Page 13 of Accept Me (Fate’s Choice #4)

"I get it, and I’m not going to question it. I already had cameras installed here anyway, so it’s no problem."

Silence fell between us.

Now it made sense why he’d shown up right after I finished making food. Though he didn’t explain why he had cameras here in the first place, and I didn’t ask.

Hunter’s eyes were locked on my face with the same enigmatic expression as before.

"I just put fresh sheets and towels in your room," he said. "I wasn’t expecting to come back from the fair with a husband, so forgive the lack of preparation."

His apology came off a little robotic. He had this odd way of saying the kinds of things a normal person should say , but it sounded like he just didn’t have the energy to put any emotion into it.

There were a few moments of softness when he spoke to me directly, after I told the story of my past. But aside from that, everything else was dialed down to the bare minimum, at least emotionally.

Hunter continued, "I’ll pick up a few more things for you tomorrow. In the meantime, I cleared out the rest of the closets. You can fill them with your stuff. You said your luggage is coming tomorrow?"

"Yeah, a friend’s sending it by express courier."

"Good. Do you have anything to change into, or should I lend you something?"

"I’ve got a spare outfit in my carry-on."

"Alright. I left you some basic toiletries and a hairdryer in your bathroom, the one that’s connected to your room. I’m heading to my office now. I have a lot of work to catch up on. After that, I’ll be going to bed."

He paused, looking pensive.

"Do you have a task for me?" I asked, for some reason trying to add just a hint of submissiveness to my voice, but he didn’t react at all.

"No, Star. You’ve got the evening off. You can swim, work out, watch TV. I see you’ve got your laptop. The Wi-Fi password is LONELINESS, all caps. I usually get up around seven and go for a forty-minute run. I’m downstairs for breakfast around eight."

"I can make it for you," I offered quickly, looking for another chance to interact with him.

The truth was, I wanted to spend more time with him, to figure out who he really was. That was the only way to unlock whatever it was that made him so closed off.

The question was, was I willing to unlock myself in front of him and let my own guard down too?

Still, the fact that he wanted to go straight to work after I just arrived kind of unsettled me.

And what exactly was this work? I could only assume it was remote.

The fact that he hadn’t mentioned a word about it might’ve meant getting to know him would take a long time, if he was naturally this reserved.

Or maybe it was just nerves? People had different modes of dealing with challenging situations.

Hunter frowned slightly, then suddenly said,

"One thing… Tomorrow’s kind of a special day. I have to leave very early to drop off a motorcycle I helped a friend fix after his accident. But I should be back by eleven-thirty."

"What time are you getting up?"

"Before six."

"I can get up and make you breakfast too. It’s no problem."

He looked at me for a moment. "You really don’t have to. I know it’s early, especially for someone who isn’t used to that kind of schedule."

"It’s no problem," I said, keeping my tone casual.

"Thanks then."

I nodded.

He moved like he was about to leave, then hesitated mid-step. He studied me for a moment.

"What’s your natural hair color?" he asked.

Weird question, but alright.

"Also light blonde. Just more of a cool, Scandinavian shade. I dye it a platinum-gold mix."

"I’d like you to go back to your natural color."

Whoa.

That came out strong, I didn’t expect it. The tone he used, it was the kind of tone someone might use with a subordinate, someone who was just supposed to accept what was said without resistance. Calm, factual, commanding.

Was he seriously giving me orders about something that was entirely my choice?

But strangely, a little thrill ran through me, completely against all logic. Maybe it was because, for the first time, something real had cracked through that neutral mask of his.

Whether I liked it or not didn’t matter. What mattered was, I had just witnessed something authentic.

He tilted his head slightly, watching me closely, like he was studying my reaction. Like it was some kind of test.

"Don’t wear makeup around the house either," he added, his voice low.

Boom. Well…

I stood there, mouth open.

For a second, I wanted to say something. Push back. Maybe even get mad, say "what gives you the right," "how dare you," "that’s none of your business"!

But then it hit me… I didn’t even wear makeup at home. Or to school. And I didn’t like dyeing my hair anyway, I thought it damaged it.

So, was I really going to start a war on day one? I wondered how he’d take it. Maybe he’d decide he’d just signed a contract with some mouthy whore who’d pick fights under his roof just to prove a point I didn’t even believe in.

Someone else might say it was about setting healthy boundaries, claiming what was mine and not his to control. But for reasons I didn’t understand, that thrill inside me only got stronger.

A faint spark of arousal, such a rare thing for me, a tiny flush of heat low in my belly… kept lingering there.

And one thing was crystal clear to me…

I wanted to do what he said.

Almost desperately!

So, barely recognizing myself, I whispered, my tone a bit raspy, "Of course." And I dipped my head just slightly. "As you wish."

Even without realizing it, my voice once again had taken on a soft, submissive edge. Did his energy bring it out of me?

Did I have a side I’d never known before?

The corner of Hunter’s mouth twitched.

Then he turned and left the kitchen without another word.

Wow.

This was going to be… interesting.

Maybe that was the moment I should’ve started worrying. Started wondering if he was some kind of… tyrant? A guy who got off on power. Someone who wanted to control and never ask.

But… then I thought about Dino.

He’d been the total opposite in the beginning. Super nice. Super friendly. Showering me with compliments, bending over backward to make me happy.

He never gave me orders, not even later when things started getting dark and twisted. Instead, he pressured me from the side, manipulated me, lied, guilt-tripped me, begged, pleaded, twisted everything until I didn’t know what was real anymore.

Maybe I should be grateful that Hunter was upfront, showing his colors. That our dynamic seemed to be shaping up to be something completely different from what I’d had with Dino.

Time would tell where this was going.

◆◆◆

That evening I walked around the house to familiarize myself with it. There weren’t any signs of another omega ever living here. The place felt sterile, impersonal.

I also peeked into the nesting supplies drawer, but it was empty!

Then I remembered what he said, that he hadn’t expected to bring home a husband, and had only just swapped out the sheets and towels.

Strangely, I felt relieved. It gave me an excuse not to start a nest right away.

The idea of having to explain that one day was stressful enough.

What alpha wouldn’t feel weird if he found out his omega not only hated sex, but also lacked the most basic nesting instinct?

Something so important, proving that he was healthy, fertile, capable of emotionally self-regulating and self-soothing? That was the main point of the nest.

If I admitted right away that I was broken in that way too, it’d just be another strike against me.

I headed down to the pool and sat beside it for a while, staring at the turquoise glow on the water’s surface.

No, I wasn’t in the mood for a swim tonight.

My head was too full of noise. A bit of moisture gathered in my eyes as I sat there feeling like absolute shit. Broken, useless, a fraud… that’s what I was. A bad deal.

And Hunter had been tricked into this by signing my contract.

Drowning in that heavy, self-torturing spiral, I spent a while picking myself apart. It was like I couldn’t help it, even though I knew it wouldn’t lead anywhere. But that kind of self-loathing was exhausting, so finally I stood up. I needed to sleep, if only to be a little less useless tomorrow.

Around nine, I went back to my assigned room, showered, and got ready for bed.

If I was getting up at six, I needed to rest.