Let Me Find Your Omega - Ashe Moon Page 0,1

are you, anyway?"

"Twenty-five."

"My dad's thirty-three," she said matter-of-factly. "Shouldn't you be mated by now?"

"Elise," I said, gesturing for her to hand me another drawer. "That's rude."

"Sorry. I'm just wondering because you help other people with their love lives every day, so I thought you'd have a mate."

“It's true, my readings often involve mates and love. But all I do is interpret the messages that appear from the spectral realms. My knowledge of whatever I read plays no part in how well I can do it. Understand?"

She nodded. "Still... It must be sad to have to help others with their love lives but not be in love too, right?"

"Not particularly." I stepped down from the ladder and worked on the lower rows of drawers. "I love what I do, and that's all I've ever needed."

"Awww. But can't you read your fortune?"

"No," I said firmly. "It's the one thing a reader can never do."

"Why not?" she asked.

"It just doesn't work."

She made a face. "I don't get it."

I picked out a small opal gem from one of the drawers and held it above her. "Elise, what happens when I let go of this crystal? Will it fall or float?"

"Fall, obviously."

"Yup. Catch." I dropped it into her waiting hand. "Just like the crystal will never float, a reader can never see into their own future. It's just the way things are."

She stared disappointedly at the rock, thinking over what I'd just said. "That sucks..."

I stepped down from the ladder and patted her shoulder. "It's more fun this way, you know?" I smiled. "When life's a mystery."

Elise crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips. "But, Kole, your whole job is about ruining the mystery."

My glasses slipped down my nose. "There's more to it than that. It's not straightforward."

"When can you read my fortune?" she asked, grabbing my arm, her eyes sparkling. "Since I can't read it myself."

"You're a little too young for that," I said.

"Aww.” She pursed her lips disappointedly. "Am not." Then her face lit up with an idea. "Oh, I know! You should read my dad's future. You've never met him, have you?"

I shook my head. I'd eaten and shopped at every single restaurant and store on the block, but I hadn't had a chance to visit The Wagging Tail Cafe since it'd opened. I knew I had to change that soon, especially since Elise and I had become friends.

"If he'd like a reading done," I said, "I'd be happy to do one for him."

She thought it over. "I don't know if he would. He sure could use one though. Dad has been single for soooo long. I don't even know if he's looking anymore." She fiddled with her hair, combing the ends out with her fingers. "Maybe you could help him."

"Whether what's written in the stars helps or not is outside of any reader’s abilities. I can only read what's there. Sometimes, for some people, love isn't written in their script of life." I straightened my glasses.

I was a perfect example. I'd met plenty of alphas and never felt remotely interested in a single one, and never had a single one be interested in me. Not that I'd blame them. Most people found me to be unusual and called me spacey or air-headed or just plain strange, and I entirely agreed. I was a complete weirdo, and I had no shame about it. I'd always been considered strange, ever since I was a little kid. My mentor, Professor Lightpaw, had an affectionate nickname for me when I was a kid under her watch: “the Odd One.” She’d always encouraged me to be who I was, to never compromise. Sometimes, people like me grew up to feel uncomfortable in their skin, but I was perfectly confident in who I was.

Of course, disinterest and being a weirdo weren’t the only things preventing me from a relationship. There were other, much more important reasons.

"My dad is going to fall in love again," Elise said with definite certainty. "I know he wants to." She held the opal crystal out to me. "I should go home now. He's probably wondering where I am."

"Keep it," I said. "It's a divination crystal. Someday, maybe you'll be able to use it. Your dad is okay with you coming here, I hope?"

She nodded. "He knows. You should come to visit! I'm sure he'd give you a free sandwich."

"I will," I said and walked Elise to the front. Then, I began to prepare the space for my next appointment,