I feltit in my bones before I saw him.
My skin began to tingle, like the charge in the air before a storm. There was a distant boom of thunder in my soul—that must've been when he landed on the island—then a pleasantly building tension as he approached my domain, like passionate clouds rolling overhead in the sky.
And then, as he stepped into the lobby, the storm broke.
There he was: my fated mate.
He was an omega of what society would call an 'average build'--not tall or short, not thin or chubby, just beautifully in between everything and perfect for me. The mousy-brown hair on his head was an untamed tangle, both from the mild humidity of the island and from travel. I longed to smooth my fingers through it. He had a matching pair of brown eyes that darted anxiously to-and-fro.
Why was my little mouse so worried? I'd find out soon enough.
I didn't yet know his name, but I would. Every part of him would belong to me, if he would allow it.
But as a professional, I couldn't drop everything and run to him. I was currently in the middle of helping the new hire learn our booking system. I hoped my little mouse would approach the desk so I could smile at him and help out, but at the last second he swerved away and went outside to make a phone call.
"Marci, you'll be all right for a few moments, yes?" I asked.
She nodded. "Yes, Mr. Gryphon."
"Just Maverick is fine," I reminded her. "Excuse me."
I rounded the desk and made my way over to my little mouse, who looked visibly distressed. His shoulders tensed as he fumbled with his phone.
Now, I hadn'tmeantto eavesdrop, but when your senses are sharper than a human's, it becomes difficultnotto overhear conversations.
A grumbling, instantly dislikeable voice: "Hello?"
Followed by my little mouse: "Where are you? Terry, you're not here in the hotel lobby, are you?"
At once I assumed a few things. This man on the phone, Terry, had some relationship with my little mouse. Whether it was romantic or not, I didn't know, but if it was, I knew it wouldn't last. It wasn't arrogance on my part. It was the simple fact that Iknewthe omega in front of me was my fated mate, and that meant he in turn was mine. Whoever Terry was, he was a blip on the timeline of my little mouse's life.
My assumption quickly turned out to be true when I overheard Terry say: "It's over, Leo. Us. I don't want to keep pretending to be in a relationship anymore."
Even though I knew it was inevitable, my heart still broke for my little mouse, who must've been crushed. It wasn't easy to be dumped, even though Terry was obviously a cowardly weasel who couldn't even do it face-to-face.
A ring sailed by me. I casually grabbed it in mid-air. I was partially tempted to crush it in my hand, since it represented the now-crumbled relationship between that asshole Terry andmyfated mate, but it was my little mouse's property so I'd let him handle it.
I waited as the omega went through stages of emotion. Disbelief, rage, confusion, and finally, the realization that the alpha he thought he could trust was not going to show up. He was alone here on the island.
Or so he thought.
I stepped towards him, brandishing the ring. "Excuse me. You seem to have dropped this."
"You can just... throw that in the trash."
"Are you sure? No re-sale value?" I asked.
He cracked a smile. It was beautiful. "I don't care."
"All right," I said. "I'll be sure to throw it in the ocean."
His face warmed up as we spoke. "Please do."
Gods, he was beautiful up close. It was killing me not knowing his name.
"Sorry about my rudeness. Let me introduce myself. I'm Maverick Gryphon, the owner of the Gryphon Palace Resort. How may I be of assistance?"
He shook my hand slowly, like he was savoring the moment. His skin was soft and warm.
