Page 2 of Omega on the Rocks (Pubbin’ Mates #1)

Mate.

My omega sat up, ears pricked forward. I shuffled uncomfortably. What? Mate? A sense of panic overtook any common sense, and I looked around the room, trying to find her. Who was it? How could I even have a mate? I was a male omega.

I couldn't possibly have a mate... right?

The universe wouldn't be so unkind to a female as to have her mate with a man who made slick.

... right? When arousal hit, I would exude slick from my ass.

Most women didn't mind for a onetime thing, but to be fated to one like me?

What kind of trick was the universe trying to play?

I had long since given up on any hope of such.

I couldn't give a woman any pups, and nobody could give me any either -- since I was male.

When I had presented as omega, the first thing to go had been my grand delusions of running a home, having a cabin of my own, and nurturing a family with my fated mate.

My parents had told me that every single man in our lineage had been mated to gorgeous women, firmly capable of giving birth to many children.

I had been so excited...dreaming grand visions of multiple little pups running around the perfect blend of their mama and me. .. until....

Mate! Pay attention, more important things.

I didn't see any women over that direction, but the fan could have picked the scent up from anywhere.

"Hey, what is the matter with you?" The deep masculine voice caught my attention, and I shifted my gaze back to Kieran.

His dark brown eyes were staring into the depths of my soul, and I felt an uncomfortable tightness against the zipper of my slacks.

Not here, not now. I couldn't be attracted to a man.

I was straight, and now I had a female mate somewhere in this room I needed to find.

She at least needed the option to know who I was, and maybe she would accept me? Sure, the chances were probably incredibly low - but I wouldn't know if I didn't at least try.

"Nothing is wrong, I just... I have to do something.

" Hopping up from the stool, I step around him.

The scent of cloves hung in the air, whispering to my nostrils about the hope of fate giving me what I longed for more than anything.

A place to belong. A person to belong too.

Part of that was my omega instinct, but part of it was just the man in me wanting home.

"What could you have to do that you didn't have to do a moment ago?" His voice was questioning, and he stepped down behind me.

Jesus, he towered over me. Easily half a foot taller than me at least, his muscles bunching with every movement.

When I had seen him across the room, I hadn't noticed his height - and even when he had sat down next to me it hadn't stuck out to me as something to be noticed, but now?

It was glaringly obvious. I was small for a man, barely hitting 5 foot 7, but I could hold my own in most conversations. He made me feel like a miniscule ant.

"I just... I smelled something and I needed to see what it was?" The statement somehow turned into a question.

A teasing look filled his face, and the corner of his lips tipped up in an easy grin.

"I smelled something to, and it smelled like pancakes, ice-cream, and caramel.

" His voice dropped an octave. "I know where to find the syrup for those pancakes, if you wanted to grab something to eat with me.

" He nodded towards a booth over in the corner of the dimly lit room.

The lights accentuated his movement, and my heart skipped a beat.

My dick pressed against the fly of my jeans uncomfortably, and I swallowed back unwanted saliva.

What was wrong with me? I was literally salivating at the sight of this man.

Mine. Mate.

Another perusal around the room, leaves me finding nobody paying any attention.

I know. I get it. Our mate is in the room.

No. Mate.

"I think I'm going to have to pass on the dinner, thank you though. I came in here to find a woman to hang out with, and I'm not gonna find it eating with you." The words tasted vile falling from my lips but I couldn't bring myself to take them back.

"Oh really, so that's how it is then, you prefer the company of women?" He shot me a disbelieving look, his eyes darkening.

How could he possibly be that astute? He had to just be guessing at it, right? There was no way that he had caught on to me that fast.

Mate. Found. Now.

I get it, I get it. One second. Be patient.

No. Mate.

Clearly patience wasn't going to be a thing while my wolf was all fired up over our mate, it would be nice if I had the slightest idea where to find this fabled being. Now the fan was oscillating, so my best bet was going to be just to hang out and hope by mingling I caught another whiff of her.

