Page 156 of Power Shift

There’s a knock on the door behind him before it opens. The guard takes a quick step forward out of the way and whips his head around to stare at the person who appears.

It’s an older man, maybe in his early fifties, with soft grey hair and a relaxed expression. He fixes calm eyes on me and asks, “Briar?”

“That’s me.”

“You can follow me downstairs. Landon said to bring you to the treatment room.”

The guard laughs lowly and nods, waving a hand for me to pass him. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Briar. I’m sure I’ll see you around. Say hi to the Montgomery pack for me.”

“Yeah, you too,” I reply before slipping into the stairwell.

It’s well-lit, but I know if I were alone, I’d be freaked out going this way. Next time I’m here, I’ll be figuring out an easier way to meet up with my pack. Preferably in a more open space.

The older man with me doesn’t speak as we climb down the stairs, and I don’t force him to. I’m too busy worrying about Landon’s freaking knee to think of anything to chat about with this stranger anyway.

It doesn’t take long to get to another door. I wait for him to swipe a card through a locking system and pull it open before following him into a hallway. It’s brighter here. The chunky brickwalls have been painted white and blue, and there are several people walking this way and that, either dressed in track suits or slacks and ties.

“It’s this way,” the man says, leading us further down the hall.

We reach a bulky, very clearly alpha man hauling a huge duffle bag over his shoulder. He stares curiously at me, a smirk appearing as he passes.

At least I know the same de-scenter that blows in my old apartment building is in the vents here. It’s a reassurance that I’m even more grateful for when another two alphas pass by.

We stop in front of a door left cracked open a few inches that I assume is the treatment room Landon mentioned and thank the man before he wanders off. I knock once.

“Come in!”

The female voice has me holding the handle a little too hard when I shove the door open. My chest tightens, but I ignore the discomfort and step into the room.

It’s bigger than I was expecting. That’s about the only good thing about it.

“You must be Briar. I’m Tiara, the physio who’s been working on Landon’s knee for the last couple of weeks. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

She’s crouched down in front of him. Her hands are on his skin. He’s wearing shorts and nothing else.

There’s a pile of supplies and a bucket of ice on the floor beside her. Bright green tape is stretched up Landon’s calf and over his knee. He’s wearing sneakers I’ve never seen before, and the pink hue to his cheeks . . .

There’s a different look to him in here. A vulnerability that I’ve only ever gotten a glimpse at.

I’m frozen, forced to watch as the woman brings another piece of tape to his leg and presses it to the dark-hair-fleckedskin. She rubs the end with her palm before doing the same with the rest of the strip. By the time she’s done, something ferocious explodes inside of me. I stare at her helplessly and take in the smile she flashes before rubbing his leg again.

There’s a low rumble filling the room, and I immediately look up at Landon, assuming it’s coming from him. If he thinks he can growl at me for barging in on him andTiara, he’s insane.

A total alpha-hole who’s going to get his ass?—

“What’s wrong?” he asks, quickly hopping off the exam table and starting toward me.

The growling cuts off when I open my mouth to speak. Shock filters through the rage in my mind.

That was me?

“I’ll just leave you to finish,” I snap.

His brows shoot up. “What?”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ve got to leave, actually. Work.”

Landon rubs a palm along his jaw and keeps walking in my direction. He doesn’t stop until I take a step back and shake my head, lip curling viciously.

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