Page 5 of Altius
“Me too,” Wyatt said, dimples flashing as he set a cup of chamomile tea on the overbed table.
Cal thumped the shorter alpha’s shoulder in solidarity before reclaiming the wipe to clean my fingers. “And the others will help out as needed.”
The others could only mean the legitimate members of Pack Redmond.
Fantastic.
At least nothing about my faulty brain wiring was likely to interest Owen Redmond. The most I could expect from him was a curt email dictating acceptable deadline extensions for my PheroPass analyses.
Joaquin was already involved, which meant his mate, Alijah Peck, knew everything by now, too. Alijah was a natural worrier with a heart too big for his own good—but I’d snapped at him yesterday.
After being so rude and blunt to him, on top of my ongoing avoidance of his ill-advised feelings for me, I must have hurt Alijah badly. He probably wanted nothing to do with me now. Even he couldn't be that forgiving.
“You mean helping as in dropping off a casserole or bagels, right?”
“No,” Cal said, gently wiping down my thumb. “We’re taking turns keeping you company.”
I bit back my reflexive need to protest.
The alphas and Alijah had already made plans. Piper was on their side. Kelsey had to be pissed with me.
I was outnumbered.
And there was no way I could appeal to my parents for backup. I refused to let my sorry state detract from my youngest sister’s twenty-first birthday. Everyone in my parental pack, except Piper, was in Tacoma for a long weekend to celebrate with Jenna. That’s why I didn’t want Kelsey to fly home.
Jennahadto come first.
A few months ago, I would have limped across the hall and camped out in a veritable pillow fort on Jacobi’s massive gray chaise, eating spicy junk food while talking shit with my best friend.
But Jacobi had defected to the West Coast, letting a pack of pesky men move into what used to be my second home—men who apparently couldn’t wait to deal with post-seizure temper tantrums.
Oh well. I tried to warn them.
A knock at the door announced the arrival of Chantal Avila, my designation counselor. She carried a tablet in her ring-covered hand, wearing a cream silk camisole paired with light blue, wide-legged trousers. Her long limbs and intelligent gaze made the pastel swirls on her kimono jacket seem professional rather than whimsical.
I had never been so happy to see paisley-print in my entire life. An ally, at last—or so I thought until she got within a foot of Cal, close enough for his amaretto scent to reach her.
Recognition lit up her face. Of course she’d be pleased by Cal’s presence. He was a veritable rock star in the world of designation science.
“Well, this is a nice surprise,” she said, extending a hand. “Didn’t know you were on Morgan’s care team, too.”
Wyatt snorted as he dropped into the chair beside my bed, a blatant usurpation of Cal’s preferred seat. “That’s one way to put it.”
Ignoring Wyatt’s innuendo, Cal offered Chantal a professional smile and a brief handshake. “Nice to see you again, Chantal. But I’m here in a more personal capacity.”
“Oh?” Chantal’s gaze darted between Wyatt, angled toward me in the chair with his arms crossed, and Cal, leaning against the mattress with one hand resting beside my foot. Her brows climbed higher and higher, clearly thrilled that I might finally be showing interest in the opposite sex. “I see.”
“Chantal,” I said, trying to cut her off at the pass.
It didn’t matter. Nothing I did today mattered. Like all the other alphas in my orbit, Chantal was determined to do as she pleased.
“Your more mystifying bloodwork results suddenly make sense,” she said, turning on her tablet. “The old compatible partner curveball.”
She gave my knee a light swat beneath the weighted blanket, then wrinkled her nose as if smelling something unpleasant. Had Wyatt’s scent blockers worn off?
“Why didn’t you tell me we needed to update your list of heat participants?” she asked in a throaty near-purr.
The embarrassment was swift and all-encompassing. A flush crept up Cal’s neck, not stopping until it reached the apex of his ears. Wyatt’s shoulders hunched up, head sinking between them until his chin touched his sternum.
