Omega Bound Chapter 35

Ayla

Sitting with Thane on the couch isn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. It feels natural to be in his presence, but to hear that he is developing feelings for me, it a lot to take in. I know that there is an attraction between the two of us that is strong. I feel it and he does as well, but with my fated mate in the picture, we can never be.

Thane keeps throwing out the word "potential" regarding my fated mate. I don't know why a stranger would lie about sensing their fated mate. I know my life seems to be a constant roller coaster of events currently and I want off the ride. It is too much to handle. Hearing Thane admit that he has no family is heart breaking as I understand the pain he is dealing with. Maybe that is part of the reason we are drawn to each other.

I pick up the pad of paper and scribble out a note and pass it over to him. "What happened to my family?" he repeated back to me and I nod in agreement. '

Well little wolf, my little sister was abducted by a shifter ring within the last seven years. She was young like you were. She was missing for a few months. We were never able to locate her and then one day her body surfaced in a ditch on the side of the road. Thrown out like trash because they were through with her. She was beautiful and the light of a room. So airy and carefree. Confident, fun. Someone took her and broke her, and I could do nothing to stop it." He quickly glances down at his hands, wringing his fist together. I can tell this is difficult for him to discuss and something he hasn't had the ability to deal with. "She had a birth mark of a crescent moon behind her..."

I immediately sit up right out of shock and grab his wrist, pointing to behind my right ear. He looks at me bewildered, mouth a part, a slight gasp audible. "Did you know her little wolf?" I nodded my head and grabbed the pad of paper from him. I write my note and pass it back over.

"She was with me where you found me. She was the only friend I had. She would always talk to me. Constantly. She didn't care if she got in trouble or not. She would always tell me not to give up hope. That we would get out together. She talked about her family always and her older brother she was just sure I would have an attraction to. Guess she was right." Thane reads my note back to me and looks up at me with sadness in his eyes.

"That sounds like my sister. She talked all the time. Loved everyone. I am glad you two had each other." He clears his throat and turns his head, not before I notice a singular tear slid down his cheek before he hurries up to wipe it away.

I took the note pad to write and pass it back to him. "I am glad she didn't suffer as long as I did. I know that doesn't change anything but have peace in that knowledge." He reads while nodding his head in agreement.

"Yes, little wolf, I too am glad she didn't stay with them that long. However, knowing what you went through and knowing that she went through it herself is difficult to bear. It is the reason I no longer have parents, but that is a story for a different day. He places his hand on my knee and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"I really should be going little wolf. I wanted you to know how I felt, not to guilt you or sway you in any way. I don't want that. If this shifter is your fated mate, then I want you to be happy, but it will have to change things between us, and I wanted you to know that. I could tell you more about my sister, but I don't think I can right now. I do hope you see why finding the ringleader of the traffickers is so important to me and why I need to understand the reason behind them keeping you so long. It really could help us find who is responsible, so it doesn't happen anymore." I nodded my head in agreement, and he stands to go to the door.

"Keep that file on your potential mate. Look it over and decide if you want to meet him or not. There would normally be no reason to not, but you have extensive trauma to work through, and he doesn't know that yet. We haven't told him we found you either. Eric thinks he could help pull your wolf out. I am not so sure. Decide and let me know Ayla." With that, he bends down and kisses me on the cheek and leaves my room.

I grab the folder off the coffee table and head to my bed. I change into lounge clothes and curl up against the headboard and snuggle deep into my comforter. I open the folder, and I am met with a photo of a shifter.  He is cute, in a boyish sense. Sandy blonde, wavy hair. Nice jaw line, muscular build. Not as much as Thane and clearly not as tall. No dimples either. Why would the fates pair me with a shifter without dimples when every time I see Thane's I want to take a bite out of him? He does have a nice smile. I am an omega; however, I thought omegas almost always were paired with strong alphas due to our ability to take the largest knots and have the most children. That part doesn't make sense, but maybe what I heard was wrong.

Do I want to meet a stranger that claims my scent is a match for him? I could reconnect with Aramana and be sure, but if he finds out I am a gifted white wolf, he could tell others, he could expect me to step into my seat of authority, he could shun me. He could sell me off. My thoughts are racing with just about every negative thing I could conjure up. Fated mates wouldn't treat their significant other that way. The bond wouldn't allow it, or so I was taught when I was little. I guess that doesn't mean it is true. He may not want me. I am damaged goods with enough mental trauma to be institutionalized for life with. I have no way of knowing if he really is my mate or what his intentions would be without meeting him.

Maybe the bond would form, and we would forget about the world, and he would leave with me. We could start over somewhere and he could love me, without my wolf. I also must think about protecting her from the world. However, if we leave, there is no Thane. If I have a mate, there is no Thane. If Thane doesn't do relationships, and I am clearly not his mate, then there is no Ayla and Thane. Every way I look at it leads to no Thane. That realization hurts my heart. Maybe its infatuation because he rescued me. Maybe everything I feel for him will leave once my bond slips in place. I don't know, but there is only one way to find out.

I am sending Thane a message that I am willing to meet Kian tomorrow. If I have a mate, I owe it to him at least to decide whether he wants me or wants to reject me. I am not sure I could live through rejection, but maybe it would be for the betterment of Aramana. If he doesn't want me wolf-less, I could be rejected and still keep her safe.

Typing to Thane that I am willing to meet another wolf shifter feels wrong. Dirty. It hurts, but we caused this problem ourselves and we need to fair to our mates, whoever they are or where they are. Maybe fate brought me here just for Kian. I don't know. A few minutes later there is a knock on my door, and I look through the peep hole to see Thane. Shirtless and in gray sweatpants. I open the door and slide my gaze over his abdomen, his V line and slowly back up to his eyes to be met with a smug smirk. "If everything is going to change tomorrow, then I think we deserve one night." Then, he crashes his lips down onto mine.