by Grosso, Kym
“Um, yeah, that uh, that looks good,” she stammered. “We done?”
“Yeah, just saving them and then I’ll email them over to Tristan, Logan and Tony,” he murmured, continuing to work.
“Okay, thanks.” Tired from working, Kalli stood, unconsciously stretching her arms over her head like a cat who’d just awoken from a long nap.
Tristan stopped talking, noticing she was finished. His dick snapped to attention as she began stretching in front of everyone, her hard nipples pressing through her t-shirt. Was she aroused? Cold? He needed her close, thanking the Goddess that the artist wasn’t watching her. He’d have a heart attack at the delectable sight.
A low growl emanated from him as he strode across the room and wrapped his hands around her waist. He didn’t want anyone else seeing the lovely sight he’d just witnessed. Oh, he wanted to see her nipples hard, all right, but he didn’t need other males seeing them, especially in his own home. Before he knew it, he hugged her, running his hands down her back where they rested right above her rear. Taking in a long draw of her scent, he moaned, and then released her, realizing they had an audience. He caught a glimpse of Logan’s wide grin. Mira’s mouth was drawn in a tight disapproving line.
“All done?” he asked Kalli and looked down to the artist who was putting away his tablet.
“Yeah,” she said, surprised he’d just hugged her out of the blue. She wasn’t sure what to make of it, but it felt so good to be in his arms.
“Mr. Livingston, I’ve sent the files to your email address. Tony should have them by now. Pleasure working for you.”
“Thanks, I appreciate your work. And remember, you are to keep this in confidence. That means you are to tell no one, got it? Not even your mama,” he ordered.
Apprehensively, the artist shook Tristan’s hand. “Yes sir.”
“Logan, please see Mr. Mathers out, would ya?”
The artist hurried over to the elevator, looking like he couldn’t wait to leave. Sympathetic, Kalli understood what it was like to be intimidated by supernaturals. Even if the poor man didn’t spend a lot of time with them, he’d be aware of the danger. They exuded a natural intimidating aura, and most humans had the good sense to be wary. An elk didn’t need to know to be afraid of a pack of wolves skulking toward him. He instinctively knew to run.
“Come on over here. I want you to meet someone before we leave for the hospital,” Tristan insisted, dragging her by the hand over to meet ice woman.
“Mira, I’d like you to meet…”
“Dr. Kalli Williams,” Kalli interrupted, donning her professional mannerism. She extended her hand to her as she would a patient, looking her directly in the eyes. “Since you are friends with Tristan, please call me Kalli.”
Mira shook the human’s hand, astonished that she was so bold. Any wolf would have recognized her as an Alpha female and lowered their eyes. Humans. They grated on her last nerve. “Charmed I’m sure,” she uttered briskly, darting her eyes to Tristan’s.
Kalli quickly removed her hand. She didn’t have time for pissing contests. And if there was going to be one, her opponent was going to drown trying.
“Yes. Okay, well, nice to meet you, Mira,” she replied, not knowing what else to say to her. She wasn’t sure what came over her but before she knew it she’d turned her back on Mira. Closing the distance, she pressed her body to Tristan, not quite touching, her breasts mere inches from him. Resting a hand possessively on his waist, the other touched a palm to his chest. The electrically charged tension hung in the air between them.
“I have to go freshen up. Then can we swing by the hospital? I’ve got to get in there before they fire me.”
“Sounds good. I’m going to review the sketches real quick with Logan to see if anything about them seems remotely familiar. We’ll get them out to the rest of the pack so they can be on the lookout, too. You go ahead. Take your time,” he suggested, not moving an inch.
“Thanks.” Kalli took a deep breath, removing her hands from him, but letting her breast brush him slightly as she turned.
Before Mira had a chance to say another word, Kalli spoke. “Nice to meet you.” With confidence, she flipped her hair aside and walked away to go get ready.
“Humans,” Mira sniffed. “God, Tristan, it’s probably a good thing she’s not wolf. I might have to take her down a peg or two.”
