Transition - Beta's Omega

( 9 )

( Decker )

I was nervous as I drove away from the cabin. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to share the news, but I also didn’t want to put myself in the spotlight with everything Seff had to deal with. His situation with Robin was nothing like my own and I smiled despite being alone with a curious Luca. What I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall once Robin had arrived, only to find out that Seff is her mate. I was surprised that Luca hadn’t pushed me for any information, but I had a feeling he was trying to figure things out for himself. We drove in silence; the only sound was the purr of the engine and that suited me just fine. It gave me time to plan my next date with Kayley. Only our families knew about us being mates and although they were curious as to why we wanted to keep it secret, they didn’t push. Another thing I was grateful for. Of course, Kayley wasn’t sure why I wanted to keep it a secret and, honestly, I also wasn’t sure what was holding me back. I didn’t want to zero in on using Seff as an excuse, because that is exactly what it is, an excuse. Seff would be happy for me no matter what kind of situation he was in. Luca would be too.

“So…” Luca finally broke the silence as he turned in his seat to look at me. “Seff doesn’t want me to push you for answers, but damn it, Decker…I am curious as hell!” I didn’t bother looking at him as I kept my eyes on the road. I also chose not to say anything because I didn’t want him to push. “I mean I have a few theories,” he then added, and I rolled my eyes.

“Of course, you do,”

“Care to hear them? I mean, technically I am not pushing you for answers…just voicing my own thoughts,” he said casually, and I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at his reasoning.

“Fine, go ahead,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure what I would do if one of his theories happened to be correct.

“Hmm,” he rubbed his hands together as he faced forward once again. “Well, my first thought was that your mate must be Kayley,” he glanced at me, but I made sure I remained calm so that I gave nothing away. “But then I thought…if it was Kayley then things would be different between the two of you,” I wanted to question him on that, but I remained silent. “You see, although the two of you are spending more time together – which doesn’t mean anything, by the way, I haven’t seen you two doing anything…like…romantically or intimately,” Luca wasn’t wrong with that observation. Kayley and I kept our make-out sessions rather private. Although how Luca had missed the few touches of affection was beyond me. However, that made me realize that I had to be more careful moving forward. I did not doubt that Luca would now be watching me like a hawk. “So, that tells me that your mate isn’t Kayley. Which then makes me think about who else it could be…and to be honest, I haven’t seen anyone new around you at school, so I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that your mate isn’t someone from school…?” once again he looked at me, but I didn’t show any signs of him being right or wrong. “And I know you and Kayley have been spending time at each other’s houses, which means you aren’t sneaking out of the pack to see your human mate,” I could hear the frustration in his voice as he tried to figure it out. “So, that must mean that your mate is in the pack…and it could be that Kayley is covering for you. Is your mate someone she knows?” I didn’t bother answering his question. “Or is she just being a good friend and helping you out?”

“Eh,”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means exactly that…eh…I will neither confirm nor deny any of your theories,” I said with a smirk as I glanced over at him for one point two seconds.

“Is your mate, Wyatt?” his sudden guess threw me off guard for a moment, but it was apparently enough for Luca to gasp loudly. “He is! Isn’t he! Oh my…Decker!”

“Calm yourself, Luca…Wyatt is not my mate,” I said with amusement. I wasn’t sure if Wyatt had met his mate or not, but I didn’t think so, since he still lived with his parents. Then again, he had left before them. Which could mean any number of things.

“Huh…are you sure?”

“Yes, Luca…I know who my mate is, and Wyatt is not my mate,” I chuckled as I turned off the highway. “Why does it matter who my mate is anyway?” I casually questioned.

“Well, why is it a secret, Decker?” he threw back at me as he folded his arms across his chest. “Seriously, I can understand Seff’s situation…” his voice trailed off and I noticed his eyes got bigger. “Oh, oh! Is your mate someone dangerous? Or bad news for the pack? Like Robin?”

“Robin is not dangerous, nor is she bad news,” I snapped in irritation, and Luca blushed with shame.

“No, she isn’t…sorry…but is your mate someone you are ashamed of or what?”

“Dude, stop. I am not telling you anything,”

“Aww, but why?” he groaned out as he unfolded his arms. For a moment, I thought about being honest, but as quickly as that thought entered my mind, I just as quickly dismissed it.

“Because it’s no one’s business,” I hissed out as I put on the flicker to turn toward the gate. “Leave it alone, Luca,” I then warned him. The gate was opened, and I nodded at the patrolmen before driving along the dirt road that led to our town. Luca had fallen silent, but I was sure that he was still thinking about it. When I pulled up outside of his house, he didn’t move.

