Page 48 of Pack Frenzy
I should leave it alone. Let them sort it out.
But the thought of her shaking like that, with Rowan still in his office, probably wound tight enough to snap, has me moving before I decide to.
My pulse syncs with the echo of my steps, faster the closer I get to his door. Rain and sandalwood seep into the hallway, strong enough to cut through thought.
I don’t knock.
He sits behind the desk, elbows braced, head bowed like he’s praying or trying not to throw a punch.
“Tell me you didn’t,” I say.
His eyes lift and meet mine and the air tightens. It always does when it’s just us. “Didn’t what?”
I shut the door and hold his gaze.” You know exactly what.”
He doesn’t bother pretending. His jaw flexes, and I hate that the sight of it makes something low in me tighten.
“Shit, Rowan.” Dropping into the chair across from him, I shake my head. “She just got here. You can’t?—”
“I didn’t plan it.” His voice is quiet, stripped down to bone. “She kissed me back.”
“That’s not the point.”
His gaze darkens. “You think I’d force her? You think I’m Blake?”
“Don’t do that.” Elbows on my knees, I lean forward. “This isn’t about force, and you know it. It’s about timing. About control. You know what happens when an Omega bonds too early without knowing the Alphas well enough.”
Seen it too many times at Nexus, which is why I offered to work a double-shift as a guard rather than just the administration role of introducing Alphas to Omegas. This way, I steer Alphas who my gut says are no good away, denying their applications, doing whatever I can. Bringing in Alphas who Nexus might have balked at but I know would fit perfectly with an Omega. It’s not perfect, but it’s what I do to help who I can.
Some Omegas if they have sex before getting to know their Alphas, have an addiction to them. They may hate them until they go into heat, then they can’t get enough of them, I don’t want to live like that and I know Cassian and Rowan don’t either. We want an Omega who is ours and we hers forever. My throat tightens at the thought that we might have ruined that already and she hasn’t even been here twenty-four hours yet.
“She’s not bonding.”
“You sure about that?”
He doesn’t answer. Which is answer enough.
Rubbing a hand over my face, I try to find words that won’t sound like judgment. “You can’t fix her by wanting her, Rowan. That’s not how this works.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“Then what are you doing?”
He taps the desk with his fingers—slow, even—but a tremor runs beneath the surface. “Trying not to make it worse.”
“Too late.”
He looks up and holds my gaze. Exhaustion leaks under the control—the kind that comes from holding back more than instinct.
“She doesn’t trust easily,” he says finally. “But she didn’t flinch.”
“Of course she didn’t. She’s trying to survive here. And you’re safe or were. You’re the one who doesn’t lose his temper.”
His mouth twitches. “You think that’s still true?”
The question lands heavier than it should. Jess’s face in the hall flashes through my mind—pale, eyes wide, hand shaking on the doorknob.
No. None of us are as steady as we used to be. Not since Meredith.
