The alpha awoke with Jake’s arm draped across his chest and his aroma wafting over him. He nuzzled his mate’s neck and breathed in his now familiar fragrance.

Mate! I marked him.

The alpha shot out of bed and his dick, still rigid and swollen, brushed against his upper thigh as he raced into the bathroom and slammed the door. What have I done? What the fuck have I done?

He raked his fingers through his tousled hair as he paced over the tiles. A moan from the bedroom had him open the door slightly and peek at Jake. He’s Jake, not my mate. He’s an omega I just met and whose family name I don’t know.

The omega’s bare chest rose and fell in a slow graceful rhythm as he clutched the pillow in one hand and flung a leg over the duvet. Liam’s stomach flipped as he imagined explained to Jake their coming together was not binding. I can’t do it.

“How do you break with a mate? There must be a way. I’m sure the ancients did it.” The alpha babbled to himself as he jumped into the shower and immersed himself in the sultry steaminess. Rubbing herb-infused soap over his skin triggered memories of the previous night. Slick slippery flesh. Tight and deep. Liam had filled and dominated his mate. He’s not my mate. Just some guy I fucked and… and marked! Liam rubbed his face until it ached.

I need to leave. I can’t face him. The alpha tiptoed out of the room grabbing his bag on the way and dressed in the living area. Coward! He hated himself for not confronting the omega, but not enough to stay. He can enjoy the rest of the weekend by himself.

As he fumbled with his jeans, he strained his ears for any sound Jake had woken. Eying the omega’s jacket on the couch, Liam pictured Jake flinging it off after he fell. He stroked the smooth leather and buried his face in the coat. I could stay and build a new life. One full of warmth, friendship and… love.

But as much as the alpha was pulled toward the bedroom by a primeval urge that overran rational thought, his fear of intimacy was more powerful. Bonds can be broken. It is for his own good. With my history, I would destroy him.

The alpha slipped off his ring and left it on the coffee table. He crept out the door begging the omega not to wake up.

This is not how an alpha behaves. His father’s voice thundered in his head as he recalled the dressing down he received whenever he displeased him. I’m a chicken but marking Jake was a huge mistake. There has to be a way to undo it.

Liam paid the hotel tab which included replacing the sheets and a driver to take Jake home. “I’ve had an urgent call from work but I want my husband to enjoy the rest of the weekend.”

“Very well, Mr. Adams.”

The alpha couldn’t meet the manager’s enquiring eyes as he carried his own bag to the car. He didn’t look convinced but I don’t care. As he drove up the hill, the tiny persistent voice in his head wondered what might happen if he did stay.

“Shut the fuck up!”

* * *

Liam dumped his bags in the bedroom and throwing off his shirt and jeans, headed for the shower. His phone had been beeping since the plane touched down in Hazlemere but he’d ignored it. He’d sent a message to his parents and boss telling them he’d landed. Anyone else can wait. He muted the phone and left it on the coffee table.

Later, after he had ordered a pizza and he sat in front of the TV flicking through channels with a towel wrapped around his waist, the phone vibrated off the small table and onto the carpet.

Damn. “Who the hell is that?” Stop pretending, Liam. You know who it is and you’re avoiding him.

But as the alpha flung his beeping device against the wall, it shattered. “Shit!” A forlorn eep, eep from the phone preceded parts of the aluminum casing showering the floor along with the battery, phone chip and other bits and pieces.

The alpha rested his head in his hands. Get a grip. He ran his fingers through his hair before half-heartedly gathering up the remains of the phone and then dropping them back onto the carpet. Flinging himself onto the couch, he shoved a cushion over his face and screamed into it.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

But along with his emotional turmoil, a wave of fatigue rippled over him pinning him to the sofa and needling his forehead. The weight of exhaustion had the alpha curling up with his knees to his chest as the aching creep of jet lag chewed at his gut. I need to sleep. “Once I’ve had a rest, I’ll be able to think clearly and work this out.”

“Liar!” He punched the pillow before throwing it away.

And now I’m talking to myself. Perfect!

It’d been over a month since he’d left Roselake. 40 days since he’d seen Jake. And I’ve counted each one. Almost six weeks since they’d had sex and he’d marked the omega.

Mated.

I can’t be bound to anyone.

I’m away from home most of the year.

I’m thinking of quitting my job and starting out on my own.

Most of my money will be tied up in the new business

I can’t have the responsibility of a mate.

I would make him miserable.

But as the alpha ran through the list of reasons for the thousandth time, he was finally honest with himself.

