Page 11 of Hired for Research
“Jett, how’s the shoulder? I hope those aren’t heavy.”
Evelyn looked from the alpha holding her cases to the older doctor, eyes widening. The Controller hadn’t said anything about an injury or she would have insisted on getting a cart for her things.
“It’s much better. These don’t weigh anything.”
Eyes narrowing, she studied the alpha for a moment. She wasn’t a practicing doctor, but that didn’t mean she didn’t know the signs of someone in pain. She’d carried one of the cases from the rooftop without trouble, but he was burdened with four of them.
He seemed fine, and he shrugged his shoulders as if to prove the weight and bulk of the cases hadn’t bothered him.
Doctor Greyson appeared to accept him at his word, continuing past the alpha back toward the foyer they’d passed through. They crossed it, entering the opposite hallway, but stopped at the first door on the left.
“I figured this would be the best room for you to use. We have a few empty offices down the hall if you need extra space, but there’s no furniture or computers yet.”
Evelyn stepped into the exam room, once again surprised by how different it was from what she was used to. It was spacious and bright, the windows on the back wall letting sunlight flood the space. An adjustable chair sat to one side, a row of cabinets with a sink set into the counter filling the other wall. There was enough room for her, the Controller, and whatever alpha was volunteering to be able to move around without bumping into each other.
“This is fine. The only other thing I need is somewhere to store the samples.”
“Ah!”
Doctor Greyson waved her back out into the hall, but she stopped next to the Controller. If he had some kind of shoulder injury there was no reason to make him keep lugging the cases around.
“You can go ahead and leave those on the counter. I’ll take care of them shortly.”
He looked between her and the old beta before nodding and walking into the room she’d just left. Doctor Greyson was heading out into the foyer again, and Evelyn debated waiting for the alpha, but he was there to keep an eye on the alphas having their blood drawn, not to follow every step she took.
The lab was one of the doors off the front part of the lobby. Doctor Greyson introduced her to the phlebotomist before showing her to the cooling units in the back.
“Can we dedicate this unit to Doctor Alosbee’s use?” he asked the tiny redhead. The woman was another omega, the pink crescent on her neck showing she was recently bonded, and for a moment Evelyn wondered what it was about an alpha’s saliva that changed an omega’s scent to proclaim to the world that she was taken.
“Sure, just put a sign on it so the others know not to move anything since we don’t use that one very often.”
Evelyn nodded and thanked the woman before returning to the lobby. She’d barely stepped through the door when she bounced off a hard chest, almost falling on her butt until two large hands clamped around her shoulders to keep her upright.
“How can I protect you if you wander off?”
The growl reverberating from the male in front of her scrambled her brain, leaving her blinking up into dark golden eyes, lips parted but silent.
“Surely the doctor doesn’t need protected inside the hospital? This is Eden, she shouldn’t need protected here at all, Jett.”
The Controller’s focus shifted to Doctor Greyson where he stood behind Evelyn, still stuck in the doorway she’d just left.
“She holds the future of all alphas. She absolutely needs protected.”
Evelyn gave herself a shake, his words making her stomach churn. The way he said it… It left her with a sour taste in her mouth, as if she was letting someone down. She knew if her findings proved the mandates wrong it would never see the light of day, but the idea of telling the alpha looming over her that fact left her sweating.
Taking a step back, she pulled out of his hold. She knew it was only because he chose to release her, and her traitorous core clenched. Scared of what he may do if he found out the truth of her research only two seconds ago, now lusting after the alpha and what biology assured her he could do to her neglected neither region.
She shook her head, trying to clear it. Maybe it was because she’d never been exposed to the pheromones before, but she was having a stronger reaction to the alpha than she’d expected.
“I assure you I’m fine. I may agree it’s smarter to have someone on hand in close quarters when I’m wielding a needle, but you don’t have to follow my every step.”
The growl dropped in pitch until it was something she felt more than heard, and an embarrassing wetness spread in her panties. Stepping forward, the alpha crowded her until her back pressed to the wall beside the lab door.
“I will do as I was commanded and keep you safe as long as you’re in Eden.”
6. Jett
He was stretching things a bit since Commander Cirlee had only tasked him with watching the doctor while she was at the hospital working with other alphas, but he didn’t care. Turning around after dropping the cases on the counter and finding himself alone had set his heart racing, panic that he’d already failed flooding his veins. The old beta doctor wouldn’t be able to do anything if an alpha tried to take Evelyn, and the only way he could be certain nothing happened to derail her research was if she was in view at all times.
