9. Warwick

Chapter 9

My talk with Atticus and Damien last evening had kept me up most of the night. My meeting with Master Edison this morning has been much more helpful, and I certainly wanted to talk to Cecil. When I left the council building to go to the omega clinic to see if he was available for a quick chat and then maybe lunch later, I didn't expect to find him standing out front with Dr. King, Atticus, and Damien. I didn't understand that I couldn't scent him, but I acknowledged that my beast was most certainly drawn to the cute omega.

I walked over, wondering if he had time to chat and, if so, what exactly I would say to him. I knew what Master Edison had recommended, but could I remember to get everything out? I wasn't so sure.

"Everything all right?" Atticus asked as he joined me. I wasn't sure Cecil had seen me yet, but I'd certainly noticed him.

"Sure. I just need to talk to Cecil for a moment," I told him. After talking to Master Edison, I'd picked up on what he'd been telling me about my beast. I'd asked him how he knew so much about hellhounds and what we were going through, and he'd simply said that the goddess had told him. It was a bit frustrating. If she could give us back our magical powers, why couldn't she give us the ability to scent our mates like any other shifter? It didn't matter too terribly much. I just wanted to talk to Cecil and see if he was available later.

"See you in a bit," I told Atticus. I walked away without a thought for my pack alpha, and when I made it to Cecil, my first thought was what he was thinking. "Cecil?"

"Hi, Warwick."

He remembered my name. And that was something, I guess.

"Hi. I need to talk to you," I said. "Will you have time later on this afternoon?" I wasn't sure how the day would go with me trying to focus on work while not worrying about Cecil and what he would say.

Cecil glanced over at Dr. King before he looked back my way. "I have time now if you'd like to talk. We have a very slow day today."

Dr. King nodded at me. "Then perhaps you'd like to go for a walk?" I held out my hand, indicating the walkway that would lead us to mated enforcer housing. I had a reason for it beyond the actual walk. My meeting with Master Edison had been quite informative, and he'd already brought up mated enforcer housing and let me know the entire row of houses beside Damien and Ledger were available. Would Cecil be willing to move there with me? Would he want me for his mate, despite the probability that we were fated to be together? I still didn't quite understand the why of that, but I couldn't deny the fact that I was drawn to the omega.

"I can go with you for a walk now if you'd like," Cecil told me.

He was looking up at me expectantly, and since I honestly didn't know what to do, I simply started walking. He said he'd go with me, so that meant we were having a walk, did it not? It probably took me longer than it should to realize that Cecil wasn't beside me. When I noticed, I saw that he was several steps behind me, with a scowl on his face. Gone was the smile that had been there not long ago, and my beast was growling at me. I stopped, wondering what I'd done wrong. Cecil caught up and glared up at me.

"You said you wanted to go for a walk. I assumed that meant we'd walk together, not that you'd take off and I'd have to practically run to keep up with you."

Ah, so that was it. "I apologize. I'm not used to walking at a slower pace." I held out my arm, indicating the direction I'd been walking. "Would you like to continue on? There are a few things I'd like to talk to you about." Cecil narrowed his eyes. I held up my hands in surrender. "I'll walk slow. You can set the pace. Please? We have things to talk about, I think."

Cecil stared at me for a long moment before he nodded once. I wasn't sure how I was going to smooth things over. I wasn't sure what all I'd done wrong. Cecil started walking, and I quickly realized I needed to halve my stride in order to match his pace.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Do you know what we are to each other?" I asked. I looked down at the omega that for some reason had been chosen to be my mate, according to what everyone was telling me. I would have thought I of all people would have been gifted an alpha for a mate, but I guess not. Cecil was cute. He had brown hair, but it was lighter than mine and was most definitely a lot shorter. It was cut really close on the sides and back but longer on top. His brown eyes looked inviting, whereas I knew mine looked black most of the time.

"What do you mean? You're an enforcer, and I'm the office manager at the omega clinic."

