Or maybe he felt awkward about something else, that being the heat and tension between them during their interview.
Nathan frowned a little. Simon’s mother was still talking, moving around, placing refill after refill of staples inside the basket her son was holding. She might not even have been there at all, however. Nathan’s thoughts were whirling, too focused on himself and the omega, and this strange dilemma that had formed between them without warning.
I could have misread the signals from him. I didn’t check to see if he was unmated, though I’m almost certain he isn’t. Maybe he isn’t interested in men after all.
“Mom,” Simon said. His voice came out a squeak. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “I just remembered that I saw something interesting back over by the books. I’ll meet you there, okay?”
“If you want it, just put it in the basket. It’s about time you found a gentler hobby.”
Nathan felt like there was a story behind those words, but he decided to just let it go for now. It was none of his business anyway.
Simon didn’t say anything, just hurried away and was soon gone, his scent stolen away by the lingering odor of candles, the stale sugar of old baking decorations, and paint.
“Excuse me,” Simon’s mother said.
Nathan glanced at her, puzzled, then realized she was trying to reach in front of him to grab more staples. She’d already cleared out several spots on the wall. “Sorry,” he said, and moved back.
“You don’t need some of these, do you?” she asked, motioning to the ones she wanted. “I’m going to take them all, but if you need some…”
He smiled. “No. I’m actually not sure what I need. My favorite stapler broke, and I’ll be damned if I know how to replace it.”
“It is a struggle, isn’t it? When we lose our favorite tools. Our Goldilocks. And nothing else is just right.”
“That’s a good way to put it.”
“If you’re in the market for suggestions, I highly recommend this one.” Simon’s mother walked around Nathan and pulled a blue-handled stapler off its hook, showing it to him. “All these other ones are so finicky. But this one actually lives up to its claims on the box. I craft quite a bit. I could tell you more than all of the employees in here combined, I bet.”
“Well, I staple a lot of papers, so I’ll take your word on this.” Nathan accepted the stapler. It was such a small thing to be picky about, but he needed everything to be exactly right. In such a complicated job as his, even small things going wrong could add up to ruin his mood. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Don’t you mention it. Here, these are the refills for that one.”
Nathan accepted the other package that was thrust into his hands, and then it was like he ceased to exist for the older wolf. This whole exchange had been baffling but nonetheless endearing. He felt he could definitely see where Simon had gotten some of his personality.
Speaking of Simon…
If they already had their next meeting, Nathan wouldn’t have dared to do this. It would have been damn unprofessional to chase his new employee around an office supply store.
However, though Simon was technically hired, the process of inducting him into the school hadn’t actually begun. Nathan wasn’t technically his boss yet. That made it better. It gave him more of an excuse for what he was about to do. It was an excuse because he wouldn’t have done anything like this had Simon been a different person.
I just have to know why he’s avoiding me. If there’s something wrong, it needs to get fixed right away.
Simon had said there was something that interested him by the books. There wasn’t really a book section in this store, though there was half an aisle dedicated to magazines and adult coloring books. That was over by the sewing supplies. Nathan headed there. He was hurrying, crossing the floor in great strides that made his expensive shoes clap loudly on the shiny linoleum floor. There was no need for him to hurry but he couldn’t stop himself, moving faster and faster, counting the aisles as they flew by.
He rounded the corner by the sewing supplies, and something hard struck his chest and rebounded off.
“Oh!” Simon said.
Nathan reacted on instinct before the other wolf could even finish his exclamation, grabbing at him to keep him from falling. His palms started to tingle instantly even though he wasn’t even actually touching Simon. There was fabric between them. But, the fabric was warm. Warm from Simon.
Nathan’s insides tightened in that way he knew so well. He felt like a teenager again, always set off by the smallest things.
Then again, as he had just been thinking, it was the small things that could make all the difference sometimes.
“I’m sorry, Simon. I didn’t mean to run into you. Are you okay?”
Simon stammered for a moment, then nodded. “I’m okay. Thanks. Wasn’t looking where I was going. Just wanted to check out these books. My mother wants me to have a gentler hobby. So. Here I am.”
Nathan glanced down at the book Simon held in his hand. A coloring book, but he couldn’t tell much else about it. “I think you’re fine just the way you are.”
“Um. Thank you. But I should really get back to her. I’ve got the basket, so…”
“Is something wrong, Simon? Is there anything you want to discuss?”
Simon started to shake his head, shaking it so hard the muscles in his neck audibly creaked. “I’m fine, thanks. We’re just under a bit of a time crunch here, me and Mom. We’ve got other places to be today.”
“So do I,” Nathan said. He narrowed his eyes, trying to pin down Simon’s gaze, but the other wolf looked everywhere but at him. “Well, I hope I’ll still be seeing you tomorrow?”
“Of course. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Simon peered around Nathan’s shoulder. In doing so, he leaned slightly closer.
