Bo nodded with a slight furrow in his brow. I appreciated that he didn't seem judgmental about my story. I knew many other qilin shifters would look down on me for my history.
Thinking about my first shift was bittersweet. Taking my qilin form was one of life's greatest pleasures. It was freedom.
But it was also the thing that ripped me away from Nikolas.
"Once I shifted, that was the last straw for my parents," I said. "They suspected living in the human city was hindering my qilin soul. They didn't want me to hide who I was anymore. So they packed up and moved here. It was a difficult time in my life."
Bo tilted his head. "Excuse me if I'm overstepping, but you sound almost... sad."
I smiled at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring the mood down."
Bo wouldn't understand. How could he? It was unthinkable for a qilin shifter to fall in love with a human.
I gazed out over the mountain side. The city lights down below sparkled in the early evening darkness.
What was Nikolas doing right now? Did he miss me as much as I missed him?
I glanced back at Bo and forced myself to stop spacing out. I had to get through this dinner as painlessly as possible. It wasn't Bo's fault I had no interest in him.
Bo's expression was sympathetic. He'd listened to my whole depressing tale without a hint of judgment, which went against my expectations. Maybe he deserved to know the truth.
I lowered my voice. "Bo, I have to tell you something."
"Of course. What is it?"
How could I phrase this? Bo was a nice person and I didn't want to hurt his feelings. It wasn't his fault that he didn't happen to be the one omega in the entire world that my soul yearned and cried out for.
I lowered my voice. "I'm very sorry. I should not have agreed to this dinner because I already have a fated mate."
Shock spilled over Bo's expression. I braced myself for the following wave of anger but it never came. He looked a bit disappointed, which was the least I expected, but instead of lashing out at me he simply nodded.
"Okay," he said. "You must have had a reason for accepting my offer, then."
"Yes." I owed him honesty. "The truth is, my fated mate... is not a qilin."
Bo's eyes widened. "He's not?"
I had to get the words out. "He's a human."
Bo didn't flip the table or freak out, but he was clearly surprised. Qilin don't mate with humans. Period.
"You're not joking, are you?" Bo asked.
"I'm not."
He blew out a slow breath. "Okay. Thanks for telling me. Sorry for inviting you to dinner. If I'd known..."
I shook my head. "Please don't apologize. You've done nothing wrong."
"But now I understand why you accepted the invite to dinner," Bo went on, tilting his head. He glanced over his shoulder, making sure nobody was eavesdropping on us, and spoke in a small voice. "You haven't told your parents yet, have you?"
"No."
He grimaced in sympathy. "Ouch."
Despite the situation, I couldn't help but smile. It was a mild relief to have someone know my secret, and understand how grave it was. If Bo wasn't upset at me after this, maybe we could be good friends.
"But Jian," Bo said, "if your parents are anything like mine, they won't stop setting you up with qilin until you pick one as your mate."
