Chapter 24
Alex
In three days, it’ll officially be two weeks since Hudson’s heat. Which means we can finally take him to the doctor for a blood test.
There are two problems with this scenario:
One – we’ve barely seen him since we returned to work. I swear the workload doubled in our absence.
And two – we’re not sure whether we can even take the day off to take him in or if we’ll have to ask one of the guards to escort him.
“What about Amy?” I blurt out.
Mason and Des turn their eyes from whatever they’re studying on their computers and frown at me.
“What about her?” Mason asks.
“They seem to get along. And Amy definitely likes him. We could ask her to take him to the doctor for the blood test.”
“I already asked a guard to escort him in the event we’re unable to be there on time,” Mason says with a frown.
“A guard? Which one? Has Hudson met him? Baby, we’ve spent hardly any time with him since his heat.
Shit, we’ve spent hardly any time with him since he moved in.
I don’t have the direct link to him you do, but I can feel his pain.
He feels rejected. He’s lonely,” I say, putting the heel of my palm to my chest.
“I feel it, too,” Des says, sadness and a bit of concern in his tone.
“I get that. But what the hell can we do about it? We told him he can have company. He has access to be driven anywhere he pleases. At no point did we require him to remain in the house at all hours.”
“He doesn’t want to be driven around by a stranger. He wants to spend time with us. You fucking bonded him, baby. That means something.” This is one of those times where I have to struggle to use any terms of endearment when speaking to one of my mates.
Because Mason is pissing me the fuck off.
“We have a job. We have dozens of employees and clients who depend on us. We took off more than enough time to tend to him and make sure he was okay before returning to the office. What the fuck else can we do?”
He quickly lowers his voice and glances toward the open door when his tone slowly resembles a bark.
Not that it would do a damn thing to Des or me, but it might affect the betas in the office or even the omega receptionist.
Des surprises both of us by stepping in. “We can start rotating our schedules. Or cut back on workload. No need to take every case.”
Our firm takes on high profile cases, though not always those in the public eye. We defend large corporations, athletes, even celebrities and politicians. Hence our income level.
It doesn’t hurt that we were able to constantly grow and add more lawyers into our arsenal.
“We have to figure something out, Mason. Especially when he gets pregnant. You really want the omega carrying our child to be lonely, depressed, and feel as though you’re rejecting him?” I ask.
A growl rumbles from Mason’s chest at my words. Or rather the pointed accusation. Mason marked him. He bonded him. Therefore, it’s technically Mason’s job to ensure Hudson’s happiness.
I check the clock and make up my mind. “I’m going home. You coming or do I need an Uber?” I say as I gather my things and turn off my computer.
“We’ve got at least –”
I stop and turn a scowl on Mason. “There will always be more work. Always. That’s what we wanted. But that was before Hudson. And what about after we have a child? Are we simply going to hire nannies and only spend the weekends with them?”
Why the hell wasn’t this conversation had before we started approaching people to carry a child for us?
Probably because we were so lost in the dream of having a family, we were seeing everything through rose-tinted glasses.
Or maybe there was always that part of us that believed it would never actually happen. Especially after being turned down over and over again.
Des stacks his papers in a folder and taps it on the desk a couple times before setting it on a pile of folders. After he exits from his email, he turns off his computer, grabs his jacket from the back of his chair, and hooks his fingers through the handle of his briefcase.
“I’ll share a ride with you.”
A grin stretches across my face as I turn and wait to see what our pack lead plans to do.
To me? There is only one option – go home to our omega and soothe him. The best way to do that is with some snuggles and a hefty dose of alpha pheromones.
Fuck Mason if he plans to stay here. I love the man. I’ll always love him with all that I am, but we’re definitely going to have an issue if he chooses work over the omega who has agreed to help us have a child.
“Fuck it,” he mutters after a few seconds of staring at me then Des before returning his frown on me.
He doesn’t bother straightening his desk, simply clicks his mouse a few times then hits the power button on his monitor.
I’m the first one through the office door with Des following and Mason bringing up the rear. We wait while he locks up, then we head to the elevator that will take us to the garage and our car.
Hudson is still awake. Not only is it a little too early for him to crash for the day, but I can feel him through the bond.
