Daniel

Work was winding down for the evening, but unfortunately, tonight was a team-building dinner. A month had come and gone since the last one. Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I sighed, allowing the darkness of the cubicle to shield me from the prying eyes of those around me.

I didn’t want to go and yet I was strangely reluctant to let Finn go unprotected. Not to mention our other Omegas on staff. Someone had to make sure creeps like the last one didn’t bother any of them again.

“What did we decide on tonight? Sushi, was it?” Shaquita asked, to no one in particular.

“Think so,” Ben said as he zipped past her with an empty coffee mug in hand. He was headed toward the lounge area to clean it for the night.

I quietly groaned and dropped my head into my hands, feeling a raging headache starting to unfurl at the back of my skull. I was nauseous too. The sound of food, any food, wasn’t sounding so good right now.

“You’re coming right, Finn?” Shaquita asked.

I peeked up and immediately my attention was captured by him. Finn was dressed in pressed navy-blue chino pants, with a pair of rich tan slip-on dress shoes and no socks. His delicate ankles were on full display and my mouth felt suddenly dry. He also had on a paisley print button-up with a hunter-green cashmere sweater layered over it and a navy blue tie.

My heart beat wildly in my chest.

Finn brushed a hand through his hair which had looked gelled this morning but was now much looser. “Not today.”

I frowned as my stomach sank. No way. What?

Why had my stomach sunk? I was seriously getting sick. I had to be. That was the only logical explanation.

Shaquita clapped her hands. “Oh, that’s right!” Her vivid, green-painted eyes widened. “You have that blind date tonight!”

“Ohh,” Molly said in singsong. “Is that tonight? Ohmygod, I’d be soooo nervous. What if she’s your fate—”

My chair scraped roughly against the squeaky floor as I shot to my feet.

Everyone’s eyes turned toward me. Finn’s slight smile vanished as he turned my way. All talking ceased and I instantly felt like a sideshow attraction. I coughed into my fist and without saying a word headed for the restroom.

What the actual hell was wrong with me today? It wasn’t just this headache. I was pissed. I could feel my pheromones dripping off me. But why?

Because a guy who hated me had a date on some dumb ass app that promised it could bring him his Fate? Pft. This wasn’t like me. Dammit. It was just these damn pheromones, I needed sex. Tonight. Now. Soon.

Argh…

Reaching into my pocket I grabbed my suppressant prescription. I hated the way those things made me feel, but a company dinner with me leaking this way was out of the question.

I needed to calm the hell down. Find myself a partner for the evening and then I’d be right as rain again.

I was just splashing a palmful of water on my face when I felt someone move into the space behind me. Looking up I was surprised to see that it was Finn’s reflection in the mirror.

It wasn’t in my head to say that he looked genuinely worried.

“Headache?” he asked softly.

A droplet of water plopped off my chin into the sink as I slowly shook my head. “It’s fine.”

“That’s not what I asked.” Walking up behind me he set yet another bottle of Motrin down. I’d never had the heart to tell him they did nothing. “You know you have them a lot. Have you gotten that checked out?”

His question was intrusive, and yet I couldn’t find it in me to tell him so. And to tell him the truth would require a lengthy explanation I didn’t have in me to give. Sighing deeply, I said, “Yeah. Couple of times, actually. Just stress.”

I turned, so that I was no longer simply gazing at his reflection, but his face. I could read the subtle nuances clearer that way.

Finn’s bright blue eyes looked unconvinced as he studied my face. “Then maybe figure out some way to cut that down.”

I laughed, which made my head feel like someone had suddenly taken a drill to it. “You ever figure out how to do that, make sure you patent it. You’ll make a fortune.”

He snorted and stuck his tongue out. But there was no heat behind it. Tapping his temple, he said, “Yeah, that sounded better in my head.”

I sniffed but couldn’t quite hide the twitch of my lips.

“Hot date, huh?” I asked the obvious as my hand, limp at my side, suddenly balled into a fist. I couldn’t understand why I was so annoyed by the thought.

He gave a one-shouldered shrug looking on edge as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean… yeah, I guess so. It was Rory’s idea. She set this thing up.”

My brows twitched. He didn’t seem too into the idea; I liked that for some reason. Taking two steps nearer to him I expected him to back up or tell me to move out of his space. So, I was shocked to note his chin tip up as he stood his ground.

Small frown lines had settled around his eyes and mouth, my thumb itched to rub them away. No one this cute should ever look that sad. Or maybe, it had less to do with cuteness and more to do with I didn’t want him looking so sad.

