Seymour’s phone kept vibrating in his pocket. He’d done his best to ignore it until now, but that was hard when he could feel it go off every few minutes. He already knew what would happen if he answered, so it was better to ignore it.

If only that was possible.

When his parents focused on something, they often became obsessive. Seymour shouldn’t have told them that both his best friends had found their mates. Now they were convinced he would, too, but he couldn’t see it happening.

He didn’t want it to happen.

He wanted the happiness his friends had found, but he already knew his life would change if he met his mate, and that was what he’d been avoiding. It wasn’t even because of his mate. He didn’t know the guy, but since his mate was supposed to be perfect for him, he probably wouldn’t force Seymour to leave his job.

Seymour’s parents would.

He looked down at his drink. Everyone else around him was having fun. This was Fergus and Kerwin’s housewarming party, and Seymour should be smiling at the very least. Instead, he was hiding in a corner, and he was pretty sure anyone could tell something was wrong from his expression. His phone was vibrating again, dammit.

His parents really couldn’t take a hint.

“You look like you’d rather be anywhere but here,” Orlando said, appearing out of nowhere. “Aren’t you happy for Fergus and Kerwin?”

Seymour glared at him. “What would make you think I’m not happy for them?”

“Maybe the scowl on your face?”

Shit. Seymour had to fix this, because he didn’t want Kerwin and Fergus to think he was pissed at them. He always had a hard time dealing with his emotions when it came to his parents, but he had to try.

They loved him, but they loved themselves and the idea they had of their lives and their sons’ lives more. It was unfortunate, but it was the reality of things, and Seymour had accepted it long ago.

He forced himself to relax. Kerwin and Fergus were perfect for each other, and together, they would raise Fergus’s nephew. They’d love and cherish him and wouldn’t force him into things he didn’t want. Everything was right in their little happy world.

Seymour wished he could say the same about his world.

“That’s better, but it still doesn’t tell me what your problem is,” Orlando said as he circled his glass at Seymour’s face.

“I don’t have a problem with Kerwin and Fergus. I’m happy for them and impressed by the way they took in Fergus’s nephew. I’m glad they have a place to call home and a family, since it’s what they want.”

“But?”

Seymour shook his head. “No buts. I am happy for them. What I’m not happy about is the way my parents reacted when I told them that both Wallace and Kerwin had found their mates.”

Orlando grimaced. “That bad?”

Seymour shrugged and drank half of what was left in his glass. “I suppose it could have gone worse.”

In a way, Seymour was lucky. His parents had never cared that he was gay or that his brother was bisexual. They hadn’t arranged marriages for them, and they’d let them live their lives fairly freely. The problem was that all of that had an end date. They expected both Seymour and his brother to drop what they were doing when they met their mates. They didn’t know what Seymour did for the council, but they thought he’d quit his job when he met his mate.

Seymour almost snorted as he remembered that conversation. He wasn’t quitting his job. He’d worked too damn hard to even consider that possibility, no matter what his mother believed.

His parents both came from wealthy families. When they’d gotten married, they’d put their fortunes together, and Seymour’s father had stopped working. Seymour’s mother had never worked, but that was a different issue entirely.

For some reason, they expected Seymour’s and his brother’s mates to be wealthy. They knew it didn’t work like that, but they wanted their sons to focus their entire beings on their mates the way they had on each other, and Seymour couldn’t think of anything worse. He was sure he’d love his mate when he met him, but that didn’t mean he wanted the guy to be the center of his universe. He had a job and friends, and they were just as important as his love life, if not more.

Definitely more important at the moment.

His phone stopped vibrating, then began again. Orlando arched a brow, but Seymour shook his head. “Like I said, it could have gone worse, but that doesn’t mean it went well.”

“At least you still talk to your parents.”

Seymour snorted. “Sometimes, I wish I didn’t.”

Orlando’s gaze drifted to the happy couples surrounding them. “Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad to meet my mate.”

“I don’t think it would be bad. I’d just have to deal with the consequences and my parents, and I’m not ready for that to happen.”

“Pity you don’t meet your mate when you decide you’re ready.”

“I don’t think anyone would ever decide they’re ready for that.” 

Because meeting your mate meant changing your entire life. It meant accommodating the needs and wants of another person, and while every relationship was like that, the relationship between mates was special. Sometimes, Seymour yearned for it, just like Orlando. Other times, he reminded himself of what his parents would expect of him if he ever met the guy, and he couldn’t think of anything worse. Even if his mate didn’t force him to leave his job, his parents might try. They wouldn’t do it because they thought he wasn’t good at it or anything like that. They didn’t even know what he did for a living. They just knew that he worked for the council, but he’d never mentioned being a council assassin.