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Silence. They moved up two floors.
"But do you want to tell me?"
Elias wavered on the edge of that decision before spitting it out. "I met someone."
August stilled, which was so strange for a hummingbird of a man like him. "An alpha?"
"Yes."
"And how was that?"
The words were loaded. August knew of his extensive past. He had to when Elias enrolled in the internship program and was hand-picked by Deaton Medical. His parents detailed the entire story of his rebellious stage to the alpha beside him, begging for the man to take in their broken and battered son.
Little did they know, August took him in not for that reason, but despite it, one of the many aspects of this place that made him stick around. The alpha beside him often spoke of omega rights and lack thereof, with a level of understanding that floored Elias. Expressing the truth regardless of its darkness and embracing it because of his position.
"It was a mistake of epic proportions. That's all you need to know," he replied, stepping out of the metal box as soon as it hit the top floor.
They didn't crowd this floor with lab equipment or admin teams. There was an open concept waiting space with chic white leather sofas, a glass coffee table carved with whirling DNA beneath it, and a far, empty, light wood desk meant for a secretary. Beyond it were two doors on either side, bordered by tall fern plants.
August kept pace beside him as he approached the dual offices, leaning forward to better take in Elias' purposefully blank expression. He didn't want to dredge up the emotion left over from that awful discussion at home. If he did, Elias just might bawl like a baby into his mentor's chest, and that would be the very height of embarrassment.
August hadn't seen him cry in years. Not since his early twenties, in which he spent most of his free time making even worse mistakes. But those days were over. Elias was a working, put-together adult now who didn't need comfort. And he was so close to solitude—so close he might just slam the door to his office right in his boss's face. Would that get him fired?
Elias shrugged it off and picked up the pace when August stopped him by gripping his upper arm. It was loose, so Elias could break free if he wanted to, but he didn't.
"Hey," August said, squeezing. "I can tell you need to talk about this. Bottling up your feelings is how you become self-destructive, and don't tell me that's not true. We both know it is."
They stopped in front of the middle desk, and while Elias would rather flee, he took stock of his surroundings instead, grounding himself. On the left was August's office, which he almost never used, and the right was his. The two of them vetoed having to hire yet another secretary, choosing to leave their doors open while taking care of their own appointments.
It's not like either of them left the office very much, anyway. People came to Deaton Medical for meetings, not the other way around. As one of the five major breadwinner businesses of the province, their teams and research held a lot of sway in the community thanks to donations and, well, decency.
It was wild how hard such a simple thing was to come by. Elias learned long ago where stigma stemmed from. Alphas, alphas, alphas… every part of his existence that sucked had to do with them. Ask any omega and they might say the same.
"It's nothing I haven't been through before," he replied with a grimace, turning to gaze at August's stark jade irises.
They focused and narrowed, yet the fingers around his bicep slipped away, letting him go. "That's what I'm worried about. I know what it's like, trust me—"
"You don't."
Elias was snapping the words before he even knew they left his mouth, and it was impossible to take them back. The accusation lining his words hung in the air, circling them like a predator poised to strike.
The two stared at each other in shocked silence for several beats, and shame curled in the bottom of Elias' stomach at the tortured expression on August's face. He knew he didn't yell, Elias never yelled, and yet, two of the people closest to him had forced him to do so.
What was with today?
Was it the air? The water?
His heart sank, and he couldn't let go of the notion that it was his fault.
"I'm sorry, I—"
Knock. Knock.
Elias's head whipped up, attention snapping toward a man standing in the doorway to his office.
"Sorry to interrupt your discussion, but I didn't want to intrude any longer without mentioning my presence."
His voice, deeper than August's, possessed a sensual quality that was impossible to ignore. Like honey soothing down your throat mixed with hot tea spiced by clove. It suited his appearance. With a physique that seemed to tower over everyone else, he looked like a linebacker who had spent countless hours at the gym.
