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“Yes, well, I’m rather fond of you as well.”
He collapsed against me, laughing hard. Apparently, I was hysterical.
We finally made it back out to the main area, and from his gasp of surprise, the man walking around looking at the different workstations had not been expected.
“Oliver,” Sasha announced happily. “You’re back.”
“And in the nick of time, apparently.” Oliver smiled, and there was something about him I instantly liked. Perhaps it was the messy man bun of blond hair, the round glasses, the mustache and short beard, or perhaps the deep laugh lines around his warm celadon eyes. He was handsome if your taste ran to the rumpled-professor type, but thankfully Sasha had eyes solely for me. What I liked best about him, though, was that as soon as he saw me, he strode right over and offered me his hand.
“Oliver Pryce. Are you Sasha’s mate that everyone is talking about?”
“I am,” I said, feeling it the moment I touched his hand. “And you, sir, are a beta.”
“Guilty.” He smiled at me. “Can’t fool an alpha.”
“You’re a lupine?” Sasha asked him, eyes big, clearly stunned. “I had no idea.”
He scoffed. “Yes, omega, I am.”
“How did you know?”
“Come on. No one, lupine or human, can miss an omega. You’re all sunshine and sugar,” he drawled.
Sasha blushed, which was adorable, and I hated it. He should blush for me alone. Of course, that was my possessiveness coming out. The man was mine, but other lupines and humans were bound to admire him, and I had to get used to feeling this way.
“I thought I was the only wolf here at Hudson’s,” Sasha went on. “Royce certainly thought so.”
“Who?”
Sasha shook his head. “It’s not important. Did you hear I found a diary?”
“I did. I’d like to see that at some point, but I found some Revolutionary War treasures, so hopefully we’re all going to be quite busy with that.”
“I’m excited,” Sasha told him.
“So, just the two of you here?” I asked, wanting to make sure. “Lupines, I mean. You and Sasha?”
Oliver turned to me. “No, there’s three of us.”
“Three?”
“Yes. Me, Sasha here, and Wyn.”
Sasha gasped, but my reaction was different. I went cold.
“Wyn is a lupine?” Sasha sounded utterly gobsmacked.
Oliver nodded. “Yeah, he’s a gamma, but he’s one of those rare cases where he can’t shift. Not ever.”
“How?” I asked Oliver.
He shrugged. “It’s some kind of recessive gene—probably a human somewhere back in the lineage—but he can’t. When he first told me, I thought he was kidding. I couldn’t sense him at all, but apparently, with his condition, you can’t.”
“That’s so sad,” Sasha sympathized.
“Well, yes, but worse than that, because he can’t shift, but he’s a wolf, he’s in a lot of pain. I know his meds are pricey, and he’s had to see some sketchy folks now and then, but he’s got a legitimate side hustle now moving antiques, so that’s helped. You know, I’m actually surprised he didn’t tell you, Sasha, because for those who can’t shift, being mated to an omega triggers some kind of change that helps alleviate a great deal of the discomfort.”
“Does it?” I asked, slipping closer to Sasha, feeling a wave of anxiety wash over me.
