Page 57 of His Temporary Alpha Mate
I would not snap at my mate. I would not… Was it hot out? Outside, there were flurries of snow. Okay, just me then.
“I’m fine, Lark. Rest up while I do a couple of hours at work.” I denied anything was wrong, determined to get some work done before my heat hit.
“Dal—“
“Nope. Going to work. I’ll see you at lunchtime, okay?” I said, firmly.
“Right.” He looked skeptical.
Honestly? So was I. My temperature was up, and according to the calendar, I was right on schedule for my first heat. I had to work, though. There was just toomuch to do and Chase would ruin my neatly organized desk if I didn’t get it done.
It was so stupid to be going into the office feeling like I did. I just couldn’t stay still. So I figured working would keep my focus on something for more than five minutes. I knew myself, I would feel guilty if I stayed home until my heat really got going.
“A couple of hours, then I’ll be back, okay?”
This time, Larken just nodded. He was on leave from his enforcer duties, and since we knew my heat was definitely on the way, Hiroshi and Tate had asked him to stay with me.
I wanted to go to him for a kiss. For a hug. Yet the feeling of being unwelcome stopped me in my tracks. It irritated Larken that I was putting my job above my health and safety. A feeling I understood because I’d yelled at him for doing something similar. I wasn’t putting my life at risk, though. All that would happen was I would be deeply uncomfortable for a while. When it got to be too much, I would come home.
Somehow I knew that when I returned, probably suffering from my first heat, Larken would be there to make it all better. I trusted him to take care of me. Sure, he was annoyed now, but later he would be all doting sweetness. I was so grateful to have him.
Without saying anything else, I left the house. The short walk to the mansion cooled me down. There wasa dusting of early snow on the grass, but the pathways were free from ice. We didn’t use salt with the high population of wolf shifters in the pack. Instead, the elves used magic to clear the walkways, keeping them safe.
Chase’s eyes widened when he found me sitting at my desk. Axel wouldn’t be in until much later, if he even came in at all. He was avoiding me now that his pregnancy was showing. Ridiculous man.
“Should you even be here?” Chase asked with a weirdly constipated look on his face.
“It’s not catching. Relax. I’m going to get some of this,” I motioned to the paperwork in front of me, “in order, then head out. I’ll be fine for a few hours.”
Famous last words.
While I might have tried to work, literally nothing got finished. I would pick up a task, work steadily for maybe ten minutes, then flit to something else. I was worse than Chase!
“Please, Dalton, go home!” Chase begged as he refilled my water bottle for the second time.
“I’ll just—“
“Fine. Be stubborn.” He turned and stalked to his desk, slamming the door behind him.
For another hour, I moved things around my desk and sweated. My cheeks were flushed and I felt slick down below. There was a hollowness I’d never experienced before. An ache to be filled.
All I wanted was Larken.
Taking another sip of water, desperately trying to soothe my parched throat, I closed down my laptop. This was just stupid. Nothing was getting done. I’d pissed off both my mate and my boss. Chase was mainly upset because he didn’t like seeing me uncomfortable, and I was.
A bead of sweat dripped off my nose and landed on the freshly printed document I’d barely read.
“Okay, that’s enough!” Larken strode into the room and took my arm. My chair spun until I was sitting looking up at him, feeling slightly dazed. When had he gotten here?
Larken bent and hoisted me onto his shoulder.
“Put me down! You’re hurt!” I protested. That earned me a swat to the ass.
“I’m more hurt my stubborn mate didn’t want to spend the morning in bed with me and made me come get him for his first heat,” Larken ground out as he marched through the house.
“Thank you!” Chase yelled after us.
People laughed as they watched me be carried like a sack of potatoes all the way home.
