Page 60 of Altius
“Sure, but fair warning—Wyatt’s going to bepissed.”
“Cal already is,” the eavesdropping Alijah added, rubbing his arms for warmth.
Joaquin’s sneer was audible. “Way to go, oh mighty pack leader.”
Fourteen
Morgan
Reyhan paused at the door of my exam room, holding a coffee cup and paper bag with the logo of a popular café on campus, struggling to speak, brows crumpled and mouth downturned, like someone had a gun to his back. “Uh, tea. Got you tea and a snack—or snacks?”
“Thanks. You can put it wherever,” I said, in the middle of typing up a hydrotherapy request for Landon, who’d just left after a quick check-up.
Aside from some tightness in his kicking leg, he was in good shape and excited for the conference championship game on Saturday.
“Have you considered letting Alijah make his own deliveries?” I teased.
Color flooded Reyhan’s cheeks as he set the peace offerings on the counter by the sink.
“He’s my friend, so…” Reyhan fussed with his stethoscope. “Just wanted to make sure things were okay. You’re not the type to cause drama, but Alijah seemed upset and a little…scared.”
“Of me?”
“Maybe,” Reyhan said before quickly adding, “but more like he was afraid you didn’t want to see him.”
After stretching my tense neck, I swiveled my chair toward him.
“You know I work with his pack leader on PheroPass, right? He and I had a misunderstanding about priorities. It has nothing to do with Alijah, and there’s no need to worry—for him or you. It’s just…part of the process.”
“You sure?” Reyhan asked, his genuine concern reminding me once more why betas were the best.
“Yeah. Nothing to worry about.”
And I meant it. After two short calls with Cal between appointments and a dozen panicked, typo-laden texts from Wyatt, I’d calmed down and realized the crux of the issue.
It was my fault.
I got impatient, making the cardinal mistake of mixing private concerns with business, and got exactly what I deserved in the process.
Owen had other projects and deliverables to worry about. Legitimate priorities. I knew that full well, based on his shared calendar. That’s why I was uncertain about the feasibility of his joining my heat.
It’s just… I wanted him there. Applying his reliable rigidity to moments of animalistic abandon.
Despite finding consistent, reassuring pleasure with Cal, I wasn’t sure whether such care and patience could withstand a heat’s instinctual overrides.
“Okay.” Reyhan edged toward the door, then paused. “Was the meeting as bad as Dr. McEwen made it sound?”
“Worse. Can send you the meeting notes if you want to revel in their dereliction of duty.”
“No,” he spat, scrunching up his face. “Keep it to yourself.”
He headed to his next appointment, and I finished entering the hydrotherapy order. Only then did I allow myself to inspectAlijah’s offerings—two chocolate chili biscotti and a cup of hibiscus tea. Tangy citrus and deliciously spiced sweetness.
A perfect pairing.
For food, I reminded myself, taking a sip of tea.
While Alijah, Joaquin, and Owen had scent profiles that matched my palate, that didn’t mean anything in the long run.
