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“I’m sure there’s more to you than your job.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know about that. It’s my biggest responsibility, and I’m good with that.”
He still wasn’t giving Delton any clues as to what he wanted to talk about. For a man who was known to be sparse with words, he was certainly living up to that reputation. Would Delton have to pull every word out of him?
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I asked to talk to you,” Adar said after a long pause.
Okay, then. He was bringing it up himself. Good. “Whenever you’re ready. No rush. We can talk about other things as long as you want or need to.”
“I don’t want to waste your time.”
“I don’t consider talking to people a waste of my time, regardless of what we discuss. A big part of what I do is getting to know people and putting them at ease, which means we take things slow and at their pace.”
“Sure, but I’m not here as a patient.”
“So you keep telling me, but I can’t confirm that until I know a little more.”
Another long pause. “It’s about Oliver.”
Oh gods, for real? As if Delton’s suffering wasn’t enough yet. “Tell me about him.”
He could do this. He had to do this. He was a fucking professional.
“I’m sure you’ve seen him around. He’s the cute, angelic dragon omega who arrived here all beaten up and bruised.”
“I’ve met him, and I’ve heard about what happened to him.”
“I’ve been…guarding him, I guess you could say. Shadowing him to make sure he and the other dragons are safe.”
“I noticed.”
Adar snorted. “Pretty sure everyone’s noticed. It’s not like I’m subtle about it.”
“Not particularly, no.”
“He’s my mate.”
Delton’s heart quietly shattered into a million pieces. “Have you told him?”
“No. I didn’t think the timing was right, what with him still recovering and all. That is, if he hasn’t figured it out himself. I’m pretty sure everyone knows the truth.”
Delton’s lungs seized with the effort to draw in a breath, like shards of glass were stuck inside him, cutting him open. Bleeding on the inside, Delton fought to keep his professional mask on. “Under the circumstances, I think you made the right choice not to tell him. He’ll need a lot of time to heal.”
Was that why Adar was here? Did he want to talk to Delton about how he could help Oliver? Oliver himself hadn’t approached Delton despite Delton offering his services multiple times. Oliver wasn’t ready, Fallon had told Delton, which was probably true, considering he rarely used his voice. Still, Delton desperately wanted to help him, even knowing it would bring Oliver and Adar together.
“He does, and I promise you I have all the patience in the world to wait until he’s ready. The ball is in his court. It has been from the beginning. I haven’t even spoken to him, not until today.”
“What happened today?”
It was like Delton had split in half. Half of him was curled up in a fetal position on the floor, bawling, bruised, and bleeding. But the other half was still functioning, asking questions and analyzing Adar’s answers and nonverbal cues.
“His heat is coming.”
Delton had to close his eyes for a moment, afraid he wouldn’t be able to shield his emotions. Oliver’s heat was coming. It didn’t take a degree in psychology to figure out that he must’ve asked Adar to help him. Alphas thrived on being needed like that, and how could a beta like Delton compete? He couldn’t. He would never need Adar the way Oliver did, could never give him that same satisfaction of fulfilling that deep biological urge. The eternal curse of being a beta. They were always stuck in the middle.
When he opened his eyes again, Adar was staring at the floor. Had he noticed Delton’s moment of feeling sorry for himself? Probably not. Something to be grateful for. “He asked you to help him?”
“Yes. And I want to do it. Obviously. God, even the thought of someone else touching him… I can’t stomach it.”
