Page 61 of Citius

“What,” I asked, aiming for teasing rather than sinisterly amused, “no love for your adoring fans?”

“Ugh, no.” Wyatt made a sour expression. “It’s happened a few times now, no matter how much spray I use. Maybe it’s expired?”

He sniffed his shirt, then his wrist, which he abruptly thrust toward me.

“You tell me.”

Nothing. That’s all I could smell—a perfect blank. No trace of sweat, no hint of the potent fresh greenery that had just bewitched those girls. Nothing. And I’d never admit it out loud.

I took a step back. “When did you buy it?”

“Don’t remember. Before I moved. Start of last season, maybe?”

“Well, if it’s not expired yet, it’s about to be.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He glanced at my medical staff badge and work bag, then let his gaze wander to the surrounding buildings. “Volleyball game today?”

“Got our asses kicked.”

I stepped off the curb and headed toward my car. Wyatt followed, his duffle of coaching essentials slung over one shoulder.

“Can’t win them all,” he said.

“It’d be nice if they could win even one.”

“What’s their record?”

“Two and ten. They only won five or six games last year.”

“Ouch.” He winced. “That’s why I quit baseball and stuck with gymnastics. You can’t really lose when you’re competing againstyourself.”

He leaned in slightly, dimples flashing.

“Come on, you know I’m right. Sure, we both competed on teams, but don’t act like your top priority wasn’t being consistent. Doingyourbest.”

“I’m not denying anything.” I stopped and turned to face him when we reached my black sedan. “How’s the job going?”

“It’ssomuch fun. The girls are insanely powerful—getting huge air and pulling off wicked skills on bars. I just wish they could try rings or pommel horse.”

Beta and omega gymnasts used the same standard equipment, but alphas needed reinforced apparatuses to handle their stronger grips and larger forms. Regular parallel bars had just enough give under my weight to allow the flexibility needed for release elements. Alpha bars, by contrast, felt like solid steel—rigid, painful to hold, and nearly impossible for me to execute a maneuver on.

Alpha women, on the other hand, could use them like a slingshot, getting tremendous height and speed. Their upper body strength exceeded most beta men, yet gender norms limited them to the four traditional female apparatuses.

“It would be nice if they’d let them compete on a few of the boy toys, but I won’t hold my breath.” I unlocked the car with my key fob. “I’m happy for you, Wyatt.”

“Thanks.” He watched me open the door with a strained expression, throat working as he mustered the courage to speak. “Can I ask you something? I’ve been wondering—I mean, my girls asked if I knew…”

He folded down the middle and ring fingers on his right hand—I love you—and then moved his palm diagonally across his chest.

Flight.

“I know what the signs mean—but not what they mean to you.”

The enigma code of my heart. My dearest wish. Desires too profound to put into words.

A fresh gust of wind masked the lowering of my head and the hunching of my shoulders, making it seem like a response to the chill rather than what it really was—an emotional retreat.

“Tell… Tell them—” I forced myself to meet his gaze. “It was a message for my family. You remember how little Jenna and Rory were back then. It was my way of telling them I knew they were watching. That they were with me.”

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