Wes and I followed. I saw him waiting anxiously at the table, on his phone. He was probably about the professor’s age, and had dark hair, a dadbod, and a pleasant face.
“There you are. Someone will be with you soon.” The hostess returned to her station.
As we approached the door, a man and a woman, both alphas, came over to us.
“You’re Grace?” The woman looked me up and down.
“Yes, I am. This is my mate, Wes.” Nerves shot through me.
“Milo means everything to us. You understand why we’re wary,” the man stated.
“I do, and I appreciate it so much,” I replied. “Let me talk to him, and if he decidesno,I won’t bother you again.”
They stepped aside. I kissed Wes. “It will be fine.”
I went into the private dining room and took a small box out of my purse, using it to look for listening devices. Satisfied there were none, I put it back. “Sorry, my mate is in cybersecurity; can’t be too safe. I’m Grace.”
“Milo.” He smiled and looked over the menu. “Apparently we’re someplace trendy, and my teenager is jealous."
“Did they come with you to Rockland? Order them something to go. This is all my treat.” I looked to see what I wanted.
He shook his head. “The kids stayed with my other mates, they all have summer activities that keep them busy.”
“I understand. My pack has a teenager, too.” The server came in, and we ordered.
Milo and I made small talk about his trip down from Canada and my day at work.
Finally, the server brought our food and closed the door.
“I don’t work for the Authority. I’m not here to put you in danger. As far as I know, there are no plans to make anyone return to their worlds of origin. Omegas are protected by the Authority, and someone once told me there were very few reasons to send anyone back, but I also understand your wariness.” I poked at my colorful salad with my fork.
“Well, they sent you back, didn’t they? I was told it wasn’t the same, but still…” Milo took a sip of his drink, looking a bit nervous.
“They did, but I was taken from this world as a baby and grew up on one without designations. You can see how that might be problematic. I dreamt of my soulmate but couldn’t get to him. The only reason I was returned was because I was a witness in a smuggling ring. Someone there realized that I was in the wrong world and returned me out of kindness so that I could be with my alpha.” I ate a berry.
Milo nodded, swallowing his bite of sandwich. “It’s a lot to go to another world. One with no designations? It’s hard to imagine.”
“As hard as it is to imagine omegas being illegal. Not that we don’t have illegal designations here.” I frowned. Spencer and I would find people who could carry out Elaris’ work. He was already setting up meetings.
“We weren’t illegal in my world, we’re just commodities, property, with little choices or rights. I was lucky. I was seventeen when I was smuggled here, so I’d faced nothing truly horrific. Every day I think about those who didn’t get out. How fortunate that I have a choice. I can have a job. I can choose who I’m with. I can love.” He looked out the window at his mates.
“They know?” I took another bite.
“They didn’t at first. I told them after I got pregnant. They took it pretty well, all things considered.” He chuckled.
“Wes knew, we talked about it when we dreamt of each other. But not everyone in the pack did when I arrived.”
We continued talking. I really wanted to know more about his world, but that’s not what this meeting was for. My curiosity could wait. Instead, I told him more about me, since that was why we were here–so he could see if I was a trustworthy person.
“You have a family here? Nine siblings?” He finished his drink.
“I love them, but they’re a lot.” I showed him the photo of all ten of us from the mating party.
“That’s a lot of siblings. My pack has three children.” He showed me photos of his kids.
We talked more. Finally, Milo looked at his phone. “My mates are wondering if we’re about done.”
“That’s up to you. Do you have the information you need? You can ask me anything.” I used the pad on the table to pay our bill.