I’ll need to change when I get home to ensure I’m not carrying the scent of the omega or beta employees, but I’m not going to waste time with showering. I should be quite…pungent by now. Which means my pheromones will be strong.
Hudson can rub himself all over me if he wants, nuzzle his face against my skin, soak up every drop of my scent.
It’s literally a feat of strength to keep my feet from sprinting toward the vehicle. Not like it’ll get us home any faster. What would I shave off? A half second.
Instead, I walk at a brisk clip and shift my weight from one foot to the other while I wait for Mason to hit the fob and unlock the doors so I can climb into the backseat with Des taking shotgun and Mason driving.
The second I’m buckled in I pull up my phone and shoot off a text to Hudson. Why didn’t I text him throughout the day? Something as simple as asking how his day was going might have lifted his mood a tad.
Amy told me he’s taken to daily swims in our indoor pool, so I might have started checking the security feed to watch him swim naked.
He truly is a beautiful man. Lean and toned, the sweetest freckles along his shoulders and across his nose. His lashes are long and dark, his lips full and soft.
And his smell.
I stifle a groan as my dick instantly hardens simply thinking about him, about his tight body, his slick coated ass, his warm and sweet scent. He tastes as good as he smells. Trust me – I tasted him as often as possible before we returned to work.
And then we returned to the office.
He’s always asleep when we leave, then asleep when we get home.
I noticed a couple days ago his anxiety and sorrow was bleeding into his scent that permeated throughout his space and the rest of the home. Or at least the parts he’s bothered to explore or roam.
None of us ever mentioned the fact we could tell he’d gotten off on each of our beds before his cycle hit or that he’s yet to return the clothing he pilfered from our laundry hampers. I kind of like that he wanted something covered in my scent.
Maybe it’s time to switch them out; my scent might be fading from the fabric by now.
Me: WYD
Hudson: Wasn’t aware ivy league educated lawyers used teenage acronyms.
Me: Excuse me, but that’s universal, not reserved for kids.
Hudson: Lol. I’m just watching TV. WYD?
The emoji with a tongue sticking out is attached and I smile. He’s teasing me.
Me: Just thinking about you.
There’s a beat where the little typing bubbles don’t appear, and I wonder if he’s already grown tired of our conversation. Or maybe he’s unsure of how to continue this conversation since it’s officially our first text to each other.
Me: I got a surprise for you.
The bubbles instantly start the second the word read appears below my message.
Hudson: Do I have to wait until you get home or are you going to tell me?
Me: Generally, a surprise means exactly that – a surprise. But I’ll tell you anyway. We’re heading home early.
My fingers hover over my phone as I try to decide whether I should go ahead and type out what I’m thinking or if it’ll be a gigantic, heart-breaking mistake.
You know what? Fuck it.
Me: I missed you today. I’m going to try to lighten my load so we can spend more time together.
The bond flares. Affection. Joy. My heart goes wild.
Des turns in his seat. “Did you feel that?”
I nod and return my attention to my phone.
Me: I’m going to take off the day to take you for the bloodwork. I want to be there when we get the results.
Hudson: What if we don’t get the results right away?
I grin and let my thumb fly across the screen.
Me: Not to sound cocky, but you can buy just about anything with the right amount of money and that includes bumping a test result to the front of the line.
Something flutters down the bond and my heart thumps harder in my chest.
I’m playing a dangerous game. I want him. I want him in a way I don’t have the right to want another person.
We can’t simply promise one thing to then turn around and rip that promise away.
Even if our pack lead did bond him to Pack Anders until further notice.
Regardless of how I feel, it’s still our responsibility to ensure the omega isn’t merely safe but happy. How happy can he possibly be if he’s left home alone all day. He doesn’t have a job, so he can’t go see his coworkers, and his friend Ella can’t spend every waking moment at our place.
We have to find a way to be more attentive, to give him what he needs to keep his instincts from going all haywire.
We’re not rejecting him, yet I felt that darkness inside him throughout the day. I never want him to think there’s anyone or anything more important to us than him right now.
I simply have to figure out a way to juggle our increasing workload, remaining committed and loving toward my mates, while making our omega feel cherished.
Shit. I just called him ours again.
I’m so fucked.