Page 41 of Heat Me

He kept staring, biting his lower lip as if he were struggling with something.Welcome to the club, Damien!Iveryintimately knew he didn’t have the courage to bring up what the future might hold for us because I shared the sentiment.

After heats, many people simply lost contact. It wasn’t always the case that those who went through it together—stayed together. Once the hormonal high faded, rational thinking returned. Then came the recovery period, when omegas often felt weak, tired, sensitive, even depressed. Many cried and needed peace. By the time they recovered—usually in two days—most hired alphas were already gone.

But I didn’t plan on disappearing. Oh, no! In my mind, I was already working on a way to ask him to be my boyfriend.

After breakfast, I shot him a brief look. "I’ll take a shower and then check what Mr. Ragu sent me. I noticed a text from him earlier."

Damien nodded. "I’ll go study and work on my app."

UTTERLY TRANSFORMED

A long shower helped me pull myself together. Then, I sat at the computer and saw an email from Mr. Ragu with contact information for all four clients—and a fifth, an alpha whose contract would expire in five weeks. I decided to leave that one for later; I had more time to deal with it.

I bit my lip as I analyzed the addresses. Two clients were local, but one—Salt—was in prison, and Star lived a few hours away. To make things worse, Star’s contract was expiring first, in just 11 days. Time wasn’t on my side.

I hesitated before picking up the phone, clearing my throat a few times to make sure I sounded more confident and professional.

Finally, I dialed Star’s number. He picked up after four rings.

"Go ahead," he said, his tone formal, like I’d just called an office receptionist.

"My name is Storm Nolan, and I’m calling on behalf of Fate’s Choice agency. I wanted to see if I could set up a quick meeting with you to discuss carrying out our part of the contract."

There was a short silence on the other end, and I couldn’t tell what it meant.

"Alright, if it’s necessary. You can come tomorrow at noon," he said, his tone all business.

I hesitated. Damien’s heat might still be an issue tomorrow.

"Okay, let’s plan for noon tomorrow, but if anything changes, could I call ahead and reschedule for the day after?"

"I’d rather not. I have mandatory training with my company on Thursday and Friday."

Right—Star worked as a consultant at Malden Pharmaceuticals now.

"Got it. I’ll do my best to be there by twelve o’clock."

I couldn’t keep putting this off, especially with the fair coming up on Saturday. It felt wrong to have this kind of conversation over the phone, so meeting in person was a must.

After hanging up, I sighed. The pressure was getting to me. The marital contract fair was creeping closer, and I still needed to convince the other three to participate—a tall order with so little time.

After staring absentmindedly out the window for a while, I went back to work.

The next file belonged to Salt Einarson. The last name gave me a little pause, but I had no idea why. Surprisingly, the beta’s case turned out to be the easiest to deal with. The contact information included a phone number for someone from the "Second Chance" agency handling his situation.

Based on the contract details, this person essentially called the shots. Salt himself didn’t have much say in the matter. Ah, the joys of being a criminal… I narrowly escaped this fate!

I made the call, and the conversation was surprisingly short. The handler, polite but formal, listened to my explanation about the fair and immediately said:

"No problem. We’re very motivated to find someone for Salt, so we’re open to exploring every possible option to broaden the search for a suitable partner. He’s a unique case, and we’re invested in his future."

Well, quadruple murder definitely counted as unique.

"But could Salt have any objections? I’d prefer to speak with him directly."

The handler’s voice stayed neutral. "I understand your concern, but individuals with cases of this magnitude don’t usually have much say, Mr. Nolan. He has two options: opt out of the program entirely and remain in prison indefinitely—or accept the terms and benefits that come with it."

It still made me uncomfortable, knowing how little choice Salt really had.

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