Page 50 of Heat & Deceit
Nova
No, no. He was fine. I wasn’t able to get as many as I’d hoped.
I leave off the part about not having enough money and refusing to accept Rome’s charity. There’s no reason I can’t buy from him again. He’s my boss, but he thinks the pills are for the fake sister I made up.
Kiki
Oh. I can check around for someone new, if you want? He was honestly the best option. Everyone else was sketchy.
Nova
No, it’s okay. I’ll just have to go back again. It’s no big deal.
Kiki
Okay. Miss you <3
I stare at the message, frowning at the heart emoji. God, I’m so freaking weird. It’s like I’ve never had a friend before. Kiki is amazing. I can’t bring myself to send a heart, so I send a gif of a dog hugging another dog.
As a crisp breeze whips around me, I shiver and tuck my phone away. I’d be lying if I said the low supply didn’t make me nervous, since I only have enough to last another two weeks. I was counting on finding another connection, but facing Rome again is better than the alternative. Maybe I shouldn’t be worried about asking him. Things will be a hell of a lot more complicated if I run out. The longer I take the pills, the worse my first heat will be once I go off them.
The light turns green, and I move with the sea of bodies, heading to the late morning shift. Javier is the manager on duty today, and it’s strange to think of that as a relief, but it is. Lycus is more than a little obnoxious. Rome is...hard to read. The breaks make me wonder if they’ve taken a special interest. Or maybe that’s the foolish, hopeful part of myself I’m so desperate to hide.
I don’t like the way they make me feel.
They remind me that, no matter how many heat suppressants I take, at the core of my being, I will always be an omega. Before my old pack, I loved being an omega. I wanted everything that came with it. The nest, blankets, pillows, cuddling, knots. I wanted to take care of my alphas as much as they would take care of me. We all know how that turned out.
These alphas bring the desire to be cherished and treasured to the surface, and it’s a fool’s dream. Life taught me that. I’ll never get that perfect pack. I’ll only get cruel alphas who deny mate bites and who sell me for money.
Breaking away from the crowd, I push through the front door and into the bustling shop. I skirt around the line and hurry to drop off my things in the back. Javier is nowhere to be seen.
Good.
Amara gives me an expectant look as soon as I clock in. “I haven’t had a break.”
Randal is busy on the machine, and I bet he hasn’t had one either. I check in with him. He rolls his eyes and shrugs, letting me know it’s fine if she goes first.
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Thanks.”
Taking up my post at the cash register, I paste on my customer-service grin and get to work. There’s a surge of customers, and in the middle of an order, Randal appears at my side.
“I’m completely out of milk.”
“Do what you need to do. I’ll let people know there might be a slight delay.” I smile at the lady in front of me as he jogs to the back. Even the two minutes it takes for him to grab all the milk he needs can mess up the flow. “Sorry about that. Where were we? One latte with soy. Anything else?”
“Yeah, can I get one of those blueberry muffins?”
I glance at the case. There’s only one chocolate chip, but when I dropped off my things, I saw a whole box of new muffins that must’ve been delivered this morning. Someone slacked on restocking the front.
“I think we should have some in the back. Are you okay with me running to check?”
She nods and smiles. “Of course, no rush.”
A guy behind her grumbles. I apologize to him before heading to the back. As I’m pushing through the door, Randal is rushing forward. We crash into one another, and he curses, losing his grip on the soy milk. The carton drops to the floor, breaking and splashing milk all over.
“Oh my god. I’m so sorry.”