Logan came up from behind her, wrapping his hands around Mira’s waist, snuggling into her shoulder. “Mir, what’s wrong, baby? Didn’t we have fun last night? I’ve never seen you so prickly. Tris, our girl got up on the wrong side of the bed. You see what happens when you leave us in the middle of our play?”
Tristan tried to focus on Mira’s reaction to Kalli, but was having a hard time, given the ache he felt below. The mere touch of Kalli drove him mad. He needed to take her soon, get her out of his system so he could think straight.
“What?” he asked, not having listened to the question. Ignoring it, he looked back to Logan and Mira. “Listen, Mir, I don’t know what’s gotten into you but you need to be nice to Kalli. She’s already skittish around wolves.”
“I was perfectly nice,” she protested, gathering her up her things. “If you’d stop drooling for five seconds, you might notice that she was the one who was disrespectful.”
“Seriously? Because she didn’t avert her eyes? She’s human. You need to get used to it. And she also holds a position of authority. In case you didn’t hear it right the first time, she’s a doctor. I get the feeling that she doesn’t mince words. Despite what happened to her, she’s no shrinking violet. She’s tough. It’s in her nature,” he told her.
Humiliated, Mira rolled her eyes. “Human nature. Don’t forget that, Tris,” she countered, cupping his face briefly. She turned, giving Logan a brief kiss on the cheek, before entering the elevator.
Tristan considered what had just transpired. Consciously or not, Kalli had physically blocked Mira from touching him, possessively rubbing her hands all over his torso, thereby asserting her role in his life. And she happened to put on the display in front of his beta, who also took notice. Mira’s feathers had been justifiably ruffled. He understood why, but it didn’t change what had just happened. However vulnerable Kalli had appeared yesterday, there was no mistaking the lurking dominance within her.
Chapter Eleven
Kalli sat across from Dr. Marcus Cramer, who wasn’t at all happy with her request for leave.
“Dr. Williams,” he began. “We really can’t have our doctors taking leave willy nilly. I understand you had an incident in the garage a few days ago, but you look fine to me.”
“Dr. Cramer,” she addressed him using his professional name, thinking that two could play that game. “You don’t seem to understand. I really don’t have a choice. I’m requesting a personal leave, effective immediately, which under my contract, I am entitled to do. And while I really do want your approval, I will escalate if necessary.”
She didn’t want to burn any bridges but she also wasn’t about to let the jerk push her around. She reasoned he was trying to strong-arm her, because he knew that it was just a matter of time before she was completely in charge of her own department. She supposed he felt she needed to pay her dues before moving upward within the administration. But then again, the man just seemed to be a generally disagreeable person, regardless of who he spoke to, staff and patients alike.
“I feel that as a courtesy you should tell me why you are taking the leave. Is it medical? Are you pregnant?” he challenged, raising his voice.
“What?” she nearly shouted back at him, incredulous that he’d even ask such a personal question. “That is none of your damn business. I need to take a personal leave. I am under no contractual obligation to explain the reasons.”
Tristan had heard quite enough. Kalli’s boss did not just ask her if she was pregnant. What the hell? Was that even legal? Even though he hadn’t wanted to leave her side, she’d insisted that he and Logan wait for her in
the hallway while she explained the circumstances of her absence to her supervisor. Of course that didn’t stop him from listening to the entire conversation, given his enhanced senses.
Logan raised his eyebrows at his Alpha and took a deep breath, realizing that the shit was about to hit the fan. Truthfully, Kalli’s administrator seemed like a total dickhead and was about to get what was coming to him. He smiled, thinking to himself that this was going to be fun to watch.
Tristan launched out of his seat and stomped across the waiting room. To the dismay of a very concerned receptionist, Tristan opened the door to her boss’s office like a wild tornado. Dr. Cramer literally jumped in his seat at the sound of his door hitting the wall. As it bounced back, he looked up to see a large, very irritated male glaring down at him.
“What are you doing in here? Who are you? Get out of here right now, before I call security,” he demanded.
