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“Thank you.” She smiled as her mate tugged her into his side possessively. “Other than some morning sickness when I first wake up, I’m doing well.”
“I’m glad to hear it. After you?” Stepping aside, he gestured for Nick and Calla to enter the dining room first. His attempt to avoid further conversation wasn’t as subtle as he’d thought, and Nick kissed his mate on the lips, hanging back.
“Go on ahead, sweetheart. I’ll be right there.”
“Okay.” She threw Micah a look of sympathy before proceeding inside.
Once she was gone, Micah tried to head Nick off. “I’m fine, so there’s no need to start in on me again. Really.”
“Is that so?” Nick’s sharp blue gaze pierced him like an ice pick. “I suppose that’s why your eyes are bloodshot and have circles under them so dark—it looks like you haven’t slept in a month. Or why your hands are shaking.”
Suddenly self-conscious, he looked away, fisting his hands to still them. “I’m okay, Nick. Just a little tired. The meds are helping.”
“From where I’m standing, I have to disagree.” The other man’s frown deepened. “But I realize now isn’t the time or place to get into a discussion. I want to talk to you after breakfast, in my office.”
Fucking fantastic. The commander was just concerned. Logically, Micah knew that, but it still sucked to be singled out and pinned down. Unreasonable anger churned in his gut, but he managed to nod. “Sure.”
Appearing satisfied with Micah’s answer, the commander left him. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Micah walked into the dining room and cast about for a good place to sit. For damn sure not with his boss. He didn’t want to give the Seer more opportunity than necessary to poke around in his biz.
At one table, he spotted Noah Brooks, Sanctuary’s head nurse, sitting with Phoenix Monroe, one of Micah’s Pack bros. Noah was a smaller guy, slim, with short, messy blond hair and big blue eyes that he currently had trained on the tall, lithe man who would be his Bondmate—if only the dumbass would cooperate. But Nix refused to meet his mate halfway, had made it pretty clear to his teammates how uncomfortable he felt having a male for a mate, and it was obviously killing poor Noah and driving a wedge between the two. It took the anger already boiling in Micah’s blood and amplified it a few notches.
If I had someone who looks at me the way Noah looks at Nix? I’d jump for joy. Who cares if he’s a dude?
Self-consciously Micah touched his face. Yeah, like that would ever happen now.
Also sitting at the table were his sister and her mate, Aric Savage. As much as he wanted to sit down and find out what the hell was going on with Nix lately, he wanted to get grilled by Rowan even less. But it was too late. She’d already spotted him and was smiling, waving him over. With a sigh, he resigned himself to enduring the nosy woman’s scrutiny.
Taking a seat, he nodded a greeting to the group in general. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Morning,” Rowan said brightly, eyeing him. She was annoyingly fresh-faced and alert this morning, long dark brown hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yep,” he lied, reaching for the pancakes. “Like a baby on tranquilizers.”
“That’s funny, ’cause you sure don’t look like you did. In fact, you look terrible.”
He snapped before he thought to filter his mouth. “Why’d you ask the question when you already knew the answer? Or do you just enjoy giving me shit?”
Rowan frowned. “Jesus, Micah, ease up.”
Across from him, Aric shifted in his seat, a low growl of warning rumbling from his chest. No doubt Micah had pissed off the man, and the wolf within, something fierce. Inside Micah, his brown wolf stirred and growled right back, unwilling to back down.
The redhead’s voice was low and even as he spoke. “Your sister is just worried about you, like all of us are. No need to bite her head off.”
The men glar
ed at each other and the moment stretched taut. But when he saw Rowan exchange a tense glance with Nix, and Noah’s eyes widen with trepidation, his anger popped like a soap bubble. The sun was barely up and he was already ruining people’s day.
“I’m sorry.” Guilt snaked through Micah. Remorse. He tried to soften his tone as he met his sister’s concerned gaze. “I just get tired of everybody analyzing my every move, that’s all. I’m fine.”
She didn’t believe him any more than he believed himself, but she wasn’t going to push the issue in front of their friends. He didn’t know if that made him feel better or not, especially when he caught Noah and Nix exchanging worried looks of their own.
Nope, he still felt like crap.
He got busy filling his plate, knowing he wouldn’t be able to eat half of it. Too late, he realized he should’ve taken less so the leftover amount wouldn’t be as noticeable. Still, he ate what he could, chewing slowly, willing the food to settle. The bacon, tasty as it was, sat like a greasy rock in his stomach, and he gave up on it after one piece.
Hoping to lighten the mood at the table, he addressed Noah. “So, how are things going over at Sanctuary?”
His question had the desired result, the nurse’s face breaking out in a big smile. Aside from Phoenix, the younger man’s job at the new building in the Pack’s compound helping to heal and rehabilitate injured and sick paranormal beings was his favorite subject.
