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A smile broke over my face. “Yes.”
“Honestly, that makes it more impressive.”
“You see why I’m calling now.”
“Yes,” he laughed. “How can I help?”
“Can I bounce the exec calls to you for a few days? Everything should go smoothly, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving my office absent, especially with Ian.”
Mark’s voice grew darker. “Something I should know?”
“Yes, but it’s a conversation I don’t have time for right now. After? I’ll tell you everything.”
“I’ll hold you to that. Need me to pull up the next cohort?”
I blew out a relieved breath. “Yes, please. Apologize to them too. The four of us are over the moon, but for everyone else…”
“They’ll understand,” he said. “Heats happen. It’s not the first substitution because of one, and it definitely won’t be the last.”
“Thank you. Truly.”
“Don’t thank me,” he scolded. “Take the time to care for your Omega and don’t worry about anything else. I’ll make the announcement after you speak to Ian.”
“Sounds good. I’ll call him now.”
“Let me know when you guys come up for air.” He hung up laughing.
Typing out a brief text to my secretary, I told her what happened, and that Mark agreed to be the point person until Sloane’s heat was over. She’d take care of making sure any calls went to him. Then I dialed Ian.
“Where thefuckare you?” If you could whisper a scream, he was doing it. “And where are the principals? People are waiting on them, Gabriel.”
“Sloane Glass went into heat before the performance. For obvious reasons, the cohorts will be rearranged. Mark agreed to take point for me for a few days until it’s over.”
Stunned silence. “What? Until it’s over—you’reseeing her through her heat?”
My jaw tightened at the implication that I wasn’t good enough to do that, or that Sloane didn’t deserve it. “Considering she’s my Omega, yes, I will be doing that. Asher West as well. And the rest of my pack. I’m aware it’s not convenient, but it is what it is.”
Ian didn’t have to say anything for me to feel him seething on the other end of the line. I knew he wouldn’t be happy, but this was life. Heats came and went. You dealt with them. It was no one’s fault.
“Do you know how this looks?” he hissed. “Her disappearing after the show like she’s actually a fucking ghost? We promised the donors and board a show. You think they’re going to donate when the star is off on vacation getting fucked?”
The nest door opened and Jace came out, letting me get a hit of her perfect perfume. He mimedfood, and I nodded.
“Ian, I would think carefully about the next thing to come out of your mouth. Because if it’s insulting Sloane’s professionalism or suggesting she triggered her heat to get out of performing, you will not like my response.” I let my growl seep into the words.
“Should I prepare to give her all the leading roles now?” The poison in the words shocked me. “The executive’s Omega gets all the best roles.”
Rage cracked through me, and my phone creaked in my hand. “Say that again. I dare you.”
That seemed to have the effect I wanted, but my anger didn’t lessen. “Mark will make an announcement about what happened. If I hear you said anything about myself, Sloane, Asher, or anyone else at the reception, you will deal with me. And if you want to stay at SCB, get your head out of yourfucking ass.”
I hung up without waiting for a response and texted Mark it was done, with an added request that he tell the donors we would arrange another event for them to meet Sloane and Asher if they wanted to.
Silencing the device, I went back into the nest.
“What the fuck is that?” Ash asked.
“What do you mean?”
