Page 33 of Mating With My Grumpy Alphas
“What’s wrong?” he asked, crossing to us in three quick steps.
“Nothing,” I started to say, but Hollis cut me off.
“Suppressant problems, looks like,” he said matter-of-factly. “And she’s too stubborn to admit she needs help.”
Wes’s nostrils flared slightly, and I watched his pupils dilate as he caught my destabilized scent. The jasmine and summer rain that should have been chemically muted was definitely stronger, warmer, more complex than it had been this morning.
“When did this start?” he asked, his voice carefully controlled.
“This morning. It’s not a big deal, I just need to adjust my dosage or maybe see a doctor or…”
“Willa.” Wes’s voice was gentle but firm. “You’re shaking. And your scent is definitely not suppressed anymore.”
Great. Wonderful. Perfect timing for a biological crisis.
“I can handle this,” I said, though another wave of dizziness made me grip the shelf tighter.
“I know you can,” Wes said, and something in his tone made me look at him more carefully. “But you don’t have to handle it alone.”
“The store…”
“Needs to close early today,” Hollis interrupted firmly. “Wes, you mind helping her get somewhere she can rest? I think she needs to be away from all the alpha scents passing through here.”
I wanted to protest that I didn’t need help, that I was perfectly capable of managing my own medical crisis. But another wave of dizziness chose that moment to hit, making my knees wobble dangerously.
“Come on,” Wes said, offering me his arm. “Let’s get you out of here.”
He looked at me like I was something worth protecting instead of something that needed fixing.
The walk to his truck was embarrassing and comforting in equal measure. Wes matched his pace to mine, one hand hovering near my elbow in case I stumbled, his cedar smoke scent providing an oddly stabilizing counterpoint to my own chaotic signature.
“This is humiliating,” I muttered as he helped me into the passenger seat.
“Why?” Wes asked, genuinely puzzled. “Because your body is having a normal reaction to medication changes and environmental stress?”
“Because I’m supposed to have this under control. I’m supposed to be independent and capable and not the kind of omega who needs alpha assistance with basic biological functions.”
Wes was quiet as he started the truck and pulled away from the bookstore. When he spoke, his voice was thoughtful.
“Willa, needing help doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human. And suppressant failure in a new environment with multiple alpha scents is completely normal.”
You don’t understand,I wanted to say.Independence is all I have. If I can’t take care of myself, what happens when the next Sterling comes along?
But I didn’t say that. Instead, I closed my eyes and tried to stop my hands from shaking while Wes drove me somewhere I could fall apart in private.
For the first time since the suppressants started failing, I felt like I might actually be okay. Not because the crisis was over, but because I wasn’t facing it entirely alone.
Chapter 15
Elias
Iwas organizing herb supplies in my apothecary when my phone buzzed with a text from Hollis. The message made my stomach drop.
Willa having suppressant problems. Bad ones. Wes is taking her home. She might need omega wellness support. Can you help?
I typed back immediately:On my way. What’s her address?
412 Magnolia Crescent. The house with the grey siding.
