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The needle pierced his skin a moment later, sending a wave of temporary pain up his arm that settled as soon as it hit his shoulder. Then a coolness flooded him, making him slump his shoulders and let go of Levi, hands hanging between his knees. Lena tapped the needle in place before procuring a wrapped chocolate chip cookie, the ones he loved from the cafeteria, from her pocket.
Elias snatched it with a barely contained squeal of delight, shoving half of it in his mouth like a chipmunk. It did as he hoped, making Lena laugh while she gathered her things with a wink.
"I knew you'd want one. I'll be back in twenty-five minutes to check on the progress, and don't worry, Ian is very busy today. He'll walk right past this room in a hurry and won't have time to check recently updated charts."
Elias gripped her hand tightly in thanks. "Awesome, I really appreciate it."
Lena smiled, nodded to Levi, and left; shutting the door behind her with a soft click, the shades clinking. As soon as she was gone, the alpha stepped in front of Elias, taking up his entire view while crossing his thick arms over his chest. He sunk into the gurney, averting his gaze just so he wouldn't have to face the music.
It was pointless.
"Why are you always sick?"
He made it sound so serious! Elias wasn't bedridden all the time, despite being chronically ill. His body simply bore the effects of the stress he endured in his early twenties.
"As Ian would say, this sack of meat of mine is fragile."
Levi pursed his lips. "Don't refer to yourself that way."
Elias shrugged and let his body fall back, staring up at the clinical white ceiling. "I hate coming here, by the way. I'm not some kind of hypochondriac."
"I didn't say you were."
Silence blanketed the room after that as Levi dragged a chair closer to the side of the bed, grabbing his hand again. He let it happen, closing his eyes while resisting the urge to faint. This was the weirdest situation yet. A near-stranger sitting beside him as they administered him fluids for a fever he caused by leaving a fucking umbrella behind. Elias had to admit it was sweet how much Levi seemed to care. He turned his gaze towards him, lips parting without knowing what was about to come out, when the door burst open.
The shades shook violently, and both of them whipped their heads to see… Oh god. Dane stood there, shoulders rising and falling as he looked between Levi and Elias, fingers flexing.
"What the hell?" Elias muttered, sitting up on his forearms.
"I could say the same thing, Kitten. How about you explain yourself? Why are you charted in my hospital?"
Elias' brows shot up even further.
"Your hospital?"
Dane waved the words away and widened his aggressive stance, pheromones raging through the room and making Elias' head spin. They fought with Levi's calming scent, and he shivered.
"I'm the chief administrator. Now answer the question."
"I—"
The door ripped open again, and this was expeditiously turning into Elias' worst nightmare. Ian rushed through it, nearly bulldozing Dane out of the way as he snapped off a pair of gloves and tossed them in the trash. With his hair pulled back into a small bun, glasses perched on his nose, and a thin shimmer of sweat on his collarbones, he appeared both studious and fucking hot. Elias wanted to climb him like a tree, reaching out for the most familiar scent in the room.
"Why didn't you call me?" he growled, slapping Levi's hands away from Elias and gripping the one he offered.
Elias grew nervous as the three alphas closed in. Their pheromones swirled together, a mix of heavy masculine scents like leather and bergamot plus woodsy ones like pine and fresh rain. Elias didn't want to get away as he expected. He longed to move nearer, to breathe in more of it and let the pheromones bewitch him. His omega preened, aching and thrashing to give in to his instincts.
Heel, he told the beast. It barely listened, glaring and pacing in a circle, glowing emerald eyes still pleading, always pleading.
"Because I'm getting an IV bag, not a life-altering procedure," Elias replied, trying his best not to sound put out. "And I don't remember calling you."
Elias flicked his gaze to Dane as he said so, but the alpha had no shame. He widened his stance even further and stood his ground.
"I don't care whether you called me—"
"Of course he wouldn't, you're the prick that made him cry!" Ian raged, standing to his full height and taking a threatening step closer.
Levi stood as well, brow furrowing. "You made him cry?"
