“I just want you to be happy, Greg,” Mom said, smiling sadly at him. “That’s all.”
“I’ll be happy when I fix all this,” he said. “Thoughts on the baby?”
“I’ll care for it as my own grandchild,” she said. “Try that with your dad. He may be swayed.”
Greg closed his eyes, imagining his dad scoffing at his newborn. Dale and the baby didn’t deserve that. “Some other time. I’m not ready to talk to him again right now.”
His mom rose from the bed. Greg stepped into her arms, hugging her tight. She smelled like morning glory, like Mom, and he’d miss her when he moved out again.
“You’re not encouraging me to get back together with Dale,” he said.
“You aren’t trying very hard either, are you?”
Greg swallowed, looking at the worn covers of his bed. On the other side of the duvet, Super Alpha haunted him, reminding him of old costumes and broken dreams.
He’d tried placing hope in his future, a week at a time. Those had gone well. In two months, June would hold her wedding, and Greg would see Dale again.
Maybe... if he and Dale were still unhurt, if no accidents had befallen them when the wedding rolled around... Maybe Greg could start trusting in the future.
34
Dale
“Are you ready to be married?” Dale asked with a grin.
June rolled her eyes, sitting still while the makeup artist did her eyebrows. “I was ready about six months ago, Dale.”
He laughed, nudging her foot as he waited for his turn. In the mirror, June looked beautiful, with her coiffed short hair, her bright hazel eyes, her suit with its lapel and tie. In another room. Cher and her best alpha were dressed and ready—they were all in a mansion by the sea, rented for Cher and June’s dream wedding.
“Why Cambria?” Dale asked. “There are lots of towns along the coast. We had to drive two whole hours to get to this place.”
June chuckled. “Cher said vampires are rumored to live here. I told her she’s been reading too many vampire books.”
“They’ll prowl the streets at night?”
“No, they’ll walk amongst us in the day.” She pretended to shudder. “I may be alpha, but I’m not sure I can win against an undead.”
Dale smiled. “I guess I’ll be at a greater disadvantage, then, being omega and all.”
“Who knows? Maybe you’ll have some special vampire-defeating powers.” June grinned, her gaze slipping down to his belly. “You know, that looks really uncomfortable.”
He followed her gaze, touching the large bump of his abdomen. The baby kicked.
It had been four months since the breakup. Two months since he’d met Greg outside the basketball arena. Since then, little had changed—Dale was still following the basketball emails, peeking at Greg’s Facebook when he dared.
The only difference was, Greg had stopped leaving the voicemails. There had been no more cranes and baby clothes. Every so often, the doorbell would ring, and Dale would hurry to the door, expecting his alpha.
Greg never showed up.
He didn’t know what he’d do if he saw Greg again. Dale had made it plenty clear that he’d wanted Greg gone. And Greg had listened. The pictures he posted now were of him and his basketball team, and Dale couldn’t bring himself to ask if he’d found another omega. June never mentioned it, either.
He was starting to dread going to the store, for fear of somehow bumping into Greg, and whichever new omega he’d found.
“How are things at the childcare?” June asked.
“They’re going fine. I’m now officially out of probation.” Dale smiled wanly. He liked his new job well enough. He got to spend time with children every day, and his coworkers liked him. Not quite like his research lab, but it wasn’t bad, either. Something to distract him from Greg.
“That’s great,” June said. “Congrats!” The makeup artist frowned; she gave a sheepish grin.
Dale cracked a smile. “Well, at least no one at the childcare recognizes me.”
June sobered. “Has anyone else found out?”
“Other than you? Sam Brentwood and his relatives. Then there’s Penny, and Bernard Hastings.” Dale winced. That particular memory still set his cheeks burning. Bernard had seen Greg’s knot slipping out of him, and that, well. That was the nightmare of the century.
“That’s more people than I expected,” June said. “How did the rest react?”
Dale opened his mouth, pausing. He’d shoved those memories away, repressing them so he wouldn’t feel terrible each time he remembered. “They’ve been fine, I guess. Sam wanted to attend our wedding, but that’s not going to happen.”
June raised her eyebrows at ‘wedding’. “So aside from that damn bastard who fired you, everyone else accepts you and Greg.”
He stared. “I... guess?”
Dale had never thought of it that way. Not when his first priority had always been making sure that word never got out, because he didn’t want Bernard Hastings to discover the relationship.
“I’m guessing that you won’t find it as stigmatized in some circles,” June said, closing her eyes when the makeup artist moved to brush powder on her nose. “Think about it. How many people have actively rejected you and Greg?”
He paused. “One. But he has power over everything.”
“But you still love Greg.”
Dale’s heart fluttered. “Does it matter?”
She cracked a smile. “Are you ever going to talk to him again?”
“Probably not.”
June snorted, but her smile lingered. Dale watched her, wondering how this was funny at all. “Why are you smiling?”
“Because you’re an idiot, Dale. The worst things have happened, and you’re still refusing to get together with him.”
He fixed his gaze on the large picture windows looking over the ocean. Outside, the skies were a clear azure. Golden sunlight slanted through the windowpanes, lighting the oaken floorboards and tiny dust motes in the air. It was all so beautiful here, and it scarcely matched the loneliness that nagged at him inside.
“Bernard could still threaten the childcare center,” he said. “Or he could make Greg’s life miserable. Or something. I don’t even know if Greg has another omega. Maybe he’s already bonded with them.”
June snorted again, louder and
