by Hawke Oakley
Wesley glanced at me. “Incidents?”
“I guess you wouldn’t know about them, huh?” I said, leaning on the rail. “Well… the first one happened with Charlie, the blond omega you met earlier. He escaped with his daughter, and one of Scarlet Ridge’s goons was sent after him, but we sent him packing.”
Wesley’s brows raised. “A… goon?”
“I don’t know who he was. An alpha named Hector, I believe.”
Wesley frowned. “I know about Hector. Gunner killed him.”
Shock ran through me, but in the end, I couldn’t say I was really surprised. After all I’d heard about the awfulness of Scarlet Ridge, it didn’t seem out of the ordinary that an underling would be killed for failure to perform. That’s just the way things seemed to be there.
“I guess Gunner didn’t take kindly to him coming back empty handed,” I muttered.
Wesley looked out at the scenery. “No, he didn’t.”
We were quiet again, just gazing out at nature. It was a comfortable silence.
“How are your legs?” I asked. “Still holding up?”
“For now,” Wesley said. He turned to me with the slightest smile on his face. “Thanks for… this. For showing me around.”
I found myself blushing at his smile. It was hitting me just how handsome Wesley was - but I instantly pushed those thoughts out of my head. Not only was he only nineteen, and hadn’t even had his first heat yet, he was my patient. As a doctor, I could never get involved with him. It was simply out of the question.
“You’re welcome,” I said, avoiding his gaze and leaning on the rail.
“I’m feeling a little tired,” Wesley said. “Can we head back?”
“Of course.”
I helped him back into the chair and wheeled him back into town. The early afternoon sun cast warm honey-gold light on everything, illuminating our path. When we reached my office, I thought of something.
“You’re well enough to leave the office bed,” I said to Wesley. “Would you like to join me upstairs, in my home?”
Another shy smile lit up Wesley’s face. “Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude…”
“I’m inviting you, aren’t I? Come on, a bed in my home will be more comfortable than one in a doctor’s office.”
He followed me upstairs and into my apartment. It was comfortable and spacious for a flat on top of an office - well, spacious enough for one person, anyway. I’m not sure it was big enough for two, and definitely not big enough for a family.
I stopped myself again. Why was I thinking about that now? I’d never been interested in finding an omega mate and starting a family before, and I had no reason to do it now.
I turned to Wesley, who stood shyly in the hall. “Come. I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”
First, I showed him the kitchen. “You can take anything from the fridge or pantry. Just help yourself.”
“I’ll ask first,” Wesley said.
“No, no need for that,” I said firmly. “You’re a guest, not a prisoner. You don’t need my permission to do anything.” I smiled at him. “Okay?”
He gently smiled back and nodded. “Okay.”
Then I showed him where the bathroom was, and around the living room. Finally we entered the bedroom.
“I know it’s a little messy,” I said, picking up some of my dress shirts that were laying on the ironing board. “But I hope you’ll find it comfortable.”
“This isn’t messy at all,” Wesley said. “It’s… really nice. Thank you. But where are you going to sleep?”
I shrugged. “I’ve got a couch. I’ll live. But seriously, once you’re back on your feet, we can find you a place to stay that isn’t my shabby little apartment.”
A strange expression flashed across Wesley’s face. “N-no, I - I don’t want to do that.”
I blinked. “Why not?”
Wesley grasped his arm and stared at the floor. “I don’t want to leave… not yet. I like it here with you.”
I would be lying if I said that didn’t make my face turn red. “I suppose you don’t have to, but… wouldn’t you want your own place eventually? I’m not exactly a fun roommate.”
Wesley shook his head. “I don’t want to stay with anyone else, and I don’t want to be alone…” He stared up at me with watery doe-eyes. “Please, Ken.”
His words struck my heart like an arrow. Suddenly I felt stupid for even suggesting that. Maybe he would change his mind later, but right now he was still sick and alone and probably miserable; it made sense that he would want to stay with me for as long as possible.