"I told you I came here to hang out with a woman, and that is what I intend to do. Plus, I got a whiff of something that smells divine and I would like to check out whose perfume it is."

"What makes you think its perfume?" He cocked an eyebrow, a challenging expression on his face.

"I can think of a million other things that have scent that have nothing to do with perfume.

Could have fooled me with all the staring at me that you were straight.

If you were to change your mind angel...

you know where to find me. I do like me some ice-cream to go with my whiskey.

" His words were growly, and I had to shuffle uncomfortably to keep my body from having another visceral reaction. Seriously, what was wrong with me?

I shot up, and shuffled away from him, heading to the back of the area where the fan had originally been pointed. The scent of cloves was much less the further I moved around the room, until I could no longer scent it. My omega did not like it.

Go back to him.

What? Why?

Scent near him.

He wasn't wrong, but I'm not sure how I could get the wolf side to understand that just because the original scent had come from near him, didn't mean it would the next time.

A gnawing ache rose within my abdomen. Shit, it was starting already.

The incredible need to have my mate. I had heard rumors of how bad it could be when an omega smelled their fated, but nothing could have prepared me for the need eating me alive.

A longing ache, missing something, someone, that I didn't even know who was.

I groaned, and walked back over towards where Kieran was still perched up against the bar.

He was watching me. His brown gaze so dark it was almost black, tracking my every move as I slowly made my way back over to him.

Following a tug, a need to smell that scent again.

Without taking his eyes off of me, he pulled his jacket off.

Revealing a tight cotton white t-shirt pulled taunt against his muscles. They flexed, and my mouth watered.

I hopped back up on the stool next to him, trying to pretend that I was unaffected my his muscular display of sexiness.

"Back already Angel?" The question was pure gravel, and my cock jerked in response.

"Can't find where the scent came from, she must have left.

" I tried to play it off, hoping that the aching within my body would subside.

I couldn't just walk around like a ditz sniffing of women, I needed to be where the fan would hit me and perhaps it would bring another whiff of her along with it.

"Must have." He agreed, motioning for the bartender to bring me another drink. "Might as well enjoy something good while you wait then, if you are insistent upon only having fun with women."

I practically choked on my own spit, before catching myself and sending him an annoyed look. "Not funny." I reached out and pushed against his arm, intending for it to be a lighthearted gesture.

Instead the scent of cinnamon hit me full on, a hint of cloves following along behind it. Firmly mixed with the heady masculine scent of alpha male.

MINE. MATE.

My omega roared in my head. I glanced around, but my eyes quickly found their way right back to the man sitting next to me.

He wasn't looking at me, instead, watching the bartender prepare my drink.

It couldn't be possible... right? He was probably an alpha - if he were wolf.

I wasn't getting any wolfy scents, matter of fact - I wasn't getting much of anything from him despite sitting right next to him.

The peculiarity of that, mixed with the need to see if my baser instincts were leading me in the right direction, had me leaning in closer to him to take a sniff. I took in a deep breath.

Nothing.

A deep, dark chuckle had the hair on the back of my neck rising. Heat flushing my cheeks.

"Did you just sniff of me Angel? Wondering if that perfume you were looking for came from me are you?" He turned towards me, shooting me a wink.

Embarrassment dosed with a healthy mixture of what the fuck had I been thinking , warred in me.

"Um, uh...." I stammered, unsure what to say to possibly begin to get myself out of this mess. How does one explain sniffing another, especially if the other doesn't know about wolves. I hadn't gotten human, or wolf scent from him. Was he using scent blockers?

"It’s okay preacher, come along. Let's go sit somewhere a bit more private shall we? Hey - Kenz can you bring us a menu, and bring Angel here a ginger ale, and another shot?" He stood, grasping me firmly by the elbow.

Electricity shot through me, enveloping me in a cocoon of need. Desire to be near him flooding me.

"Um, yeah okay." I managed to blurt out. Sounding half crazy.

"Perfect." He led me over towards the back where a set of booths were arranged near one another, with dividers in between for privacy.