My Omega Mate

Chapter 10 - Jamie

Jamie dragged his feet out of the bathroom, stopping by his bed for a moment and staring at his clothes with reluctance. He didn’t want to put them on. He didn’t want to leave the room and go to Alpha Hunter’s. He didn’t want to be touched by him anymore.

But he didn’t have a choice.

He got dressed with stiff fingers and was slipping his T-shirt on when a knock came from the door. He stepped towards it, cracking it open, half-expecting to find one of the pack warriors glaring at him impatiently. Instead, he stared at the omega that had served breakfast with him earlier today — the one that had pulled him aside to comfort him. He looked slightly uneasy, stepping awkwardly from one leg to another. Once their eyes met, he froze, then smiled at Jamie.

“Sorry to bother you. Here, this is for you,” he said, offering him a piece of paper folded several times. Jamie took it, confusion pushing away the surprise, but before he could open it, the other omega muttered ‘Good luck!’ and hurried down the corridor.

Jamie stared after him until he disappeared around the corner, then stepped back into the room, closing the door and unfolding the paper. He would have thought it was a message from his Alpha, but Alpha Hunter hated writing, so most of his orders were verbal. And the other omega looked way too relaxed to have had a meeting with Alpha Hunter just now.

Jamie lowered his eyes to the brief message written in broad, uneven letters, his heart doing a quick somersault as the words echoed in his head.

‘Please, come meet me at the edge of the forest, past the Omega Quarters.’

Jamie wasn’t sure what shocked him more — the fact that an alpha used the word ‘please’ or the fact that the note was signed with ‘mate’ instead of a name. Even without the last part, he couldn’t have thought of more than one person who could send that message.

His hand tightened around the note, crumbling it in annoyance. Why now? Why not earlier? Alpha Maxwell knew for a fact that the discussions had stopped for the day, so he must have been free. Jamie was expected to show up at Alpha Hunter’s room soon. He had even prepared himself for it. Could that be some kind of test? Or was he calling him to finally reject him?

“Damn it!” Jamie cursed, hitting the wall and wincing as pain spread through his fist. He had time; he could make a bit of time to get this over with. He doubted Alpha Hunter would be in a good mood tonight anyway, so whether or not he would be late, he was still going to have a rough night.

Jamie stepped out of his room, looking both ways, then took the corridor in the opposite direction of where he usually went. He hadn’t checked what was on this side of the packhouse, but if he could trust the note, once he was out of the Omega Quarters and he continued forward, he’d reach the aforementioned forest.

He stepped into the warm night, looking at the sky for a moment, only to realize there wasn’t a single cloud on it and the moon was almost full. Before he knew it, he was already walking towards the dark trees in the distance, keeping to the shadows in case somebody was watching from the windows. Once he neared the trees, he slowed down, looking around uneasily. He couldn’t see anyone and as hard as he tried to heighten his hearing, he couldn’t hear anything but the typical noises of the night — a cry of a bird, the rustling of leaves, or a distant cooing of some animal he couldn’t even name.

What if this was a test from Alpha Hunter and Jamie had just failed it? But his alpha couldn’t have known about the mate bond. Nobody but he and his mate could feel it.

The rustle of leaves, loud enough even for him to hear, made him jump and turn in the direction of the noise. The seconds dragged painfully slowly as he watched the massive figure of a wolf walk out from the shadows. Jamie couldn’t recognize him, which meant he definitely wasn’t one of his pack’s warriors. Looking at its towering height, the silky black fur and deep, dark eyes, it wasn’t hard to recognize his beautiful mate even before Jamie’s own wolf stirred, letting out a hopeful whimper.

“A-A-Alpha Black?” Jamie asked hesitantly, not wanting to take any chances. It felt weird to talk to a beast that was almost as tall as him, but he had to remind himself that despite his appearance, the wolf was entirely sentient. As the creature nodded his head, Jamie felt even more foolish. “Um, you wanted to talk?” he asked hesitantly, wondering why he called him for a talk and then appeared in his wolf form where he couldn’t actually talk.

