Page 52 of Altius
“Mm, while I appreciate the thought, it’s not that—not entirely.” Resting his cheek against my head, Cal said carefully, “The metallic edge is fading faster than I anticipated.”
What little relief I felt at the news was outweighed by dread.
“Is my heat going to be a nightmare or a horror show?”
Cal chuckled, rubbing circles along my lower back. A preemptive attempt at soothing me.
Ah, horror show. Just as I suspected.
“It’s going to be rough, Morgan. Closer to a full seven days than four. But if you think of it like a system reset, it’ll be worth the hassle.”
“Yes, hassles. My favorite.”
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I was years overdue for a heat, and with my hormones so out of whack, it had to be done.
But we couldn’t do it alone.
“How many alphas do you think I’ll need?”
“At least three,” he said, channeling his usual professional tact. “But if you were my patient—”
“Which I pretty much am, Dr. Carling.”
“Yes, but my quota for off-the-record, ethically questionable patients is zero. So don’t push it, toots.”
“Ew.” I wrinkled my nose. “No toots. Love, meh. Sweetheart, yes.”
Cal regarded me over the rim of his coffee cup while he took a sip. “Babe?”
I smacked his shoulder. “Oh, that’s fun. Now I get why Alijah does it all the time.”
Even so, I rubbed the abused spot by way of apology. “But seriously, you better behave. My family already calls you pheromone stud. It can get worse.”
“But I like pheromone stud.”
“You would,” I said with a groan. “Enough nonsense—back to the point at hand. If I were your patient, you’d…?”
“Suggest a minimum of four partners. Five or six would be ideal.”
After taking a few seconds to try and reconcile handling that much dick, I asked, “So, hypothetically, if I were to ask Chantal to put in an order for theeverythingpizza…would you be okay with it?”
“Yes—and not hypothetically. As your boyfriend, I’d feel a lot better if we asked Wyatt and the others—Pack Redmond—to be with you during your heat.” He set his coffee down with a firm click. “You know they won’t turn you down.”
“Even Owen?” I asked, my touch turning hesitant.
“To be perfectly honest, I don’t know. He appreciates you. Don’t know if that extends to attraction.”
“Would he be amenable to facilitating?”
Cal tapped the side of his mug while he thought it over. “Perhaps. Worth asking, for sure. You might also want to ask if he’ll serve as a backup, too, just in case.”
“You know,” I said, resting my cheek against his shoulder, “it’s a lot more fun being fucked senseless. Too much work the other way around, wearing alphas out.”
“Don’t lie. Not to me, not after last night.” Cal kissed my forehead. “You love being in control—maybe even more than you love me.”
Twelve
Morgan
