t done me any good, so I opened the door and got out. I walked to the front door but couldn’t seem to bring myself to ring the bell.
What if…Oh, shut it, I told my brain. I’d also what-ifed enough. I pushed the doorbell, and the door was pulled open immediately, like someone had been waiting on the other side. That was how preoccupied I was. I hadn’t even heard.
“Gabe, I was surprised to get your call,” Mark said.
I smiled at the burly, bearded alpha. “Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.”
“Of course, come on in.” He stepped aside and opened the door further for me.
I walked into the house, and he shut the door before leading us into a living room. My eyes immediately landed on the large family photo that took pride of place above the sideboard. It had Mark and his omega, I assumed, Thomas. He was a handsome man that reminded me of that actor fromStation 19, the one married to Bailey fromGrey’s Anatomy. I knew that because Bailey, my assistant, loved her and chatted about the show a lot. I’d even watched episodes when I was over visiting. There were three kids in the picture, two teenagers and one that was maybe ten or so. They were a beautiful family.
I turned and found the other alpha watching me.
“You have a beautiful family,” I said.
He beamed and looked over at the picture, “I do. I’ve been blessed.” He gestured to one of the sofas. “Please take a seat.” I nodded and lowered myself to the sofa nearest to me while he took a seat on the one across from it. “So,” he prompted, “you were quite vague on the phone. You said there was something you wanted to ask me. We’ve just finished tax season, so I know it’s not about that.”
“No, it’s not,” I agreed. I cleared my throat. “I guess I wanted to ask you about your mate.” Mark sat up, and the friendly look left his face.
“What about my mate?” he asked. From the growly timbre of his voice, I could tell his bear was close to the surface.
“I meant your mating,” I quickly corrected. I might have been in charge of the den, but I knew not to piss off a bear about his mate or family. My words didn’t seem to help, and the scowl on his face deepened, and his eyes narrowed. “What about it?” he demanded.
“I’m fucking this up.” I sighed, raking my fingers through my hair.
“How about you start from the beginning,” Mark suggested, his tone not quite as angry but still tense.
I met his gaze. “I met my mate,” I said, “and he’s human.”
“Ahh.” What was left of the anger drained away, and his eyes filled with understanding. “Let me guess, he doesn’t know what we are, and you don’t know how or if you should tell him?”
“Ding ding ding, got it in one.”
He belly-laughed at my response, all the while nodding. “I get it—trust me, I do. Seventeen years ago, I probably had every thought now running through your head. I was at college when I scented him, and he was so handsome and perfect…and my bear was screaming at me to just go and claim him.” He snorted. “What does the beast know?”
We shared an understanding look, and for the first time since I’d laid eyes on Kian, I felt like someone had found the remote and was finally turning down the noise in my head.
“I wondered if I could stay in the city and never shift again and just have a normal life with my mate,” he admitted. “Not so easy a choice for you, now is it?” Just having someone speak thoughts I’d had out loud made me feel a little less off-balance. Gods, that was a feeling I wasn’t accustomed to and damn sure didn’t appreciate.
“I did something stupid,” Mark admitted.
I raised a brow and barely stopped myself from sayingspit it out. But he must have read it on my face because he chuckled but carried on speaking.
“I asked him out on a date, spent every moment with him, fell completely and irrevocably in love…”
“Uh, I’m not sure I understand,” I said.
“Well, it might have been easier to leave him alone to go have a normal life if I didn’t know how amazing he was,” Mark said.
I snorted. That was such horsecrap.
“Okay, no, it wouldn’t.” Mark stroked his beard, a small smile on his face. “From the moment I scented him, I knew I would give up everything to make him mine.”
