THE FATED OMEGA MATE

Chapter 6

“Are you sure?” Adrian asked, his tone carrying both curiosity and suspicion.

Damian didn’t bother to answer. His tall frame turned stiffly, his broad shoulders set in silent dismissal as he strode away, every step echoing with controlled authority. Adrian gave me a glance but said nothing, eventually following him into the meeting hall and leaving me standing alone in the corridor.

I released a shaky breath, one hand pressing against my chest. My reflection on the polished glass wall nearby revealed pale skin, a sheen of sweat on my forehead, and the faint tremor in my hands. I tried to steady myself, but the heaviness in my body was undeniable.

It wasn’t just fatigue. It was him. Damian.

His pheromones lingered in the air, clinging to my senses like smoke I couldn’t escape. Just the memory of that sharp, commanding scent was enough to make my knees weaken, to ignite thoughts in me. I didn’t want to acknowledge. Shame rose hot in my throat. How pathetic could I be? Even when he humiliated me, even when he reminded me how much he despised my kind, my body still betrayed me.

“Focus, Elias,” I muttered under my breath, forcing my trembling fingers back to the stack of papers waiting on my desk. Work was the only thing that kept me grounded, the only thing I had control over.

Minutes passed as I sorted through files, adjusted schedules, and double-checked contracts. The steady rhythm of tasks calmed me until the sharp clicking of heels interrupted the silence.

I lifted my gaze.

A woman approached, her presence commanding the space as though she owned it. She was dressed in a fitted sheath dress, the silk-colored fabric hugging her curves with effortless elegance. Under the lights, it shimmered faintly, each movement drawing the eye. The dress dipped slightly at the neckline, modest yet alluring, and a subtle slit at the side revealed long, toned legs that carried her with graceful confidence.

Her hair, a cascade of dark waves, framed her face perfectly, while diamond earrings glinted with each step. The delicate bracelet at her wrist and the sleek designer heels confirmed that her poise already suggested she was wealthy, refined, and used to having the world bend toward her.

She stopped in front of my desk, her perfume soft but undeniably expensive.

“Hello,” she greeted, her voice gentler than I expected.

“Hello, Miss,” I replied, sitting up straighter. “How may I help you?”

“I’m here to see Damian.” Her lips curved into a smile that carried both warmth and confidence.

Damian. My chest tightened. Another mistress? Another plaything? The thought stabbed me, but I buried it quickly.

“Is Mr. Blackwell expecting you?” I asked, keeping my tone professional.

“Yes. I am Gale.” She extended a perfectly manicured hand toward me.

I stood, forcing a polite smile as I accepted it. “Elias Mercer. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Gale.”

Her handshake was firm, lingering just a second longer than necessary. Before I could pull away, the door to Damian’s office opened.

Damian stepped out, tall and imposing as ever.

Gale immediately withdrew her hand and, without hesitation, threw her arms around him. He embraced her back naturally, as though it was a routine he had done many times before.

But his eyes… his eyes were on me.

I felt the weight of his stare burn through me, sharp and unreadable. My chest tightened, and I dropped my gaze quickly, pretending to busy myself with shuffling papers that no longer made sense.

“Clear all my schedules for today,” Damian ordered, his tone flat but laced with authority.

I blinked. “But sir...”

“No buts, Elias. I am your boss. You follow my orders.”

The finality in his voice struck harder than it should have. I bowed my head in defeat. “Yes, boss.”

They left together, Gale’s laughter echoing lightly down the hall, leaving me standing alone in the suffocating silence of the office.

For a moment, I sat frozen. Then the sting in my eyes blurred my vision, and tears I couldn’t stop slid down my cheeks. I buried my face in my hands, muffling the sound of my quiet sobs.

It wasn’t just the exhaustion, though, that weighed heavily on me. It was the sharp ache in my chest, the constant reminder that no matter how hard I worked, no matter how much I endured, to Damian, I was still just an omega.

And in moments like this, I wondered how much longer I could survive, pretending that didn’t hurt.

