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In another corner, a small area had been set aside with a collection of odd metals and clays. The table there contained a partial sculpture of a woman; her face, hair, and shoulders made up of wires. A welding torch lay beside her and various gears; screws and such were beginning to fill out her face. He walked over and looked at it a bit more closely before glancing around. There were no other sculptures like it to be seen, so this was either an impressive first attempt or it was something he made for others, not himself.
“You like her?” Barron said as he returned with a clean sheet, pillow, and blanket, putting them on the pullout bed.
“She seems to be coming along rather well. Have you been doing this long?”
“All my life, really.”
“But you have no others?”
“Some stayed with the wife. I’ve sold some others.”
“Ah, of course. This one. Is it a commission piece?”
“No. That one is mine. It’s my wife.”
“You miss her,” Thad replied.
“It’s torture,” Barron said.
Thad would not have understood how someone could feel so strongly about someone even as late as yesterday, but now, he understood much better. He felt like he had left a part of himself a few flights up. He’d never gone into rut like that. He’d always thought it could happen with anyone; despite being told it would only happen with his true mate. Still, he’d dated Omegas before and never experienced what had happened last night. He’d known in the restaurant, the moment she started responding to him, and he knew it was his rising pheromones that had sent her into heat. What happened after that was beyond either of their control. He could have no more said no to her than she could to him.
Even now, he wanted to go back up there and claim her again. He knew he could. No matter what she had said to him, he could have her any way he wanted. It must have taken everything she had to send him away. The fact that she had summoned that within herself instead of letting him stay and mate with her until they had to force themselves apart to go to work on Monday was all that was keeping him from marching back to her door and using his presence to keep her by his side. It wasn’t fair to either of them to mate just because their bodies said so. Still, choosing not to do so might mean neither of them would ever mate. Wolves mate once, for life. The rest of their lives would be spent trying to find that same sense of wild abandon with another wolf who was not a true mate.
“All right, there you go. It’s probably not as comfortable as what you’re used to, but it’s yours.”
“Thanks, Barron. I know this is unprofessional of me. I’m sorry,” Thad said, some of his cognitive functions returning.
“It’s okay. I’m glad for the company. Just as long as you aren’t looking to cuddle or anything, we’re good. See you in a few hours,” Barron told him.
“See you in a few hours,” Thad replied with a little laugh.
He knew he wouldn’t sleep. He knew he should have just gone home. He couldn’t bring himself to leave the building just yet. He couldn’t bear being so far away from her. He lay in the darkness, his mind replaying every inch of her body. It was only getting him aroused again, bringing him to the edge of getting up and going back to her door. He willed himself to think about something else, anything else. Nothing was working. He had to get out of here.
He got up and looked around for a notepad and pen. He scribbled a note and took it back to the living area with him. Stripping off his clothes, he lay them in a neat pile, along with his phone, wallet, watch and keys. He opened a nearby window and then shifted, using it to exit and jump to the ground from the second floor. His instincts pulled him toward her. He could still smell her, her scent floating down from somewhere above him. It was strong. Looking up, he focused his bright amber eyes on her, standing on the balcony of her apartment. Could she sense him too? Could she smell him beneath her, perhaps even his scent still on her?
Unable to take the longing, he turned and ran, his large, powerful wolf slipping through dark alleys and jumping fences until he reached home. He placed his paw in the imprint at the center of the dog door and it opened, allowing him to slip inside before sliding closed again. Inside, he shifted back to human form and went to shower. He had to get the smell of her off him and try to focus. It took some time, much of which was spent with him pacing his living room, but he finally managed to get hold of himself in time to get dressed for the day.
