The Alphas Omegas

Return of my mate

Xavier

The soft rhythm of a heartbeat strums in my ear. Light penetrates behind my eyes, causing me to groan. Goddess, my head hurts!

My eyes flutter open, and I instantly smile to see Rona staring at me.

“Baby boy, you’re awake.” I love that smile of hers; so broad and beautiful.

“Am I dead?”

I should be dead by now. I don’t know if I feel like I’m dead or alive.

If I’m dead, is this heaven?

Would I still be in a hospital bed if I were?

Would my foster mom be by my side in heaven?

“No,” Rona smiles while taking my hand in hers. “You’re not dead, Xavier. In fact, you’re making a remarkable recovery.”

I narrow my eyes.

How the hell is that possible?

“What?”

I can’t feel my body, and I can’t move to lift myself. I’m pressed against something hard yet soft, though I’m not uncomfortable.

Rona takes a seat beside me and smiles.

“You were almost gone from this world, Xavier. I thought I’d lost you as I lost your mother.” The sadness in her eyes brings emotion to mine. “Then this adonis,” She waves her hand behind me, though I can’t turn my head to see what she’s pointing at. “Turns up, looking for you. Then I find out he’s your mate, here to save you.”

My eyes widen to the size of Mars.

Brayden is here?

My heart is banging so hard I can feel it in my throat. Suddenly, I can feel my body. My eyes move to the left, and I see a hand on my shoulder, an arm wrapped around me.

To the right, I see a silken chest, my head resting against it. I look down to see my hand in another, so I chance a look at his face. With his eyes closed, he’s even more handsome than I remember. My mate has me wrapped in his arms, and I don’t know how to feel about it.

I turn back to Rona. “What’s going on?”

She shrugs.

“I don’t know, sweetheart. Brayden arrived this morning and told Cyro he’d come to collect his mate. That and he wanted to speak with Angel, make things right, I guess. Why didn’t you tell me that your mate was male?”

I don’t know what to say.

I try pulling away from Brayden. I need to get away from him.

“No,” Rona presses me back. “You need to stay close to him for a little while longer.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s giving you strength to fight, Xavier. You never marked or mated, yet your wolves bonded. It’s incredibly rare for that to happen, Xavier. I don’t know why Brayden chose today to come here, but in doing so, he saved your life.”

I don’t know what to say. All I can think is, why?

Why now, after fifteen months, would he turn up at Midnight Moon?

I know Rona said that Brayden was looking for me, but I have to wonder why.

Has Brayden finally sorted through his demons?

Enough to give us a try?

Do I even want to be with Brayden after he walked away from me the way he did?

I can’t deny that being this close to Brayden is doing wicked things to my senses. I fight the urge to breathe him in and stroke my hand down his exposed, silken chest.

I know that I need to speak with Brayden to find out what he wants. But I don’t know what I want right now. I just woke up, and I need time to think things through.

Maybe I can get out of the infirmary before Brayden wakes up, then I’ll be able to take some time for myself.

“When can I get out of here?”

Rona smiles while clutching my hand. “You want to get away from him, don’t you?”

I bite the inside of my lip.

I can now feel my body, and I feel stronger than ever. However, I don’t want to wake Brayden should I move.

“I just need some time to think about things.”

“I understand that, Xavier. But from the research Angel did, you can’t be too far from your mate for the next month.”

My eyes bug out.

What the fuc.k?

“I know this is shocking, but you need to be near Brayden because he’s the only reason you’re alive right now. If you wander too far from him, you’ll become sick all over again, and there will be no saving you then.”

“So I’m stuck with him?”

“Yeah, you’re stuck with me.”

I freeze, eyes wide.

Rona sniggers and gets out of her seat. “I’ll leave you two to talk.” She leans over and kisses my forehead. “You can leave as soon as you’re ready; just don’t overdo it.”

Rona leaves the room, leaving me alone with Brayden. My stomach turns over with nerves, and I’m not about to look at him.

“Not gonna look at me?”

I sigh; dramatically while pulling away from him, making Brayden laugh. He climbs off the bed and fixes himself, and I lift and sit with my back against the pillows.

I feel Brayden sit on the bed facing me. He takes my hand in his own, and I can’t seem to pull away.

‘Goddess, the sparks!’ I inwardly chuckle at my wolf. I’ve missed him and his flirting.

“Look at me, Xavier.” The deep baritone of Brayden’s voice and his Alpha tone forces me to look at him. He smiles, smirk-like. “There you are,”

“What are you doing here, Brayden?” I ask before he can say anything else. “I’m grateful that you helped me. But why are you here now, after fifteen months?”

“Aside from sorting my life and realizing I was a bastar.d to my sister and wanting to make it up to her?”

I nod my head.

“I came here for you.”

I bite my lip and stare at him, trying to read him for lies. But I don’t feel any lie coming from Brayden.

“Why, though, Brayden?” His nostrils flare, but he doesn’t scare me, and I need to be honest with him. “You told me that you didn’t want me. You ran away from me so fast your feet didn’t touch the ground!”

“You’re right,” Brayden nods his head while running his tongue over his super white teeth. “My sister almost killed me, Xavier. She shoved eighteen years of pain and misery into my head, leaving images that I’m still yet to forget.

“I was in a coma for days, and the first thing I saw when I woke was you – my mate. The last thing I ever imagined when I thought about my mate was that they’d be male.” Brayden chuckles. “I always imagined a beautiful blonde with blue eyes and a killer smile. Long legs and t**s like mountains,” He reaches over and, with his finger, brushes my hair out of my eyes. “I was right about the blond hair and blue eyes.”

I smile despite myself.

“I never dreamed eyes could be this dark blue. I couldn’t stay with you then, Xavier. I wouldn’t have been able to give you what you deserved back then; I was too messed up. That’s why I spent a long time trying to sort myself out, Xavier, so that I could be the mate you deserved. I traveled the world and met many interesting people, but I never once forgot about you.”

I want to tell him I never forgot him, either. But I don’t say anything.

“I knew I couldn’t come for you until I was one hundred percent sure I could give you everything I knew in my heart that I wanted to. I know it probably sounds like a cop-out, but please try to understand me leaving was best for both of us.”

I nod my head because Brayden is right. If he hadn’t left when he did, he’d still be the fuc.ked up, angry Alpha who used to abuse his sister. He would have treated me terribly because of my Omega status.

Why did I have to be paired with a man who thinks Omegas are scum?

“That didn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about you, Xavier. I thought about you every day,”

“I thought about you too,” I admit. “But it doesn’t change anything, Brayden. Being mated with me, a filthy Omega,” Is all I get out of my mouth before Brayden growls low in his throat. His eyes cloud over silver, letting me know his wolf is on the surface.

‘Don’t say that,’ I swallow hard, a little scared as Brayden’s wolf speaks through his mouth. ‘Brayden worked hard on his issues, and he overcame them. He no longer thinks badly of Omegas. He even runs a sanctuary for abused Omegas. He bends over backward to make life better for them.

‘Brayden cares about you, Xavier. You have no idea how much he’s grown and changed, all so that he could return to you. You have been the only person Brayden has thought about in fifteen months. He stayed faithful to you, never touching another.

‘Brayden took over Blackpaw Pack and made many changes to the place. The pack is financially secure, and everyone loves their Alpha. They will love you too. Brayden is proud of you, and everyone at Blackpaw knows about you. Please give him a chance to show you how much you mean to him, Xavier.’

I’m gobsmacked, my mouth is hanging open, and I don’t have a clue what to say. I think I’m in shock!