Tristan growled, hands fisted at his side. He restrained the beast within, which was ready to rip out the good doctor’s throat.
Kalli shot to her feet, ready to pull him away. “Tristan, it’s all right.”
He shot her a look, warning her. “Sit, Kalli.”
She found herself complying without argument. Nervously watching him, she tried to stifle the seed of excitement growing in her belly. His dominance called to her inner wolf.
“Dr. Cramer, allow me to introduce myself.” Tristan leaned forward, putting his palms onto the desk.
“I’m calling security right now,” the doctor tried interrupting.
Tristan grabbed the receiver from his hand and forcefully ripped the phone out of its outlet. Flecks of dry wall splattered all over the floor.
“So glad to have your attention. As I was saying, my name is Tristan Livingston.” He deliberately emphasized his last name.
“Livingston? As in the Livingston Equine Rehabilitation Center?” The doctor’s face paled. Mouth agape, he sat silently stunned.
“Yes, that Livingston. Now this is what’s about to happen. You’re going to apologize to Dr. Williams for your atrocious behavior. And if I ever hear you speak like that to her ever again, you’ll be looking for more than a new job. Are we clear?”
“Yes, yes sir. I’m terribly sorry, sir. Mr. Livingston, please know that we very much appreciate your donations and contribution to our fine institution. We wouldn’t be able to function without donors such as you.”
Tristan rounded the desk in two seconds, grabbing the man by the scruff of his collar, lifting him out of the chair. “Apology. Now.”
“Yes, yes, I’m so sorry Dr. Williams. Don’t worry about a thing. Dr. Kepler can take over your caseload, and everything will be in order when you return.” He actually looked like he was about to cry.
Kalli’s eyes widened at the display of her Alpha’s protection. Her Alpha. Her wolf wanted to roll over and bare her throat.
“Glad that’s settled. Thanks so much for your understanding, Dr. Cramer. We’ll be leaving now,” Tristan snapped at him, taking Kalli’s hand and gently helping her to her feet.
As they walked down the hallway, Kalli said nothing. She wasn’t so much upset about what Tristan had done as she was about her reaction to it. To say she was aroused was an understatement. She swore silently as she felt the dampness in her panties.
“Tristan, I have to grab a few things from my office. Right here.” She pointed to an open area, with several cubicles. “Um, I’m in here…over in the corner. Oh hi, Lindsey.” She waved to a young woman whose cube was directly across from her office door.
“Hi, Dr. Kalli. Where ya been?” Lindsay, a pretty young graduate student shuffled papers behind her desk. Her long blond hair, streaked with bright red highlights, fell into her face.
Kalli had befriended Lindsey when she’d started interning over a year ago. She taught her how to help with research projects, and also the basics of day to day animal care. Kalli admired Lindsey’s determination and strong work ethic. Her compassionate attitude toward the animals had her convinced Lindsey would make a fine veterinarian someday.
“Hey, just wanted you to know that I’m going to be on leave for a few weeks. If you need something, call my cell. Also, expect a call today or tomorrow for a pickup on the yellow boa. I signed the release.”
“Okay, Doc. Is there anything I can do while you’re gone? I can work on compiling the statistical data for you on MAO36, but I’d need access. Is your laptop here?” she asked cheerfully.
“No, all research will go on hold until I get back. I don’t want anyone messing with my data. You know how it is,” Kalli called through the opening of her door. She was shoving a few files into a bag, looking through her stuff to see if there was anything she really needed to take with her. She was hoping to be back in the office within a couple of weeks, but she wasn’t entirely sure when things would be back to normal. Looking over at Tristan and Logan who both seemed to be studying her overflowing bookshelf, she was pretty sure things would never be the same for her again.
“I scent wolves. Stay back,” Logan directed, as he pushed open the door to Kalli’s apartment. Kalli had insisted on getting a few things to wear, since she was going to stay at Tristan’s. But as soon as they entered the building, the smell was so strong that even Kalli had recognized its deathly scent: wolf.
“Hey Tris, maybe you ought to take Kalli back down to the car,” he suggested, eyeing the disheveled mess they’d made.
