Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Bennett
I shouldn’t have kept the truth from Peter, but what could I have said? ‘Hey, I’m actually the enormous, terrifying, ghoulish dog that you saw earlier today’? Yeah, that was sure to go over splendidly.
Humans were delicate in their sensibilities. If I told him the truth, I’d risk pushing him away, and I couldn’t handle that. My soul echoed with Peter’s—I needed to be close to him, if only to understand the desperate yearning that consumed me.
As I paid for lunch at the front counter, Peter reluctantly said goodbye to all the dogs on my heel. I almost felt bad for the other patrons, since the dogs preferred to hang around me. The pups must’ve sensed my true form and wanted to interact with me, but I couldn’t unleash my barghest for obvious reasons. Instead I gave them each a friendly pat on the head.
“Ready?” I asked Peter.
He sat on the floor sadly petting the surrounding dogs, like a kid unwilling to leave a birthday party. Finally, he sighed and got up. “If I have to be...”
I ignored a tiny prickle of envy. I wanted Peter to pet my fur the way he petted those other dogs, but that meant revealing my true self, and I didn’t think he was ready for that yet.
A sudden jolt rocketed down my spine. I recognized that feeling. It was another premonition, similar to the one I felt when I first saw Peter, but not as powerful. This was a familiar, run-of-the-mill omen.
The welcome bell rang behind me as a young couple walked in. An alpha and omega?
I sniffed the air, which confirmed my suspicions. They were indeed a pair—and they weren’t alone.
Peter frowned as he watched me scent the air, but he didn’t speak.
“...should know any day now, right?” the alpha said.
His omega partner shook his head. “It’ll take at least ten days to know. Don’t be so hasty.”
My inner barghest paced restlessly, like a dog on a chain. It was obvious the couple was discussing a pregnancy test.
Should I tell them what I already knew?
“Bennett?” Peter asked.
I shook off the premonition. “Sorry.”
Peter glanced at the newly arrived couple, then back up at me with a slight furrow in his brow. “Do you know those people?”
“No,” I said.
He looked confused, and a tad jealous. I realized he’d taken me scenting the air the wrong way, but I couldn’t blame him. It did look strange when he didn’t understand why I’d done it.
Wanting to reassure him, I put my hand gently on his arm. “It’s all right. Just give me a sec, yeah?”
He blinked, curious now. “Sure.”
I strode towards the young couple with a casual grin. “Hey. Just wanted to tell you there is a baby on the way. Congrats.”
They both stared at me, relieved and overjoyed yet deeply confused.
“Thanks?” the omega said, grateful but perplexed. “Er, how do you know?”
I sighed. It was always ‘How could you possibly know that?’ and never ‘Gee, thanks for telling us early!’
Such was a barghest’s curse. Was it really that bizarre for a random man to announce you had a baby on the way?
“Call it a hunch,” I said with a disarming smile. “Cheers.”
I returned to Peter, who waited in the cafe’s front entrance. He greeted me with his own mystified expression.
“What was that about?” he asked. “And how did you know that omega was pregnant before he did?”
I never bothered explaining my abilities to strangers, but Peter was different. An inexplicable magnetism vibrated between us. If anybody deserved to know, it was him—even if it meant sidestepping the full truth.
“You have a paranormal inclination, right?” I reminded him with a wink. “My ability is sort of like that. But instead of witnessing ghost dogs, I know instantly when someone is pregnant.”
Peter laughed sheepishly, then tapered off. “Wait, really? Are you being serious right now?”
“Hey, now. You doubtin’ me?” I teased.
“No!” he blurted, going red in the cheeks. “I’ve just never heard of a psychic power like that.”
“That makes us even, yeah? You see dogs. I see embryos.”
Peter’s snort broke into a laugh. “We’re a weird pair.” He realized what he’d said and blushed profusely. “Not like that.”
Poor Peter. He was so afraid of offending me with his accidental flirting. If only he knew that I loved it.
“You’re fine, Peter,” I comforted, adding another friendly wink. “I don’t mind.”
His pale cheeks were so flushed, they resembled a pair of car brake lights. I chuckled and brushed my knuckles across his face, feeling their heat.
“You’re cute,” I said.
That made his cheeks burn hotter. “Y-you think so?”
“Wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.” I flashed him a gentler smile. “By the way, were you jealous earlier?”
Peter’s lips drew into a thin line. He seemed flustered for a different reason now. “Maybe...”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” I said.
His gaze slid off to the side. “No, it’s fine. I shouldn’t feel jealous over something so insignificant.”
“Scenting is part of my... ability,” I explained. “It helps me discern pregnancies.”
Peter raised an amused brow. “That’s a pretty specific psychic power. You should work in a maternity ward or something.”
“Hah.” I shook my head. “You saw how freaked out that omega was when I told him. I wouldn’t want to scare every patient in the hospital.”
“Well, I think it’s interesting,” Peter said. After a pause, he cleared his throat. “So, you weren’t just sniffing that omega because he smelled good?”
Even his jealousy was adorable.
“Nope. You smell much better,” I told him.
A sound like a rabbit squeak escaped Peter. I was possessed by the sudden urge to scoop him up, press him to my chest, and hug him tight. The barghest locked up in my soul huffed impatiently. It would be so easy to shift into my true form and curl around Peter, protecting him with my thick black fur...
But as long as Peter was frightened of that ‘ghostly dog,’ I couldn’t reveal that side of me. It was frustrating. I’d never wanted to unveil my innermost self to a human before. What was it about Peter that called out to my soul so powerfully?
Could he be my fated mate?
The thought struck me like a bolt of lightning. It hadn’t crossed my mind, but the puzzle pieces fell together—why I was drawn to Peter, why I craved him at my side, why I wanted to protect him.
My heart banked into overdrive. It was impossible to miss the glint of desire in Peter’s blue eyes as he gazed at me. He wanted me, too.
But would he still want me if he knew the truth about what I was?