Weston
The date was going well so far.He was already late.
He was a bald eagle shifter, an alpha named Alexei. I'd heard about him through the bird shifter grapevine. We talked, especially those noisy crows who were always eager to spread the latest gossip. Since there were only so many of us, it was convenient to know everybody's business. Whether people were single, taken, only wanting one night together, etc.
It wasn't that I needed to be with another bird shifter. I had no qualms about dating other types of alphas, but they always seemed to have qualms about me. Maybe an omega with talons the length of their hands and a beak designed to brutally rip through flesh put them off. Pity.
I waited for him perched at the top of a swaying fir tree. It was windy, but my talons had no trouble gripping the branch and supporting my weight. As an osprey, I wasn't a particularly heavy bird of prey, but I was still hefty nonetheless. The wind was good. It gave me an opportunity to see my potential alpha in action, to watch how he handled flight. If my mate was a bird shifter, he had to be a good flyer. And a good hunter. And not get jealous if I happened to be better at him at all of those things, which I often was.
I finally spotted the white and brown shape of a bald eagle. He arrived late—always a good sign—and perched on the branch beside me. He was heavier and bogged it down, making me lurch. I used my wings to balance myself before he sent me flying like a teeter totter.
"Hello there," he said. "Wesley, is it? I'm Alexei."
And he’d already got my name wrong. Another good sign.
"Weston," I stated.
Instead of apologizing, he looked me up and down. Appraising me like a piece of prey. What was it with alphas and thinking they were the gods’ gift to the world? If I was in any more of a bad mood, I could have plucked his feathers.
"So, I've heard that you're an unmated omega," Alexei said, speaking too loudly. The wind wasn't that strong, and I was standing right next to him. There was no need to shout. "But you're a bit older, aren't you?"
The thought of ripping his feathers out was getting more and more tempting.
"Not that it matters, but I'm in my mid-30s," I told him.
Alexei took a moment to think about this. I could practically hear the gears turning in his brain. No doubt he was wondering why I was still single at this age, as if it was any of his business.
Alexei didn't bother telling me his age in return, though I suspected by his immature behaviour that he was a good decade younger than me. I personally preferred my dates to be closer to my age, but I could only pick and choose from so many alphas. Perhaps my dating life would have been easier if I was also into omegas, but alphas were my strict preference.
Although as I watched Alexei stupidly preen his chest feathers, I was starting to think that was a mistake.
"So, shall we go hunting?" I suggested. Not to sound too cocky, but it was important to me that a potential partner not be put off by my prowess. Ospreys, both mute animals and shifters, are skilled hunters. It's in our blood. I wasn't about to act incompetent just to make an alpha feel better. I'd done that too often in my youth. If he couldn't accept me for who I was, then he wasn't worth my time.
Alexei tilted his head sharply. If he was in human form, the gesture might have translated as a raised brow. "Hunting? We've barely gotten to know each other."
I bit my tongue so as not to say,I've known a lot of alphas who wanted to do certain activities despite barely knowing each other.
But I wasn't that rude. "It'll be a good way for us to see how we work together, don't you think?
Alexei pondered this for a moment, then shrugged. He spread his wide, large wings and took off with a heavy push off the branch that nearly launched me into space again. I was ready for it this time and used the momentum to propel myself into the air like a rocket. I was smaller and more agile than him, and had no qualms about showing off—just a tiny bit.
"Where to?" I asked. My preference was to take the lead but I wanted to see what Alexei had to offer.
He soared casually, flapping a few more times than necessary to show off his long primary feathers. “I don't know." He took a half-hearted look around. “What about that forest over there?"
The forest in question was dense and thick. The canopy was woven together like a blanket of green. It was a good place to sleep, not hunt. Two large shifters diving into that forest would be like throwing ourselves in a net. Was Alexei screwing with me? I looked over to him, but he didn't seem to be joking.
"Okay," I said, not letting my feelings seep into my voice. "Go ahead. I'll follow you.”
Alexei liked that. His chest feathers ruffled before he folded his wings and fell like a brick towards the forest’s canopy.
I followed more carefully. My dissent slower, more controlled. I unfurled my wings before I hit the leaves to ease myself through the canopy without getting caught. I heard a loud thunk somewhere nearby and knew it was Alexei eating shit. I had to stifle a laugh. What was he thinking?
It was easy to find him, since he was so big. I showed up just as he shook twigs and debris out of his feathers. Still, he put on a confident and smug face as if that didn't just happen.
I decided to mess with him a little. "That landing probably scared away all the prey in the forest. Or was that your intention?"
He wasn't ashamed at all. He raised his head, surveying the now empty woods. "We'll find something. Not to brag, but I'm an amazing hunter, you know. If we were mates, there would be no problem finding us food."