“No,” she cried, pushing past Tristan. “Goddamn fucking wolves.” She could not believe they’d torn her apartment apart.
“Don’t hold back, Kal,” Tristan joked, slightly amused at her temper. Good, she needed to get mad, pissed even. This fight wasn’t going to be easy.
“Why the hell did they have to do this? I mean, if they wanted me, they could have just opened the door, had a looksee and left. Why tear everything up?” she huffed.
The sofa was torn apart, knifed. Her bookshelf had been dumped. All the kitchen cabinets had been opened; the dishes and canned goods were strewn all over the counters and floors. She sighed, looking around at the mess. Sitting on a kitchen table chair, she put her head in her hands, while Tristan and Logan poked around in the bedroom and guest room.
She couldn’t believe her world was coming unhinged. Why had they made this mess? It was as if they’d been looking for something. Something important. In a split second, Kalli’s heart began to race in panic as the reason for the mess became altogether apparent. No way. No one knew. They couldn’t know. All her research had been secret. She’d told no one. No one even ever saw her take the pills. Sure, in the beginning stages of her research, she’d taken her laptop to work. She printed only a few things off, but always on her private printer and always making sure there were no copies, shredding any remaining trash.
Since the actual development of CLI, she’d stopped carrying her laptop completely. After memorizing the composition and deleting all the data off her computer, she’d stored all the information on a flash drive which she kept hidden. But if someone knew….if they knew of CLI’s existence or even suspected it was possible to devise a like drug, it’d be disastrous. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t gone through the scenarios during its creation: its possible use by the unscrupulous as a punishment by preventing a wolf from shifting, or worse, deriving the compound into a weapon. In the wrong hands, wolves everywhere would be vulnerable.
But she couldn’t be sure that’s what had happened. At this point, she had to assume that the wolves most definitely had seen her leaving the fire, and knew where she worked and lived. They could have just been on a power trip, trashing her apartment to scare her. There was only one way to find out if they knew. The only other supply of pills besides what she had left at Tristan’s was her emergency supply, which she also hid. And she had to look for it now without alerting Tristan and Logan.
She jumped, startling as Tristan laid his hand on her shoulder. “Kalli, the bedrooms are a mess. I’m really sorry. Do you want Logan and I
to help you get a bag together?” he asked softly. No matter how tough she was, this intrusion was bound to shake her.
Standing up, she pulled away from him. The impending lie felt like a lump in her throat. If the pills or thumb drive were missing, then she had to come clean. There was just no other choice.
“Can I just have a minute alone in my room?” she asked.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I can do this. I have to do this.”
“Hey Logan,” Tristan called.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Logan answered, walking back into the kitchen.
“She’s going back to get her things. Alone.”
“I just need some privacy. A minute to think.” She gave them both a small smile, which didn’t reach her eyes.
“Hey Doc. I’m real sorry about this. Assholes,” Logan remarked, taking in the mess all over the kitchen. Cracked eggshells and dried yolk stuck like glue to every surface.
“Yeah, I won’t lie. It feels like such a violation. Strangers going through my house, tearing it up. Really, really sucks. But you know, this stuff,” she gestured to her torn books, cracked pieces of china and knickknacks. “It’s all just…well, it’s all just stuff. As opposed to animals or people, it can all be replaced.”
Logan set a comforting hand on her shoulder. At the same time, he shot Tristan a nod, careful not to overstep his boundaries. Logan loved his Alpha. He knew things were changing. He’d dreamed of Tristan’s mate. But unlike his Alpha, he’d had time to mentally prepare. However, he never imagined the sense of protectiveness he’d feel toward her. Confusion swept over him as he tried to resolve why. Considering she was human, not pack, it didn’t make sense to him that he felt so compelled to shield her from danger, hurt. He’d first noticed it at the hospital. While he always enjoyed watching his boss dominate, hearing Tristan attack her nasty boss had given him unusual delight. He’d known that if his Alpha hadn’t intervened, he would have been the one to do it.