“You have nothing to hide…not from me and most definitely not from Seff,” he said softly and the guilt that hit me made me feel sick to my stomach. “We would never judge you, Decker…never,” he gave me a small smile before he pushed open the door and climbed out. “And we would never give you s**t for it, no matter who your mate is,” he added before he closed the door and walked away. I wasn’t worried about that. Not really. It did, however, make me think about Kayley. She is an omega, weak as hell, but she was smart – crazy smart – and funny and the list was endless. Was I ashamed of her? Was that why I didn’t want to tell my closest friends about her? It gave me something to think about and I was relieved that I didn’t have any plans with Kayley until tomorrow. That gave me some time to think things through. I headed home and parked next to my dad’s truck. As I entered the house, I was glad to see that my parents were too busy watching their favorite TV show to pay much attention to me – other than a quick hello. I went to my room and laid down. Was I ashamed of my mate? Admittedly, the answer was yes. One day, I will be the beta of this pack and my mate is an omega. I am strong, she is weak. I can fight and she will never be able to defend herself or fight. My wolf is strong and powerful. Her wolf would be what we called the runt of the litter. Small, frail, and possibly puppy-like. Our children would be a mix of strengths and weaknesses. Is that what stopped me from telling my friends? The more I thought about it, I realized that if my mom hadn’t been present, I probably would have kept it from them as well. In fact, Kayley had told her family without discussing it with me first. Of course, that was her decision, and I shouldn’t be angry that she told them. I shouldn’t have been, but I was. All of this was making me feel guilty. My parents were well aware that Kayley was an omega and they had accepted her without any worries, concerns, or issues. They had not said a single thing about it. Was it possible that I was blowing this whole thing out of proportion? Suddenly I wished that I had told Seff and Luca. That way, I had someone I could talk to about how I was feeling. I hadn’t thought I was ashamed of Kayley but realizing that I was…well, that made me feel bad. She didn’t deserve that. I shook my head as I slipped my phone out of my pocket. My thumb hovered over Seff’s number. He had made it clear that I could talk to them about anything. Hell, even Luca had made that clear. I squeezed my eyes closed as I dropped my phone next to me on the bed. I couldn’t bother Seff. Not now. Robin was probably on her way there and soon she would know that Seff was her mate. I could talk to Luca about this, but that didn’t feel right for some reason. How was I going to face Kayley tomorrow? I felt around on the bed for my phone and brought it up to my face.

✉Decker: Can we cancel tomorrow?

I hated to send that text, but I didn’t think I could face her while my head was all over the place.

✉Kayley: Sure, is everything ok?

It was a valid question, and she had every right to know why I was canceling on her. But I couldn’t tell her the truth. I could never tell her that I felt ashamed of her. Never.

✉Decker: I accidentally made plans with Luca

The lie made me feel worse, but I quickly sent a message to him.

✉Decker: Are you busy tomorrow?

✉Kayley: You ‘accidentally’ made plans?

Shit. Either she was calling me out for my lie or letting me know that she didn’t appreciate being forgotten.

✉Luca: No, do you want to hang out?

It was easier for me to respond to Luca first.

✉Decker: Yes, let’s do something fun! I’ll leave the planning in your hands.

I went back to Kayley’s message and sighed. I could see that those three little dots were bouncing as she typed. I wasn’t going to wait for whatever it was she was trying to type out.

✉Decker: To be honest, I need to talk to Luca about us. I am sorry to cancel our plans.

I hit send and those dots stopped as she read my message. When they started up again, I waited for her response.

✉Kayley: Are you going to tell him that I am your mate?

I could actually feel her excitement and I froze. I had no plans to do that. I was digging myself into an even bigger hole.

✉Decker: I will see how things go

This is why lying was such a bad idea. I may or may not bring up my worries with Luca. I also couldn’t promise Kayley anything.

✉Kayley: You do what you have to do then, Decker. I guess I’ll see you whenever, goodnight.

Clearly, she was angry, and she had every right to be. She was also blowing me off and I had to remember that right now, she didn’t feel the effects of our mate bond – even though she knew we were. It made me shudder with pain as I re-read her message. I only had myself to blame for this and all I could do was try to fix it before it got out of hand.

✉Decker: You’ll see me tomorrow when I get home, Kay. Don’t be upset with me please. Goodnight.

I waited to see if she would respond and when those dots didn’t appear, I knew that she wasn’t going to respond. Damn it, what the hell have I gotten myself into now?