“Of course,” I said, sitting down beside him and putting a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry. I don’t want you to feel like I’m pushing you away. You’re welcome here for as long as you need.”
Tears welled at the corner of Wesley’s eyes. Suddenly he threw his arms around my neck and buried his face in my chest. I blushed hard. I’d never been so close to anyone before - especially not an unmated omega, and especially not a patient.
“Thank you,” he murmured as he pulled away a moment later. “It really means a lot to me.”
I cleared my throat and stood. “No problem. Erm… I should get going and re-open the office. I’m right downstairs if you need me.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you for dinner.” I smiled. “Bye for now, Wesley.”
“Bye, Ken.”
I left Wesley alone as I went downstairs to deal with work. But as I did that, I couldn’t help but focus on the dramatic way my heart was pounding ever since Wesley embraced me. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get him off my mind all night.
5
Wesley
I placed the forget-me-not in a tiny cup of water and put it on my bedside table, just where Ken would notice it.
My plan was going excellently. I’d barely touched the doctor, and yet he was already melting in my embrace. I knew I should take it to the next level soon; I would need to use my heat for the top alpha, not Ken. In order to do that, I had to seduce Ken first before my heat finally hit.
The problem was I didn’t know when that would happen. I’d never had a heat before, so obviously I had no clue of its schedule. I figured it would be safer to get close to the top alpha sooner rather than later. That meant I needed to hurry things up with Ken. It would be bad if my heat hit while I was still with him; as soft-hearted as the Indigo Mountain alphas seemed, I had no clue what Ken would be capable of if I went into heat near him. Maybe he would lose control and mate me. I didn’t know. I couldn’t take that chance.
My injuries had nearly healed enough that I could finally walk on my own, which was a relief. But I was still a bit wobbly in the knees. Ken told me they had nearly been broken in the attack. I believed that. I probably would have been screaming and crying and helpless in pain if Ken hadn’t found me and injected me with painkillers.
I stared at the little blue flower that the alpha picked for me. Where would I have been without his help right now? Broken and bruised and unable to walk. Maybe worse.
Maybe some other Indigo Mountain wolves would have found me and taken me to a different doctor, but I frowned at the thought.
I’d certainly never met a man like Ken before, and I was glad I ended up in his capable hands.
Even if I intended to betray him in the end.
The apartment’s door knob shuffled. I wrenched my eyes away from the flower. Struggling to my feet, I clutched the wall and carefully made my way to the front door to greet Ken. I’d made up my mind. I needed to get close to him physically, and it had to be tonight. I couldn’t waste any more time with recovery with the threat of my heat about to strike at any moment.
The door opened, revealing a content but tired looking Ken. When he saw me, his face lit up with a smile.
But then, as I crawled along the wall, a shockwave ran down my spine. My knees gave out like a baby fawn attempting to walk. I let out a startled cry as I stumbled and dropped to the floor
.
But Ken was faster. Like a shot of lightning, he darted out towards me. He caught me before I hit the ground. But his momentum threw him off balance, and he ended up falling on the ground himself; he twisted his body so that I landed on top of him as he hit the floor. There was a sharp thud as his head hit the corner of a coffee table leg.
“Oof,” he said.
I was dazed, as if my brain was confused that I didn’t fall. I looked down at Ken, whose face was slightly contorted in pain. “Are you okay?”
“Are you okay?” he asked back.
I blinked. “I’m fine.”
“Good.” He reached behind his head, winced, and brought his hand back. His fingertips were covered in blood.
I gasped. “You’re bleeding!”
He smiled. “I appear to be bleeding, yes.”
My eyes darted to the corner of the table leg where he’d hit his head. There was a matching smear of blood there. Carefully, I cradled Ken’s head in my hands and lifted it so I could see the back of his head. His brown hair was stained red as the blood bloomed there like a flower.