The black wolf took a step towards Jamie and he tensed, even though the look in the animal’s eyes wasn’t threatening at all. A second later, Jamie felt the wolf’s nose touch his arm and the rest of his head rubbed against it. Jamie remained frozen, watching the wolf stay like this with his eyes closed, then the alpha stepped back to look at Jamie. A second later it turned its back to Jamie, taking a few steps towards the trees before stopping and glancing back at him.

“You want me to follow you, Alpha?” Jamie asked, and the wolf nodded again, preparing himself to run. “Wait!” The animal paused, turning its enormous head towards him. “I… I can’t shift, so I can’t follow.” Jamie lowered his eyes to the ground, not wanting to see the look of disappointment in the alpha’s eyes. Most omegas, despite their shortcomings, could shift normally whenever they wanted to, even though they could rarely hold their wolf form for a long time. Only the weakest ones were not able to communicate with their wolves or shift at all.

The rustling of leaves made Jamie raise his head, wondering if the alpha had walked away from him. To his surprise, he saw the black wolf crouching on the ground in front of him with his broad back towards Jamie. The beast turned its head towards him, waiting patiently. Jamie’s eyes widened as he realized what the wolf was expecting of him and he quickly shook his head, raising his hands defensively.

“I-I-I can’t do that to an alpha! Don’t mind me! Can you just shift b…” he started, but the alpha growled impatiently. Jamie jumped at the low, guttural sound that made the hair on his body rise. The alpha continued to wait, staring at him with those huge eyes that made him feel like he had jelly for legs.

If he climbed on that back, who knew what was going to happen next and where he was going to be taken. He might not come back tonight. Or ever.

Jamie glanced back at the packhouse in the distance, wondering what kind of punishment he’d receive if he didn’t show up at Alpha Hunter’s room tonight. He probably wouldn’t be killed, since this would be the first time he disregarded an order. But sometimes death wasn’t the worst that could happen to a person.

The black wolf made another impatient sound, less angry this time and more pleading. Jamie turned his back on the house. For a second he paused next to the abnormally large animal, staring at those dark eyes that didn’t even blink, then he climbed onto its back.

He had ridden a wolf only once before, when he was very little and his father carried him. The memories were fuzzy and distorted, like he was looking at them through broken glass, but the feeling of the strong, muscular body beneath him and the softness of the fur were distantly familiar.

Jamie caught onto the alpha’s fur awkwardly, wondering if he would be bitten if he pulled too hard. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts and the millions of concerns flooding his mind that he almost fell off when the wolf dashed forward. Biting back a surprised scream, Jamie threw his hands around the wolf’s neck without thinking, hiding his face in the soft fur as they dashed between the trees, over bushes and pits he barely noticed in the dark.

Once they left the forest, the black wolf continued to run at a steady pace. Without the zigzag movements and the jumps, it was much easier to hold on to him. Jamie even raised his head a little and looked around as they crossed the wide valley covered with tall grass and flowers that moved in waves with every gush of the wind. It felt strangely liberating to move so fast, almost as if he was the one running. On top of that, the alpha’s sweet scent was soothing Jamie’s nerves better than any pill or tea, and the warmth emitting from his body was so pleasant he wished he could stay like that forever.

Once the wolf started slowing down, Jamie lifted his head to look around again. The trees had returned to the landscape, growing thicker and thicker as they neared the looming hill that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The wolf continued a bit further, slowing down to a walk until he finally stopped among the trees. He crouched down slowly, as if just now realizing just how easy it was for Jamie to fall. He waited as Jamie got off and walked around, trying to wake up his legs. Squeezing the wolf’s back had left his thighs tired and tense and it was hard to stand up. His ass wasn’t feeling much better.

