Page 29 of Pucking the Enemy

Teddy pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Many people. But I have my pack, so I don’t care!”

He was lucky. I had dreamed of having a pack one day, but it had simply never happened. As much as I wanted those brotherly bonds, just having a woman who loved me would be enough for me.

“You’re lucky to have Alexis,” I told Teddy.

“I know I am.” He grinned. “Hey, if you want, I can get my family doc to give Hazel a house call. Dallas House’s security knows him, he’s treated students before.”

“Thanks for the offer, but she was going to the campus health center today, and if she’s still sick in the next day or two, I’m dragging her ass to the hospital for a full workup,” I said as I shoved the last of my items into my bag, shooting him a smile before I left. Teddy cheerfully waved goodbye.

Stopping briefly at the market, I grabbed all the things to make Hazel’s favorite spinach and ricotta pasta.

While Dallas House had a damn good cafeteria—I would know, since I had gone with Hazel plenty, just to eat the heavenly grilled cheeses they served—when left to her own devices, Hazel would either forget to eat or have a bag of gummy worms for a meal.

Supplies in hand, I waved at the doorman as I walked through the lobby.

“Evening, Oliver,” I greeted.

“Good evening, Mr. Sebastian! Miss Hazel came home a few hours ago.”

He knew me so well, he never bothered to ask me who I was there to see. The answer was always the same. Whether it was for movie nights, study sessions, or snack raids, I only ever came to Dallas House to see Hazel.

Jogging up the stairs, I knocked on her door, frowning when I got no answer. Had she fallen asleep? Reaching into my back pocket, I found my keys. Hazel had given me her spare not long after she moved in. I often let myself in, and she was totally okay with that—plus, she had lost her own key several times, so having the spare came in handy way too often.

Placing the bag of groceries on the desk, I glanced around her space. She wasn’t in the nest, though judging by the smell, she had been in there recently.

Wandering through the room, I stopped at the bathroom door, which was closed.

“Hazelnut?” I called out her name as I knocked.

“Seb?” Her reply sounded confused.

“I bought the things for dinner. Pasta, remember? Are you feeling unwell again?”

The bathroom faucet started to run. “Just a little nausea. I’m fine,” she assured me before opening the door and smiling at me.

That was clearly a lie. Her face was pale and gaunt, and there was a distinct redness around her eyes. I’d recognize that redness anywhere—it meant she had been crying.

“What’s upset you?” I asked, reaching out to pull her into my arms. She resisted and quickly ran a hand through her hair, waving me off.

“I’m not upset. I’m fine.” Her words didn’t ring true as she wandered into the main body of her apartment, toward the fridge, where she pulled out a bottle of water. Hazel never drank water. She hated water. She would much rather have an energy drink or coffee. She was a caffeine demon, and it was one of the things I loved about her.

“Considering you’re drinking water of your own volition, I feel like the apocalypse may be upon us.” I raised a knowing eyebrow.

“Doctor’s orders.” She grimaced, grabbing one of my favorite sodas she kept in stock and handing it to me.

“What did the doc say?”

“It was probably just the stomach flu that I’m taking my own sweet time to get over.” She laughed lightly, but there was a ring of insincerity in her voice.

My stomach twisted, with unease or concern, I wasn’t sure. Probably a bit of both. Usually, she would tell me when something was wrong. Judging by her demeanor, she didn’t want to be pushed, so I decided to act normal, or at least as normal as I could.

“In that case, I better get dinner started ‘cause you’re going to need fuel!” I declared, going over to the grocery bag and pulling out the various items needed.

“Pasta does sound amazing.”

“I’m just going to run to the little boys’ room before we get started,” I informed her. In my rush to get out of practice, I hadn’t even bothered to pee—something I was sorely regretting.

“My bathroom is a little girls’ room. We’ve discussed this, Sebastian, but go ahead.” She laughed.

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