Chapter 31
ADAM
Over the next couple of weeks, I went on four more failed dates. Dates that I actively tried to be present for, but god, I hated it so much.
Of course, Jennifer had gone crying to her “daddy” who had then blown up my father’s phone bitching about my “poor behavior” so I’d gotten an earful and a half—and now I was trying to make up for it.
My heart wasn’t in it, though. I just wasn’t into these women, no matter how beautiful or charming they were. All my life, I never once questioned my sexuality. I was always comfortably bi, but now that I’d found Fletcher?
Women just didn’t do it for me anymore.
Fletcher was soft and feminine enough, as most Omegas were, yet still maintained that touch of masculinity. He ticked all of my boxes, and goddamnit! Why couldn’t Father see that?
Except I knew what Father would do if I told him the truth. There was a reason I’d hidden my sexuality from my family in the first place.
He would go nuclear.
“Father has demanded my presence,” I muttered, leaning down to kiss Fletcher goodbye. “I’ll be back before dinner.”
“Okay, babe,” my Omega replied with a smile tailor-made just for me. “Drive safe.”
“Always.”
I pulled on my heavier coat, because fall was giving way to winter’s icy grasp, and got in my BMW. I drove the short distance to the mansion I’d grown up in, with its manicured, square-hedged gardens and tall, black wrought-iron fencing.
At the security gate, I buzzed myself in and waved at the camera. Immediately, the gate began to slide open, allowing me to drive my car into the estate and up the asphalt drive, where I parked.
I found Father in the study, of course, sitting at his desk going through a stack of papers. I knocked lightly on the door before letting myself in. When he saw me, he sat back in his leather chair and laced his fingers together atop his desk.
He looked serious. No smile. No greeting. Simply a nod and, “Adam. Take a seat. We have matters to discuss.”
My stomach knotted. That didn’t sound good. I really hoped this didn’t have anything to do with Jennifer and her daddy-issues. I inwardly cringed at the thought, but sat down across from my father, in the overstuffed chair.
My father heaved a sigh. “Now, I know that you’ve said you’re not ready to settle down, but I don’t have time to waste on anymore of your lolly-gagging.
For legal purposes, concerning the family business, you need an Omega.
Since you can’t seem to get along with any of the women I’ve set up for you, I’ve done us both a favor and chosen your wife for you. You can thank me later.”
I stared at him, my jaw dropping. My stomach plummeted to the very recesses of my guts. “What?” I was on my feet, advancing towards the desk before I knew what was happening. “You can’t do that!”
“The hell I can’t!” he growled back, pointing a finger at me. “You are my heir. My blood. You’ll marry who I tell you to marry, or I’ll cut you from the family so fast, your head will spin! You’ll be destitute on the streets. You will have NOTHING, Adam. Is that what you want?”
I opened my mouth to snap something back, but closed it quickly with an audible click, instead choosing to grind my teeth to dust. My heart thumped heavy and hard in my chest.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Father continued on, unfazed by my freakout. “Her name is Aria Winters. She’s beautiful and sweet and submissive, and I think she’s the perfect fit. The wedding is next summer. You have a date with her tomorrow night, at Salvatora. Seven PM. Do not fuck this one up, boy, or you will regret it.”
“Father, please—”
He slammed his fist down on the desk with a snarl, rising to his full height, his Alpha energies spiking through the air. “ENOUGH! I’ve had enough of your excuses! You will do as I say. Now leave my office.”
Hissing, I spun on my heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind me. Hard. Pissed and hurt and confused, I fled the mansion, my footsteps echoing down the halls. I could barely breathe by the time I got out to my car, my lungs burning for air.
Fuck. What now? I fumbled with the door and yanked it open, then slid into the driver’s seat, my hands shaking. Fury rippled through me in waves, each one a larger tide than the last. I was so angry—but more than angry, I was scared.
What about Fletcher? Somewhere between picking him up off the streets and now, I’d fallen in love with the beautiful, bright-eyed lynx. His laugh alone could brighten even the worst of days.
Maybe not today, though.
Choking on the very air I needed to survive, my head swam in circles. I couldn’t breathe. My hands were sweating so badly that they kept slipping off the steering wheel, and I was shaking so hard my teeth chattered.
I pulled off on the side of the road, flinching as a semi blared past me with a loud HOOONK! I ducked my head and wrapped my arms around myself, trying to focus on breathing through the chaos wrapping barbed wire around my mind.
This can’t be happening to me.
I eventually made it home, pale and shaken. Fletcher was there to greet me with his bubbly golden retriever energy, but the minute he saw me, his smile fell.
“Adam? Are you okay?”
He helped me inside and brought me a cup of chamomile tea, which I could barely hold in my trembling hands. I managed a sip or two before setting it down, for fear of spilling it.
“What happened?” Fletcher sat beside me, rubbing my leg in gentle circular motions. I shook my head again and again, but the words wouldn’t come out. “Baby? You’re scaring me. Are you okay?”
“No,” I whispered. “I’m not okay. I don’t think I’ll ever be okay. Father, he—” I choked on the words, nearly swallowing my tongue. I sucked down a sharp breath to steady myself, and tried again. This time, the truth came tumbling out, the words falling over themselves.
When I fell silent once more, Fletcher gazed at me, his expression unreadable. Quiet. Pensive, almost, and it frightened me.
“Is this it, then?” he finally asked, his voice small and soft.
My anxiety ratcheted up. “No!” I cried out, reaching for him, as if that might somehow make him stay. “That’s not what I want! I don’t want this!”
I broke on a sob, but Fletcher was there to comfort me, stroking my back, the nape of my neck, whispering sweet nothings as he pressed himself to my side.
After a few minutes, I was able to calm down. Neither of us spoke for the longest time. I swallowed hard. I hated this. I hated it so much, hated Father for putting me in this spot. Why couldn’t I be allowed to be happy? Why did it have to be about him?
“If you marry her,” Fletcher began softly, “I could still see you on the side. We could figure it out, make it work. Maybe—”
I growled. “You deserve to be more than some dirty little secret,” I told him, but to my horror, his eyes welled up with tears.
“I’d rather be a dirty secret than lose you!” he cried, flinging himself at me. He threw his arms around my neck and began to cry. I hugged him close, my chest aching with each heart-wrenching sob.
“I’ll figure things out,” I promised him, sounding more determined than I felt in that moment. “Just give me some time.”
But in all honesty? I had no idea how to fix this…