Hold Me

Chapter 50

"Are you alright?" 

Sage jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. Jude stared at him worriedly. 

"What happened?" He asked. 

The omega shook his head. "N-Nothing…. Why did you ask?" He let out an awkward chuckle. 

Jude couldn't help but frown. "You were zoning out a lot recently and you look like you haven't had any sleep for days. I'm just worried. Is everything alright? " He gently caressed the boy's back as he asked. 

Sage wanted to break down and hug Jude. It felt like his big brother was looking out for him. He wanted to tell Jude everything that happened but he couldn't. 

His mate is Jude's friend. He didn't want anything to happen to their friendship because of him. That'll only make him feel more guilty. 

"You know you can tell me anything, right? I can help if you're experiencing any financial problems. Tell me if you need any help. Don't be hesitant—"

"No… it's not that, " He scratched the back of his neck. "It's just that the lessons are getting harder now and there's a lot of assignments. They're tiring me out. I don't know if I can continue it sanely, " He sighed. The omega was proud of himself that he was able to come up with a convincing lie but he was also guilty for having to lie to Jude. 

"You can take a rest when things are hard. Your mental health matters. If your studies are too much to handle, I can give you days off to catch up to them, " 

Jude smiled. 

Sage looked at the other omega. "This cafe is the only thing keeping me sane. I love working here. I don't want to take a day off, "

"I'm glad that you think so but taking a break is important when things get too hard. You have to focus on your studies and work to get good results, " 

"I'll take breaks, don't worry, " Sage smiled. 

"It's good then. Don't forget to tell me if you need any help, " Jude patted the boy's shoulder with a wide smile. 

*

*

*

It was about 6 pm when Sage left the cafe. It wasn't closing time but since Sage is an omega and walking home alone late at night is dangerous, Jude let him go every day before it's too late. 

Sage listened to music as he walked. He paused when he felt the hair on his body stand up. A black expensive car stopped beside him suddenly, causing him to stumble back in fear. 

The window glass rolled down and Sage felt his whole body shiver when the strong scent of oranges hit him. 

Damien stared at him with a blank look on his face. "Get in the car, " He ordered and opened the car door for the omega. 

Sage stood there for a minute in pure surprise, not knowing what was happening. 

"Didn't you hear me? " The alpha asked again, causing his mate to flinch. 

"Y-Yes, " Sage stuttered out before getting in the car. He sat on the passenger seat, nervously biting on his lips. 

He just got into the car of a stranger. 

Sure, Damien is his mate but he still doesn't know anything about the alpha. What if he is going to do something bad to him? What if the alpha is going to push him down a bridge or lock him away because he doesn't want him as his mate? 

"We need to talk, " Damien said, causing Sage to jump out of his thoughts. 

The omega looked at his mate who had his eyes trained on the road. Damien was driving and he seemed to have no emotion on his face. 

"O-Okay," Sage nodded and watched the alpha carefully. 

Damien had a sturdy body and a sharp jawline. His hair was blonde and a part of it fell down to his gorgeous face. He looked like the celebrities Sage used to see on television when he had one. 

He patiently waited for Damien to say something but the alpha didn't utter a single word and instead, silently drove the car and stopped when a park arrived. 

He got out of the car and the omega followed him without any hesitation. 

They walked into the park to find a quiet place to talk. 

Each step made Sage's heart rate increase. He took deep breaths to calm himself. The omega stopped when his mate paused.

Damien put his hands in his pockets as he turned towards Sage. 

Sage braced himself for the rejection. He knew it was coming. He was ready to hear it. He was ready to be heartbroken. The atmosphere was heavy and it weighed down on him. The omega bit his lips as he waited. 

"I can't accept you as my mate," Damien said with a sigh. 

Sage flinched. "O-Oh… "

There was a long silence in the following minutes. Sage stared down at his shoes, the pain in his heart making his eyes blur from tears. 

Damien stepped back with a sigh when he received no reply. 

"I'm not rejecting you, " The alpha said, causing his mate to look up at him with wide eyes. "But I'm not accepting you either, "

Sage frowned. "What…? What do you mean?"

"I'm not going to marry you. I can't do that. We can't be a couple, " He said with no hesitation. 

Sage looked down again. He had some hope for a split second only to be disappointed in the next. "Is it…Is it because I'm a male o-omega? Do you think I'm disgusting?" His lips trembled as he talked. 

"I don't, " The alpha answered without hesitation. "I don't think you're disgusting and it's not because you're a male. I've never been with a male but that's not the reason, "

"Then w-what is it?"

"I have a girlfriend. I love her and I don't believe in this soulmate shit. I want to fall in love with someone in a real way. Not through this shitty mating pull I'm feeling, " He spat out, causing the omega to flinch. 

Sage fiddled with his fingers before he spoke up again. "What will happen to me…? If we don't m-mate, then I will… "

"You won't die. We will find a way. I will mark you if we can't find a solution. The 
mark might be able to calm our mating pull. You can go your way and I can go my way after marking, " Damien shrugged. 

Sage stared at him like he grew two heads. "W-What are you saying? Do you know how much it'll hurt me to watch you with someone else after you've marked me? It's still hard to accept the fact that you already have a partner. Just how much do you want to hurt me?" The omega broke down, finally letting the tears fall down from his eyes. 

"It's not my intention to hurt you but I can't live with someone just because of I'm tied to that person with the mating bond. I told you, I'll do everything to make it easy for us. If you want money, then ask. I'll give you as much as you want. Just don't force me to be with you,"

Sage stayed silent, taking deep breaths to quiet his sobs. 

"Try to understand, " Damien sighed. 

Sage didn't look up. "T-Take me home p-please…" He said, his voice broken and soft. Damien didn't know what to say so he just hummed and walked towards the car with the omega trailing behind. 

He knew it wasn't good to say anything much to the boy right now. The car ride was awkward. Sage only gave directions as he kept looking out the window. Damien knew he was crying. He could see the reflection of Sage's face on the window. He saw how the tears streamed down from his eyes. 

They stopped in an old shabby area of town. "This is where you live?" Damien asked the omega. 

Sage could only nod before getting out of the car. 

"Hey… " Damien stopped him before he walked away. "You can ask me for money if you want it. Don't hesitate to do that,"

Sage didn't look back or say anything. He just clenched his fists before walking away. 

He didn't know how to respond. He felt so....broken.