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Sienna:Congrats!
Teagan:I knew you’d get it, Hazel! We need to celebrate.
Hazel:I’ll take care of it tonight.
Eliza:Please not more wine. My stomach is still rolling from the cheap shit from last night.
Teagan:Hey! That was good wine.
Sienna:Maybe if we were alcoholics.
Footsteps in the hallway made me slip my cell phone back into my pocket right before my new boss walked in holding three black t-shirts. I ignored the vibration of their replies and stood up to take the offered shirts. “Thanks.”
“Do you have any days you need off in the next two weeks?” Sutton asked, walking around to the other side of his desk to grab a pen. “After that, you can submit time-off requests.”
“No, no time off needed,” I told him after silently counting back to my last heat and clinic appointment.I can just make my next appointment on one of my days off.
“Perfect.” He jotted down something on my application and held out a hand. I held out my tattooed one and firmly shook his. “Welcome to the team, Hazel. I’ll reach out tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you,” I replied with a grin then pulled my hand from his. “I’ll be waiting for your call.”
“I just need to make a phone call.” Sutton turned his back to me, opened a file cabinet, and began rifling through folders. “If you go straight down the hallway, you’ll take the door at the end back to the shop.”
I said goodbye and didn’t linger, a skip in my step as I hurried out to the shop floor. I knew exactly how I wanted to celebrate my new job. Instead of rushing out of the dispensary, I looked over the counters. The flirty beta came over, much more professional now that he saw the work tees in my hand. I picked out a few different flowers that looked good to me, some candy edibles, and some of the free pre-rolls they had for first-time customers. There were a few pipes that looked really cool, but I’d wait until my first paycheck to get something new.
With a quick thank you, I completed my purchase and left with my weed in one hand and phone in the other. I ignored the thirty-plus missed messages and sent them a pic of the black bag in my hand.
Hazel:Get ready for tonight. Who’s got munchies handled?
Eliza:I’ll get food from the bar after my interview.
Teagan:Awesome, and I’ll order more munchies.
Sienna:I’ll make sure she gets filling stuff this time.
I threw my head back and laughed. This was a great start to my new life here, and I couldn’t wait to see what Alexandria had to offer me and my best friends. A few heads turned to stare at me, but I ignored them, not giving a shit what they thought. Nothing could kill my vibe today.
* * *
Sutton
Hazel Bradford.
Her name bounced around my head, taunting me, as I drove to my friend’s home. If I thought her name was going to haunt me, it was nothing compared to her scent. Holy shit, I’d thought I was going to come at the first whiff of the intoxicating smoky smell of leather, tobacco, and a hint of violet. Her basic business-casual interview clothes contrasted with her gothic makeup and jewelry. Generally, the dark makeup and clothes aesthetic wasn’t something that usually drew my attention, but I’d had to hold back a possessive growl when I saw Cade giving her a once over.
Creaking drew my attention, and I let out a long shaky breath until I could loosen my grip on the steering wheel; my hands ached from how hard I had been clenching it. Well, talking about Hazel with Maximo, the other alpha in my pack, was going to be interesting, not to mention how Zaven, our beta, would take it. Not that it mattered, per se, that she had drawn my attention. Hazel was my employee, which meant she was strictly off limits. And even if she weren’t my employee, I couldn’t make a move unless she showed interest.
Alphas and omegas had strict rules when it came to the “courtship process,” which covered the first expression of interest and even the beginning of the dating process. In the past, alphas never took no for an answer, grabbing and claiming omegas left and right without their consent. After a swarm of long overdue protests happened a few decades back, laws and societal expectations changed. Omegas were the only ones that could initiate a relationship, of any kind, with alphaorbeta partners.
Not all alphas had loved the change in law, but it needed to happen. Far too many omegas were getting attacked at the slightest hint of heat. Alphas still held most of the power in our world, but this victory was ours—even if men like the Humble Creed tried to fight back against it.
I recalled meeting Hazel earlier today and instinctively knew that there was more to this raven-haired beauty than met the eye. That image was then replaced with her laughing in the middle of the street, a black bag from my shop in one hand and her phone in the other.
“You going to come inside any time soon?” The dry voice broke the silence, making me jerk.
I cussed out my friend as I tried to slow my racing heart. “For fuck’s sake, Maximo, a little warning.”
“I’ve said your name three different times,” he replied evenly, dark brown eyes searching my face for a hint of what I was thinking. “Something happen at the shop today?”