I stopped. Did he not recognize our connection? I'd been told that he would because he was a shifter and could scent our connection.

"This is true. Is that all? Nothing more?" I added.

"I'm not sure what you're getting at, Warwick."

I thought about it for a moment before nodding. My beast wasn't happy with Cecil's words, but there wasn't much I could do about that.

"I do apologize," I said finally. "I didn't mean to bother you. Did you wish for me to walk you back to the omega clinic?" I looked at Cecil, waiting for his response. I was incredibly confused by everything. Everyone had assured me that my beast had been telling me that Cecil was our mate.

"You aren't bothering me, Warwick." Cecil sighed. "Not really. I had a really shitty day yesterday, and after what Dr. King said to me and what your friends tried to explain, I shouldn't be taking things out on you." Cecil took a few steps away before turning back to me. "You asked me what we are to each other. And that question could be answered so many ways. I do apologize for answering the way I did."

I shook my head. "You answered truthfully. I'll walk you back." I turned to start the short trek back to the council building, where we could go our separate ways.

"No, Warwick."

I stopped and redirected my attention to Cecil. "No? I do understand you don't need me to walk you back. The mountain is perfectly safe."

Cecil rolled his eyes. "They weren't kidding when they said you could be difficult."

I tilted my head. "I'm only myself. I don't know how to be any other way."

Cecil shook his head. "I understand that. And I'm not asking you to change. But I didn't need to be an ass when you asked that question. If you were asking if I scented you as my mate, then yes, I did."

My beast howled in my head. It wasn't any type of warning howl, which told me that most likely what Cecil had said was what he had been trying to tell me.

"I cannot scent you," I told him. I furrowed my brow as I thought about what I had just said. "What I mean is, yes, I do scent you, and you smell nice. But for me, there isn't anything about your scent that magically tells me you are my mate." Cecil blinked up at me. When he continued to do so, I nodded. "Wrong thing again, I guess."

"Maybe wrong delivery. I was warned you were going to step on feelings. They were right." Cecil took a deep breath and sighed. "So now what?"

I was going to step on feelings? Whose? How? It took me a moment to realize that Cecil was meaning his. I frowned. "I did not mean to cause hurt."

"I'm beginning to understand that. And so much more. I've not been around the hellhounds for the most part. It's going to take a bit to get used to how you see things."

I was still trying to figure out the feelings thing.

"What do we do now?" Cecil asked.

I tried to move past the feelings thing. And who was "they"? It must have been Atticus and Damien. Did my packmates have so little faith in my ability with partners?

"Warwick?"

I blinked a few times and nodded. "Yeah. Umm…what do you wish to do? Master Edison was talking to me and let me know there were houses we could move into. Would you like to look at them? Not that we're mated yet. We're not, and I understand that you might not wish to have me as your mate." I didn't know how that would work exactly. Cecil was an omega, and he would go into heat. Would my beast become uncontrollable if that were the case?

Cecil glanced around. His scent changed, and immediately, I wondered why he was so upset. "What's wrong?"

"Can we talk?" Cecil looked around again. "In private?"

I noticed a few other enforcers heading this way, coming from the direction of mated enforcer housing. I nodded at Cecil and reached out for his hand. When he placed his in mine, I thought about my place in single enforcer housing. We were once again standing in the entryway, and Cecil looked up at me with wide eyes.

"That's going to take some getting used to. When you do it, I feel it in my stomach so much more."

"I'm sorry. That's actually been mentioned by others before. The best explanation we have is that our magic is a bit different from that of a warlock or fae. We are both shifters as well as magic wielders."

Cecil nodded, then looked toward the house. "Is this your place?"

"Yes. It should be fairly private. Augustus lives two doors over, but he's already at work. The place in between us is empty. Would you like to go sit?"

Cecil looked up at me expectantly with a small smile. I took that as a yes, so I led him into the house. It was never more obvious that my place was lacking in décor and furniture.

