Page 90 of My Shy Alpha

“Thank you.” Noah’s whisper is rough with drowsy bliss.

His arms slink tighter around me, squeezing every inch of my frontside against his warm skin. Trailing my mark, Noah kisses my jawline as he rubs my back. I purr in delight, nuzzling into his chest.

After rinsing off, Noah grabs my shampoo with one arm to return the favor, keeping me cuddled to him with the other. Tingles dance down my shoulders as he scrubs my roots, his gentleness never ceasing to be surprising.

“Tell me about your day,” he says.

I bite back a smile. “Before or during the major flashback in the woods?”

Noah softly chuckles. “Either. Both.”

I hum, unable to open my eyes as I droop against his chest. But the more I think about my morning, the more my heart hurts. Noah sighs in sympathy.

“That same little girl...” I mutter.

“Your three-year-old student?”

“Yes. Today she didn’t just cling to my leg, she also begged me to hold her. Not just a hug, but full-on carry her.” I groan, leaning into Noah’s deeper pressure on my tense right shoulder. “But I’m not allowed to, which I understand, but she doesn’t. If she’s not held enough at home, I can’t stand making it worse, Noah.”

“I know. I can feel it.”

“At least I’m allowed to hug her when she asks, but it’s never enough. Something is seriously wrong, but there’s no time to figure it out. My other students need my time and attention too.”

“Did you smell anything that could tell you what’s wrong?”

I shudder into Noah’s smooth comb-through of my hair with conditioner. “That’s very wolf-like of you, Alpha. But I can’t say I make a habit of smelling my students.”

He chuckles, leaning over me to kiss my wet forehead. I drop my head back, standing on my toes to kiss him on the lips instead.

His wet lips soothe me with each gliding slip across mine, giving me their undivided attention in slow motion. When I pull away, there’s a fire in my core. Noah pauses to trace my eyes, taking a deep breath of my rampant pheromones.

He kisses me softly again as if he doesn’t smell my desire. “You don’t have to smell her directly. Just breathe deeper around her than you normally would. She might smell like stress or anxiety all day, but there could be a certain activity or time where it’s worse.”

Noah’s eyelids droop shut as I comb his wet hair back with my nails.

“You’re so damn smart. I’ll try that tomorrow.”

He breaks into a tiny smile, dropping his head.

I giggle. “Tell me about your day now, gorgeous. Before your mate scared the shit out of you with her flashback.”

Noah’s hands slide from my back to my hips, pressing me tighter against him. I sharply inhale.

He exhales roughly, dragging his head along mine until I cling to him even tighter. “It might be triggering,” he mutters.

My heart flips. “Tell me anyway. I want to be there for you, no matter what it is.”

Noah gives me a heavy squeeze, grumbling into my shoulder. “Okay. I guess I hate to say it too, but I can’t pretend it’s not happening. Long story short, a Rogue Alpha hurt his rejected Rogue Omega so badly that she couldn’t shift back.”

My hands halt into an anxious grip on his biceps. “What? She was stuck in her wolf form?”

Noah smooths my clingy, wet hair from my cheeks, kissing me a few times. “Don’t worry, Omega. You’ll never have to get stuck like that forever. She’ll shift back once she feels safe.”

As usual, Noah knew where my mind went; shifting already feels out of control without the risk of being trapped in my wolf form forever. But staring into those patient eyes, I trust Noah. I bite my lip, scratching soft circles on Noah’s back until he shudders.

Then he slumps against me. “But that meant I had to drag her to the pack doctor by the scruff like a giant pup. No one else could do it.”

“Oh, my God, Noah...”

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