“No news is good news.”
“Mhm.” She paused. “So. How’s the mate search coming along?”
Stark winced. He knew this was probably the real reason she had called. “It’s… not really coming,” he admitted. “Work’s been so draining and I don’t really have time to meet new people.”
His mother let out a heavy sigh. “That’s what I was afraid of hearing. You’re getting older now, honey. It would be good for you to have a mate so you can take care of each other.”
“Hey, I’m notthatold,” Stark said playfully.
“No, I know,” his mom said. He could hear her smile on the other end of the line. “But either way, I suggest you start looking. There are tons of nice omegas out there.” She paused and made a small grunt. “It’s a shame King Killian abolished the omega breeding facility when he took over the pack.”
The hairs on the back of Stark’s neck stood. His friend Kyle had originally been from the old omega facility that was still fully functional when the previous king was ruling. It had been one of the first things to go when Killian took the throne, at the suggestion of his omega mate Scout, for Kyle’s sake.
Stark didn’t want to start an argument with his old fashioned mother, so he tried to change the subject.
“I don’t even knowwhereto meet new people, honestly,” Stark said with a laugh. “I’m not really a party animal or anything and I don’t go clubbing.”
She made a tsk-ing sound. “Well, there has to be something, Ask your friends, maybe they can introduce you to a friend of a friend, or know someone. You know how it is.”
Stark was about to reply that, no, he really didn’t know, but his mother started mumbling something in the background of the receiver before she said, “Oh, hon, your dad’s lost his wallet again, I’ll call you back some other time.”
“Alright. See you.”
He hung up the phone with a sigh and ran a hand back through his hair. His mother’s words had only confirmed what he’d been worried about - that he needed to find a mate, and soon.
Alone in the silent living room of his empty home, the urge to share his life with someone hit him like a truck.
Stark picked his phone back up and hesitated for a moment before calling the contact he had selected.
“Hello? Kyle?” he asked.
On the other end of the line Kyle sounded like he was smiling. “Oh, hey, Stark!” he said. “What’s up?”
He realized that he’d missed the sound of his friend’s voice. “Not much. Actually, I kind of need your help with something. Are you free right now?”
* * *
They madeplans to meet at a nearby cafe. The scent of coffee and the sound of blenders whirring filled the air as Stark made his way to the outdoor patio. The weather was beautiful - the perfect kind of weather to take someone on a date. He imagined strolling through the town, holding his date’s hand, pointing out all the flowering trees in bloom. He took a deep breath. If all went well with Kyle, that wouldn’t just be a fantasy anymore.
He spotted Kyle a short distance away and ran to meet him.
“Hey!” Stark said. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”
Stark threw his arms around his friend and embraced him before leading him to the table. He had forgotten how small Kyle was - or maybe he just seemed that way because he had been spending so much time around other physically large alphas.
Kyle’s face was flushed when he finally sat down. Stark guessed he must have jogged from his apartment building, which was further away from the cafe than Stark’s own home. The alpha suddenly felt guilty for making him meet on such short notice.
“Hey, sorry this is so sudden,” Stark said.
“Ah, don’t worry about it,” Kyle said. “I know you’re always busy with the royal guard, so…” He paused. “Wait, does that mean you’re off today?”
“Sort of,” Stark said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Killian basically told me to take a few days off.” He chuckled. “It’s weird. I didn’t really know what to do with all this free time so I decided to watch TV, right? Then this weird human show came on about finding a mate and… anyway, that’s why I called you up.”
Kyle’s expression was a little nervous and his posture was slightly tense but he listened intently as Stark spoke.
“Basically…” He sighed. “It’s kind of embarrassing, so don’t laugh, okay?”
“Come on, you know I wouldn’t laugh at you,” Kyle said.
