Carter had called a few hours later, bitching me out over the phone about timing and inconvenience and how hard it's going to be to find someone else with my specific qualifications. I'd listened to his rant with gritted teeth, knowing he was right but also knowing I couldn't stay here and watch Angel fall apart while being powerless to help him.
We'd reached a compromise—I'd stay through the end of the week while they found a replacement. A few more days of torture, but at least there'd be an end to it.
I spent the rest of the night camped outside his door, just in case he needed water or food or someone to call for help if things got bad. The sounds had finally quieted around dawn, exhaustion winning out over biology, but I'd stayed anyway.
My shoulders fall as I reluctantly move to stand and stretch, working out the kinks in my spine before briefly knocking on Angel's door. I wait a beat and then step inside, my heart immediately dropping into my stomach at what I see.
Angel's trembling lightly, his fingers curled into the silk sheets of his nest, lips parted on desperate little sounds that make my control waver dangerously. He's still naked from last night, his entire body flushed with need, sweat making his pale skin glisten under the morning light streaming through the windows.
How I didn’t fucking hear that through the door, I have no idea, but hearing the sounds now, my Alpha instincts roar to life, demanding I take care of him, claim him, and make all that desperate need go away. My hands clench into fists at my sides as I fight against every biological imperative screaming at me to cross the room and give him what he needs.
I force myself to take a deep breath, to remember why I can't. Why this is wrong, even if it feels like the most right thing in the world.
I move into his nest—the second time I've been this close since he started dating my brother—and carefully gather Angel up in my arms. His skin burns against mine as he melts into my touch like he's starving for it. "We need to get you a shower and dressed, babe," I tell him, loving the way he curls into me. "Unless you want to take a day off."
Angel sighs, the sound soft and content. "Good morning, Alpha." He presses a kiss just below my collarbone, the touch igniting something entirely different, my cock suddenly straining against the seam of my pants.
I swallow back the noise that wants to escape—part growl, part purr, all want. "I'm not your Alpha," I force myself to say, even though the words taste like ash on my tongue. "Just your guard. Come on, let's get you cleaned up and then see how you're feeling."
The correction hurts us both, I can tell. Angel's face falls slightly, that moment of contentment disappearing as reality crashes back in. But it needs to be said. He has an Alpha, even if that Alpha is a neglectful piece of shit who left him to suffer alone through the start of his heat.
Just a few more days of this. A few more days of pretending I don't want to burn down the world to keep him safe and satisfied and loved.
I just hope I can survive it without doing something we'll both regret.
By the time I get Angel showered and dressed and to the kitchen table, I’m on edge. He keeps letting out those soft sounds, a mixture of whines and purrs and gasps every time my touch brushes his skin. He’s always sweet during his pre-heat and adorably needy during those sex-fueled days, memories of fantasies we spent together running through my head.
I push them down and fix Angel an easy breakfast, scrambled eggs and toast—just a little something that won't upset his stomach when his body's already in chaos. He watches me move around his kitchen with those bright blue eyes that look too tired for someone who's only twenty-nine.
"Do we need to call Carter for a day off?" I ask, setting the plate in front of him. "Your schedule is pretty full today." I triple checked with Carter this morning to see if anything could be canceled, but the fucker said that nothing could be rescheduled.
Angel picks at his eggs, managing a few bites before answering. "I think I can manage. Where are my heat blockers?" His skin holds a little more color than it did before the shower, the patch dimming his scent and making it a little easier to focus around him.
I raise an eyebrow. "Those aren't going to help much at this point."
"They'll help curb the need a little bit so I don't rage out and jump the nearest knot," he says with a weak attempt at his usual sass. "You better watch out, Xavier!"
I snort, but I can see the weariness etched into every line of his face. The blockers might take the edge off, but they won't solvethe real problem—that his body is crying out for an Alpha who gives a shit about him. "I think staying home might—"
Angel shakes his head, firmly cutting me off. "No. Staying home means I'll think about it. I just need some makeup and a little spritz of cologne. It's fine. I can do this. It's fine."
The way he repeats "it's fine" tells me it's anything but fine, but I know that stubborn set to his jaw. There's no talking him out of this when he's made up his mind.
I manage a smile, even though my heart is breaking watching him try to hold himself together. "Alright, but we're taking it easy today. Any sign you're struggling, and I'm calling it off."
Angel doesn’t answer as he shovels another bite into his mouth before disappearing into his room for a few minutes. He emerges transformed, his usual colorful ensemble perfectly coordinated with bright patterns and textures that somehow work together in a way only Angel can pull off. The cute little block heels with every color except purple, which he claims clashes with his aura. Makeup expertly applied to hide the exhaustion and flush of heat.
He looks like Angel-Boy again, but I can see Angel underneath—fragile and trying so hard to keep it together.
"I'm ready," he announces, spinning once to show off the outfit. "What's first on the agenda?"
I check my phone, dreading what I'm about to tell him. "You're going to finish eating first. Then you have a photoshoot for that new Omega skincare line, followed by a casting call over lunch, and then..."
I pause, knowing this next part is going to hurt.
"Then a fundraiser meeting with Ryker this afternoon." Angel's face goes carefully blank at the mention of Ryker's name, but he nods like it's no big deal. I set my phone down, tilting my head to the side as I observe his expression. "Are you sure you don't want to stay home?"
"I got this," Angel says, but his voice wobbles a little, betraying the confidence he's trying to project.
