A soft knock interrupted my self-pity party, followed by the creak of the door opening. I barely managed to crack one eye open, and Noah’s face came into view, his expression a mix of amusement and sympathy.
“Rise and shine, lightweight,” he said, his voice way too cheerful for my current state. And way too loud. Did he have toshout? For fuck’s sake.
He held out a glass of orange juice and two pills, which I prayed to all that was holy were some kind of painkillers, a small smirk tugging at his lips.
“Why are you so happy?” I grumbled, forcing myself to sit up. The room spun, and I grabbed my head with both hands like that might somehow steady it. “Ugh, kill me now.”
Noah chuckled, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Sorry, kid. Welcome to Hangover 101. Lucky for you, I’ve been sent by—” he smirked “—Holden, to make sure you’re okay. He told me you got pretty smashed last night and to look after you. Also, you have the day off work, courtesy of said alpha.”
The mention of Holden’s name made me freeze, and my stomach did this awful twisty thing that had nothing to do with the hangover. I felt the color drain from my face as I dropped back against the pillows, covering my eyes with my hand.
“Oh, God. Holden. Kill me now. Please, just kill me now.”
“Care to share with the class?”
All I could do was groan.
Noah snorted, and I lifted my arm just enough to peek at him. His brow was raised in question, and I could tell he was thoroughly entertained by my misery.
“Whatever happened, it cannot be that bad.”
I threw my arm back over my face, wishing I could disappear. “Noah, I messed up. Shit, I messed upso badly.”
“What did you do?” he asked, though by the amusement in his voice, I’d bet he already knew.
“I said things,” I mumbled from beneath my arm. “Bad, kill-me-now, horrible things.”
“You’re going to have to be more specific.” Noah nudged me with his elbow, and I peeked out from beneath my arm, only to find him grinning at me.
“I told him that if he didn’t want to mate me, he could—” I took a deep breath, the humiliation making me want to puke more than any hangover ever could, “—he could at least help me through my next heat.”
Noah blinked, his eyes widening slightly. His lips twitched at first, and then he clearly couldn’t hold it in because he burst into laughter—full-on, head-thrown-back laughter that echoed through the room.
“It’snotfunny!” I protested, my cheeks burning. “I practically begged him, Noah. Begged him to...” I trailed off. Yeah, those words were not coming out of my mouth again.
“You have to admit,” Noah said between laughs, wiping at his eyes, “it’s kind of funny. And hey, maybe he was flattered. I mean, who wouldn’t be?”
“Yeah, sure. Flattered. Or horrified,” I muttered, downing the aspirin with a sip of orange juice. “How am I ever supposed to look him in the eye again? He’s going to think I’m a desperate slut or something equally as bad.”
Noah raised a brow. “You’re not desperate, and Holden is smarter than that.”
I snorted. “Right!”
“You’re not,” Noah insisted. “Holden would be damn lucky to have you.”
“Have you met me?”
Noah growled, and I sighed. I knew he hated when I said shit about myself.
He could say whatever he wanted, but we both knew the truth: I was desperate. Desperate to be wanted. To be loved. But Holden was this handsome, wealthy, polished alpha who seemedto barely tolerate me on the best of days. And then, last night, he’d been so... gentle. So careful.
And I could swear he kissed my forehead before he left. Or maybe that was just me wishing he had.
It made my heart race in ways I wasn’t ready to look too closely at... and had no business hoping for.
Noah seemed to pick up on my feelings because he patted my leg, his smile softening. “Listen, Mylo, it’s not as bad as you think. Holden’s not the kind of guy to freak out over something like that. If anything, he was probably worried about you. Besides, heshouldbe flattered.”
I groaned and fell back against the pillows. “That’s even worse. I don’t want his pity. And I bet he has a bunch of drunk omegas hitting on him... Seriously, look at the guy. He probably thinks I’m just one in a line of many. But it’s worse because I work for him.”