The lean was clearly unintentional. Nevertheless, the movement allowed for Nathan to take in Simon’s scent. He didn’t mean for it to happen. That was what he told himself. He was only breathing, and Simon’s scent flooded his senses. Warm, faintly musky, perfumed with subtle cologne; he smelled of trepidation, though not fear, and it was clear now that he was unmated, unmarked. No other wolf had claimed him.
Then, Simon stepped away and the spell that had fallen over Nathan seemed to shatter. He shook his head, and by the time he looked again, Simon was already moving away.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Principal Pepper,” Simon said.
“Yes. I’m very much looking forward to it.”
Simon’s hips swayed as he hurried away, drawing Nathan’s gaze to them before the omega wolf disappeared from sight.
Nathan stayed where he was, idling by the books and pretending to browse. A few minutes passed before he saw Simon again. The omega was urging his mother towards the checkout lane, despite her complaints that she wasn’t finished here yet. After a few tense exchanges, Simon relented and the pair disappeared down another row.
Nathan remained by the books.
The next time he saw Simon, the pair was finally heading towards the checkout lane. Nathan watched them until they went out through the doors. Only then did he move on to find the rest of the things he needed.
The calmness of his shopping trip had been disrupted, but the dilemma was that he didn’t quite understand the reason. Simon had been avoiding him. To what end?
5
11:15 came and went. Nathan watched his clock, then turned to the door in anticipation of Simon’s arrival. As before, he had extra time allotted for the person with whom he was supposed to meet. He didn’t expect to have needed it, based on what Simon said before, but a person never knew. Summer traffic was a killer.
The extra five minutes passed. Time ticked by in smaller and smaller increments as Nathan grew more curious about this whole thing. He wasn’t exactly worried, could hardly be worried about someone he had only just met. The whole thing was just odd. Simon’s behavior was odd. A boss had to take that into account. The new hi
re might just be having a harder time than usual, coincidences stacking up against them, or this could actually be a sign of what was to come later on during the school year.
Nathan didn’t approve.
He also couldn’t find it within himself to disapprove.
11:29, now.
He was very aware that he was being unfair. That was something a person in charge had to do, constantly reassessing themselves to see if there were any changes that had to be made; how could he expect others to follow his lead if he couldn’t even listen to himself? So, he knew he was giving Simon chances that he wouldn’t have given to any other person. He was being biased. And he knew why. It was because he was attracted to the omega, intrigued by him in a personal, and admittedly sexual, way. There had been others before him that Nathan found himself attracted to, as that was just a fact of life. The feelings had just never been this strong before.
The clock turned to 11:30, and Nathan gave up. Simon hadn’t shown, hadn’t called to reschedule or explain his absence. No more allowances could be made for him.
Sighing, Nathan reached over to his phone to call the number of his second-favorite candidate. They would be glad to know they had been given the position after all.
Footsteps thudded suddenly outside his office door, making him pause as he reached out for the phone. The steps had no grace to them at all, were too heavy to belong to a wolf, and yet he automatically knew it was Simon.
Someone spoke hurriedly out in the main office, then the thudding footsteps resumed. Nathan looked at the door to his private office just as a swift, sharp knock came from the other side.
“Principal Pepper? Nate? It’s Simon!”
“Come in,” Nathan said, dropping his hand away from the phone. He leaned forward slightly, curious about what the excuse would be this time.
Simon burst in through the office door, panting. Leaning over, he placed his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. “Sorry,” he gasped. “I know…unprofessional. But ran…all the way here.”
I wonder what he looks like from behind.
Pushing away the thought, though it made his groin tighten with desire, Nathan gestured for Simon to take a seat. The omega collapsed in the chair on the other side of the desk, bracing himself on the top of it with both hands.
“You know, I would expect a PE teacher to have a bit more endurance. The parking lot isn’t all that far away.” Nathan caught himself teasing the other wolf and sharply reprimanded himself. He needed to be as professional as Simon wasn’t. So damn hard to ignore the fact that his groin was so tense, his heart fluttering in his chest. He felt weak and hot all over. Goddammit, this shouldn’t be happening. He was better than this.
“Not just from the parking lot,” Simon gasped. He sat back, breathing deeper now to try and regulate his heartbeat. Beads of sweat glistened on his face, and his hair was damp at the roots, rendering it more limp instead of wild. “Car wouldn’t start. Phone wouldn’t start. Everything just went wrong. I’m so sorry. Please give me another chance, Principal Pepper. I swear I’m not usually like this.”
“I wouldn’t believe anyone else if they said that. Why should I believe you?”
“Things have been odd lately.”
Nathan frowned. Normally people said that times were tough, or they had been having a hard time. They didn’t say “odd.”
“What’s so odd? You can tell me.”
Simon had been starting to calm down, some of the fierce color fading from his face. Wolves were creatures made for pursuit, though not necessarily for speed. Endurance was the name of the game and it seemed as if Simon’s had been severely tested by his wild run across the city. All the same, he was recovering quickly.
Not anymore. As soon as Nathan suggested that Simon could tell him what was bothering him, Simon’s cheeks burned with a fierce blush and his breath sped up again. “I’d rather not. Kind of private.”