He was so small. I could cradle him in one arm. He looked as light as a feather. What would he do if I dared?

“Fate?” I said, aware in a small corner of my mind that my voice had grown suddenly husky.

His lips parted, and he looked flushed. A heartbeat passed before he blinked. “What?”

“It’s a dating app for Alphas and Omegas.”

“Oh, um…” he laughed lightly as he nervously scratched at the back of his neck, “Um… yeah. How’d you…how’d you know?”

“My friend told me about it too.”

Why hadn’t I ever noticed that his blue eyes weren’t just one shade of blue but multiple hues? Some were as dark as the depths of the ocean floor, and others were as clear as glass.

My pulse raced.

“I got five matches,” he said, sounding breathless, “though with my luck they’re all gonna be toads.”

“Think you mean frogs,” I said, voice still rough and deep.

“I said what I said,” he bristled, but there was an airiness to his tone too and it made me shiver.

Feeling a perverse desire to push my luck, I took another step into him. Our chests were so close that if one of us took a deep enough breath we’d have felt it. Still, Finn didn’t move. His scent of woodsy musk and cool waters was distracting, he didn’t usually wear cologne. Though he was tonight.

I wondered if either of those scents were close to his pheromone? What did he smell like naturally?

I wet my lips and a second later he did too.

“You know that stuff’s bogus, right?” A perverse desire to get a rise out of him overtook me. I wanted to see the angry chipmunk come out to play.

I leaned even closer.

Still, he did not move.

Why the hell wasn’t he moving? Didn’t he realize I was being a domineering A-hole?

A muscle in his cheek twitched, and it was all I could do not to run the tip of my finger along the length of it.

“How would you know unless you try?” he asked, almost challengingly.

I chuckled. “Should I try? Finn?”

A breath spilled off his tongue and as though suddenly aware of what he’d been doing, he took a large step back and hugged his arms to himself.

The space between us, once warm, now felt cold and empty. I frowned, what was wrong with me today? I rubbed at my now throbbing temple.

“I. I don’t know. Up to you, I guess. But are you ready to give up the horndog bachelor life?” He laughed, but the sound was strained.

A pang shot through me. I never got pissed about others noticing how frequently I swapped out partners. Hell, can’t get mad about what’s true. But I was mad hearing it come from him.

A sudden urge to tell him why, to explain that if I didn’t do it I might literally die, gripped me, but just as quickly I realized how stupid it would sound. Who would ever buy such a dumb story?

So, I settled for a grin that was probably meaner than I wanted it to look.

“Sure. Finn. Whatever you say.”

He blew out a deep breath and glanced down at the ground. His brows gathered tight.

“Yeah, I should, ah—” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, “I should go. My date’s waiting for me.”

I didn’t say goodbye and I didn’t wave, I watched him walk away from me. Only once he’d gone did I move. Turning, I picked up the bottle of Motrin and sniffed it.

What did he smell like?

But as with all collared Omegas, his scent was hidden from me. Probably better that way.

What if this date was Finn’s Fate? The thought sat heavy in my gut. Growling, I wondered why the hell he was choosing to hang out with a stranger for the evening. Even if this had been Rory’s idea for him, some part of him must have wanted to be mated to be so willing to go on this date.

My stomach flipped.

Yet again I wondered why I cared so much. Snatching up a napkin I wiped the rest of the water off my face, only to realize as I did, shockingly, the headache and nausea were gone.

I stared at my reflection… I couldn’t remember the last time the sickness had come and gone so quickly. Maybe that chipmunk was good for me after all. I snorted at my folly and shook my head.

“Ah, whatever.”

~*~

Later that night I sat up in bed, my partner for the evening long gone. I’d only half-heartedly been in it, and the second she’d orgasmed she’d dipped out too. I stared at the app on my phone.

Was it possible that somewhere in this vast world one person existed for me too? Someone able to handle the predator I was.

I might have two, or three years left at the rate I was going. What did I have to lose?

Not overthinking it, I filled out my profile. Less than a minute after uploading I was already matched up with five “Fates.” No names were given, just statistical probability ratings. Most were sixty to seventy percent, but number one was special.

99.9% statistical match.

I laughed but swiped right. Why the hell not? This was so stupid. A message popped up that my match had been buzzed and if they agreed, a time and date would be set.

“God, I feel like a clown already,” I said to myself.

But if Finn could be brave, couldn’t I be?

And maybe if I found them, I could let my curiosity about Finn go.

Maybe.