1
Frederick
“It’s too dangerous.You can’t go alone.”
The alpha boss's pompous voice made my eye twitch. My finger pushed against the center of my black-rimmed glasses, pressing them closer to my face as I tunneled my hand through my short, wavy hair. I finished it off by putting one foot out in front of me.
I called this my Signature Argument Stance.
“Listen," I said as authoritatively as possible. "I know what I’m doing. I’m familiar with this area of the desert.”
Was that entirely true? No. But my alpha coworkers didn't have to know that.
“Freder—”
“No.” I cut Lance off before he could drawl out the rest of my name in that irritating tone. My raised palm halted him in his tracks. “Come on, Lance. Give me this chance.”
Lance glared at me. I knew I was playing with fire. He had a temper, and I was close to blowing his already short fuse. Were there alphas thatdidn'thave short fuses? Probably not. They all seemed to have the emotional capacity of pre-historic hominids. No offense to the actual cavemen.
“I never send anyone out in the desert alone,” Lance argued, his shoulders firm and his lips pencil thin line that allowed no room for debate.
I chewed the inside of my lip, brainstorming a way to argue. Ineededthis. I needed to prove myself. Being an omega had no bearing on the fact that I was a damn good scientist. Hell, I probably took more pride in my work than any of these alphas combined.
But I couldn’t exactly say that. I had to be diplomatic.
Academia was a bitch.
Pete, another one of my alpha coworkers, swiveled in his lab chair and smirked. He pushed the plastic safety goggles off his face. They made his blond hair look like a bird's nest, sticking up in all directions. “Just do what you’re told, Freddie."
I winced at the unsolicited nickname. He knew it got under my skin.
My jaw clenched so tight it ached. I balled my fists by my sides.
“I’ve dedicated my entire life to science,” I defended. "A little sand isn't going to stop me."
Pete snorted. “You’re also dedicated to fine wine, classical piano and libraries. You aren’t exactly a rugged cowboy.”
I felt wrinkles forming in my forehead. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re a city boy.” Pete swiveled back around to his station as if this conversation suddenly bored him. “You won't last five minutes out in the desert alone."
“Yes, I will.” My voice didn’t come out as defiant as I wanted it to. Great retort, Frederick. “I’ve been to a site similar to this one before.”
Lance’s eyebrows lifted. He was my actual boss, so in the end, I had to listen to him.
Pete, however, could stick it where the sun didn’t shine.
“That was with other people,” Lance reminded me. "And it wasn't as remote."
“I still have the experience,” I countered. “I also have pertinent knowledge about these particular plants. I’ll concentrate better if I’m on my own.”
Without all you bossy alphas around, I added mentally.
Pete’s shoulders hitched as he scoffed, swiveling back to his computer. His fingers were perched across the keyboard, clacking away at the keys. “You just want to be alone because you’re uptight and you hate taking orders from alphas.”
He said it like it was a bad thing. Like, yeah Pete, what tipped you off?
“That’s enough.” Lance’s voice pinged through the room, short and abrupt.
