Lion’s Crossing (Love Sync Mates Season Two)

Chapter Twenty

Linc

Burying myself in work seemed the only answer to get over Knox leaving and never contacting me again. I thought he’d at least let me know when he’d arrived back home. I didn’t even warrant a quick text to say so after providing him a place to stay, helping him through his heat, and making sure he made it on time to catch his train back to Shifter Crossing. Had I misread everything about our time together? Sure, I would have loved for the omegas of my past to leave without a single shred of evidence that we’d been together, but Knox was different. At least, that was what my lion believed.

A month had passed by quickly since that week with him. I thought working on the album for ONE would help me forget him, yet every time the words omega , fated , or love came up in any of the songs, a deep ache formed in my chest. I pushed through it all while cultivating each track, and with most of the initial recording finished, the group was off doing photoshoots and learning choreography for their eventual performances, leaving me more time in my thoughts. Not where I wanted to be. I tried to listen to the demos for my own album again, but they only made the anguish grow.

Maybe I should have texted him that night. Just to be sure. It wouldn’t have been that hard and would have put my mind at ease. But I’d been too stubborn, and now it was too late. What would I say to him?

I’d asked my parents how the town was, hoping in a roundabout way that they’d tell me if something had happened to Knox since I last saw him. Yet, they’d told me the town was as boring as ever, which they liked.

I didn’t want to come right out and ask them about Knox, knowing they would start on me about finding an omega and settling down. Not a speech I wanted to hear again. I’d heard it enough when I’d been there helping my father after his surgery.

My lion seemed content for the first time with the idea of settling down. Yet the only omega I’d even consider devoting my life to had left me without a word.

Wait, was I really ready to commit to Knox? I ran my palm over my face, sure I wasn’t thinking clearly. Maybe I needed more sleep.

I grabbed my phone to unmute it and noticed a message waiting for me. For a brief moment, I hoped it was from Knox. Then I noticed the sender: my sister. Worry clenched my gut. Had something happened to our parents?

I called her right away without listening to the message.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Kayla, is everything okay?” If I had to, I was ready to drive to Shifter Crossing immediately.

She chuckled then sighed. “You didn’t listen to my message, did you?”

I swallowed down my shame. “No. I wanted to talk to you anyway.”

“Oh? What about?” She sounded like she didn’t believe me.

Maybe it wasn’t the truth, but since I had her on the phone, I decided to ease my mind. But not right away. “Tell me why you called first.”

“I was just wondering if you’re going to be here for the holidays this year. You weren’t sure when you left, and I thought you might have a better idea if you are coming home now.”

“I…uh, I still don’t know yet.” Though, going back to my hometown would be a good excuse to see Knox again. “But probably. At least for a couple days.”

“Okay, well try and figure it out for sure so I can plan what day we’re going to have our big dinner. And especially if you’re bringing someone home with you.”

“Kayla.” She was as bad as my parents, though none of them knew the only omega I wanted saw them more than me.

“Just sayin’.” I heard the allusion in her voice. “Anyway, what did you want?”

I swallowed the lump of pride and nervousness trying to keep me from talking. “I…I saw an omega here in Saramto not too long ago. I’m pretty sure he’s from our hometown. I think his name is Knox?”

“Knox? Oh, yeah, I know him.” An awkward silence passed between us before she spoke again. “What do you mean when you say you saw him in Saramto?”

I didn’t know how much to tell Kayla, but I couldn’t lie, either. “We rode the train to Saramto together. The day it got stuck on the tracks.”

“Oh, yeah, the one still mentioned on the news. A lot of the passengers are suing for compensation. You never did. I don’t think Knox did either.” She tapped her fingers on something hard, and I didn’t know if she was at work or at home. “Why are you asking about him all of the sudden anyway?”

“He just popped into my mind, and I thought I’d ask about him, what he’s up to.”

“You asking about an omega feels weird to me. Especially one from here. I actually saw him the other day. He was in to get a pregnancy test. Which is weird because I’ve never seen or even heard about him being with an alpha. Seems to make a point of avoiding them.”

“A pregnancy test?” My heart skipped a beat then started racing in my chest.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Linc. Were you interested in him?”

“It’s not like that.” My hand shook, so I put my phone down and turned it on to the speakerphone. “He… I…”

“Linc, what’s going on? What aren’t you saying?”

“I might be the father. He stayed at my place. The hotel canceled his reservation. He went into heat.” The words tumbled out, and I didn’t have the ability to stop them. “We used protection. But there was one broken condom. I thought I pulled out in time, but maybe I didn’t.”

“Oh, Linc.” My sister sighed on the other end. “You know what you have to do, right?”

I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “I’ll see you soon. And whatever you do, don’t tell our parents.” My lion rejoiced while the rest of me filled with panic. What if he wasn’t pregnant and I went and made a fool of myself? What if the test was for another omega? And worst of all, what if he was pregnant but didn’t want to see me?