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“Okay, but assuming we did have a fated mate out there, how is she not registered anywhere? Are you sure you aren’t having a reaction to us moving so quickly with Piper?” He shook his head at me.
“Why don’t either of you listen to me? She’s out there! I smelled her!”
“Aiden and I already signed up to be her emergency heat contacts. Can you please do one thing for me?” I got in front of him and bent down on my knees, grabbing his hands off the binder as he stilled. “Please? You know I don’t ask for much.” His eyes softened as he looked down on me. I could see him giving in.
“What is it?” I rubbed my thumbs over his hands, trying to soften him up for my request.
“Just go on one date with her. Get to know her. After that, if you still don’t want anything to do with her, we’ll discuss it as a pack. But you have to be open-minded and try to get to know her.” His green eyes clouded over like a forest as he considered me. As hard as he appeared on the outside, he was a softie for the people he cared about. And I knew he had a hard time saying no to me. “Dom, please. Then if it doesn’t work out, we can look for the one who you scented out at the bars.” He sighed and opened his hands to hold mine.
“So if I give her a chance and it doesn’t work out, you’ll help me find our fated mate?” I knew he would realize Piper was as close to a fated mate as we could get once he could spend time with her, so I nodded. “Alright. I’ll give it a chance.”
Chapter 26
Dominic
“A grunge show at a dive bar?” Piper’s voice was incredulous. I smirked as I drove us to the venue. My pack could convince me to take her on a date and get some one-on-one time, but despite her cute appearance she would never prove to be my mate. I already had one, and she was out there somewhere. My true mate would love to be at a music show. That’s where I first smelled her scent. But this omega, the trickster who lulled my pack mates into thinking she was special, was just another omega. One who would balk at being treated like anything less than a princess.
“Who’s playing?” Her question threw me off guard. Why hadn’t she pouted, demanded to be taken back to the Omega House? I cleared my throat.
“Well, I’ll have to check the lineup. A few local bands.” She nodded, then thoughtfully pulled out her phone to check.
“What’s the name of the bar? I can probably look it up.” Was she serious?
“You like grunge music?” I looked at her dubiously as I drove.
“I like live music in general, but I haven’t had enough time to listen to all the genres. I might like it, might not. But I won’t know until I hear them play.” I looked back at the road, shaking my head. Maybe she wasn’t as bad as I thought. But she still wasn’t my mate. Mine was out there, somewhere. And when I found her and brought her to my pack, they would give her one smell and know for sure.
“Well, we’re almost there.” I parked and we headed inside to the old local dive bar. I had been there before, but it wasn’t a place where you would find an omega. Most of them preferred restaurants, the theater, or VIP concert tickets. I hadn’t told Aiden and Declan where we were going tonight, just that I was taking her out for live music. They were lucky I was taking her out at all. They didn’t understand what I smelled that night, and they kept harping on getting to know Piper. But even if she was a great girl, which I didn’t believe after overhearing her plan to use Aiden while keeping me and Delcan to the side, she still wasn’t the one for us. And I was going to prove it.
We headed inside, my hands feeling strange as I left them by my sides. Normally I’d keep my hand on the small of my date’s back to guide her through the bar full of rough around the edges types. Piper must have sensed something too, keeping her arms hugged around herself as we made our way in. I felt a pang of regret, then shook it away. She wasn’t mine to comfort. My real mate was out there somewhere, and this little omega wasn’t going to distract me.
“Do you want to get something to drink?” I turned to look at her. Did she really want to drink something at this establishment?
“The only thing this place has is beer and strong liquor. Nothing fancy.” Her pouty lips turned into a frown.
“So do you want something or not? I”m going to get a drink either way.” She stood definitely, her arms crossed in front of her chest as she looked up at me. It was kind of cute seeing her try to look tough. If she wanted to be tough, I’d let her. I reached into my pocket for my wallet, grabbing a few bills.
“Here. Get yourself something. I’m not drinking tonight.” I held the bills out for her to reach up, and her eyes widened before she let out a huff and turned on her heel.
“No worries, I can pay for myself.” She was going to make her way through the thick crowd - but it was full of alphas. Without thinking, I reached for her hand, pulling her into me. I leaned down close to her ear, making sure my scruff rubbed her neck as I shoved the money in her hand.
“Look, I’m sorry alright? Treat yourself to a drink on me.” Her face was confused for a moment, then she nodded and headed for the bar. I watched her go, feeling more comfortable with her heading off on her own now that I had scent marked her.
Gods. Why had I done that? Instinctually marked her as if I had any claim or interest in her. I ran a hand down my face, watching her as she made her way to the bartender. It would at least keep the other alphas away for a while. Even though she wasn’t producing any scent, I didn’t want anyone finding out and getting ideas about her. The bartender was a curmudgeonly old guy, all tattoos and piercings. But whatever she said to him had him smiling, even chuckling as he handed her two bottles. How was she able to get to everyone like that? She headed back toward me, pushing through the crowd.
“Here.” She handed me an ice-cold bottle and for some reason that irritated me more than anything. This was what I should have done for her - well, for my omega - not have some little scheming woman buying me a drink. Even if it was with my own money. I guess I had walked right into that one by refusing to take her to the bar. I begrudgingly clicked my bottle to hers as she held it out.
“Cheers! Now let’s try to get a good seat. I can barely see from here.” I took her shoulder gingerly and guided her toward one of the raised platforms I knew about. It was better if I guided us - I was much taller, and anyway, my body offered more protection in the event anyone got too unruly. I found a table and some extra chairs so we could rest if needed. It was near the back, but the platform was elevated several feet higher up so she could see the group play.
“Does this venue have a lot of events like this?” She looked at me as she sipped her drink. Why was she acting interested? This was no place for an omega. I wanted her off balance, off guard. I was going to find out the truth of how she really felt.
“Every so often.” The band was starting now, and I had to practically yell for her to hear me over the music. She turned to watch. The first band was alright, but the headliners were up next, and even I had to admit it was a good show. I went to get her another drink, and when I got back the omega was standing, bopping and dancing as she yelled with the crowd. I handed her the drink and she downed it, her face flushed and her hair damp from the excitement.
“This place is awesome!” Her smile was genuine - the look in her eyes wasn’t something anyone could fake. She was actually having a good time here, regardless of me and my sour attitude. For a brief moment, I watched her as she came to life, her arms up and her smile wide, turning from me to face the crowd. She was alive with the music. I could imagine her then - spending time with me at my dive bars, coming home tipsy and giggly, letting Declan take care of her as we cuddled in bed. I saw for a moment what my pack mates saw. And for that moment, I understood.
But then the memory of my true mate, her scent and its mesmerizing effect on me, brought me crashing down to reality. I already had a mate. And whoever she was, she was bound to belong to Declan and Aiden as well. This little omega in front of me was dangerous. She came into our lives at exactly the wrong time, distracting us from our real mate who was out there somewhere, who needed us desperately.
The music ended, and the band stopped for a break. She turned to me, still on a high from all the excitement of the night. My face must have shown my feelings, because she immediately knew something was up.
