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One of his thumbs catches a teardrop just before it smears my makeup. His lips curve fondly as he re-tucks my hand into the crook of his elbow. “Come along, darling.”
chapter
fifty
Pride isn’t necessarily a foreign emotion for me.
I felt proud when Jonah’s team won the Super Bowl last year. When Tristan won his election. Even when Avery got called up to the UFC.
But nothing compares to watching Serena shake hands with the dean of my university. Watching him smile and nod while she shyly tells him she’s always wanted to study psychology. And my delighted surprise when she shares the idea of becoming a mental health counselor one day.
She’d be fantastic at that. Her special blend of kindness and sharp humor would probably help people feel comfortable. She’s also been through a hell of a lot more than the average person—which would make her uniquely qualified.
It only takes a couple of hours to get her squared away. Since the semester is just beginning, she’s able to choose two beginner psych classes to start with. They’re simple courses, taught by some of my kinder colleagues. A perfect place for her to start.
And, I note with an unfamiliar burst of wicked satisfaction, if she stays on this track, she’ll have to take one of my courses next spring.
Her class has its second lecture of the semester today, so I walk her over and drop a kiss to her cheek before stepping away. Shock blinks across her features, as if she’s surprised that I’m leaving her alone, giving her the freedom to go into her class and find me afterward.
When I think about what she’s told me, I guess that makes sense. She’s probably never been allowed to walk around a public place to her heart’s content.
Which is why I want to give her this.
It’s also why I wait outside the building for ten minutes before secretly peering into the lecture hall to make sure she’s safely inside. When I find her sitting beside another omega, chatting with a timid smile, my chest gives a hard twinge.
Is this what a heart attack feels like?
No, I think. I’m fairly certain a clogged artery wouldn’t make me grin like an idiot.
Whatever satisfaction I felt at seeing her happily ensconced in class is long gone two hours later.
The longest two hours of my entire career.
Haven’t I spent countless days sitting in my office, at this very desk, without so much as glancing up? Now, I can’t seem to last longer than ten minutes.
My focus constantly shifts to the arched window behind me and the clouds rolling overhead.
Damn it. I should have left her an umbrella. But surely, she’ll call me if she needs me to come collect her? Maybe I should just wait for her, either way. Or would that be overbearing?
The tracking app I snarled at Tristan about is shamefully handy. I keep it open while I attempt to work, glancing at it and the gathering storm until finally—blessedly—her glowing blue dot starts to move toward the building that houses my office.
A light sprinkle has just begun when I hear a quiet knock on my door. “Come in, Miss Swanson.”
Our omega slips into the dim room a moment later. I see she did get a little wet, but not much. Her hair is slightly damp, and a few beads of water cling to her perfect skin as she shuts the door behind her.
“Lock it.”
The command snaps out before I can stop myself. I don’t know why I said it, but she casts me one of her surprised little smiles and obeys anyway, turning the deadbolt.
While I drink her in, reassuring the beast inside me that his mate is here and whole and safe, she turns to the bookshelves built into the nearest wall, running her eyes over them.
“A lot of your textbooks are part of my library already,” I realize. “We can use the copies I keep at home.”
She bites the corner of her lip and nods. Those big green eyes sweep over to the worktable stationed opposite the books. They land on the chessboard laid out there—and the abandoned match set on top of it.
A charge snaps between us, her curiosity lighting my blood. “Who are you playing?” she asks, eyes dancing.
I narrow my gaze slightly. “Myself.”
