Page 50 of His Gentle Omega
How did I tell him there was a part of me that wasn’t sure I would ever be able to crawl out of the deep hole I had allowed Edward to put me in? That I wasn’t sure I would ever be anything but fucked up? That I didn’t want him–Bennett, who was everything good and pure–to be tainted by any of the fallout debris.
Fuck, I should probably see about finding a shrink, or some kind of support group, or something.
One thing at a time,Shay, my tiger whispered,one foot in front of the other. You can do this.
Not that I’m not happy you’re back, but where the fuck have you been the past six years?
Like you, I couldn’t deal. Sorry.
He didn’t sound one bit sorry.
One foot in front of the other. One thing at a time.
There was a tightness in my chest that didn’t have anything to do with my bronchitis. No, this was something else. I had felt it a few times in the past, and I shook my hands at my sides, telling myself to just relax. Instead, my breathing sped up, the air around me roared in my ears, and I fought the urge to run to the nearest restroom and give into what I had suspected for years were panic attacks.
Taking a fortifying breath, I told myself to calm down. That I was safe. Stepping out of the elevator car, I found myself directly in the offices of Alex Ortega.
A glass wall conference room was located directly in front of me, with a long, impressive table surrounded by plush seating. Turning to my right, there were couches and a few chairs tastefully arranged before you got to a cheery looking older woman, sitting behind a desk.
The waiting room was empty, and I was glad of it. My stomach churned with knots as I slowly walked up to the desk, my shoes sinking into the thick, plush carpet on the floor.
The omega woman looked at me with kindness in her bespeckled brown eyes, smiling brightly. “You must be Shay? Alejandro is expecting you. Follow me. Can I get you coffee, tea, water? Something else, perhaps?”
“Water, please.” My voice cracked, and I swallowed, trying to alleviate the sudden dryness that plagued me.
My coughing was mostly under control, except for the random tickle that would start for no apparent reason, triggering a coughing fit that would last for minutes. Bennett had shoved a handful of honey flavored cough drops in my pockets before I had left, and I pulled one out now and popped it in my mouth. Better safe than sorry, since I guessed I was about to do more talking than I was comfortable with.
She nodded, opening the closed office door to her right without knocking.
“Get your feet off that desk, Alejandro,” she admonished, frowning, but I didn’t miss the twinkle in her eyes. “Honestly, what am I going to do with you?”
“Continue to harp at me, I would imagine, Irene.” The deep teasing voice held not an ounce of remorse.
“Shay is here.” Beckoning to me from where I hovered nervously in the doorway, she chided, “Come on in. Don’t let his horrible manners fool you. He’s an excellent attorney. I’ll beright in with your water. And another coffee for you.” She fluttered an aging hand at the alpha seated behind the desk as he stood to greet me.
“Alejandro Ortega,” the man gripped my hand tightly with a firm handshake, “but call me Alex. Only Irene and my abuela call me Alejandro. Have a seat and we’ll get started.”
Alex was a tall, broad-shouldered alpha with dark brown hair that hung loose, brushing his shoulders, and a trim beard covering his jaw. He was dressed in dark jeans, and a pale blue button up, the sleeves rolled back over his forearms. His intelligent brown eyes gave me a quick once over, probably seeing more with his sharp look than I wanted him to.
Sitting in the chair in front of his desk, I tried not to fidget nervously. Slowly, I let out my breath and tried to loosen the tight muscles of my shoulders. “Thank you for seeing me.”
Alex smiled, his white teeth bright against his brown skin. “Well, when Bennett calls, I tend to listen.”
My brows furrowed, wondering who exactly this man was to Bennett to elicit such devotion, but he didn’t offer up any further explanation. Instead, he pulled a file folder in front of him and flipped it open just as Irene came in with water and coffee for us.
Placing them on the desk, she told him, “I’ll make sure you’re not disturbed.”
Alex sipped his coffee, while he read over whatever was in the file folder. Finally, he looked up at me, getting straight to business. “I’ve been given copies of the police and hospital reports. I’ll need to get some information from you to file the Alpha Law paperwork, and then we’ll go over options and a strategy plan. Sound good?”
Taking a sip of the water to occupy my hands, I nodded my agreement. Nerves were racing through my body, and my stomach felt jittery. I had been dreading this day, knowing I was going to have to tell this man–this stranger–things I hadn’t ever said out loud to anyone before.
I wasn’t prepared to see the judgement in his eyes when he heard my truth. What would a complete stranger think of me when he heard the things I had done? The things I had allowed to happen to me? Would he even still agree to represent me?
Alex must have seen my trepidation, nerves, or fear, because he gave me a reassuring smile. “Pretty much all you need to do at this point is let me know if the information I have is correct. Then we’ll get into the harder stuff.”
“Great,” I muttered, looking down at my tightly clenched hands in my lap, before raising my head. “Have you ever had a case like mine before?”
Alex stared hard at me for a few, endless seconds. “Abuse cases, yes. An abused alpha, who has declared Alpha Law? You’re my first for both.”
