Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
Luke
Ihave replayed the moment under the clock tower over in my brain time and time again for days. I can not for the life of me figure out where I went wrong.
Was it my kiss? Was it my words? She said it was her father’s wish that we meet, and my father had also admitted this confession before I’d been sent to fetch her from the airport. Yet despite the obvious… bond between us, this undeniable chemistry, she ran from me.
Which is why I’ve given Emily a wide berth since our return. Though knowing now what she tastes like, what her body feels like pressed against mine, it’s a torment I’ve never felt before. I’ve never felt this way about any omega in my life, and I know on some deeper level what that means.
She is my mate.
She is mine. But she is not truly mine until she accepts this bond, this connection between us, and given her most recent reaction…
I focus on shifting, on giving my body over to my wolf, on letting off this festering steam rather than the potential of Emily’s rejection. My wolf takes over almost instantly as I give myself up to him.
My form glides through the air, the scent of the forest a welcome home.
I smell her. On the wind, nearby. Milk and honey, so sweet it makes my mouth water.
I barely get a howl out before I see a small, lithe white form bounding across the stream in front of me.
She stands out like an angel in fur amidst the dark wood and verdant moss.
I huff out a sound of challenge, and she looks at me, those pristine aquamarine eyes catching mine with interest. She kicks up moss and dirt, her legs moving with haste.
I chase her tail through the woods, gaining on her quickly. She may be small and fast, but I’m built for speed and agility, too.
I leap in front of her victoriously, blocking her path.
She stops, her blue eyes catching mine as she huffs in annoyance, and then she pounces on me, knocking my body into the ground with a resounding thud.
I’m acutely aware of my wolfish cock in this position, or rather how it slips out of its own accord without my knowledge from its sheath.
I tense as she brings her maw down to mine.
She lets out a low growl, her body pressed on top of me, and I panic, knowing one small move…
I growl back as I roll from beneath her, onto my stomach, sinking my cock into the grass beneath me even though my alpha roars at me that I am being cowardly.
No. This is not how I want to do this.
It’s not that I have anything against mating in this form, but…
I would prefer Emily to be able to express her interest and consent in a more communicable way rather than an animalistic one. Call me old-fashioned. I want to hear her say yes.
To me. To this bond that is eating me alive. I want Emily, the woman, to choose me, not just Emily, the omega wolf.
Only when I feel the soft touch of a slippery nose, do I open my eyes.
She nudges me, a strange sort of comfort emanating from her.
I whimper at the touch; at the intimacy it brings.
She lays next to me, a soft chortle escaping her, as if somehow she understands even though I know she can’t.
But for the moment, I pretend otherwise.
Her paw settles next to mine, and for a moment, we just lay there together in the grass.
I don’t know how long we stay there. It could be minutes, hours.
Days. All I know is when she gets up and trots off towards the estate, I follow her without question back, where I busy myself with showering and preparing for the Social, rather than focusing on Emily and how she’s turned my world upside down in a matter of days.
I wish I could take my time, perhaps even draw out this momentary release of built up tension, but I know there is much to do since the Cunninghams and the Fitzwilliams and Geralds and Harolds are coming amidst the smaller packs for the Social soon enough.
So, I take care of myself, of my too-full cock as quickly as I can and dress myself in my new suit.
I tell myself tonight is about showing the American Omega how we do things across the pond.
How our alphas and omegas meet their mates.
However, her mate is right here. Although he might have felt some resistance at the idea at first, he is more than willing to take the chance now.
If the last few days have taught me anything, it is that I can not waste this chance with Emily.
She is only here for barely two more weeks.
I will simply ask her to be my omega, and if she does not accept my offer, I will understand.
But I hope that she does, because in all honesty, I do not know how I will live another two weeks if she rejects me.
Only Emily Marie Gardner, it seems, has been able to render me a shift of heart. I only pray that she can find it in her heart to embrace this truth with me, instead of against me.