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He glanced between me and the open door as if something outside would give him insight into my situation. I plopped down on his couch, grabbed a blanket, and wrapped up like another burrito.
Huffing, I tried to change my tactics. “I need alpha cuddles, please.”
“Oh, I’m just a warm alpha now?” he playfully mocked, but he was already heading my way.
He made sure that I was completely covered in the blanket so we didn’t scent mark each other, and then he gathered me into his arms. They were the wrong arms, but they would have to do.
We just cuddled for a few minutes. I breathed in his very juvenile kid cereal scent and let our years of innocent friendship soothe my tattered heart.
“Mia, dear. I need you to tell me what happened. I may not beyouralpha, but I am still an alpha, and a hurting omega is unbearable.”
I took one last deep breath. “Will got Grant kicked out of school.”
“That… is not what I was expecting.”
“What were you expecting?”
“I don’t know. Not that!” He was silent for a moment digesting that news. “How did he manage that? Also… why?”
“Will and I went out on an official courting date the other night—”
“What!” I ignored his interjection. He knew I had agreed to go.
“—and we had a really great time. Grant was his competition.” I shrugged like that was the whole story.
“No, ma’am. That’s not a thing. I can’t just have any alpha who likes Kara’s scent kicked out of school because I’m jealous and possessive. Trust me, I’ve considered it. Even if he had a legitimate reason to have him kicked out, there’d be a trial, not an immediate dismissal.”
I must’ve made a sound that implied I didn’t believe him.
“Did you ask Will about it?” Again, I just sort of huffed at him. I could feel him roll his eyes at me. “Go ask your advisor. She’ll know the status. Now, get up. My arm’s fallen asleep and feels all weird.”
“Ugh. Fine.” I started to sit up, feeling much better from the cuddles and from Tanner’s level-headed reaction. Maybe listening to half a story from Hunter and then yelling at Will wasn’t the most mature or logical way to get all the answers. Or reallyanyanswers, since I didn’t let Will say a single thing.
But as I was struggling to sit up in my burrito-ed state, I heard a small whimper from across the room. Tanner and I both froze when we saw a distraught Kara standing in the doorway. Was anything going to go right today?
“Omega!” Tanner jumped up, effectively dumping me on the floor, to rush to Kara. He kept a slight distance when it was clear that she wouldn’t allow him to touch her, and I understood since it basically looked like he had just been cheating on her.
“Kara,” I whispered as I untangled myself. “Tanner was consoling me over my alphas. He wrapped me up in a blanket so we wouldn’t mark each other. Smell him. He won’t smell like me.”
She looked back and forth between us, unsure if she could believe me. I was competition now. Tanner stood perfectly still and then raised his arms out by his side, open for her inspection.
She stepped forward and took a whiff. Still throwing skeptical glances between us, she took another step toward her future mate. I could see the tension leaving Tanner as she got closer and closer.
“Omega,” he whispered, “you are the most perfect creature I’ve ever seen. I would never do anything to hurt you. I was helping Mia calm down. She is just a friend. You are my omega. Myeverything.”
She finally collapsed into his arms, the stress of the moment gone. Tanner wrapped her in his arms, without the protective blanket barrier he used with me. He actually wanted to be covered in her scent. And to cover her in his own.
The soft, rumbling purr that slowly started to fill the room surprised us all. Tanner was purring. From deep within his chest, he was soothing his mate with his purr.
The jealousy that ran through me wasn’t fair to them. Tanner was soothing Kara exactly how an alpha should soothe his omega. It wasn’t their fault that my own alpha situation was a mess.
Okay, the part about me beingjusta friend kinda hurt. It was true, but did he have to say it like that?
I turned to leave, stealing a little bit of comfort from the alpha’s purr on my way out. I refused to glance back at them as I walked out the door. I knew they’d be too wrapped up in each other to notice anyway.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ihadtowaita day to talk to Omega Reid, which was for the best. I needed a shower and some rest before hearing answers I probably didn’t want. And a small part of me kept hoping one of my alphas would show up and explain that this was all a joke or something.
