Chapter 6
Colby
The smell was something I could only describe as sweet, mixed with a hint of berry. I was overcome by the scent, unable to think of anything else. In the middle of talking with Michael, I stood up and started walking, entranced.
“Hey Colby, what are you doing?!” Michael shouted.
“I smell something. It’s-hard to focus on anything else.”
Michael grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to look around.
“You have a glazed-over look in your eyes and claim there is this sweet scent that I can’t smell.”
I blinked. “Yeah, and?”
“You found your mate.”
The two of us had been finishing our shared class together. I was going to head home and Michael was going to head home to his. Then I smelled that scent that was turning my mind into mush.
“There was a coming-of-age ceremony today?”
Michael suddenly went rigid.
“Yeah, just one, remember?”
“Mike, I know your sister’s was today but what was the other one?”
“No, Colby I don’t think you are quite understanding the situation right now. My sister’s scent is the one you’re smelling. She’s your mate.”
Well, shit.
I always gave Lia a lot of shit but it was all in good fun. She was always intruding on our fun when we were growing up so Michael, me, and the rest of the guys would tease her. It had crossed the line a few times, something we always apologized for or Michael chastised us about.
But to be her mate? I couldn’t believe that this was my reality. Our reality now.
“She’s gonna flip,” I muttered.
“Flip? She’ll probably try to flee not only the state but the country.”
A possessive growl escaped me at the thought of Lia trying to flee. She was my omega. I’d never hurt her or allow harm to come to her, but she couldn’t leave. Having her physically away from me would hurt in ways I couldn’t even imagine.
“Let me drive you,” Michael offered, noticing how tense I was. “You offered the same to me when I matched with Gabirella after her coming-of-age ceremony so let me do the same.”
I sighed softly. “Thanks, Mike.”
The two of us were quiet in the car, each of us lost in our thoughts. I couldn’t believe that she was my mate, someone I had been searching for years now. In my mind, I could picture Lia, her long blonde locks falling down her blonde in waves, wide blue eyes, and rosy pink lips parted just a bit.
“Colby, your gripping door handle so tight I’m afraid you’re going to rip it off,” Michael warned. “And trust me, you’re going to have to pay for it.”
1/3
I huffed. “It’s not like I don’t have the money.”
“No, it’s not like you don’t have the money but I’d rather have to avoid waiting for the repairs. I need to use my car.”
“Shit, I left my car back at the school.”
He shrugged. “I’ll drive you back there later so we can get it. Don’t worry about it.”
“Michael, thanks.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
The closer we got to the school, the more intense the smell became. I swallowed, trying my best to control myself. A certain part of me was stirring, reacting to the sent of my future mate being so close.
“Breathe, Colby.”
“I’m breathing.”
“Your breathing harshly. Take slow, deep breaths.”
I grinned. “Hey, when have I ever been one to listen?”
“Hey, wait is that Rain?” Michael asked suddenly.
Blinking, I saw my friend jump out of his car and bolt into the building.
“Michael… you don’t think-”
“I mean, It’s possible for you to have more than one mate so it can happen.”
“But for it to me and Rain? What are the odds?”
“Strange things have happened,” Michael muttered. “Let me just park and we’ll go inside to ask him what is going on, okay?”
I nodded.
The second I stepped out of the car I felt like I was going to fall to my knees. The scent was intense now. So intense it was ready to knock me over like I had been hit by a freight train or something.
“Colby you need a minute?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
I wonder if Rain was going through the same thing. He had to be. Out of all of us, Rain was usually the first to react.
Rain
I’m sitting at home, trying to finish some of my homework. Some of the guys are more academically gifted than I am, leaving me to work harder than them. It used to bother me, but I realized that this was just how it was.