"Did you move in recently?"

That only proved my last thought, and I snorted. "No, and I was just thinking about how empty the place is." We'd made it to the living room, and I gestured for Cecil to sit. "I sleep here, and that's about all. Well, and shower. I eat at the council. Sometimes I watch television, but not often." I sat beside Cecil and waited. When he didn't start talking, I tried to think of a way to bring it up. "You wanted to talk?" I simply said.

"Yes." Cecil looked down at his hands, which were laced together in his lap. He seemed nervous, which confused me as much as him being upset before.

"We don't have to talk if you've changed your mind."

"No, I want to." Cecil took a deep breath before he looked up at me. "You know who my great-grandparents are." I nodded. "Grandpa Lev is great. He's probably my favorite person. He's always understood that there was something going on between me and my parents, but he's not ever pushed the issue."

"I have only ever seen Alpha mate Lev from a distance. He's at the council, I know, but he doesn't seem as if he ventures too far from Alpha Vitomir's office."

Cecil smiled. "He's usually trying to keep Grandfather calm. He's incredibly stubborn and can tend to be brash at times."

I chuckled. That was one way to describe the created polar bear. "I will only say that I agree with that."

Cecil's smile grew. "But Grandfather, despite all of that, is a good man. He's lost children and grandchildren, and it hit him and Grandpa Lev hard." Cecil shook his head as his eyes seemed to look off into the distance, but they weren't focused. "That's not what I wanted to talk about though. I wanted to know what you wanted from your mate?"

I thought about it for a moment, trying to figure out what he was asking. "Don't all mates wish for the same thing?" I asked. "Damien and Ledger, Atticus and Brice. They are happy to be together. They go for runs together. Damien and Atticus get goofy smiles on their faces before they disappear for a bit and come back like they just had the best sex of their lives."

Cecil bit his lower lip. "That sounds nice." Cecil nodded. "But you're an alpha though. And I'm an omega. Is that what you want? Would you rather have another alpha for your mate? Or are you looking for a family?"

I stared at Cecil. He was saying something to me without actually speaking the words. I could tell. But what?

"Do you not want a family? Or is it that you're thinking I wouldn't?" I waited when Cecil's eyes widened a bit. I might have been close. "I'll be honest that I don't dislike kids. There are several around the council. But I don't think I'll be a good parent. I'm big, and most others tend to avoid me. My size is intimidating, and the thought of being responsible for a tiny being is something I never considered because I never thought to have a mate."

Cecil took several deep breaths. "What if we didn't have kids?"

I stared at Cecil, wondering why this line of questions. "You are an omega. Do you not wish for children?" I'd always heard that omegas were loving, nurturing, and were naturals when it came to raising families.

Cecil blinked several times before turning his head. "I want kids, but I can't have them," he whispered.

"What do you mean? We just met, so of course you've not been able to have children before now."

Cecil met my gaze, and I saw tears in his eyes. "I can't have children, Warwick. I've never had a heat cycle. I'm almost a century old, and I've never gone into heat. So if you want children, I won't be able to give them to you in that way."

I sat there looking at Cecil for a moment before I held out my hand. He took it, and I gave his a squeeze. "Children aren't necessary. If you would like them, I'm sure that the council knows of shifter children that need families. We can go that route if you'd like. The council has already rescued several shifter children that have been placed. We can ask to be considered if that is what you wish."

Cecil closed his eyes and with his free hand swiped at his cheeks. "You'd do that? You don't think less of me because I can't have children?"

I know my brow furrowed. "Why would I? I cannot have children. Does that make me less of a person?"

Cecil took a deep breath. "Wait, so hellhounds can't have children anyway?"

