Liberation: Oscar's Story

Chapter 8: Pt. 1

Early the next morning, Oscar sat on the porch of his large house, staring at his phone with a skeptical raise of his eyebrows as he scrolled through the small exchange he and Ananya had the night before. His lips were pursed in thought as he reread their conversation and he kept running his thumb over the emojis that Ananya had sent him.

"These are more complicated than I thought," he mused. "How does one know when to use them? When and with whom would it be appropriate to use an emoji? Would I offend someone if I used the wrong one?

"Use the eggplant emoji and send it to her," Cai's head popped out from beneath the fence of the porch. His bushy hair was frizzy from the early morning dew but his eyes were wild like a bull seeing red. "I didn't know you guys traded numbers."

"It's for work," Oscar muttered. "What does the eggplant emoji mean?"

"It's a romantic gesture," Cai said, leaping over the bar of the porch and settling on the bench beside Oscar. "Ooh or send a peach emoji. I heard that girls like peaches."

Oscar frowned. "Your smile is too wide for six in the morning. I'm not going to send what you're telling me."

"Come on! I'm serious!" Cai whined. "Don't you want to get laid? Trust me, it works." He wiggled his bushy eyebrows. "I saw the way you were looking at her yesterday."

"Like what?" Oscar put his phone face-down on his thigh. "It's called being attentive. She was speaking to me, Cai, where else should I have been looking?"

"Your eyes never left hers."

"So? Eye-contact is important when making connections."

Cai rolled his eyes. "Oh, stop playing dumb. I know you like her. I saw your eyes trace over her mouth every so often."

Oscar hesitated. "You saw that?" He asked quietly. "If you saw it, did she see it then?"

"I doubt it," Cai scoffed. He flung his arm out Oscar's shoulders and leaned into the Alpha's ear conspiratorially. "So, a human, eh?"

"Fuck off." Oscar shrugged Cai's arm away. "It's not like that. Our relationship is purely professional. Besides, I just met her yesterday."

"So? A second is all a mate bond needs to be created," Cai said. "She's your mate, isn't she?"

"I don't know."

"How do you not know?"

"I...I just don't know." A dark red hue blew up Oscar's cheeks and his voice became strained. "Drop it, Cai."

"How can I drop it?" Cai was unwavered by Oscar's command and continued to smile.

"My dear, dear friend and Alpha has found his mate! This is cause for a celebration!"

"No, it's not." Oscar scowled. "You will mention no such thing to anyone, neither werewolf nor human, got it?"

"But why?" Cai asked. "Why not be happy to have found your lifelong partner?"

"Because I have other things to deal with." Oscar scowled. "Cai, we have a murderer running loose. We have two dead victims and a community full of angry humans out for our hides. This is no time to celebrate."

Cai pouted, and then the playful curl of his lips straightened with severity. "I understand," he said softly. His eyes narrowed bitterly. "And I'm sorry for being happy that my best friend found his mate."

Oscar sighed. "Cai, come on. Don't be childish."

"Oh, so having feelings is childish?"

"No!" Oscar's temper flared. "Cai, look I..." He groaned in frustration. "I know that Ananya is my mate, okay? I know that every time I look at her, all I want to do is bring her toward me and shower her with affection. Don't you think a part of me wants to give love and feel loved? Don't you think that after ten years I've craved the touch of another woman?!" His eyes became red. "But right now, I have a frightened pack and a group of humans who are equally afraid. I can't be a mate right now. I have to be an Alpha."