Aaren looked even more upset. “I thought he was okay at first!”
“You should’ve let us spy on him,” Emmy muttered viciously. “We would’ve kicked him in the dick.”
Storm’s mind raced. He had a bunch of things to say, except Linus had gone stiff against him. He carefully rubbed Linus’ side. “Sweetheart?”
Linus twitched. Then he strode forward. “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have heard that,” he said to Aaren. “But I have some experience with shitty alphas. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Emmy perked up. “Professor Honeybee!”
Honeybee?
Linus smiled wanly. “Hey, Emmy.”
Aaren fidgeted with his shirt hem. “It’s fine,” he mumbled. “I’m looking for a way out.”
“I could punch him for you,” Storm said. “No skin off my back.”
But that only made Aaren wince. “No, please don’t. Or he’ll take it out on me when he gets home.”
“That’s exactly why we want to help you,” Linus growled.
Oh,he could growl. Storm’s heart skipped. Linus would protect their baby with the same ferocity, wouldn’t he?
“... It’s complicated,” Aaren mumbled. “I’m looking into other options first.”
“Fine.” Linus narrowed his eyes. “But the moment you’re willing to accept help, all you have to do is ask.”
Aaren nodded, subdued. “Thanks. I know you’re all trying to help me, and I appreciate it.”
Linus squeezed his shoulder. Then he returned to Storm’s side, looking troubled.
Storm steered him away from the younger omegas, rubbing his back.
“Wait! Professor Honeybee!” Emmy cried. Footsteps pattered.
Storm and Linus turned to find Emmy catching up to them.
Emmy held out a few wrinkled order sheets. “You and Storm finally got together! Here are some pickup lines for you.”
Not that they were an actual couple yet, but Storm wasn’t about to correct him.
Linus blinked rapidly. “‘Finally’? What do you mean by that?”
Emmy looked surprised. “Storm wanted to show you his wriggly tentacle for a long time. Didn’t you know that?”
Linus mouthed the words,His wriggly tentacle.
Heat crept up Storm’s face. “I didn’t realize that someone else knew about, uh.”My stalking.
Emmy beamed. “‘Course I knew! Sometimes you come in for a drink when Professor Honeybee talks to Big O. You never look away from him.”
Storm blushed.
“Oh,” Linus murmured, turning pink. “So, uh. Why do we need pickup lines if we’re already... spending time with each other?”
“Because! It’ll help your tentacles wriggle better.” Emmy shook the pickup lines at them. “Read them and you’ll understand!”
He stuffed them into Linus’ hands. Then he scampered back to Aaren.
