4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Zane

It was a fluke. It had to be. There was no way that my nose truly scented what it did in my Alpha's brother. Fate didn't make mistakes, did they?

It was a trick of being too tired and being woken up by having a suitcase tossed on top of me. That's what it was. Fate would not be this cruel to gift me a mate who was a man I had been told—in no uncertain terms—was completely off-limits. A man who was, for all intents and purposes, betrothed to another.

It couldn't be. It just could not.

Yet, when I laid my head down that night after walking back to the garage, I'd been unable to get the scent of him out of my nostrils. I was bathed in the scent of oranges and a hint of rose, and something else I could not quite pinpoint. Whatever it was, it kept me up for the entire night. My sleep was short, bits of dreams about an omega with thick, dark hair that I could bury my fingers in as I held his head to kiss him.

And that wasn't even the worst of it.

I woke up with a rock-hard dick and an absolute refusal to do anything about it. Because the minute I reached for it, visions of Corey filled my mind. I had only been in his presence for mere moments, yet I could easily picture him there with me while I fisted my cock. And sure, maybe it was within the letter of the law to jerk off to the image and memory of Corey, but it felt like a deep betrayal to the promise I'd made Aydan.

It was extremely difficult, but I stopped myself. I could not, would not, continue down this path. Unfortunately, there was no avoiding him completely. The only thing I could do was control my own behavior.

I was tasked with giving him the tour this morning. Even if I wanted to pawn him off on another, which I didn't—my need to be near him growing by the second—but I promised his brother that, as well. I was good and screwed and not in the fun way I wanted to be screwing the sexy omega a brief walk away. And so, at the crack of dawn, I was awake, drinking my coffee, hating the predicament I was in.

I opened up the shop and handed over the reins to Russ, who would handle things while I was gone. He was good at his work and didn't mind. Even if he did, Alpha's orders came first. I tasked him with getting a tire to replace the one my mate had blown.

By ten, I was making the short trek to Corey's home, the one that sat directly next to the Alpha's home. It'd be a good place for Corey and his new mate, whenever he arrived.

My bear grumbled.

Just because we want him to be our mate, doesn't mean he is our mate, I reminded him. And besides, he didn't acknowledge us either. Although there was no denying his arousal.

Within a few moments, I had my bear under control and was knocking. Corey opened the door. He bit his lip and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was so fucking adorable I couldn't stand it.

"Come on in," he said, stepping out of the way to allow me passage. I hated how much I longed for him to have thrown his arms around us or given an encouraging smile.

I followed him into the kitchen where he was enjoying his own coffee, his hands wrapped around the mug.

"Would you like some?" he said, indicating the half-full pot. My little omega liked his coffee.

Only he wasn't mine, and I needed to stop allowing my brain to wander to scenarios where he was.

I shook my head. "I already had my cup for the day."

His brow furrowed. "Just one?"

"That's all I need. How much do you drink?" The way his eyes went wide, I was anticipated double digits. Or maybe instead of measuring in actual serving sizes and to be fair, by that model, I had about triple the amount I stated, he's say a bit.

By that standard I had more, too. Not my fault I got a huge-ass mug at a Secret Santa one year.

He chuckled. "Way too much. I like to try out different flavors, too. Is there a coffee shop in town? I like lattes."

I wasn't even sure how they were different from au lait, but they both had milk. That was something, right?

Gods, I longed to get him one, to show him I was worthy. It was dumb. Getting a latte because someone said they liked it only meant you did a nice deed one time, nothing more. Still, if I could manage it, I would've.

Instead, I shook my head. "We've talked about opening one, but so far no one has stepped up to run that endeavor. Everyone just makes their own coffee at home."

"Oh," he said. "Maybe I'll see about getting one of those fancy machines for here then."

Not me, standing there trying to follow the promise I gave his brother while at the same time calculating if I had enough money to buy Corey a top-of-the-line fancy coffee maker. I was screwed. There was no way I was going to make it through today at this rate. None.

"Right, so how about I give you a tour of the town." And do it walking and outside in the hopes a breeze will sweep your delicious scent away from me . "Then I can get back to work."

Or let my bear out. He was even more on edge than I was. He needed the time to run.

"We're not going to talk about this?"

I stiffened. "I don't know what to say, Corey."

He smiled. "I like the sound of my name on your lips."

Corey wasn't helping.

A shudder went down my spine. I pinched my eyes closed. "You can't say things like that."

"Sorry." He didn't look sorry. His grin was downright mischievous, and it made me want to chase him around the kitchen until I finally caught him and pulled him into my arms.

"Your brother has talked to you about his plans, right?" I didn't see him as someone who would lie about that, but given the situation, I wasn't so sure. Shouldn't he be concerned for the same reasons I was?

Corey nodded.

"I've been given strict instructions that came directly from Aydan. He's my Alpha, the Alpha of this den. I'm his second-in-command. I cannot disobey him." Gods, I sounded like a jackhole.

"Surely, Aydan—"

I cut him off. "We don't know anything about what we are."

Lies. All lies.

Corey's brow rose. "You would deny it? Deny me?"

I grimaced. I couldn't fathom the idea of denying my fated mate. But wasn't that exactly what I was doing?

I licked my lips, still not able to look directly at him. "I don't know," I said. "I know that you have been promised to another. You're practically engaged to another alpha."

Engaged, what a human word. But then again, what they were doing was taken directly out of the human playbook.

"Surely if we tell Aydan and—"

"Disrupt his carefully orchestrated plans?" I said with a raised eyebrow.

Corey flushed. "You're right. He does not like his plans to be disrupted. Perhaps you're on to something and it's not anything. It's just attraction, right? That's nothing."

If that was true, why did hearing that hurt so much. I refused to let Corey see my pain. He deserved better.

I nodded, though I hated to hear him dismiss our connection so easily. Even though that was exactly what I was doing. Even though this entire situation sucked beyond measure.

"Let's get through this tour. And then your brother will be home, and we can talk to him about it."

"No, thank you."

My fingers twitched as if I couldn't bear not to reach out and touch him. My animal roared underneath the surface, clawing like he was an animal in a cage, pacing the length of his barrier. I would not make a move.

Corey was off-limits, and I needed to remember that.

"It's for the best." But if it was right, why did it hurt so badly?

"Of course," he said, straightening his back and rolling his shoulders. "You're right. I'm engaged. I just talked to Aydan about it yesterday. Everything's going to be fine."

Was he trying to convince himself or me? If it was me, he was failing. Everything was not going to be fine. It wasn't possible given the hand we were dealt.

"Right," I said to him.

"So, show me around this place. I didn't get to see it in the light yet."

I grinned. "You're going to love it."

And if luck was on our sides, we'd discover that we weren't at all compatible, that we found each other annoying or something.

I had a strong feeling that would not be the case.