4. Osias #2
“Well.” Pell removed his glasses, cleaned them methodically, and put them back on—a gesture Osias recognized as his way of processing unexpected information. “That certainly explains why you’ve been completely useless for the past three hours.”
“I haven’t been useless.”
“You just approved a thirty-million-dollar international distribution deal without reading a single page of the contract.”
Osias winced at the oversight. His lion might be satisfied that his mate was interested in working with him, but his human responsibilities couldn’t be ignored indefinitely.
Pell leaned back in his chair. “Are you planning to tell her?”
“Eventually.” The answer came without hesitation, but the timeline felt impossibly complicated.
“But we’re working together now, and I need to earn her trust before I introduce her to our world.
I can’t afford to scare her off by announcing that shifters exist and she’s destined to spend her life with one. ”
Celina Bates was human, famous, and had probably never encountered anything more supernatural than Hollywood special effects.
Explaining mate bonds and lion shifters and the fact that she belonged to him whether she realized it or not would require more finesse than he’d ever needed for any business negotiation.
“That seems wise.” Pell nodded approvingly. “Though I hope you’ll consider introducing her to the pride soon. Perhaps next week’s festival would be the perfect opportunity.”
Osias had nearly forgotten until yesterday about the annual celebration.
It was always the highlight of the year for their community—a weekend of food, music, storytelling, and traditions that brought together every member of the Fellan pride.
Under normal circumstances, it would indeed be the ideal time to introduce the Alpha’s mate to their world.
But nothing about this situation qualified as normal.
“That could work.” The more he considered it, the more the timing made sense. “If I can build enough trust with her over the next week, the festival might be exactly the right moment.”
“Good.” Pell gathered his papers and stood up from the conference table. “Just remember that fated mates have a way of working themselves out, regardless of how much we try to control the process.”
Osias was still contemplating that advice when Pell left him alone in the conference room.
His phone buzzed with a text from his assistant about the afternoon’s remaining meetings, but he found himself staring at the message without actually reading it.
His entire world had shifted in the space of a single handshake, and he was supposed to continue conducting business as if nothing had changed.
But everything has changed.
His phone rang, interrupting his brooding. Lissa’s name appeared on the screen, and he answered immediately despite knowing his twin would probably detect his emotional upheaval within seconds of hearing his voice.
“Did you handle the Braxton situation?” Her tone was brisk and efficient.
“I dealt with it last night.” His response came out more strained than he’d intended, and he could practically feel Lissa’s attention sharpening through the phone connection.
“Something happened today, didn’t it?”
There was no point in trying to deflect. His twin possessed that supernatural ability to read his moods, and attempting to hide major life developments from her was both futile and insulting to their relationship.
“I took a meeting with Celina Bates this morning. And well, she’s my fated mate.”
The silence that followed lasted long enough that he wondered if the call had dropped. Then Lissa’s voice exploded through the speaker with enough excitement to make him hold the phone away from his ear.
“What? The Celina Bates is your fated mate? Osias, that’s incredible! I want to meet her immediately.”
“She doesn’t know she’s my mate.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the beginning of a headache that had nothing to do with business stress and everything to do with navigating the most complicated situation of his life. “And I can’t tell her right now.”
“Of course you can’t just announce it.” Lissa’s voice shifted from excitement to understanding. “She’s human, famous, and probably has no idea our world exists. But Osias—“ Her tone grew serious. “Please don’t get all overprotective and hovering right away. Let her set the pace.”
The warning hit closer to home than he wanted to admit.
His natural instinct was to solve problems by taking control of situations, and the mate bond was already demanding he protect and provide for Celina in ways that would probably overwhelm her completely.
But Lissa was right. Celina had spent her entire career being managed by other people, and the last thing she needed was another man trying to take over her life.
“I won’t hover.” The promise felt harder to make than any business commitment he’d ever negotiated.
“Good. Because if you scare off your fated mate by being your usual controlling self, I’ll never let you forget it.”
The threat was delivered with sisterly affection, but Osias knew she meant every word. Lissa had been waiting years for him to find someone who could match his intensity and make him happy. She wouldn’t forgive him if he sabotaged his own chance at that happiness.
After ending the call, he sat alone in the empty conference room and contemplated the magnitude of what lay ahead.
Managing a multi-billion-dollar entertainment empire suddenly felt simple compared to courting a mate who didn’t know she was his mate, introducing her to a supernatural world she’d never imagined, and somehow building a relationship without triggering every protective instinct that made him want to wrap her in security and never let her face another challenge.
This is going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
But as he finally gathered his papers and headed toward his office, one thought overshadowed all his concerns about timing and strategy and the impossible complexity of their situation.
Tonight, he would see her again.
And for once, that anticipation felt more important than any meeting on his calendar.