Chapter 4 #2
He met up with his mother and a few of their aunts for a birthday dinner at a stately restaurant, and his wandering thoughts turned anxious as he imagined the scrutiny his judgmental aunts would rain down on his fated mate.
Emory had received a barrage of critiques, verging on harassment, after becoming CEO.
Some of it continued to this day, which was why he didn’t come home often.
His mom visited the office in the city more than enough.
Most of the women in his family were powerful and influential people, ranging from politicians to executives and influencers.
Above all else, they were committed to preserving the power and prestige of the family.
While no one would ever fight a fated mate bond, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t pass very loud judgment on outsiders brought into the fray.
The majority of the family had mated with other lions, large cats, or, at the very least, other mammals.
There were a few fated mate pairs that crossed into avian lines, but they were quite skittish around the larger pride and tended to keep to themselves.
As far as Emory knew, there weren’t any aquatic shifters in the family, and while he had absolutely no problem with Cameron being a water creature, he wasn’t sure what his family was going to say.
Aquatic shifters were very different from one another, with some creatures like orcas rivaling lions, wolves, and bears in ferocity and power, while dolphins and certain species of fish were known to be playful and a bit flighty.
The general stereotype about water creatures was that they were a bit more ‘go with the flow’ and laid back than other species.
Emory had no idea what type of creature Cameron was, and he realized he hadn’t shared his animal with Cameron either.
What would Cameron think when he learned he was fated mates with a king of the animal kingdom?
It was a lot of pressure, and some of Emory’s past hookups had felt daunted by it.
He and Cameron had been texting sporadically, and Cameron had even sent him a selfie with his parents.
Emory had done the same with the boys on his birthday.
The thing was, they hadn’t talked about anything real yet.
It didn’t feel right to delve into serious topics over text, but Emory was itching to learn more about the adorable omega.
He felt that creeping urge to dig his hands into a new project and try to solve it. Just like everything else in his life, if he could get a handle on this fated mate thing, he was sure he could master it.
Despite the doubt he’d shared with Christopher, a small part of him hoped they would fall into a whirlwind courtship after the fall holiday, and he would be able to introduce Cameron to his family at the Winter Solstice.
Unfortunately, he and Christopher sat down and looked at his calendar, and even if they moved several meetings and projects around, he only had six free days before the Solstice.
He shared these dates with Cameron and was heartbroken to find they only had two days in common.
Cameron apologized, claiming he wasn’t usually this busy. He had just earned his company a grant, which required a significant amount of work be done by the end of December. Emory was scared to admit it, so he kept it to himself, but he was always this busy.
Thankfully, despite their conflicting schedules, they were able to plan a dinner date for almost two full weeks after their fateful meeting at the airport.
The days passed slowly, and Emory found himself checking his phone more than he ever had in his life.
His mood brightened whenever he got a text from Cameron, and while he still couldn't name more than a handful of facts about the man, he felt like they were slowly becoming friends. Some of Cameron’s texts verged on flirty, and his use of emojis and GIFs was fun, adding vibrancy to a communication medium Emory usually hated.
Aside from a few brief references, though, they barely discussed the fated mates aspect of their relationship.
After Cameron went to sleep each night and Emory’s phone screen went dark, Emory’s lion would pace around, worrying about why their relationship wasn’t moving faster.
Logically, Emory thought the speed they were moving made sense, but he could sometimes hear his aunt's critical words in his head, asking if he was ever going to find someone to settle down with.
First, their precious Jonathon had left, then his father had died, and now Emory was somehow already failing at being a fated mate.
Emory wondered if this was how all fated mate couples started off.
When they’d first met, Emory had felt ready to mate right then and there, but over text, it was clear they were strangers.
Emory hadn’t tried to woo anyone in a long time, and his days were so full of work and worry, he didn’t have any leftover time to figure it out.
Finally, after what felt like months but was only a week and a half, the day arrived for their dinner date.
Of course, as was Emory’s luck, they got their first snow of the season that morning.
He monitored their text thread, worried that Cameron would need to cancel due to the weather.
When no notification came, and it was time for him to leave, he nervously buttoned up his pea coat and headed down to his waiting town car.
Cameron had told him he didn’t have a car, and in this city, it really wasn’t necessary.
Parking was next to impossible, and even when spots were available, they were outrageously expensive.
Unfortunately, this meant that Cameron was probably trudging to their agreed-upon restaurant on public transit. Emory was fortunate to be able to use his company’s car. Maybe he could speak to his mother about contracting the car for Cameron’s personal use.
He didn’t even have time to craft that email on the laughably short ride to the restaurant.
He had originally planned on walking, but with the snow, driving was the better choice.
He arrived fifteen minutes early, which turned out to be a blessing for him and his frazzled nerves–and even more frazzled lion.
Hopefully, he could gather himself enough to present a calm facade for his fated mate.