Alpha, Not

Chapter 18

Alpha Not - Chapter 18

Pete

I've been distracting myself from thinking about Avery by jogging, training harder with the pack, and working late at the office. Anything that will take my mind off the fear that he's going to decide he's better off without me. It's doesn't help all that much but dreading the outcome while doing something is better than dreading it while doing nothing.

Tonight, is no different than any other night lately. I'm working late at the office again, completing paperwork and reviewing contracts with our major clients; some of which are out of date and need to be renegotiated. It's tedious work, but I may as well work on them since I have nothing but time on my hands right now.

Sometime after seven, I'm interrupted by knocking on the front door of the office. I can't think of any reason for anyone to come here at this time of night, especially since the office is dark except for the light coming from my office, which is barely visible from the street. The agency closes at four, so it's unlikely to be a client and there's no other reason for anyone else to be knocking unless they're looking for me. I suppose it could be Teagan, or another friend from the pack, but wouldn't they just call? As I come around the corner, I can see the entrance and I feel my heart begin pounding in my chest. Avery is standing there looking through the glass, waiting for me open the door and let him in.

"Can we talk?" He asks, following me into my office and seating himself on one of the chairs lining the wall across from my desk.

"Sure." I reply tentatively, not knowing what else to say. I'm fearful about which direction this conversation is going to take; I hope it's not what I've been fearing most these last few weeks that we've been apart.

It was so good to see him after all this time, and my heart was threatening to burst from my chest it was beating so furiously. I felt elated that he had come to me, but frankly, I was scared as well, all at the same time. Was he here to tell me we were over, and he didn't want to see me again or was he here to get back together?

I know that he's been talking to Teagan, but Teagan won't say what Avery's told him; only that he's working through the concerns he has about me and our world. He did assure me that he wasn't going to talk about me to Avery, other than the things Avery already knew about; and he wasn't going to talk about my past with the White River pack, or Jaxon, at all.

"Would you like something to drink?" I ask nervously, beginning to sweat, even though the room was a comfortable temperature. "We have sodas and water in the break room, or I could put on a pot of coffee if you'd prefer that."

"A bottle of water would be nice." He answered, shifting a little, making himself more comfortable on the chair.

"I've missed you," I tell him, handing him a bottle of cold water; some condensation already beginning to form on the cold plastic container. I twist the cap off another bottle for myself. "How have you been?"

A slight smile curves his lips as he looks at me. "I've been okay, I guess. Thanks for sending Teagan to look out for me; he said you'd asked him to keep an eye out. I appreciate that. It gave me someone I could talk to about everything; I really needed that."

"It was the least I could do, Avery. I'm sorry that you had to face all those things at once, and without anyone you could really talk to. I wasn't trying to hide anything from you; I planned on telling you about myself if we'd continued seeing one another. I didn't mean for it to happen like it did, and so shockingly. Things just got out of control fast, and it all got dumped on you at once. I didn't have the chance to prepare you for it like I wanted."