The familiar sounds of bones cracking and skin tearing announced a shifter’s change. Jamie lowered his head the moment he heard the approaching steps, and he noticed a pair of bare feet stopping not too far from him. The Alpha of the Whitecrest pack didn’t say anything for a few seconds before letting out a heavy sigh.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked in a strained voice. Jamie wanted to look up and see what kind of expression he was making, but stopped himself. He had already figured out that Alpha Maxwell wasn’t like Alpha Hunter and looking up wasn’t going to win him a beating, but he still couldn’t do it. Especially now that he knew the man in front of him was stark naked. It was much safer to keep his eyes down, anyway.

“Yes,” Jamie said finally, and it wasn’t exactly a lie. The fear in him wasn’t entirely for his life anymore, though.

“Why?”

Jamie licked his lips, trying to pick his words carefully. He didn’t want to repeat their last conversation. And he definitely didn’t want to face an angry alpha alone, in the middle of nowhere.

“Because Alpha always looks angry when I am around,” he muttered. “And since I am an omega, it’s natural to let your anger out on me if you want.”

A low growl came from the alpha and Jamie closed his mouth, vowing not to say anything more apart from the simple ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers. Even he didn’t know why he was talking so much. He never told the truth to Alpha Hunter when he asked him questions — he always said what his alpha wanted to hear.

Why couldn’t he form a proper lie now?

“There is nothing natural about it,” Alpha Maxwell said, moving a step closer to Jamie. “In a pack, the strong protect the weak, and the weak take care of the strong. It’s a balance that, if broken, will hurt both sides. Being an omega does not make you less than an alpha, it simply gives you a different role you need to fulfill for the good of the pack. An omega who helps his pack is worth more than an alpha who hurts his pack.” Jamie felt a finger slide under his chin and a second later, his head was gently pushed up so he had no choice but to meet Alpha Maxwell’s eyes.

Just like every time he looked at him, Jamie was struck by how stunning that man was — from the tanned skin and dark eyes to the broad shoulders and well-sculpted body. Staring at him from this close, he was reminded of the kiss he had stolen and he licked his lips instinctively, almost tasting it on his tongue. Alpha Maxwell’s eyes switched to his mouth as if distracted by the movement before he looked back into Jamie’s eyes.

“But you are right, I am mad,” Alpha Maxwell said with a hard, tense expression and Jamie felt his throat tighten. “Not at you, though. I am mad because right now, I have to choose between what is good for my pack and what is good for me. And I don’t want to.”

He lifted his second hand up, sliding it over Jamie’s cheek. Alpha Maxwell’s eyes studied Jamie’s face, almost like he was hypnotized, fingers tracing the lines of his jaw, his cheeks, his lips as if he was trying to imprint them all into his mind.

“I was going to reject you,” Alpha Maxwell suddenly said, his fingers stopping their exploration for a second. His eyes returned to Jamie’s, unnaturally calm considering how rattled and angry he looked every time they faced each other. “When I called you last night. That was my intention.” He waited as if expecting Jamie to say something, but Jamie kept his mouth shut, not sure if he could form a coherent answer. The alpha continued to touch him so gently, as if he was something fragile and valuable that needed to be handled with care. “But I couldn’t. And you went and kissed me on your own, making me realize I will never be strong enough to do it.”

‘Man, he sure is a smooth talker,’ Jamie thought as he felt his face flush and tried to look away, but his mate gently pushed his face back up, catching his gaze.

“So I’m going to put the choice in your hands. Reject me, right here and now. I’ll take you back to the house, no questions asked. I won’t touch you or hurt you. I won’t say another word or talk to you again. You can go back to your life as if nothing has happened.”

Jamie swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to get a grip on the panic and the overwhelming fear that shook him to his core. Go back to the way things were before? This was what he wanted, right? What was probably best for him, for everyone? But what was he going to do with all that dread that was growing heavier and heavier in his chest?

“But…” Alpha Maxwell continued and Jamie focused back on him, “if you say you’ll stay, I will accept our mate bond and then you can never leave my side. The mate bond is for life, so there will be no going back for me. You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours, and only death can change that. Do you understand?”

Jamie nodded and Alpha Maxwell pulled his hands away, his face suddenly taking a hesitant expression that only lasted a second.

“Then… what is your answer?”