I waited for a few minutes, but there was no answer. I shut the laptop and turned to my work computer. I started going through the alerts, clearing any issues in the system as if it was just another day. I got a notification that I had a meeting added to my schedule. I tilted my head and barely contained my smirk as I clicked on it and realized it was with Vince. The note on it said we needed to discuss the final details of the mating ceremony.
I snorted and accepted it as Rick knocked. “Hey.” He looked exhausted. “Alannah told me you wanted to see me.”
I looked up at him for a minute and nodded. “You look like shit.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Yeah.” He wiped his eyes. “Yeah.” He walked in and sank into a chair. “I feel like shit.” His hand wiped at his neck and I saw him flinch a little.
I pretended not to notice. "How's Abby doing?”
He bent over. “She isn’t doing well. She was up all night getting sick, and she has a pretty high fever.” He looked up at me over the desk. “I don’t think she is going to last much longer. This sickness has just progressed too much.” He sounded so dejected.
“Hey. Don’t say that. She is still here.” He nodded, took a deep breath in and then sat back.
“Enough about my bullshit. Why do you look like you have been crying all night?” His eyes tightened and I could barely scent that Brandon had just snuck into the outer office.
“Because I have been.” I looked off to the side.
“What happened?”
I dropped my head into my hands and sniffled. “Brandon was sleeping with Shannon. And then instead of telling her it was over and he wanted to mate me. Or telling me that he wanted her. He kept kicking the issue down the line until it blew up last night.”
He scoffed and shook his head. “Idiot. What happened?”
“He showed up at my house. But I told him to go away until the issue was handled.” I shook my head. “He didn’t listen, just tried to convince me I was foolish for demanding he deal with Shannon. He kept saying she wasn’t involved.”
Rick waved his hands. “That’s good, isn’t it?”
I laughed, but it was filled with so much anger. “You would think that, wouldn’t you?” But I just shook my head. “It might have been if Shannon hadn’t showed up, and a crowd hadn’t gathered to see my entire relationship implode. Brandon is clearly still in love with her. He refused to say that he wanted to be with me. He allowed Shannon to cut into our relationship, and that would be bad enough if she was an Alpha.”
Rick watched me for a second. “But she is unranked.”
I nodded. “Exactly.”
He shook his head. “That sucks.”
I laughed. “Yeah.” I wiped at my eyes for the camera. “But what can you do?”
He watched me for a second. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”
I heard a chime from my laptop. But I focused on Rick. “How did you know?”
He stood with a sigh. “Because…it’s what I’d do.” He turned and started towards the door, then hissed. “Fuck.” He turned. “Alannah said you needed me. What did you want?”
I furrowed my brow and acted like I forgot. “Ummm.”
Alannah popped up at the door. Her eyes darted to the side. “Your dinner?”
I smacked the desk and pointed at her. “That’s right. I’m having a dinner tonight. Barbeque. You’re invited.”
He sighed. “I’m going to have to say no.”
Alannah sucked a breath through her teeth. “Shelly already said yeah, and is making her potato salad.”
Another chime came from my laptop. I opened it and looked at the screen.
Thoth-I need to speak with you too.
Well shit.
