“We’ve waited three years. We live and breathe patience,” Freid said. “You can find us through the number on here.”
I took the card.
“We’re here for you. Now that we all know, that’s what matters,” Ty said.
I wasn’t sure what he meant by us all knowing because I felt like I was missing a ton, but they weren’t pressuring me to stay. That told me a lot about them, all of it good.
They hadn’t hurt me. They hadn’t done anything that would hint that they would, and yet the human side of me was still scared. I was so wary, not just of being in their presence but of what all of this meant. I hated that I felt that way, but what could I do. Being wrapped in their scent and their clothing helped. It helped a lot. It was the sole reason I was able to stand here having a rational conversation with them.
But that didn’t mean I was ready to go back into the club with them, back to one of their homes, or do anything else with them for that matter. This was all too much, too fast. And while deep in my heart, I didn’t think they meant me any harm at all, knowing that and being able to embrace it were two very different things.
“What do you mean?” I asked, though, for all I knew, they had already explained this before I licked their faces. I missed half of what they were trying to say to me. I still couldn’t believe my dingo did that. I was going to have to name him Fido or something pet-like because, in that moment, he definitely wasn’t the fierce beast he was born to be. “About waiting three years.”
“What I mean…” He shoved his hands in his front pockets, looking afraid. “This is going to sound unbelievable, but it’s true.I sometimes dream of things that happen, and I-I dreamed that we’d meet you.”
“You dreamed that you met me? Like I was just walking around in your dreams with a big box of menus delivered to my library?”
He shook his head. “No. I dreamed that I met my mate here, and, when I did, I was wearing this shirt.”
“Then why are you wearing that shirt too?” I asked Ty.
“Because it was a birthday present from him.” They looked as embarrassed as I felt when I was all house-pet on them. I’d have to ask them about that later because I didn’t want to derail the conversation.
“Let me start from the beginning,” Freid said. “We’ve been waiting for you a really long time, and we have been and will continue to be very patient.”
I mouthedthank you. I needed their patience because I was handling this poorly. I could see that, but changing it? Yeah, that was more difficult.
“It started with me. I had the dream when this shirt was new or, more accurately, unworn. My niece had given it to me, and I put it in a drawer and forgot about it. Anyway, after that dream, I’d hang out here on Friday and Saturday nights, knowing this was where we’d meet, wearing this shirt every time. And along the way, I became friends with this guy.” He grabbed Ty’s shoulder. “He was here for a blind date who ghosted him, and we became friends. But, somewhere along the way, things changed.”
The more he spoke, the more questions I had.
“I didn’t understand it, either,” Ty said. “Not until you walked in and we scented you. You’re our mate.”
Our.Not his. Our. For some reason, that sank in for the first time.
“Actually, both of you are my mates,” Ty went on. “And we’re both his. And we’re just…each other’s mates.”
“You… You waited here for me for three years based on a dream?” It sounded like something out of a stalker show, not reality. But this was different. It wasn’t really stalking, was it? It was knowing I was coming, but not when. They had multiple years preparing to meet me, knowing I was coming, and I was just thrust into it. No wonder they were so calm about it.
There was a lot to take in and I couldn’t process it all. I needed to leave, not out of fear but because I needed to think, to figure things out.
“Listen,” I said. “I promise you, I’m not saying no, but I need to go home. I need to get away from your scents that are making it impossible to think. And I need to process all this.”
“And when you have, we’ll be here,” Fried reassured me.
The trip home was so, so uncomfortable because the scents clinging to me had me wanting to turn back. It would be easy just to fall into feelings, to let it happen, but I couldn’t do that. That was how my omega father fell in with his alpha. How so many stories of heartbreak and harm began. No, I needed to think about this responsibly.
I got home and into the house. Part of me wanted to stay in the clothes, to soak in the scent, but instead, I took them off and put them in a plastic bag, tying it tight. The scent would remain, but I would be free from it while I figured things out.
Standing in the shower, I let the soapy hot water wash the remains of their scents down the drain, instantly regretting it but it was probably for the best.
I didn’t know what to do. It was so confusing. I needed a good night’s sleep before tackling it.
If only it were that easy. I lay in bed trying to sleep, rolling from one side to the other, pulling the blankets on then pushingthem off then dragging them on again. Finally giving up and falling back, allowing my dingo to take over.
He curled up and fell asleep, his head on my pillow. The longer this day went on, the more I began to think I really was a golden retriever and not a dingo after all.
Chapter Nine
