2 The Mate

"Mate."

Aleksandr could not believe that after 27 years of his life he had found his mate strolling down the dairy aisle. In the store he owned and had inaugurated recently.

Life sure worked in mysterious ways.

It had only been 2 days since the inauguration of the store and he had let the management open it to general public. He had decided to visit the store daily during the first week and it was just as soon as he'd entered the store, he had picked up on the unusual scent.

The scent had made his body hypersensitive and his senses highly aware in the same manner as when he got ready to fight a feral enemy or when he detected danger. Looking around he moved in the direction his senses took him when he located the scent wafting from a clueless guy stocking up on dairy products.

His feet stopped and his body gave a violent jerk as the scent enveloped him and made him realiz that the sensations going through him were because he had found his mate. A mate for whom he wasn't looking. A mate who was a guy. A mate who was also, if he was inhaling the sweet smell correctly and Aleksandr was sure he was, an omega.

All this was a little overwhelming and yet he was unable to look away, cataloging every move his mate made. Aleksandr was following every step the omega -his mate- took, who looked to be in his early twenties. Aleksandr's eyes roamed over the hundred different expressions playing on the omega's face. His eyes danced when they landed on certain items but dulled a little over items he probably didn't like, his nose crinkled a little on some of snacks kept in the middle aisle.

He wasn't short but nobody would call him tall either. Aleksandr would guess the omega's height to be around five feet and seven inches, if he was feeling generous. Aleksandr himself being at six feet and one inch would guess that his mate's head would probably come around his shoulders.

The omega's body was lean with a slim built but moved in a way that showed that he played some sort of sport or did some kind of exercise regularly. Aleksandr liked that his mate was physically inclined. He had blond hair with such pale blue eyes they looked gray and shone beautifully on his face.

His body froze when he realized that his mate had sensed him and was now looking around for him. He did not bother hiding or moving closer as he did not want to spook his omega. So he simply stayed put as his mate's eyes found him and roamed all over his face and body. A strange new kind of sensation ran through his body as his mate stared at him. He could see that the omega had not yet realized that the man he was staring at was his mate. He could hardly believe it himself, after all.

Letting his omega pretend that he was not the sole focus of Aleksandr's gaze and his center of attention was fine, for now. He needed a little time to get used to the sensations that no doubt would be racking the omega's body as well.

However, when he realized that his mate was speeding towards the exit, the alpha had no choice but to intercept him. He would not let his mate slip by him after all. Or let him escape without a proper conversation between them.

Aleksandr held the omega's hand and felt a thrill run down his body. However, since his attention was solely on his mate's face and as he uttered the word to claim the omega as his, he realized that the young guy had been taken entirely by surprise and with his wide eyes looked like a deer caught in headlights.

Comprehending that, Aleksandr loosened his grip a little but within the blink of his eye, and to his surprise, found his mate shaking his hand off instantly and running. Away.