AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And he was right. I was killing myself by watching others die, over and over again. I resigned from my position in cervology the following day and moved to endocrinology while taking additional classes to become a specialist. And I like endocrinology sometimes. I really do.
Now, I help Omegas with glandular and infertility problems, as well as hormone imbalances. Because of me, my patients go on to have happy, fulfilling lives, becoming parents and healthy sexual partners, as opposed to trudging along to an inevitable early demise.
My parents may not be happy that I’m not following in their footsteps, but Fox was annoyingly right. Just because my last name is Woods doesn’t mean I have to take the path they laid out for me.
I stand up and make my way to my dresser, picking out some jeans and a plain red t-shirt. It’s getting late and I’ll never have dinner ready before dark if I don’t start now. They can order in, but cooking will relax me a lot more than sitting in my bedroom moping.
After dressing quickly, I leave my room and head down to the kitchen, already planning out today’s meal in my head. I like to experiment with different recipes, and most of the time, the other guys are pretty much on board with anything I make. I try to have a higher-carb side for Fox because he burns through calories like a forest fire, but other than that, I have free rein in the kitchen.
I rummage through the pantry and pull out some zucchini and some store-bought gnocchi. I normally would make the gnocchi myself, but by the time I make enough to feed four Alphas and the Omega now under our roof, my wrists would be aching for days from all the dough shaping. It’s one of the few concessions I allow for pre-made items, even if it makes me cringe a little.
I start slicing the zucchini into thin ribbons, and the tension thrumming through my body begins to ease.
If my parents hadn’t put so much pressure on me to be a doctor, I would have gone to culinary school instead. That didn’t happen, but I still like to keep my skills in the kitchen sharp. I like the steady task, and I enjoy providing for my pack like any good Alpha would.
Fox strides into the kitchen, his long hair damp from a shower. “You smell better,” I say lightly, picking up a tied bunch of parsley from the counter and tossing it to him. “And you’re just in time to work on the parsley butter.”
“The fuck is parsley butter?” he asks, tossing the parsley back on the counter. I throw it back to him, and he catches it.
“Butter with parsley in it. Chop that up.”
He rolls his eyes but grabs a knife from the block and sets to work. He may pretend that helping me is a terrible chore, but I think he secretly likes it. For all his standoffishness and sarcasm, Fox might be the neediest of us all. A lifetime of being treated like a disappointment will do that to a person.
When Miles and Levi come in and take their spots at the dining table, the gnocchi, zucchini noodles, and parsley butter is ready and sitting on the table, served family-style in a big bowl. It was the worst chopping job ever done on parsley, a fact that Fox most certainly knew and did on purpose, but it will taste just fine. However, once everyone is served and seated, the empty chair at the other end of the table stands out like a sore thumb.
“Where’s Riley?” I ask, frowning at her empty seat. I know she’s somewhere in the house. I can scent her all the way from here, that strange magnolia scent tainted with the chemical scent of her blockers.
“Probably her room.” Levi shrugs, shoveling gnocchi in his mouth as if he’s never had a meal in his life. “She was going to work on her laptop.”
I sigh in exasperation. “Fine, I’ll make her a plate.”
Fox glances over at me with raised eyebrows, and I think of his accusation earlier that I’m growing used to Riley.
“She’s our responsibility while she’s under our protection. That includes meals.”
His grin slowly spreads across his face. Irritated, I grab a bowl from the kitchen and fill it, ignoring the other guys’ pointed looks as I head upstairs to feed our reclusive Omega guest.
Riley is seated at the desk in the ridiculously named Blue Room, head bent over her laptop. Her fingers fly over the keys as if they are dancing.
That magnolia scent spreads through the air, sending a shiver down my spine. There’s something about it that makes me anxious, which doesn’t make sense. I’m around Omegas all day, being hit with their scents from every direction. I’m also on rut suppressants, which further dampens my response to Omegas. There should be no reason that her scent affects me in any way other than an objective observation. But for some reason, every time I’m around her, I feel like I’ve just finished a quad shot americano in two minutes flat.
I clear my throat, not wanting to startle her, but I do anyway. She jumps in her seat and whirls around, dark hair flying through the air. She clutches at her chest with a gasp.
“I brought dinner,” I say quickly, holding up the plate. She scowls at the plate as if it interrupted her, not me.
“Thanks,” she says, and I place the food next to her laptop. I try not to look at whatever is on her screen, but the wordsthrobbingandknotjump out and my eyes widen. What the hell is she working on?
“Um, uh, how has your stay been so far?” I ask, cringing because I sound like a hotel concierge. But what else should I say? I can’t just ask her flat-out if there are any other packs she’s considering and when she’ll be out of my house.
“Fine,” she answers politely, picking up the fork. She pushes the gnocchi around on the plate but never picks one up. “I’ve just been resting mostly today. I’m pretty tired.”
“That makes sense.” And then I can’t think of anything else to say. “Let us know if you need anything.” I have to get away from her and that damn scent.
I turn on my heel and head back downstairs, sitting at the table without a word to the others. I dig into my gnocchi, but it tastes bland in my mouth. Probably because the damn parsley wasn’t chopped correctly.
“Thane?” asks Levi after a moment. When I glance up at him, he is staring at me, his fork in mid-air. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I say through gritted teeth, spearing a gnocchi like it has wronged my ancestors.
