Page 50 of The Heart of Winter

Back at my desk, I set the figurine down, earning a few curious glances from my coworkers, then went back to work.

Drawing icons.

My one hundred thirtieth icon…

The next morning started off a little differently, though. I suddenly remembered. Blue had gone to that whole marriage contract open fair.

I figured I’d give him a call.

So I tried once.

No answer.

Went to work, got through most of the day, then tried again. Still nothing.

A small prickle of unease started creeping in. What was up with that?

Finally, later, while sitting in the cafeteria, I called again. And this time, he actually picked up.

"Hey, what’s up?" I asked right away. "Why haven’t you been answering?"

"I had a lot to take care of," he said shortly. "Did you need something?"

"Not really, just wanted to check in. So… did you go to that fair or not? Any interesting news?"

Silence.

A weird silence.

A tense silence.

"Nothing worth mentioning," he muttered vaguely. "Anyway, I gotta go. Heading into a board meeting."

"Uh, right. I just thought you might tell me something about the fair or—"

"Nothing to talk about. Gotta run. Take care."

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The asshole hung up on me.

Was his behavior a little suspicious, or maybe he really was rushing to a meeting? But there was something in his tone, some kind of tension.

Just in case, I checked the news to see if there were any reports about Blue Lowen being kidnapped. What if I’d just called him while he was in a hostage situation? But there was nothing of the sort.

I decided I’d try calling him again later, just to make sure everything was actually fine.

After work, where I’d unfortunately failed to run into Winter, I headed home.

During yet another dull dinner, where Vren was rambling about how he’d humiliated another manager (an alpha!—which made it all the more satisfying for him) by pointing out errors in some Excel formula, I excused myself, retreated to my room, collapsed onto the couch, and made one last attempt to call Blue.

This time, he picked up immediately.

"Okay, don’t brush me off now, or I’m gonna start worrying someone actually kidnapped you, and you’re only allowed to give me vague answers."

He let out an irritated huff. "No one kidnapped me. I’m fine. I just have a shitload of work. The Japanese government reached out to me again, they’re interested in my expertise for their new Beta Activation Program, and I’ve got a ton on my plate. I can’t talk right now."

"You’re still working? It’s already eight."

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