My Mate Is An Omega
Chapter 37

Luke POV

The moment I walked into the dining room, my heart stopped. My gaze fell straight on the girl dressed in a cute simple black dress at the table. Her ombre white hair cascaded just below shoulder length, reminding me of clear water crashing at the bottom of a waterfall. It was wild and welcoming. She had perfect tawny skin as if the Sun God himself had blessed her. I was awestruck when her beautiful dark brown eyes locked on me; they were the same color as freshly brewed coffee, hot enough to burn your tongue, yet you couldn't resist the temptation to taste it. One look at those orbs, and I immediately knew they would keep me up through many nights. The pictures I had seen did no justice to this vixen sitting in front of me.

Her scent, however, was even more maddening than her looks. It was stronger than any of the smells coming from the gourmet dishes over the table, standing out against everything else. At first, it drew me in like sweet honey, but the longer I breathed it in, the more I realized she wasn't that innocent. It had a hint of danger to it, reminding me of the fragrance carnivorous plants emitted to lure in their prey. It made me hungry, yet I couldn't help but feel like she would be the one devouring me. It was hot, colorful, and explosive, like fireworks - beautiful to look at, but dangerous if you got too close.

There was no better way to describe this woman. My woman. My mate.

I was trying to replace the right words to say, the best way to approach her. Before I could, she startled me by jumping straight into my arms, her rosy pink lips ferociously crashing against mine. My surprise only lasted a fraction of a second though, my arms wrapping posessively around her as I reciprocated her kiss. The world around us disappeared as I got lost in her succulent taste. I was aware that she was an Omega, but I was never hesitant about it. Although I had just met her, I already knew she was perfect for me. And so did King - not for a second did he stop howling in joy inside my head. "Ahem."

The loud sound of Cedar clearing his throat made her pull away from me, making me immediately miss her mouth. I took in my surroundings, slowly remembering we were in the middle of an important business dinner as my bliss dampened. My best friend watched us with her eyes wide, while his mate had her mouth wide open in disbelief.

"Miss Campbell, I'm truly happy that you have found your mate in Beta Luke. At least I hope that's what happened." The leader whispered the last part before raising his tone again. "I know how distracting it can be to replace the wolf who was made for you, but considering this is a formal dinner, I would like to ask you to just take it down a notch."

She tried really hard to hide the smile on her face and try to sound serious. "Of course. I'm sorry, Alpha."

"That's quite alright." He smiled fondly before turning to me. "Well, I believe we now have one more reason to celebrate, don't we? Please, take your seats and we shall feast!"

The black-haired man sat down at the head of the table, his Beta opposite to him. My Alpha and Luna sat together at one of the sides, leaving two empty seats across them for my mate and I. I quickly pulled the chair out for her, noticing how the corner of her lips turned up in the sweetest smile. Absentmindedly, I found myself returning the gesture before I finally took my seat. Everyone started to fill their plates, but I had suddenly lost my appetite. How could I think about food when the most delicious meal was sitting right beside me? She was glancing at me from the corner of her eyes, making me realize we hadn't exchanged a word yet. A gasp escaped my mouth as I searched for the right start for our conversation. The first word was the most important one.

At last, my lips parted. "Mate," I whispered, instinctively blurting out the word my wolf couldn't stop repeating inside my head. s**t!

"What the hell, King?!" I scolded him. "This was supposed to be meaningful!"

"What could be more meaningful than 'mate'?" he argued cheerfully.

"Damn it! This was creepy as f**k! Now she's gonna think-"

"Mate," she replied, interrupting my train of thought.

I had to blink a few times, unable to believe her response. She was grinning so sweetly it melted my heart. Just like that, my nervousness faded away, leaving me with only the insatiable desire to get to know her better. There were so many things I wanted to ask her, but I knew this was neither the time nor the place; it would be best to do it when we were alone, so she wouldn't be afraid to open up to me. I wanted to know every little detail about her.

Throughout the dinner, Lance engaged in a conversation with Alpha Cedar and Beta Lyall. Caitlyn occasionally contributed to the discussion with a word or two, but most of the time, she just stared at us with wide eyes - it was clear she wanted to speak to her best friend, but Megan was doing an amazing job at ignoring her. In my rush to get away from the room, I took a spoonful of sirloin risotto; it would be rude to run off without even trying one of the dishes the leader had his cooks prepare especially for us.

It would be a lie to say I had paid any attention to the flavorsome meal though. It was impossible to concentrate on anything else when my mate's sweet scent was constantly driving me insane. The clock couldn't tick any slower as I not-so-patiently waited for the minutes to go by. At some point, the conversation died down for a while, offering me the perfect opportunity to leave. I stood up from my seat in a rush, grabbing Megan's hand in mine.

"Thank you for the dinner, Alpha Cedar." I bowed my head respectfully at him. "It was amazing. If you'll excuse us, my mate and I would like to get to know each other better."

"Of course." The man smiled at us. "Thank you for joining us. Have a nice evening, you two."

My heart raced as I came closer to the moment I had been waiting for. I helped Megan up, but before we could get our freedom, the Luna's voice caught our attention.

"Megan! Megan!" she whisper-yelled frantically, desperate to have a word with her best friend.

"What was that?" My mate brought one of her hands up to her ear, a sassy smile on her face. "Sorry, babe, can't hear ya. Talk to you later! Bye!" She quickly pulled me out of the room, leaving an annoyed Caitlyn behind.