I shook my head. "Not what I meant. We can if we're paired with an omega. At least that's what the goddess said in a meeting. But what I meant was I cannot carry a child." I gave his hand another gentle squeeze. "If you do not have heat cycles and cannot have children in that way, although I understand that can be upsetting for you, but I do not consider it to be a reason to deny the fact that we are mates." Cecil took several deep breaths, and I realized he was fighting tears. I used magic to hand him a tissue, and when he took it, I let go of his hand. "Is that why you have a poor relationship with your parents?"

Cecil shook his head while wiping his eyes. "Not completely." He wiped his nose and took another breath. "My mother is human, and she's always been obsessed with her image. Hair, makeup, weight, clothing. All of it. She's incredibly vain, and everything and everyone around her has to fit into her perfect image."

I snorted. Cecil looked at me with raised eyebrows. "I imagine I absolutely would cause her eyes to twitch, then."

Cecil stared at me for a moment before he started laughing. I sat there staring at him, wondering if he realized how attractive he was like this.

"Yeah, you're probably right." He wiped at his eyes again before he took a deep breath. "I didn't fit. I was an omega, and I was always really small. I'm smaller than most bear omegas even. And I'm not muscular. Not really."

"Is that an issue?"

"For my mother, yes. My father wasn't nearly as bad as she was, but the fact that he simply let her be like that toward me made it just as bad. He should have protected me, but he just went along with her. She controlled what I ate, what I wore, who I could associate with." Cecil shook his head. "I spent years knowing that I wasn't wanted. I'm three decades younger than my next older sibling. Just me. Not a second batch of kids, just me. Mother didn't hide that she didn't want more children."

It took a lot of effort to not growl. How could someone not want the man sitting with me? He radiated warmth and acceptance. "I can't believe Alpha Vitomir allowed such treatment."

Cecil looked down at his lap. "He didn't know until yesterday. He and Grandpa only knew that my parents and I didn't really get along. I've never told them why."

"Why?" I asked.

Cecil shrugged. "I didn't want to burden them. They're great, but they've always had a lot going on. I left as soon as I could and haven't been back to my parents' house since. They message me, but I usually don't respond."

I thought about it for a minute before shaking my head. "No. I don't think I like your parents."

Cecil sighed before laying his head back against the couch. "Me either. I don't want to see them if I don't have to. Them being here yesterday was a surprise. They just showed up, and Grandpa Lev didn't know they were coming."

I shook my head again. "Are they still around?"

Cecil shrugged. "I'm not sure. I wouldn't think so, but with them, you never know."

My beast was pushing me to protect the omega beside me. I had to agree. "I don't like them. I don't want you to be around them. They aren't good for you."

Cecil chuckled. "This is true. And I don't really want to be around them either. But I'm not given a whole lot of choice. They're my parents, and unless they're banned from Honey Creek, they can get to me. I live on den lands, but we have people randomly show up all of the time. I wouldn't put it past them to sniff me out and start knocking on my door."

That wasn't acceptable. "You can move up here. I have room here," I told him without even thinking.

Cecil glanced around. "You don't have any furniture, Warwick. And what I have won't fill this place. I live in a tiny cabin. It's all I need."

"We have a house. Well, we can pick a house. And furniture is easy. You just have to pick it out." Cecil looked at me, confusion on his face. "If you want to be my mate, that is. There's a house for us in mated enforcer housing, and we can move in just as soon as you want."

"But what about kids? I can't give them to you. And my parents are assholes."

I shrugged. "I already answered about the kids. And I agree about your parents. I don't have any, so I'm not going to miss anything. What about me though? I'm told I'm cranky, and that's not wrong. I don't like being around most people or talking. I work too much, and my beast can be a struggle to control when he gets it in his head that he wants something." Case in point, Cecil. It made sense though, because he'd been almost completely quiet while Cecil had been here with me.

Cecil snorted. "You've been talking to me though."

I nodded. "Yes. Is that enough for you? I might grunt at you though. And I tend to always look mad."

Cecil smiled, and it did something to my chest. Was this what having a mate would mean?