5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Corey

I was excited to see the town and den that my brother has bragged about for the past several weeks. For the size of it, he said it had almost everything I looked for without the hustle and bustle of Main Street. I liked towns that were hardly more than a blip on the map.

It would've been perfect, except my tour was thick with tension… sexual tension. My brother always talked about Zane as his right-hand bear, the person who supported him through everything. That was great and all, but right now, I wished that he wasn't any of those things and was a rando den mate. How much easier this all would've been.

I could hear the love and respect that Zane had for my brother and this den in his voice, underneath the tension that lingered between us. He wasn't doing this to be an alphahole. He was choosing duty first. It was commendable, but also the suckiest thing imaginable.

My bear drooped with sadness within me because Zane's scent was telling me one thing, yet his human side was telling me another. Whatever connection we had, fated or otherwise, could not be. Promises were made, ones Zane refused to break and ones my brother made on my behalf.

To most people, the prospect of having a fated mate would trump having an arranged mating. Right? It wasn't like we were in the days of old where omegas were traded like livestock and this was strictly a business transaction.

My brother could and would see that, right? It wasn't like I found a random guy from speed dating or what have you. Zane was my fated mate. Done.

Or in this case, very much not done.

Perhaps later, I'd call him and ask him straight out. It wasn't like we were the types to keep secrets from each other. Or would that put him in a bind with the timing? I for sure didn't want to make things harder for him.

He sounded jolly enough when I called, but also, he was in negotiations… negotiations for me. Calling and asking him if he could take it all back so I could get it on with his second… that'd be a yikes if I ever heard one.

But this evening, when he was alone, maybe that would be a good time. Keeping it from him was a shit choice too. Why were all the options crappy? Why?

I wasn't planning to mention any of this to Zane. For whatever reason he seemed hell-bent on pawning me off. It didn't make sense. It wasn't that he didn't feel it too, and I might not have been the best catch on this planet, but I for sure wasn't the worst.

He opened the door for me, and I climbed into the passenger seat of his truck. The place was saturated with his scent, and when the door shut me in, it only amplified it. I quickly rolled down the window, needing some fresh air if I was going to make it through this.

Given how quickly he dismissed my bond, he was being quite the gentleman—opening and closing the door for me, letting me control the air and radio, and asking me what sights I was interested in seeing. Such a difference from his immediate rejection. I swore the man was going to give me whiplash.

"That's the mechanic shop." He pointed to a brown building with four large, white, overhead doors and a little office building attached. It looked pretty active for the small town.

"That's yours, right?"

"The den owns it," he said.

"Right, but you run it? And Aydan mentioned that your business is one of the first ones that will need the accounting help since you have the most business." It sounded like I was on a job interview instead of talking to my mate. Ugh.

"The den owns the business," he said. "I'm just a mechanic."

That was not what my brother had said, but I could understand his modesty. We were, after all, driven by our need to provide for our den, not just ourselves.

"Perhaps tomorrow I can swing by and look at the books? See where I can get started."

A muscle ticked in his jaw. "I suppose," he said. "I have one of my guys tracking down a new tire for your car also."

My cheeks heated. He was taking care of me. I loved it.

He continued, "You could start with the diner's books. That also has a lot of business."

Ouch.

"Aydan mentioned that the chef, Patrick, is keeping up with his books just fine, but yours needed more help."

He flinched.

"I'm under strict instructions that come directly from Aydan."

And now I pivoted away from job interview mode to asshole mode. What was wrong with me? Why did I feel the need to throw his words back at him? He didn't want me around. I knew that. I tried not to take it personally but, well, it was personal. More personal than any other rejection I'd ever faced.

His jaw tensed again, and I had the strangest urge to cup his cheek until he relaxed under my touch. That wouldn't go well.

"Okay. Tomorrow then."

He pulled into the diner, which was across the street from the mechanic shop. It was another place bustling with activity, which was no surprise. Diners were often the heart of a town.

