Page 58 of Want It All
I answered honestly. ‘No.’
‘I agree.’ I heard a buzzing sound, and then the slurp of liquid meeting liquid, and I realised Dr. Ford was making himself a cup of coffee.Fuck, now I wanted one. ‘From what you’ve told me, you’re in full control, Byron.’
I fidgeted on the bed. ‘I still worry about keeping it around the omegas.’
‘I know you do. I won’t tell you that it’s not a legitimate concern. It’s something a lot of alphas struggle with until they bond, including alphas who have never experienced instinct blackout. But scent parties are usually just for alphas, are they not?’
‘Yes, they’re just for alphas.’
‘The omegas won’t be present, then. Given that, what is the worst-case outcome?’
I raked my hand through my hair again. ‘That I black out.’
‘And what is the worst-case,most likelyoutcome?’
I sighed. ‘That I go, I don’t find a complementary scent, and am in bed before midnight, slightly more disappointed than I was before.’
‘And the best-case scenario?’
‘That I have a great time.’
‘Andthat you find a complementary scent,’ Dr. Ford added. His voice was warm. I had no idea about his personal life, but I found myself hoping that he had a large, loving pack who appreciated his gentleness. ‘It’s not an everyday occurrence, finding a complementary scent, but neither is it impossible.’ He paused. ‘I’m not going to give you advice about whether to go or not, Byron, because as we both know, scent parties are illegal,and I would be incredibly irresponsible if I didn’t remind you of that. But Idothink that you’re in control, and that you’ve been in control for years now, and you deserve some time to relax a little bit. Remember not to drink or smoke on your rut suppressants, though,’ he cautioned. ‘Not because I think you’d do something stupid, but because you’ll probably fall asleep.’
‘I promise you that I will not be doing either of those things.’
‘Good. I’d hate for you to nod off, mid-party.’ He paused. ‘Is that what you needed? Did you want to talk it through further?’
I shook my head before remembering he couldn’t see me. ‘I’m good. Thanks. That’s really helpful.’ I glanced at the morning light coming through my curtains. ‘I’d better go.’
‘Breakfast with your parents,’ he said. ‘I hope your dad hasn’t eaten all the bacon this time.’
I hung up, smiling, then texted Pravin.
Yeah, I wrote.I’m coming.
I let myself into my parents’ apartment, not bothering to knock.
Dad was sitting cross-legged on the lounge room floor, paper strewn around him. I took in the printed articles, photocopies of books, and – for some unholy reason – printedweb pagesscattered around the room. ‘Fuck, dad, you’ve deforested an entire state for this.’
‘As if you can talk, sticky tab king,’ my mum said wryly, not lifting her eyes from her tablet. With one hand, she dug around on the couch next to her, then held something up, which I took – a new packet of sticky tabs in a rainbow of pastel colours.
‘I tried the tablet, I really did,’ my dad said absently, pushing his silvered hair back from his eyes. Even after thirty years inAustralia, he still retained a soft Welsh accent. ‘I just like paper, I’m afraid.’
The print outs were covered in highlighter and handwritten notes. ‘Is this for the new book?’
He and my mother gave matching groans. ‘Yes, but not the one you think,’ dad said. ‘Ritasuggestedthat I makeThe Light In His Eyesa series.’
I frowned. ‘But you said it was a standalone. You said you didn’t want to write historical fiction again.’
‘Apparently the publisher – and therefore my agent – would prefer to milk it for all it’s worth. Thus,this.’ Dad waved his hand at the paper-covered lounge room.
He’d spoken lightly, but I knew him well enough to notice the slight slump to his shoulders, which meant he was genuinely upset. I twisted my lips; he’d written three-quarters of a new sci-fi novel over the last few months, and his eyes had lit up every time he talked about it. ‘I’m sorry, dad.’
‘Not your burden to bear, B. But thank you.’
‘How are Rose and Sebastian?’ mum said, shifting the subject.
Well, Rose likes to call me every time she’s in the bath now, and although we haven’t had phone sex again, I think about the way she sounds when she comes every fucking night, and I know enough about her now to have a decent stab at answering her credit card security questions. And yesterday in the dining hall, Sebastian made toast and licked honey off his knife while holding eye contact with me, then asked what kind ofsandwichesI preferred, and did I like thefillingor theoutsidebetteror did Inot mind, and no, he was absolutely not talking about actual sandwiches. Rose and Sebastian are a danger to any human with a heartbeat and I’m currently spending every spare moment planning a movie night in the secret hope that I might actually get to kiss Rose for real. She told me she’s kissedSebastian twice now, and I am simultaneously turned on by it and so jealous I could die.
