Terrance loved his spot at the bar that looked out the front window of the cafe. He could see anyone walking in and decide whether they were a threat, and he was able to actually get work done because he wasn't stuck staring at Mason as he worked.
The Omega was unknowingly stealing Terrance's heart, and Terrance didn't want to stop him.
As he sipped on his second coffee of the day and worked on his report for a previous project, Terrance found his mind drifting to thoughts of bringing Mason to meet his parents, showing him off to the world, and protecting him like the world would end if he didn't.
Not that he needed protection.
Terrance was well aware that as strong and smart as Mason was, he'd be able to take care of himself and didn't need an Alpha to protect him, but Terrance couldn't deny his desire to defend his mate at all costs.
"You've been staring at that page for twenty minutes and haven't typed a word," a voice said from behind Terrance, making him jump and splash his front with coffee.
"Shit!" Terrance helped as the coffee stuck to his skin and burned him. "Ow!"
Mason gasped in terror and sprinted off to get a wet cloth before cleaning Terrance as best as he could. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you or make you burn yourself! Here's the key to my apartment so you can go get a new shirt!" he exclaimed rapidly, sounding horrified by what he'd just accidentally done.
Terrance winced slightly, the visible coffee-painted skin completely red from the heat. "Thank you," he said, taking the key. "And don't worry, I was just lost in thought."
Mason didn't look convinced. "You can use the shower, too! To clean off the coffee!" he said, hands shaking as he held the cloth.
"Thanks," Terrance said slowly, confused by Mason's sudden skittish behavior. "Come upstairs with me."
Mason realized it was an order, not a question and nodded before following his mate. They went through the back and up the stairs, ignoring a sultry wink from Henry who figured they were disappearing for other reasons.
Once they were upstairs, Mason began to rush around, grabbing clothes, a towel, shampoo and conditioner, and an ice pack for Terrance before ushering the Alpha to the bathroom so he could shower.
"Why are you so jumpy?" Terrance asked, reaching out to touch Mason's elbow but frowning when the Omega jumped and moved out of Terrance's reach. "What's wrong?"
Mason seemed scared for a second before he blinked and shook his head, almost as if trying to pull himself from a trance. His eyes suddenly brightened and he blinked a few times, gazing at his mate.
"Were we about to shower together or something?" he asked warily, his usual bored and 'I'm done with the world' look back on his face. "How did I get up here?"
It was now Terrance's turn to be confused. "You made me come up here so I could shower," he said slowly, nodding toward the supplies sitting on the floor of the bathroom. "You accidentally scared me and I spilled coffee on myself and you got weirdly caring and seemed terrified by what had happened."
Surprise and confusion graced Mason's face. "I did?" he asked, as if the memory wasn't anywhere in his mind. "I remember approaching you and accidentally scaring you..."
"And then?"
"And then I went into a daze," Mason finished, looking at the ice pack that he suddenly noticed in his palm. "Until I snapped out of it a few seconds ago."
Terrance took the ice pack and held it to the most painful burn which laid on his chest just belong his throat. "Has that ever happened before?"
"No... I'm going to talk to Henry about it," Mason said, glancing at Terrance and quickly looking over his body. "You can shower. And, if you want, you can lay down and ice your burned area... there's a fridge-freezer combo in my art studio if that ice pack gets warm or if you want a snack."
Terrance thanked him and waited for Mason to leave before turning the water on cold and climbing in. He didn't like seeing Mason confused by his own actions, but he couldn't deny that his wolf was greatly satisfied when Mason's only concern appeared to be pleasing and soothing him.
•••
"I have a problem!" Mason called as he entered the bakery and found Henry typing away at his phone. "I need your full attention!"
Henry glanced up. "Proceed," he said, flipping his phone over and shutting his mouth so Mason could speak.
"Okay, so you took Omega Studies in college, right?"
Narrowing his eyes in confusion, Henry slowly nodded.
"Do you remember anything from it?"
"Some stuff," Henry said as he readjusted on his stool so he was facing Mason and offering his full attention. "Why?"
Mason sat across from him on the other stool. "Have you ever heard of an Omega messing up and freezing on the spot? And their wolf taking over because they're so scared that their Alpha is going to attack them and punish them?" he asked, looking at his hands and not making eye contact.
Henry stayed silent for a few minutes before nodding, giving Mason a pained look. "It's a defense mechanism often seen in Omegas who have gone through some kind of trauma," he said, watching Mason tense up. "What happened?"
"I scared Terrance and he splashed coffee on himself and I lost control of my wolf... it took over and all I could feel was fear and terror... like, my only focus was to make sure he wasn't mad at me," Mason explained as Henry nodded slowly.
"You don't really trust Alphas, Mace. We know that," Henry stated. "I think Terrance, since he's your mate and a genuinely good person, is breaking down the walls you have in place and while it's a good thing, it's also bringing up memories of what you left behind when you came here."
Mason bared his teeth, showing he didn't want to talk about his past. "Shut up, Henry. I don't want to talk about that," he growled, goosebumps forming on his skin and his heart throbbing as he tried to redirect his mind.
"It's true, though," Henry said, giving him a piteous look. "I think that trance you went into is your wolf's reaction to fear and you are subconsciously afraid so you let it take over. And, I also think some of the fear lies with the fact that you're uncomfortable to give in to accepting another Alpha, especially since this one is your mate and you have never been able to trust an Alpha besides me before."
"I don't want to talk about it," Mason repeated, fumbling with his fingers and frowning. "Please stop. I can't think about this right now."
Henry sighed and gave a small nod. "He's going to wonder about it eventually."
"He's already curious," Mason mumbled. "He asked me why I hate Alphas last night and I got him to stop but it's only a matter of time."
"Are you gonna tell him?"
Mason walked toward the front and looked at the small mess where Terrance was sitting. "Eventually. If I don't reject him first."
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