Page 13 of Such a Grumpy Omega (His Alpha Desires #9)

Fraser

My heart rate kicked up when I saw who was calling.

And I hesitated. I had not yet spoken to my partners, not sure how to tell them my mate—even if we had not actually marked yet—was the person trying to shut down the entire operation.

Not that he’d succeed. I’d dealt with too many disgruntled neighbors and community activists to lose this one, but I’d also never been so in the middle.

Cruel Fate matching me with someone who was so in opposition to everything else in my life.

“Alpha?”

I couldn’t let him hang there any longer. No matter how much smarter that would be. “Hello? Everly, are you okay?”

“Physically yes. Could you come over? Tomorrow? Tomorrow, could you come over?”

I hated that he was hurting, but I could hear the desperation in his tone. I also hated that he was not right here where I could hold him and comfort him.

Being the middle man was not fun.

“I’m going to get dressed. Text me your address and I’ll be right over.”

“Really?” His voice was small, faint. Heartbreaking.

“Yes, omega. Text your address now and I’ll see you in…” The text came in and I looked to see how far away he was. “A little while.”

I disconnected without waiting for him to speak further. Comforting him from here would not be nearly as effective, and while all I wanted to do was enfold him in my arms, hold him close, and tell him everything would be okay, we had a lot more unfinished business than that.

Pulling on sweats, I stuffed my wallet and phone in a hoodie pocket and, keys in hand, headed for the door.

I arrived a lot more quickly than the distance implied.

My wolf and I both needed to be with our omega.

He couldn’t be alone when he was so distressed.

It mattered little to me at this point that he’d brought the troubles on himself.

And my wolf didn’t care at all. He had no interest in business or paperwork of any kind.

He wanted his omega safe, happy, well-fed, and preferably swelling with pups.

Even at a speed I didn’t plan to admit to anyone I’d driven, it still took longer than I wanted, to get to him.

He belongs under our roof.

Yes, Wolf, but we’re not there yet. To his home, but more, I meant, to where he was with us all the time, sleeping warm in our arms, eating meals I prepared for him, and free of whatever bedevilment caused him to behave the way he had.

He’d left the porch light on, and no sooner had I parked at the curb than Everly darted out the door and met me at the gate. “I can’t believe you came like this. When I called, I never dreamed you’d rush over. I didn’t intend…”

“Let’s take this inside, omega.” Putting my arm around his shoulders, I guided him toward the open door, light spilling out from inside. “We don’t want to wake all the neighbors.”

“Bad enough, I woke you,” he sniffled, eyes sparkling with moisture. Once inside, he swiped at his cheeks. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Despite my worry and all the other emotions that hounded me on the way here, I couldn’t help smiling.

“Maybe later.” He had good manners for a guy trying to put his alpha out of business.

Not that I’d say that to him. “Right now, we need to figure out what had you awake and upset in the wee small hours of the night and try to fix it.”

Dropping onto the overstuffed sofa, he burst into real tears, and I sat beside him, patting his back in reassurance. “Omega, what did I do to make you cry?”

“You are being so much nicer to me than I deserve. After everything I’ve done, all the trouble I’ve caused. I-I lied to you, misled you, and tried to put you out of business.”

“Yeah, there is that. Lucky you don’t know about my other company. If you succeed in closing Cuffed, I’ll need something to fall back on.”

“No! That’s what I mean. I had no right. My family, my sister, who is the executor of our father’s estate, sold the house so that she could divide up all the assets among us and then I didn’t know. She kept it from me because she said ‘everyone’ knew I’d object.”

“And you did?” I leaned back, bringing him with me to rest his tear-stained face on my chest.

“Y-yes.”

I waited, but when no more followed, I stroked his hair and tipped his face up. “Omega, you’re going to have to bring me up to speed. There’s a story there, and I’m sure it’s very valid, but I don’t know what it is. Where was this house?”

He let out a shuddering sigh. “I’d better start at the beginning. My father died not long ago.”

“I’m so sorry, Everly. Were you close to him?”

“I think so. But when he made all his arrangements, he left me out of it. Didn’t tell me what was in his will, and my sister…” He chewed his lower lip for a moment. “You don’t want to hear all this.”

“Yes, I do. Every word.” Unable to resist, I brushed my lips over his, inhaling his scent and tucking him closer against me. “Tell me all of it, and how I can make it better.”