But most of all, I’m afraid.

I’m terrified I’ll hurt him.

Or he’ll tire of me.

The alpha had pushed the events of March out of his head while he concentrated on work. But the long lonely nights in hotels and on redeye flights across darkened continents gave him plenty of time to think. He had tried not to think of the omega. But I failed.

Jake! The person who had been messaging him; whose face he saw every time he closed his eyes; and whose husky voice haunted his dreams. How did I let this happen?

The alpha’s instincts pulled him in two directions. His modern self told him it was a mistake and they could work it out. This was the 21st century. Omegas no longer needed an alpha to protect them. This wasn’t the old country. Omegas worked, owned homes and lived a full life just as alphas did. The concept of mating was from a time when alphas and omegas were hunted, despised and feared.

But the primitive voice inside him said he and the omega were linked for life. Partners. Mates. Bound as one.

As Liam’s contemporary and ancient identities argued and wrestled for supremacy, part of him wanted to drive over to Jake’s and claim him. Again. Take the omega in his arms and never let him go. Wake up with him every morning. And fuck him until they both screamed and the neighbors complained about the noise. Though I don’t know where he lives!

I’ve lost control. I don’t want a mate, or a fuck buddy. My life is complicated enough without having another person in it.

As he grappled with his thoughts, a knock at the door silenced them.

“If you’re selling something, go away.”

His command was met with another battering. The alpha stifled a scream of abuse and sat in silence hoping the visitor would give up but a thud against the door had him hurling himself off the couch.

“This better be good. I’m exhausted and in a foul mood.” His mouth curled into a snarl but as he reached the door, a familiar scent wafted under it. Jake!

As Liam’s trembling hands rattled the handle, he leaned his cheek against the wooden surface. He inhaled the fragrance that transported him back to the alley during the treasure hunt. His nails clawed the wood, and he blinked back tears. Liam listened to his mate’s unsteady breathing on the other side. Be the alpha you always thought you were. He flung open the door and the omega who had been leaning on it, fell into his arms.

“Jake!”

“The one and only.”

“How did you know I was home?”

“I didn’t. I’ve been phoning you for the last few weeks and banging on your door every night.”

He eyed the omega’s pale face and the dark gouges under his eyes. “Are you sick?”

“Not exactly, but could I have a drink of water, please.”

As he handed his companion a glass, the omega’s fingers shook and drops of water dribbled over his wrists. Jake glanced at the alpha’s bare chest.

“Are you expecting someone?”

Liam ignored the insinuation about his love life. “I assume you received my email. We had an understanding.”

“No, you had one. Not me.”

The omega’s strident tone irked the alpha, and he bristled. “Careful!”

Jake’s shoulders slumped, and he collapsed into an armchair spilling water over his shirt and onto the floor. Liam grimaced as the liquid seeped into the carpet and the dark stain spread toward him.

“Liam.”

The omega’s plaintive cry tugged at the alpha’s heart. Stop that!

“Our time at the lake was a one-night stand, Jake. Nothing more.”

“You had one night. I was there for three.”

The alpha paced around the room clenching his fists. “Why do you do that? You always want the last word.”

With a finger and thumb pressed together, Jake traced over his lips.

Zipped. Very funny.

Liam positioned himself behind the couch making sure there was something between him and the omega. He’s pale. I can see blue veins threading through his forehead and he hasn’t slept. Because of me!

The alpha took in the sun shining into the room and the sheer curtains billowing in the breeze. He secretly hoped Jake would say something. Anything. Outside, an alpha and omega strolled along the street holding hands. We could have that. He is my mate. But his presence in my life is not part of the plan. I can’t allow myself to get close to anyone again.

As the alpha tore his eyes away from the scene outside and gazed at the omega whose eyes were fixed on him, his heart sped up and hammered against his chest. He panted trying to catch his breath. Tears glistened in Jake’s eyes and his pale lips quivered. I did that. It’s all my doing!

“I’m a pig.”

“Yes.”

“Glad we agree on something.” Bantering is not going to solve this.

Taking in his companion’s unshaven chin, memories niggled the alpha of their night together when he had kissed Jake’s cheek and nibbled at his lips until they were swollen. Stop! Closing his eyes, he could hear the omega’s moans and whimpers that night in the cabin. Stop! Memories of Jake’s chest heaving while he thrust into him and his seed spurted inside him. Stop! He recalled the slapping of his hips as they slammed into Jake’s slick backside coated in slipperiness. Stop! But he also remembered them falling asleep in one another’s arms. Stop!