I sat there, dumbfounded, staring at his open wound. Why would he do that to himself? Why didn’t he just let me fall?
Slowly, Ken grunted and got to his feet. As soon as he was standing, he carefully helped me up and put an arm underneath mine to steady me. He led me back to the bedroom and sat me on the edge of the mattress. Then he kneeled down and examined my legs.
“The bruising is starting to fade,” he commented. “Right now, your muscles are probably just weak from disuse. We should do some exercises for that, and soon you’ll be as good as new.”
I had no idea why he was talking about my legs right now when he had a bleeding, open wound in his head.
“We can start tonight, if you’d like,” he said, looking up at me with a smile. “Work is over and I have nothing better to do than spend time with you.”
Something about the way he said that made my heart race. I pointed weakly to his wound. “Your head - “
“Huh? Oh, don’t worry about that,” he said.
But I couldn’t not worry. Something came over me - an overwhelming urge I couldn’t ignore. Before I knew it, I found myself shifting into my wolf form. Ken watched with wide eyes, both confused and intrigued, until my wolf sat atop his bed.
I put a paw on his shoulder and brought him closer. He made a tiny noise of surprise but said nothing. The scent of blood coming from his wound was even stronger now that I was in my wolf form. I found the source of the wound and gently began to clean it with my tongue.
When my wolf was finally satisfied, I pulled away and shifted back. Suddenly embarrassed, I averted my eyes and wiped my mouth with the back of my mind.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, not looking at Ken. “I don’t know why I did that.”
“It’s alright,” he said. From the corner of my eye, I saw that his cheeks were flushed pink. “It’s possible your, er, nurturing omega instincts just took over.”
“Maybe…”
We were both silent for a while. I was both ashamed and embarrassed and sure of my sudden actions. I knew I’d intended to get physically close to Ken tonight, but that was something completely different. Tending to his wound had felt genuinely… nice.
“I should go put a bandage on it, so it doesn’t stain my pillow,” Ken murmured quickly before he left for the bathroom.
I sat there alone, wondering what was going on with my emotions. Maybe I just wanted to earn Ken’s trust. But hadn’t I already done that by now? I was sure Ken trusted me - there was no reason to go out of my way to heal him like that.
I growled in frustration. This was all distracting me from my real plan. When Ken returned, I needed to put it into action.
When Ken came back into the room, I was ready. I laid back against the pillow and let my body curve in a tantalizing way. I made eye contact with him, pulling him into my grasp.
“Wesley?” he asked with a note of confusion.
“Come closer,” I said.
He did so, but still looked a little unsure. I wanted to wipe that expression off his face. A prone omega was laying in bed in front of him, and he didn’t even seem interested. What kind of alpha was he?
There was no way I was moving too fast. Judging by his flushed cheeks and reactions when I’d touched him a few times before, he was interested in me. He had to be. I was an omega, after all - what more could an alpha want but an omega presenting himself right in front of him?
Ken approached cautiously, looking me up and down. He came closer. My own heart rate sped up.
“Wesley, what are you - “
I interrupted him before I could even think. He was close enough to grab, so I did. I grasped his wrist and looked pleadingly up at him.
“Please, don’t go,” I said. “Just stay here with me for a while.”
He shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere. It’s just…”
I waited to see what he would say. What reason could he possibly have for not instantly putting his hands all over me like any alpha in his right mind would do?
“You’re my patient, Wesley,” he said seriously.
Shit. Fuck.
I had completely forgotten about that. I miscalculated.
No, I wouldn’t let this ruin my plan.
Instead I grasped his wrist harder and showed him my best pleading expression. “I just want to be close. Just for a while. Nothing more. Please.”
He finally sighed and said, “Okay.”
He laid down next to me as I curled up in his chest. I could hear his heartbeat - and it quickened. I knew he wanted this, but his morality wasn’t letting him admit it. That was fine. I could work around that.