She started leading me across the territory, but I didn't even bother asking where we were going. I was too absorbed in taking in her perfect frame, enjoying the happiness of having finally found the woman of my life. The simple act of holding hands with her gave me butterflies, the sparks from our connection making my whole body heat up. If a single touch could be so intense, I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to go all the way with her. Was it wrong that I was already fantasizing about seeing her naked? My concentration was soon broken when I heard the sound of a door closing. Taking a quick look around, I realized we were now inside of a small house, probably her home. I didn't have time to fully process what was going on; without uttering a word, Megan pounced on me again, capturing my lips. I momentarily lost balance when she caught me off-guard, which caused me to crash against a wall with a loud bang. She wrapped one of her legs against my waist, and I quickly grabbed it to prevent her from falling. When my fingers dug into her bare, juicy thigh, a groan escaped my mouth. This girl was wild, and I loved every bit of it.

However, this is not how I wanted to do things with her.

It took all of my strength to pull away from her sweet lips. The second I did, she raised an eyebrow at me.

"As delicious as you taste, I really would like to get to know you before I take you to bed," I confessed with a smirk.

"Such a gentleman." She laughed, tracing her thumb over her bottom lip in a gesture that drove me insane. I couldn't understand if her words were a complaint or a compliment, but I hoped for the latter. "Alright, handsome. Shoot."

"How old are you?" Not the most meaningful question, but I was still curious.

"19. You?"

"22." Okay, not too much of an age difference. "Favorite color?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She gestured towards her black dress. "Although my wolf sometimes pressures me into wearing white because of her fur color, which is why I dyed my hair platinum."

"What's her name?" "Pearl."

"Makes sense," I chuckled. "Mine is King."

"Royal. I like it." She winked, making my wolf purr inside my head. "Would you like to sit? I think this is not the most appropriate position for a civilized conversation."

Only then I realized she was still pinning me against the wall while I held one of her legs. I shook my head to regain my senses and accepted her offer. She led me towards a small couch where we continued to talk. Although I was already impressed by the little I knew thanks to Caitlyn, the more she told me about her, the more mesmerized I was. I listened attentively to every story she shared with me, eager to know more. However, I couldn't help but wonder why she talked so much about her friends, yet never mentioned her family.

"Do you live in this house all by yourself?" I finally asked.

"Yeah. I have no siblings, and my parents were warriors who died in battle four years ago," she revealed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." I lowered my head, instantly regretting my question.

"It's okay." She shrugged. "I was never upset about it. I miss them, of course, but I'm proud of them. They had responsibilities, which I understood too well, and their sacrifice motivated me to become a warrior as well." When I looked into her eyes again, they were glistening. She was so fierce. There was a fire inside her heart; I wanted to dance among the flames so bad, I didn't care if I might get burned.

As we stared at each other, my desire grew dire. She was a work of art, and it had been hard enough to hold back for so long knowing how badly she wanted to have me. I leaned forward slowly, ready to taste her lips for the third time, when we were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"That's weird. I wasn't expecting anyone." She arched an eyebrow as she faced the entrance. "Come in!"

"You leave your door open?" It was my turn to be confused.

"Yeah, it's a common habit for us at Ninebark. The pack is very safe, so we don't have to worry."

The next second, a male Omega walked in shyly, carrying an expensive bottle of sparkling wine. Megan's eyes widened in shock, but I just smiled as I stood up to receive my order, thanking the man before shutting the door. I glanced over at my mate, realizing she was still speechless. "Your best friend told me you like partying," I said playfully, holding the bottle up in the air. "I think replaceing you is a good enough reason to celebrate."

"You're really perfect for me, aren't you?" She giggled. "Alright, let's get this party started then!"

***

Caleb POV

After my most recent failed attempt to get my mate back, I was sent to the doctor to have my wounds taken care of while some maids moved my stuff out of the room I had grown up in. At night, I was discharged from the hospital and sent to my new house, which was the size of my old bathroom. I hated this place. I hated that ever since I rejected Caitlyn, my life had gone downhill.

Why did she have to give up on me so easily? If she stayed, I would have eventually realized that she was perfect for me. I thought she really cared about me, but one mistake was all it took for her to turn her back on me, like everyone else. She moved on, found herself a new mate and wore her mark with pride. I shook my head, clenching my fists as I held back a scream; it was my turn to leave them all behind.

"They didn't leave. You pushed them all away." I was startled when I heard my wolf's voice inside my head. I had already grown used to not having him around anymore. "You said it yourself, you wanted to reject our mate in such a cruel way so that she would never consider fighting for us. You wanted her to leave you alone, and now that she did, you're mad."

"Shut up, mutt! This is your fault, too!" I barked. "If you didn't refuse to come out for so long, we wouldn't have been forced to stop training. At full strength, we would have had no trouble defeating that stupid stray! We have Gamma blood, but your selfishness made us weaker than an Omega. We would have won her back if it weren't for you!" He lowered his ears, realizing the truth behind my harsh words. "Don't worry. There's still one last thing we can do." I grabbed one of my backpacks, searching the room for my essential belongings.

"You wanna leave?"

"What's the point in staying? There's nothing left for us here. We lost our mate, our friends, and our rank. This place is just a constant reminder of our failure!" I growled, a mix of hate and determination in my dark blue eyes. "And if I succeed, I might not only get everything back, but achieve even more. We will take our place by our mate's side, and earn the Alpha title. If that stray could do it, so can I."