It was already seven in the evening when I finally noticed the clock. Time had slipped past me without warning, and exhaustion clung to my body. Still, I had no choice but to get up and prepare. Damian had called earlier, his voice curt as ever, and told me I was to attend a party with him. “Business matters,” he had said, as though that explained everything.

So that was why he had been with that woman earlier, Gale. They were going to the same event. A party for him was always business, though the rumors often suggested otherwise.

Thirty minutes later, I arrived at the venue. The lights from the chandeliers spilled onto polished floors, laughter and music weaving together in the air. I pulled out my phone and tried to call Damian, but the line didn’t connect. I sighed. It wouldn’t be the first time. If Damian was in the middle of a heated moment with someone, reaching him was impossible.

“Elias, what is wrong with you?”

The familiar voice jolted me. I spun around to find Adrian standing just a few feet away, his sharp eyes studying me. A sudden panic rose in my chest. My throat tightened, and I gasped for air, clutching at my neck.

“Elias?” Adrian’s voice came again, but I flinched, stumbling back. The thought of him touching me of another alpha pheromone invading my senses sent shivers down my spine. My vision blurred, the room tilting as though the ground itself was unsteady.

Then, warmth.

Strong arms caught me, pulling me against a chest that radiated both heat and command. A deep, familiar scent enveloped me, rich and grounding, chasing away the chaos in my lungs.

Damian.

His pheromones wrapped around me like a shield, the very air shifting to match my ragged breaths. Relief tore through me, and tears burned my eyes. I hated how much I needed him in moments like this, how his very presence could unravel me.

“Breathe, Elias,” Damian murmured, his voice low and steady. “It’s okay. You are safe.”

I obeyed without question, inhaling deeply, clinging to the anchor of his scent. For a moment, I forgot the noise of the party, forgot Adrian’s sharp gaze. All that mattered was that Damian was here.

“What is going on?” Adrian’s confusion broke through, his tone sharp. I couldn’t blame him. It must have looked strange, even to him.

The memory of the doctor’s words came rushing back. That night, after the bar incident, Damian took a doctor to check on me. The man had warned me that my body was reaching its limits. Without a compatible mate, without a mark, I would suffer sudden and dangerous heat. And Damian… Damian’s pheromones were the only ones that stabilized me.

Back in the present, Damian’s voice cut through the haze. “Shut up, Adrian. And stop releasing pheromones you’re making him worse.” His hold on me tightened as he lifted me as though I weighed nothing.

“Keep breathing, Elias. Everything will be fine,” he whispered, firm but reassuring.

Adrian’s brows furrowed. “What’s wrong with him, Caleb?” he asked, though his eyes stayed locked on me.

“Elias can’t take your pheromones. They trigger his attacks,” Damian replied coldly.

“What? Really? But yours don’t?” Adrian pressed.

“Doctor Maxil said my pheromones are the only ones compatible with him.” Damian’s voice left no room for argument.

Adrian snorted softly. “So it’s okay when you release pheromones, but not me? Interesting.”

“Yes,” Damian snapped without hesitation.

The air shifted, heavy with tension, before Adrian leaned closer, his smirk faint but cutting. “Then why don’t you just sleep with him?”

Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the change in Damian, the rigid way his body tensed, the way his scent sharpened with something darker. I knew Adrian’s words struck deep, though I didn’t know the whole story of why Damian despised omegas so much.

My strength waned, the world slipping further from my grasp. I barely registered Adrian’s last words, whispered almost mockingly.

“Oh, poor Elias.”

The next morning, life seemed to return to normal, as if none of it had ever happened. I went about my duties, filing papers, answering calls, pretending the night hadn’t left me trembling inside. But the truth clung to me, sharp and undeniable.

I was running out of time. The doctor’s warning echoed in my mind, I needed a mate soon, or the heat would consume me. And I already knew the cruel truth. Damian was the only alpha I was compatible with.

So when the contract was placed in front of me, I signed it without hesitation. Staying in his company was the only way to survive.

I didn’t know if I had made the right choice. But for today, I told myself I had.

For today, it was enough.