“I’m sorry you got hurt because of me,” I murmured.
“It’s not your fault,” he said. “It was just an accident.”
“Still… you got hurt trying to help me. You should have just let me fall.”
Something like a growl rumbled inside his throat. “Don’t you dare say that. I would have never let that happen.”
I knew it was true. Everything Ken had done so far had been to help me. If I was being honest with myself, he was the complete opposite of the alphas at Scarlet Ridge pack. He was almost strange because of how different he was than the alphas I was used to.
Without thinking, I nestled my face deeper into his chest. At the same time, I slipped my arm under his, letting my hand rest on his upper back. He was incredibly warm, soft and firm at the same time, safe…
Ken let out a soft grunt, but said nothing. His heart beat faster. I smiled in satisfaction. I was getting to him already.
I leaned up into him so that my face nuzzled his jawline. His skin was warm with just the slightest hint of stubble. I could feel his pulse racing in his jugular vein. With a strange satisfaction, I realized how vulnerable he was right now. He trusted me completely to be so close to him, didn’t he?
Then I remembered what Gunner told me.
Get close to the doctor, then their top alpha. Seduce both of them if you have to. Do whatever it takes to destroy them.
I was so, so close to Ken. If me seducing him would lead me to this pack’s top alpha and be one step closer to finishing this mission, then so be it.
But Gunner’s hissed words reverberated in my mind like an unwanted echo.
Do whatever it takes to destroy them.
I flinched inwardly.
Destroy them? Including Ken?
His heart raced at our physical closeness. His neck was pale and exposed. Right there in front of me.
I couldn’t destroy Ken, the emotional part of me said.
But you don’t have to, the logical part added. I only needed to use him to get to the pack’s top alpha, and then destroy him. I didn’t need to hurt Ken.
Satisfied with this, I let out a relieved sigh. That meant I could enjoy this in the moment…
Slowly, with my heart racing as fast as Ken’s, I pressed my lips to his thro
at. He immediately tensed up, but didn’t move or speak. Encouraged by this, I continued. I dragged my lips lower, leaving a soft kiss that was barely noticeable. To tell the truth, I had never done any of this before. Nobody cared about an omega who hadn’t had his first heat yet, and I was only doing what I thought Ken would like. Evidently, judging by his tense frame and quickened breathing, it was working.
Eventually I worked my way down to his collarbone, which was just sticking out of his white button-up shirt. I licked it. That was when Ken flipped out. He scrambled out of bed, nearly falling off, and stood there, staring at me with a surprised expression. His cheeks were flushed and his hair was a mess, like we’d done something more intimate.
“I can’t,” Ken said, shaking his head slowly. His voice was distant, almost as if he was speaking to himself instead of me. “I can’t do it.”
I knitted my brows. “Why?” I grasped the sheets where he laid just moments ago. “Please… Ken, come back.”
Ken looked at me seriously, although his expression still revealed that he was fighting an internal conflict. “I can’t be intimate with you, Wesley. I’m a doctor. You’re my patient. And I’m significantly older than you.”
Sudden fury filled me and I growled back, “I’m an adult. I’m capable of making my own decisions.”
“Fine. But it doesn’t change the fact that you’re my patient. It would be inappropriate of me to - “
Adrenaline fuelled me. I jumped up, shot past Ken, and raced to the door. The pain in my leg jolted me, but I didn’t let it stop me. I was angry, upset, confused, and stressed out. When I reached the stairs, I stumbled, but caught myself before I fell.
I couldn’t do this anymore. I didn’t have time to play this stupid game with Ken. If he wasn’t going to respond to my advances, then I didn’t have to play along with him, even though I grudgingly admitted to myself that I enjoyed them. Maybe I enjoyed him. But that wasn’t the reason I was here. I had to remember that. No matter how I felt about Ken - and what he felt towards me - I couldn’t get stuck here. I had to complete my mission.