Page 44 of Tinsel Time Treasure
He crossed his arms and shook his head. “That wasn’t a request. You know the rules, no trying to work through a rut. Our omega members don’t need the alpha nonsense.”
“I’m not going into rut,” I stated.
“Bullshit.” He sighed. “Look, I get it. I’ve let you slide during pre-rut days before because you’re not so… alpha… about it. But not this time. I don’t know if it’s the breakup or what, but this one is hitting you especially hard.”
“I’m not going into rut,” I repeated. “Do I smell like a rutting alpha?”
Morgan’s eyes narrowed. “No, you smell like you just taught a spin class.”
“Good, so we agree that I’m not rutting.”
“Like hell!”
I huffed out a breath and ran my hand over my hair, smoothing it back until I reached the hair tie at the back. “Look, I’m not going into rut. I’ve just got some shit going on.”
“Enough that it’s making your alpha side go into overdrive? I’ve had several omegas tell the front desk that you need to go home.”
I looked around, not happy with how open the classroom was. “Can we discuss this in your office?”
Morgan studied me for several seconds, then nodded. “Ok.”
I followed him through the gym and into the small manager’s office, closing the door behind me.
“Ok, what’s up?” he demanded as he sat and faced me.
I took a deep breath. “Do you remember when I took off several days ago? To help my neighbor?”
“Yeah?”
“He’s an omega, and he’s got a stalker.”
Morgan’s jaw dropped. “What?”
I scrubbed a hand down my face and nodded. “I… I can’t explain it, but I just… need… to protect him.”
“So you’re being an alphahole because…”
I nodded. “I’m trying to keep it in check. But honestly? I want to track down this other man and beat him to a pulp.”
“And you’re not going into rut?”
I shook my head. “Definitely not.”
He huffed out a long breath and leaned back in his chair. “Well, I’m glad you’re not trying to skirt the rules, but that leaves me with another problem: you’re not in any sort of shape to be working right now.”
“But…”
He shook his head. “No. This isn’t a negotiation. You might want to protect this omega, but everybody else can feel the aggression around you. Take some time, and do what you need with him. Come back once your alpha side is satisfied that he’s safe.”
“What about my classes?”
Morgan shrugged. “I’ve already interviewed to bring on another instructor in the new year. The waitlists are long enough, and I wanted to get you back to your normal duties. I’ll just have her start sooner than expected.”
I frowned. Being pushed out only further irritated the part of me that was running on instinct. However it would also let me spend more time with Justin.
“You’ve had a rough year,” Morgan stated. “First the way things with your ex went down, and now feeling like you have to guard this other omega. Take a few days, then come see me. I’ll let you back on the schedule once you’ve got your alpha side under control.”
I growled under my breath, but the reasonable part of me understood that he had a business to run—one which required omegas to feel safe, and where alphas wouldn’t set each other off.
