Page 46 of His Temporary Alpha Mate
“So,” Trey said, fishing for gossip as he sidled closer. “This thing with Larken, is it a mating of convenience, or do you have feelings for the man?”
“Trey, behave,” Mateo chided. “It’s obvious Dalton has feelings for Larken.”
“Right?” Grady added with a grin. “Who wouldn’t? Lark’s gorgeous. You stole him before we had a chance.”
I knew they were teasing me, but I couldn’t help my growl. I wasn’t alone. Mateo growled at the betas too, as they laughed.
“Brats! You’ll pay for that later,” Mateo warned, a sliver of darkness in his tone.
“Promises, promises,” Trey sang. He danced out of the way of the swat Mateo tried to land on his ass, though he went pliant when Mateo grabbed his wrist and pulled him close. Trey was clearly ready for Mateo to make good on whatever punishment he wanted.
“I see you aren’t denying it,” Grady said from his place tucked under Mateo’s other arm.
“What’s the point? I do,” I said simply. “He’s just helping me out.”
“No,” Grady argued. “That man is—“
“Who?” Larken interrupted with his return. “Sorry, Deke wanted to ask me about taking a shift. I promised I’d go in later, after we’re done here.”
“But you worked this morning!” I protested. Larken was exhausted. He needed a decent night’s sleep.
“I’ll be fine. Either I’ll get a nap in if I have time, or an energypotion.”
“You shouldn’t be relying on them.” I knew I was nagging at him. My concern for him wouldn’t let me stay silent.
He hugged me. “I’ll be fine. Look, we’re up next.”
We watched Grady, Trey and Mateo go through the paperwork, then they were escorted into the clinic.
“Okay,” Teagan said with a smile, “you are now both on the list for the testing. We just have to take you through the health checks. Do we have your consent to take samples for DNA analysis?”
“Yes.” We both agreed.
My hand was clammy in Larken’s larger one. Nerves were getting the better of me. After so long, this was finally it! I’d made it to the front of the line. I was going to get my blood taken! Instead of fearing the process, I was excited. Needles didn’t bother me, anyway. Especially not when they had a purpose. They were going to check that I was healthy enough for the program!
“Follow me through here, please.”
They took us to a clean and bright room. The space had been well equipped, and they had clearly preparedfor all the betas they were going to meet, as everyone in the pack wanted to register. They had painted the walls a pale blue, making the room very soothing. The staff were all wearing eager smiles. It just felt good to me. I hoped the others doing the tests would feel the same.
Over the next hour or so, they measured what felt like every inch of our bodies. Took samples of blood, saliva, and even urine. They conducted such thorough measurements of us that it could have felt invasive if it wasn’t for the regular reminders that they were as invested in this as we were.
The elves wanted an answer to their own fertility issues, and unlocking all the willing betas was the key to that.
Once we were done, we had a brief session with Ívarr where he discussed how he thought the testing would go and when it would take place. We had to wait until all our results were in before we could try, which was frustrating. I was impatient to start, though I understood the reasoning. We wanted nothing to stop this from working. This was my future, and theirs, on the line.
“Wow, I feel like I need a shower and a nap now,” Larken said, as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“Yeah, that was a lot,” I agreed. We stopped just outside the clinic, a flash of awkwardness between us.
“Come home with me? We can share that shower, then stretch out for a nap with Spice and Priscilla.”
Larken took my hand. I’d never noticed how perfectly our hands fit together.
“Sounds like the perfect afternoon. Lead the way.”
Temporary Mates
Larken
