“Yeah,” Caleb admitted quietly. “Which only makes this situation more difficult. I find myself hoping that the other night meant as much to her, but I have no way of knowing. So now, I’m left to wonder, thinking the worst and driving myself crazy.”
Forrest regarded him thoughtfully for a long moment. “Okay, I know this is probably going to sound a little out there, but have you ever thought about simply talking to Brielle and asking her what that night was about for her?”
Caleb stared at Forrest like he was a pig wearing a Rolex. Hell, for all he knew, the watch STAT had given his teammate to wear mightactuallybe one. “Talk to her. Just like that. Are you on drugs? I can’t talk to Brielle about something like this.”
“Why not?” Forrest asked. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of talking to her. I’ve seen you charge into a tunnel full of cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers without thinking twice. Having a serious conversation with Brielle can’t be any more terrifying than that.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Caleb muttered. “The worst thing those creatures down in the tunnels could do was eat me. Brielle could hurt me a lot worse than they ever could.”
Forrest didn’t say anything for a moment, and Caleb wasn’t sure if the guy’s expression was one of happiness…or pity.
“Wow,” Forrest finally said. “You really got it bad for her, don’t you?”
Ingrained instinct demanded that he deny that accusation, but Caleb knew it was too late for that. Forrest already knew the truth.
“How the hell did you get so smart about women, anyway?” he demanded, deciding that a good way to avoid answering a truly painful question was by asking one of his own.
Forrest shrugged, eating the last of his hors d’oeuvres before setting the small plate on the tall cocktail table beside him. “The same way every man learns about women…from a woman. In this case, Misty. She made me work for it before letting me get close to her. That meant lots of talking, which is how I learned that women like to know what a guy thinks. That’s why I suggested you and Brielle spend some time talking—preferably before sleeping together again—so you can figure out where you stand with each other.”
Caleb considered that. “How did you and Misty meet?”
He knew he was simply grasping for any topic that would allow him to avoid talking—or even thinking—about his own problems, but since he didn’t know their story, it seemed as good a time as any to ask.
The look Forrest gave him said he knew exactly what Caleb was doing. But Forrest let it go, for the moment at least.
“I was her backup on her very first mission,” Forrest said. “STAT was just starting to put supernaturals on the teams back then and was having problems finding people willing to work with them. I didn’t see what the big deal was, so I volunteered. I ended up saving her butt that first trip out, so STAT started putting us together more often. We hit it off right from the beginning but kept it professional for months. We talked for a long time before deciding to sleep together. You know, that adult-conversation thing I mentioned? Even then, we were limited to those occasions when we were on a mission together and were able to slip away and be alone. It wasn’t easy.”
“How did you two end up together on this team?”
“We talked about what we were both looking for, what kind of future we wanted, and what we were willing to risk to have that future.” He pinned Caleb with a look. “You know, that serious conversation stuff I keep mentioning? Anyway, long story short, Misty hacked STAT’s human resources computers and got us put on this new team together. The rest is history.”
“Wow,” Caleb muttered, a little stunned they’d done something like that. “Weren’t you worried that it wouldn’t work out between you and you’d end up stuck being teammates?”
Forrest didn’t even have to think about it before he shook his head. “Not at all. Because we talked about it and realized that being together was what we both wanted. We were both willing to risk anything—including our jobs—to do it.”
Caleb wasn’t sure he could ever be that bold and put himself out there like that.
“Okay, now that we’ve wasted enough time talking about Misty and me, why don’t you tell me why you’re having doubts about you and Brielle?” Forrest murmured as he pretended to sip his champagne. “And don’t try that crap about her being too good for you. I know there’s something else going on.”
Caleb glanced over at Brielle, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before turning back to Forrest. “I’m an omega,” he said, the words so soft he wasn’t sure if his teammate would even be able to hear them. “That means I don’t get to have what you and Misty have. Or what Jake and Jes or Harley and Sawyer have. Being an omega means being alone. Forever.”
Caleb knew that sounded rather dramatic, but Forrest seemed to take it in stride. “Even if Brielle isThe Onefor you?”
He wasn’t surprised his teammate had jumped straight to that conclusion. After seeing it happen firsthand with Jake and Jes, then Harley and Sawyer, Forrest probably knew as much about the legend ofThe One—that one person each werewolf was supposed to spend their lives with—than anyone on the planet.
“She’s notThe Onefor me,” Caleb said firmly.
Forrest lifted a brow. “You sure of that?”
His teammate wasn’t going to let this go, was he?
Caleb bit back a growl. “Look, omegas don’t get soul mates, okay?”
Finally putting into words the one thing that terrified him more than anything else in the world was one of the hardest things he’d ever done, but there it was. The thought of getting shot, stabbed, or even blown up had never worried him. Hell, he wasn’t even scared of dying. But the thought of being alone forever ate away at him from the very darkest corners of his mind like it was a living thing.
“Says who?” Forrest asked quietly, the look on his face suggesting he thought Caleb was full of it.
“Says every omega I’ve ever met,” Caleb ground out. “Trust me, it’s all omegas talk about when they stumble across each other. It’s the one thing we all have in common. Besides a complete lack of control, I mean. We don’t get to have soul mates.”
