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"Well, I can come by and run some tests to find out. Or you could have her stop by one of my offices, and I'll do it there."
I huff. "What are we supposed to do? Walk up to her and say, 'Hey, I think you're my mate, come with me, and we'll get you tested.'"
Doctor Tanner rolls her eyes at me this time. "Why don't you try actually dating the poor girl first? If there’s a possibility she’s been drugged—for who knows how long—don't you think she deserves some good ole fashion wooing before you bomb her with the big, important shit?"
My jaw hits the floor at the profanity coming from the clean-suited, buttoned-up doctor. All I can do is nod dumbly back at her.
Woo her.
Yeah, I think we can manage that.
Seven
Summer
My feet are aching,my back hurts, and at some point in the day, I stopped looking at the clock, waiting for midnight. I've been doing the double-duty job thing for a few months now, and, although I do love the freedom, some nights it feels like too much. I'm exhausted.
Physically.
Emotionally.
Mentally.
Cramps have been assaulting me all day, and I can only hope this is the part ofit gets worse before it gets better.I really can't wait for it to get better. They have happened so much, causing seconds of debilitating pain, that Ava came over a couple times to ask what was wrong. I brushed her off mostly, but the last time she came over, she told me to head home. I really need the money though so I assured her I was fine to make it through the last few hours. Which, glancing at the clock is about up.
It's fifteen minutes until midnight, the end of my twelve hour shift. Some weekends, I'll work after I get off at Pen2Paper until close, and then I work a shorter day on Saturday. Some weekends, I don't work Friday, but my shift on Saturday is longer to make up for it. I don't ever work Sunday's though, allocating just one day a week to being a complete couch potato.
"Go ahead and head out, babe. We're slow anyways," Ava says from behind me, making me flinch. I did not hear her come up. She was also lying out of her teeth. We weren't slow, but there were only a few hours until last call. The second bartender came in halfway through my shift and will stay to close. Plus, my feet really do hurt. I give Ava a grateful smile and nod, heading to the back to hang up my apron and grab some mozzarella sticks from the guys working the line for my walk home.
Food in hand and apron hung up, I wave goodbye to Ava and push the heavy door open, chilly Spring air whipping across my face, causing goosebumps to pop up along my arms. I set off down the sidewalk, pull a warm, double-fried cheese stick out of its container, and take a big bite. The heat from the mozzarella warms me from the inside out, and I groan as flavor explodes across my tongue.
I waste no time scarfing down the rest and then stop at the next trash can on the sidewalk to throw my garbage away. Just as I'm wiping down my fingers with a napkin and throwing that away too, awareness raises the hairs on the back of my neck. My head jerks up, and I look around the dark sidewalks, lit only by sporadic street lamps. Although it's late, it's still midnight on a Saturday so the area is far from empty. There's a group of pretty betas across the street, dressed to impress and hanging outside one of the more popular bars, waiting to get in. There are a few alphas, an omega, and a beta—probably a pack—crowded around one of a few outside tables at a really underrated restaurant. The place has weird hours, seemingly open for drunk bar-goers that want a snack, and has thebestbagel sandwiches around.
Nothing seems out of the ordinary, but then I see a familiar face sitting alone at another outside table, across from the pack at the bagel place. He paints a strange picture, because he doesn't have food or drink in front of him, and he's just sitting there by himself. His head lifts up, and brilliant blue eyes collide with mine. Hudson, I think his name is. He came up to the bar once or twice while his pack was at The Hog's Head and introduced himself, but I can't remember if that's his name, for sure. Could be Harry or something similar.
"Summer!" he exclaims, a smile brightening his handsome face. He's got a head of beautiful blonde hair, trimmed neatly around the sides and just barely longer on top, to match his blue eyes. He pops up from his seat to walk over to me, and the delicious sandalwood and orange blossom scent of his makes my knees weak. He smellsgood.
"Hey..." I respond, waiting in a slightly embarrassed silence for him to fill in the blank.
He chuckles, a warm, raspy thing, completely unruffled that I couldn't remember his name. "Hudson."
"Right, sorry," I laugh awkwardly. "What are you doing sitting alone? Where's your pack?"
A slight blush creeps into his pale cheeks, and he scrubs the back of his neck. "Oh, right. Uh," he coughs, "they said they were going to meet me here, but I guess they forgot."
I frown, feeling bad for him. "Oh... Sorry." I look down the street, contemplating what to say next. I really want to climb into my bed and snuggle under a pile of blankets, but I feel bad for Hudson. "Want some company?" I ask, glancing back at him. His eyebrows pop up in surprise, and then a genuine, grateful smile graces his lips.
"No, that's okay, pretty girl." I blush a deep red at the endearment. "Are you headed home?"
I nod. "Yeah, I just got off."
He frowns. "It's pretty late for you to be walking home by yourself in Chicago. Can I walk you the rest of the way?"
"Can you...what?" I'm a little dumbfounded. I don't really know this guy. Thisalpha.His designation is genetically predisposed to overpower an omega. Their bark alone could make an omega submit in seconds. I know from experience.
But he's not wrong. My nerves usually ratchet up about forty percent when I walk home alone at night. I may be all independent now, but it doesn't erase the embedded fear. On the other hand, do I want this strange alpha to know where I live? How can I be surehisintentions are any purer than anyone else's I may encounter?
"Please? It would make me feel so much better. My pack would kill me if I let you walk home alone," he begs earnestly.
