Within minutes they were in the hover pod, drifting down the airway.
“Are you excited about your sampling event this evening? I heard the tickets were sold out.”
Mac reached for his friend.
“Jamue are you nervous? I don’t really do much. He’s the one who interacts with the crowd.”
“What?” Jamue stared at him aghast. “Don’t say that. We’re here because of you. I make things look pretty, that’s all.”
“You must make a good team then. I can’t wait to taste your creations,” Djohn said. “Griean bought tickets even though he can’t drink.”
“He did? I would love to have him there,” Mac said excitedly.
He would have liked to share this moment with his parents, especially his mom; she was the reason he was here.
I’ll connect with her, Mac decided.
They arrived at the house a few minutes later. Griean was in the sitting area as they walked in.
Mac rushed to him.
“Hey.” He pulled him into a hug.
A second later, Griean stepped back and gave him an assessing look. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Mac waved him off. “You’ve gotten bigger since the last time I saw you.”
“The cub will be coming soon, remember? You should see what I’ve done with his room.” Griean dragged him and Jamue upstairs.
It’s gorgeous, Mac thought, taking in the tiny pillows, colorful toys, and the cot in the corner. He'd never imagined himself having a cub, he still couldn’t see it, but sometimes, when he allowed himself to think about it and convinced himself that Deltta’s feelings were real and not influenced by the claiming mark, he could see it. He could see himself having the life he’d only ever fantasized about.
But he never allowed himself to think about it for too long. His heart ached too much when he thought about things he couldn’t have.
They hung out with Griean until it was time to go and prepare for the sampling event. Ashur welcomed them with open arms, his excitement contagious.
“This way please,” he sang, ushering them into his war room.
“He’s more excited than we are,” Mac commented, setting up his samples.
"You think?" Jamue commented, his mood sour.
“What?”
“We should consider establishing our business here."
Not this again, Mac sighed.
“I’m serious. It makes business sense. We could host such events. Ashur is making more credit out of this event alone. And he’s going to make more when he sells our spirits.”
“I know. Let’s talk about it after the event.”
Jamue froze.
“We’re going to talk about it this time. You won’t run away, right?”
Mac blushed.
The last time, he ran because Deltta came to town, not because he didn’t want to talk about the move to the capital. Now… he was hesitant about the move because of Deltta. The thought of being in the same area as him was too much, especially now that he might look for a new omega. Mac practically told him to find one.