The alpha’s breath caught in his chest and he recoiled as though a rubber band had snapped in his face. Please stop! I want him. I need to be with him and discover everything about him. We can ferret out each other’s secrets, fears and dreams.

Liam’s palms were covered in sweat and he grabbed the back of the couch and clenched his fists in a throw rug he’d tossed over the back. He dug his nails into the fabric as he bent his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

I can do this! As his fingers trembled, he clawed the woolen material and his nails caught the strands and shredded it. Like his ancestors before him, he lifted his head and bellowed.

“Liam!”

The alpha bounded over the sofa and threw himself at Jake. His towel unraveled and puddled on the carpet with his cock level with the omega’s eyes. Jake barely glanced at it as Liam grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him to his feet. “You are mine.” But as one hand trailed over his mate’s jaw, Jake shivered and pulled away from him.

It’s happening again. I was wrong. He doesn’t want this either. But I can’t turn back.

“Y-you scared me, Liam.”

“I marked you.”

“I was there remember.”

Liam snarled.

“You reminded me of…”

The alpha crossed his arms and waited. “Of what?”

Jake gulped. “Something ancient and it was… never mind.”

“I’ve been fighting against my feelings and instincts. I battled against you being part of my life. But you’re in my head, my heart and the core of my being. I can’t fight it any longer. And I don’t want to.”

The omega’s eyes were wide and fearful.

“As an alpha, this is difficult for me to say, but I’m sorry.”

“Liam, I…”

I have to make him understand. “What I mean is I acknowledged what had happened between us immediately. It was and is an overpowering emotion that is stronger and older than both of us.”

The omega pulled himself out of his mate’s grip and nibbling on a nail, he strode across the carpet. He kicked the pieces of the destroyed phone. “Was it something it said?”

His sarcasm! I missed that. “Same old Jake.”

“Not exactly.”

And cryptic.

“From the moment you marked me, I was yours. Forever. Your leaving tore a hole in me, and I’ve swallowed the torment every day since then. Accepting me as your mate doesn’t make that pain disappear.”

I put my own fears ahead of his happiness. I am an ass. The alpha encircled the omega in his arms. He inhaled and lost himself in the comforting aroma. The pair stood not moving, just breathing deeply and hugging one another. I am truly home. I was a fool to deny what could not be denied.

“I’m exhausted, Jake. I’m too tired to think or talk. Come to bed and I’ll cuddle you while I sleep.” The alpha held out a hand to his mate. My mate! “On my next trip you can come with me. It’ll be just the two of us and I can show you the world.”

“Not two.”

“Well, yeah we’d be surrounded by a lot of people but at night, it’d be…”

“Three.”

The alpha’s mind whirred as the omega’s words echoed inside his head.

“Liam, did you hear what I said?”

“Yeah, maybe I’m delirious. Did I catch something while I was away? Some nasty parasite?”

“You’re rambling.” Jake took the alpha’s hand. He lifted his shirt and placed it on his stomach.

How?

The warmth from the omega’s skin seeped into his palm and up his arm. The ever-present tension that gripped his shoulder blades and twisted his gut, melted away as he gazed into the omega’s eyes.

“A baby, Liam.”

“Yes.” The alpha took a step back and tripped over the towel at his feet. He somersaulted across an ottoman landing face down in the wet carpet where Jake has spilled the water. Ewww! Irritated at his clumsiness, he lay with his nose buried in the tufts of damp carpet. If I stay here long enough, maybe Jake will think I’m asleep. Or dead.

But a pair of white sneakers edged into his vision. The alpha staggered to his feet as the omega gazed at him through narrowed eyes.

“I’m pregnant!”

“Yeah, the words ‘a baby’ gave it away.”

“Now who’s being sarcastic?”

“That would be me. But I learned from a master.”

“You’re going to be a father.”

Liam took Jake’s hands. “It’s not just a baby, is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re not an alpha, an omega and a baby. We’re a family. An hour ago, I was alone. Yes, my parents and siblings live in Hazlemere but I was lonely. And now you have given me so much more.”

“It took both of us.”

“If it’d been up to me, I would have still been running. You had the courage to face me and I am grateful. Now it’s my turn to look after you - and the baby for the rest of our lives.”

Jake inspected his feet. “Speaking of being brave, I should tell you more about my past.”

“And you will. Tomorrow after we’ve slept.”

The doorbell buzzed.

“That’s the pizza. Let’s eat it in bed.”