Page 46 of Alpha's Embrace
Only the thumps and cries of my brothers answered.
Chapter Fourteen
Geo
The weekend fell on the day after my last visit with Misha. I took it as an excuse to distance myself from everything that had happened at the colony. I would take the two days and force myself to break this bond with Misha. It was wrong. The bond risked my whole life. And it wasn’t fair to Misha, for he could never leave, never have a real life.
The first thing I did on Saturday morning was check and double check my appointment at Zilly’s chattel farm for my upcoming Burn. When my Burn arrived, I would lose myself in an Omega. It was right and proper and in the long-run it would be the best for Misha.
A tiny little bond could shatter if I worked hard enough at it. It had happened with Mase and could again. I was a pro at this. Bury myself in work and career, bury myself in young, cute Omegas during my Burn, and I was set.
That weekend I went for long jogs in the sun. I worked in my yard until sunset. I started heavy projects, like chopping down a dead tree that had been standing in the front yard ever since I moved in.
I exhausted myself until I collapsed into bed at night and fell into deep sleeps. But early in the mornings I’d be wide awake again, an erection stabbing the sheets and dreams of Misha lingering in the air around me.
By the time Monday arrived, I felt as if I’d had no time off at all.
I arrived at my office early, avoiding looking at the empty chair at Tory’s desk.
I needed a new assistant and I dreaded the upcoming interviews.
I felt like I was slogging through mud to walk into my office, put on the coffee, and sit at my desk to face the work day. In every step I made through the colony, I could feel Misha in the air, on my skin, breathing him, smelling him, a blossoming sweetness, faint soapiness like the bubble bath I could never forget, and the constant heady and hot musk of his Sylph arousals.
It wasn’t my imagination. I could sense it all.
The only updates I kept up with over the weekend concerning him were medical. I knew he’d left the hospital wing and been taken back to his room. I knew he was on lockdown as any Sylph would be who had hurt a member of staff. Misha had been the one who had been attacked, but it didn’t matter. He’d injured an Alpha. He could no longer walk freely through the halls.
How I was going to continue to work here with Misha in the building, I didn’t know. Already over the weekend my mind was searching out options. I would have to get a new job. That was a given.
But for now, I needed to stay at Riverside Colony a few more weeks. Along with that, I needed a new assistant.
When I turned on my computer I saw I had over four dozen messages. Slowly, I began to go through them. I had to read some twice to understand what they meant. That was how distracted my brain was, especially since half the messages concerned Misha.
My Misha. Much as I tried, he wouldn’t leave my thoughts.
Several messages addressed Tory and his situation. I needed to sign off on Doctor Prim’s reports. I saw that Tory had been taken to an institution for dangerous Alpha’s to be mentally evaluated and, if need be, medicated.
Doctor Prim’s reports on Tory stated he’d been recently divorced and not filed his status.
Unfortunately, it was an all-too often occurrence for bonded Alphas who divorced quite suddenly to suffer mental illness. Normally, bondmates would find it not only unethical, but physically painful to cheat on their husband. But in instances of abuse, arrest, illness leading to incapacitation, or death, many Alphas became unwillingly separated from their mates. If they weren’t ready or agreeable to the status, they experienced wild and erratic hormonal changes that often led to self-destruction. Or worse.
Tory fell into that category. It was said his Omega had filed for divorce. I wondered what had happened. He had not reported his newly unmarried status, and therefore was not put on watch. His condition deteriorated. Though he did not conduct his business in person with Sylph patients, the moment Misha had become free to walk the floors of the first floor and enter my office unannounced caused Tory to have uncontrollable hormonal responses.
What was my excuse? I was unbonded. I was stupid to think Misha couldn’t affect me, to think I was immune because of a residual fourteen year-old bond that was completely broken.
I’d tricked myself into thinking all was well with me. I was a fool.
And I’d let a Sylph wander the hallways free and unencumbered.
I did not deserve to work here.
The most recent message flashing at me was yet another from Doctor Prim. He wanted to meet with me in his office.
It was probably about my second blood test. I knew what it would say. The same thing. The beginning effect of a bond was blossoming in my veins.
I sent a quick message to him that I would meet him after lunch.
The morning went by slowly. My work suffered. So many forms, so much paperwork for the most insignificant things, orders for everything from new tires for the lawnmower to baby wipes. The colony needed to run like a smooth engine, every cog in its place, to keep up the level of care I demanded.
