Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
ZANDER
I inhaled deeply as I neared my parents’ place, expecting to smell the familiar ozone-and-summer-rain in the air but stopped short when I didn’t find it.
Sure, Reid’s scent was present, but it was diluted. At my best guess, he hadn’t been home for several hours.
My heart beat a little faster and I hurried inside and strode down the hall, checking each door I passed, then headed upstairs and checked there too. The room Reid had been staying in was empty, the sheets stripped from the mattress.
Panic clawed at my chest and I raced into the kitchen.
“Where’s Reid?” I asked Momma, who was peeling potatoes at the counter.
She glanced up as she rinsed a potato under the tap. “He moved to the Omega House earlier today.”
“Just like that?” I was astounded. I’d assumed Momma would talk him out of leaving. Either that, or there would be a delay while they cleared a room for him and got his affairs in order. Not that he had much to get in order, I supposed.
“I’m sorry, Zander.” She dried her hands and came over and scooped me into a hug. “We couldn’t keep him locked up here if he wanted to go. That wouldn’t be fair and it wouldn’t endear you to him either.”
“But…”
But what? I wanted him close?
That was selfish of me. If he wanted to leave, he had every right to do so. Just like I had every right to go there and visit him. After the day I’d had, I needed to see my omega, even if I wasn’t able to pull him close the way I’d like to.
“I’ll be back.” I gave her one last squeeze and stalked away before she could try to talk me out of it.
I drove to the Omega House, parked outside, and jogged across the path and up to the front door, where I knocked briskly.
Hamish opened the door, his brow furrowed with irritation. “It’s dinner time. What are you doing here?”
I ran my hand through my hair, thrown by the challenging glint in his eye. I’d forgotten how protective he could be of the omegas in his care.
“I need to see Reid,” I said, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. “It won’t be for long. I’m happy to wait until he’s finished eating.” I could sit in the car and reply to some emails while I waited.
“It’s beyond calling hours.” He tilted his chin up. “Since the abductions, we’ve instituted a new policy. If it’s outside of daylight hours, there are no visitors allowed. It’s for everyone’s safety.”
Desperation seized me. “I just want to see him and make sure he’s okay. Won’t you make an exception? I’m the sheriff so I’m hardly a threat and I’ll be in and out within two minutes.”
Hamish narrowed his eyes. “Sheriff or not, you’re an alpha, and we’ve had enough of alphas pushing us around. It isn’t happening.”
The bottom dropped out of my stomach and sweat beaded at my hairline. I felt like a junkie who was about to go into withdrawals.
“I respect that. Could you...” I sighed, unsure how far to push my luck. “Could you just tell him I’m here and ask if he’ll come out to talk to me on the doorstep for a moment?”
Hamish stared at me for a long moment before huffing.
“If it was up to me, I’d send you away. It’s nothing personal, but the omegas here need to know they’re safe from alphas.
All alphas. That said, I know this must be hard on you and it’s Reid’s decision whether he wants to see you or not.
I’ll pass the message along. Don’t make me regret it. ”
“I won’t,” I promised. “Thank you, Hamish.”
With a grunt, he closed the door in my face. The lock snicked into place. The seconds ticked by as I stood there, waiting. A couple of minutes later, the door opened and my heart lifted as I realized the petite silhouette in the doorway was Reid’s, not Hamish’s.
He crossed his arms over his slender chest as he studied me. “What are you doing here?”
I smiled, the tightness in my chest already easing. “I just wanted to see you. How was your day?”
Reid cocked his head. “My day was fine. I’m sure your parents told you that I officially moved here.”
“They did.” I nodded, then felt like an idiot. “Are you settling in all right?
One of his eyebrows hitched up ever so slightly, as if he didn’t quite know what to make of me. “My room is nice and I helped with dinner.”
He seemed proud of that. Perhaps we’d done him a disservice by coddling him. We’d wanted to give him time to heal though.
“Is there anything you need?” I asked, wishing he’d let me help him. I’d noticed earlier that he’d taken the blanket I’d bought for him as well as the pendant, but he’d left everything else. It wasn’t enough. He needed more.
He shrugged. “I have clean bedding, food, and shelter. I think the bases are covered.”
I looked away so he wouldn’t see me grimace. He deserved more than the bare minimum. Everyone ought to be able to live without worrying about having sufficient food or a warm, dry place to stay. The fact the bar was set so low made me sad for him. If he let me, I’d spoil him so damn much.
“What about clothes?” I asked, thinking quickly. “Surely you need new ones?”
He waggled his hand back and forth. “I can make do. There’s a laundry machine here so I can wash my clothes as often as I need.”
My heart ached. Reid shouldn’t have to wash the same two outfits over and over. Especially when neither of them had been bought for him. They were just whatever had been available. He should have a closet full of clothes that brought him joy, be that jeans and T-shirts, skirts, or designer labels.
“What about maternity clothes?”
He paused. “I suppose I’ll need some of those eventually.”
I made a mental note to buy him some. “Did Momma give you any cookies to bring?”
“She left some for us to share.”
He continued to watch me like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Perhaps he thought I’d come here to force him back to my place m.
I backed away a step. “I won’t hold you up for any longer. I don’t want your meal to go cold.”
The faintest hint of a smile flirted with the edge of his lips. “I’ve already eaten most of it, but thank you.”
“Can I…” I ran my hand through my hair and drew in a deep breath. “Can I call on you again?”
Reid’s teeth sank into his lower lip. He looked down at the ground and shuffled until he was back inside the house, safe beyond the wards.
“No,” he said simply. “Not yet.”
My chest cleaved in two. It was all I could do not to drop to my knees in front of him and beg.
Instead, my bear rippled beneath my skin and I bolted.