Cassidy #4
His gaze drops briefly to the jacket wrapped around me, then the blanket on my lap, and then back to my face.
“When I met you in person, I knew we were scent matches,” he says. “You were brilliant. Talented. Hardworking. Creative.”
His voice roughens, his scent thickening.
“I knew exactly what would happen if I handed you to somebody else, and I refused to let that happen,” he says. “So, you stayed with me, by my side, torturing me day in and day out.”
“I never meant—”
“Shh,” he says, and I flush, having forgotten to remain silent. “You’re my mate, and I’m done lying to myself about it. I’ve let you believe that I dislike you, that I don’t think you’re good enough, or that you’re not everything. That ends today, my little luxury.”
I shiver. The words land between us, possessive enough that tension I hadn’t realised I was carrying begins to ease.
“Fate made you mine.”
My breath catches, and I can’t look away from his hypnotising gaze.
“I fooled myself into pretending I could handle having you as my assistant and that be it,” he says. “But I was an idiot. You deserve better, and I will earn the title of being your mate, Cassidy.”
I can barely hear my own heartbeat.
“Harlan… why are you… you don’t need… I…” I trail off, tears welling up in my eyes as I choke back a sob.
I don’t even know why I want to cry.
“You had to check that I believed you,” Harlan murmurs. “That’s the confirmation of how shit an alpha I am to you. You should never doubt my confidence in you.”
He smiles at me almost sadly.
“I knew who you were before you ever walked through my door.”
His eyes lock onto mine.
“And I’ve been trying not to want you ever since.”
Holy fuck.
My brain can’t process any of this. Mate. Mine. Wanted. Every thought I try to hold onto slips straight through my fingers like sand.
The words swirl together until I can’t tell where one ends and another begins.
I stare at him. At the man I’ve spent weeks trying to impress, trying not to disappoint… trying not to burden.
And all along?
Wow.
“Harlan…” My voice cracks, but I carry on anyway. “I understand.”
He’s my boss. There are so many repercussions to him being both my mentor and my scent match.
He’s older than I am, more talented than I am. He has a whole career that our bond could complicate.
And yet, it seems like he’s tried to be selfless, tried to put my needs first… and realised he can’t ignore fate.
Can’t ignore me.
I want to squeal. This is… ridiculously sweet.
Harlan’s expression turns suspicious. “You do?”
“Sort of.”
His eyes narrow further. “That’s not a reassuring answer, little luxury.”
Despite everything, a tiny laugh escapes me, and I wipe at my eyes.
“I think I understand why you hid me,” I say softly.
The words hurt to admit because part of me wishes he hadn’t done this, but I can’t hold it against him.
I won’t.
But that’s the other issue with this. This isn’t the first conversation I’ve had today where a man has lied to me about a mate bond.
Harlan’s omission? I understand it. And although I’m hurt, I’m not angry.
Isaac’s felt like a betrayal.
I feel so hypocritical, not having this reaction to Harlan when I was explosive with Isaac.
I was hurtful to him. The things I said—I can’t take those back.
I don’t want to take them back.
And yet, with Harlan, I don’t want to say any of that in the first place.
It feels different.
But it still feels wrong. Like I’m choosing Harlan over Isaac, which isn’t true.
“Will you explain your understanding to me?” he asks quietly.
I nod, twiddling my fingers underneath the blanket.
“Between our age gap, the power imbalance, our jobs”—I gesture vaguely between us—“and your career, it wasn’t worth the risk.”
Harlan shakes his head.
“No. Not exactly. It was never about you not being worth it, Cassidy. I need you to hear that. It was about me ruining you.”
My breath catches, and a wave of anger pulses through me.
I’ve already heard this today.
“Ruining your chance to explore your twenties. Ruining your chance to build a career on your own name. Ruining your chance to be taken seriously in this shitty fucking industry.
“You’re already fighting your hardest to be seen as worthy because you’re an omega. I hate that you have to do that, but it’s the reality of this place. And I never wanted people to look at you and see nothing more than my mate. My omega.
“I wanted you to have the recognition you deserve for the talent I know you have. Because in ten years, you’re going to be a force to be reckoned with. Your name is going to be everywhere you want it to be. You’re going to be somebody, Cassidy.
“And I never wanted to stand in the way of that. You’re my mate. I want you to have the world. And I…” He trails off, shaking his head. “I never thought I could give you everything you deserved. Not if we were together. Not if I was your mate.
“As your teacher, I could give you everything I knew. I could teach you everything you needed so that when it was finally time to let you loose on your own, you’d surpass every expectation anyone ever had of you.”
I sniff and embarrass myself by wiping my nose on the sleeve of his jacket.
“I don’t even know what to say to that,” I whisper. “That’s just… too much.”
“Nothing’s too much where you’re concerned,” he replies. He dusts his trousers and stands, smoothing one hand down his thigh like he can put himself back together that easily. “Now, I don’t want you to fight with me on this, but I think we’re done here for the day.”
I look at the clock and shake my head. “What? It’s not even lunchtime.”