“I don’t really understand,” Nathan replied. “Are you still capable of working here? If not, there’s no shame in it. It would be best for everyone to make such decisions sooner rather than later.”
I think I know exactly what’s wrong with you. I think you’re as attracted to me as I am to you. I don’t think anyone else in a position for any other job would run there.
“Of course I can still work here!” Simon blurted out.
Nathan leaned across the desk, looking very deeply into Simon’s eyes. Simon stared back at him, face flushed, lips parted. “Are you sure?” he growled.
Simon nodded just once. It seemed to be all that he was capable of doing. He was trembling slightly, hands tightening and then loosening on the desk.
It was probably a terrible idea to hire this wolf. He was acting oddly and would probably continue to act oddly throughout the entire time he worked at Churchland Elementary. His qualifications and his observational skills weren’t quite enough to carry him in regards to everything else that seemed to be going on.
Knowing it was wrong, knowing that he would regret it, Nathan nodded in return. “Good. I’m glad to have you. I know you’ll be a very valuable part of our team. Now, time is running short.”
“I’m sorry! Should we reschedule?”
Nathan waved Simon’s apologies away. “Speaking with you is one of the most important things I need to do today. We need to discuss codes, the employee handbook, my expectations…We also need to cover state requirements and recommendations. I’ll also need you to take a drug test, and as soon as that comes back, you can start settling in at the gym.”
Simon nodded the whole way through the list. His attention was rapt, though his cheeks still glowed faintly pink with the remnants of his blush. He seemed to be trying to make up for his behavior from earlier, though Nathan was sure that this wouldn’t be the end of it.
“My suggestion is that I cancel my next appointment,” Nathan said. “I’ll have Elaine reschedule that. We’ll order a pizza, eat while we discuss. Or sandwiches. Whichever works for you.”
“I couldn’t possibly ask…”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering.”
Simon hesitated. He drummed his fingers on the table, looking completely torn. Then, suddenly, he looked up. His green eyes glittered with sharp intensity, startling Nathan. It was like some sort of internal decision had been reached, though Nathan had no idea what that could possibly be. “Well, as long as you’re offering. I think someone would have to be insane to choose sandwiches over pizza.”
Nathan laughed, startled but delighted. Whatever decision Simon seemed to have reached, it must have been a good one. This whole situation only grew weirder the longer it went on, and now he was determined to reach the bottom of it.
It would be so underhanded of him to use Simon’s apparent attraction to him to get answers. Yet, he had a feeling that it was exactly what he was going to do. A principal had to use everything at their disposal to ensure that the school ran smoothly.
Whether or not it was ethical, he supposed this counted.
“I agree. I’ll eat anything, but what’s your preference?”
“I’m a black olive kind of guy.”
Nathan smiled a little. He hated black olives. “Got it.” Leaning over, he touched the intercom button. “Elaine?”
“Yes, Principal Pepper?” she replied. She sounded slightly irritated. It was so subtle that someone who didn’t know her as well would never have picked up on it. He must have interrupted her train of thought or torn her away from something important.
He told her what he wanted. “And you should get something for yourself, as well.”
“You make it very hard to stay fit, Principal,” she said. However, she sounded like she was smiling. All traces of her prior annoyance were nowhere to be found.
“If anyone can do it, it would be you. Thank you, Elaine.”
“You’re welcome.”
Simon was watching this exchange with a slight smile, apparently amused. “She’s a different kind of human, isn�
��t she?”
“One of the good ones,” Nathan agreed. He reached for a stack of papers he’d set down nearby while preparing for this meeting. “Now, until the pizza arrives, we should get busy.”
For a time, things were normal. They went through the correct papers and discussed them at length. Simon occasionally asked for clarification where something was different from the way it had been at the high school, but he mostly just listened. It was a proper meeting, bordering on productive. Very quickly, they were almost back on schedule despite the delay from earlier.
And then it happened.
If it hadn’t happened, Nathan might have backed off on the whole thing. Weird shit just happened sometimes. The brain was odd, especially for humans; being that shifters were half-human, it made sense that odd things would occasionally happen to them as well. Hallucinations, seizures, brief bouts of odd hormonal combinations; humans could experience these very rarely for no reason and have no lasting side effects. It might not ever happen again, as well.
He could have put Simon’s odd behavior down to a lack of judgment in the face of sexual attraction, or something else similar. Brain impulses connecting in odd ways, resulting in a momentary weirdness. It happened. He had seen it for himself on many occasions. Young boys, especially, were prone to random acts for this reason. They would do something they might never otherwise do, just because it occurred to them at the time.
But that wasn’t to be the case here.
Simon must have stretched out or was shifting position. Something innocent. Something without consequence.
Without consequence, until his foot nudged against one of Nathan’s.
Nathan didn’t pause in what he was reading aloud, though his eyes flicked away from the page to look at the other wolf. He had gone through this process so often by now that he had this information damn near memorized.
Alpha Principal Page 6