As we exited the car, he flagged down a couple walking along the street and they both broke into a huge smile and jogged over to us. At least someone was happy to see me.

"Cynthia, Carmen, I'd like to introduce you to Corey, Alpha Aydan's brother."

I smiled wide and held out my hand. They both shook it. It was such a human thing to do, but I'd had it so engrained in me that in human spaces you act human, and this might've been a den-heavy space, but there could easily be a human in the dinner or the parking lot.

"It's really great to meet you. Aydan's told us so much about you," the one named Carmen said.

"Likewise," I said. "I'm really happy to be here." Ish. I was happy-ish. Things weren't exactly turning out the way I wanted them to, that was for sure.

"If you guys aren't doing anything right now, would you like to finish the tour for Corey? I need to get back to the shop." And just like that he tried to pawn me off on anyone who would take me. Fabulous.

A man wearing a set of greasy overalls came out of the diner and caught his comment. "We cleared your schedule today, boss. You don't need to be at the shop. You wanted to welcome Corey and give him a tour." He turned to me. "I'm Russ, by the way."

I smiled at him. "I think perhaps Beta Zane doesn't like to be away from his work for too long." But he sure likes to be away from me.

Russ's brow furrowed. "It is an honor to welcome the Alpha's brother to the den. Zane was looking forward to a day off."

That muscle ticked again in Zane's jaw. The playful side of me loved the reaction that we were getting from my ma—from Zane. But I didn't wish to cause him more stress. He might not want me, but that didn't mean I wasn't already starting to care about him.

The entire emotional roller coaster I was on was only getting more intense by the second.

"Of course, it's an honor to show Corey around. I'm more than happy to do it. But you know how I wanted to fix that truck?" Why did that sound like a question?

Russ let out a bellowing laugh. "That truck's been broken for longer than we've been here. It'll probably remain broken. Have fun today, boss." He clapped Zane on the shoulder and walked across the street. "Welcome to Windridge, Corey! We'll have your car back in ship-shape in no time!"

"Thank you." I turned to Zane. "Shall we continue our tour?" I gave him my widest grin, unable to stop the teasing smile.

"Of course."

He thanked Cynthia and Carmen, and then we walked along the sidewalk. It was as if a magnet pulled me closer to Zane's side. I wanted to hold his hand or maybe have his arm around my shoulder, heck, I'd accept just brushing against him from time to time.

More than that, I wanted to learn everything there was about him.

The fated mate pull was strong. I was sure this was what I was experiencing, even if he denied it. In hindsight, I wonder if Russ sensed it too, and that was why he was so quick to push his friend to stay with me.

Would I do to my own children what my parents had done to Aydan and me? If I let the mate pull consume me the way they had them? My parents—they were not who I wanted to be. They were not who I wanted anyone to be. They practically abandoned Aydan and me as soon as we could hunt for ourselves. They were consumed with their need for one another, it was like nothing else existed in their world.

Zane's hand came to my shoulder.

"Is everything all right?" he said.

I suddenly turned and said, "Fine." I pasted on a smile. I was very much not fine. "Everything's fine," I lied. "I do appreciate you showing me around today."

"Of course," he said. "I'm happy to do it." Even though he just tried to pass me on to someone else.

I chuckled. "Well, you're obligated to do it."

He let out a long breath. "Yes, I did volunteer, and I am obligated because it was a command from my Alpha. But I'm happy to spend time with you."

It seemed to pain him to admit that. Was it because he didn't want this attraction or because of the fact that I was promised to another? Was he maybe scared of my brother? I never had been, but he'd always been my protector, so I saw him differently than others.

I might've been promised to another, and perhaps it was wrong of me to flirt with this bear. But my beast told me that he was mine. There was no denying him, the way he denied me.

His scent called to me, and I had learned to always trust my instincts. But what if they were wrong this time? What if instead of leading me into the future I long for, they were leading me down the same path my parents had taken? What if I was like them after all?