10
REINA
The office was quiet except for the soft click of my mouse and the hum of the computer.
I'd been staring at the same photograph for twenty minutes, trying to decide if the crop was right. It was a shot from last week's Frost Kings game. One of their forwards mid-celebration, stick raised, face caught in that perfect moment of victory.
But I couldn't focus.
My skin felt too tight, too sensitive. The fabric of my shirt kept catching against my shoulders in a way that made me want to crawl out of my own body. I'd taken two pills this morning on top of my usual suppressant patch, but it wasn't enough.
It was never enough anymore.
I checked the calendar on my phone. Three days. Maybe four before my heat fully hit. I needed to finish as much work as possible before then, stockpile enough edited photos that I could work remotely when I inevitably had to disappear to the cabin.
The cabin.
WithLuca and Jaxon.
While my pre-heats had been hitting, we’d been nesting pretty hard at the cabin.
My stomach flipped at the thought. The inevitable was coming.
"You good?"
I jumped, nearly knocking my coffee over. Shayla stood in my office doorway, arms crossed, her expression concerned.
"Yeah," I lied, straightening in my chair. "Just focused."
"You've been 'focused' on that same image for the past half hour." She walked in, perched on the edge of my desk. "And you look like you're about to pass out. When's the last time you ate?"
I tried to remember. Breakfast? Maybe?
"I'm fine, Shayla."
"Uh-huh." She didn't look convinced. "Look, if you need to work from home for a few days, just say the word. Nobody's going to judge you."
The concern in her voice made my throat tight. She didn't know what was coming. Didn't know that in a few days I'd be completely non-functional, lost to a heat that would consume every rational thought.
"I appreciate it," I said. "But I'm okay. Really."
Shayla studied me for another moment, then nodded. "Alright. But the offer stands."
She left, and I exhaled slowly.
I went back to the photo, made a few adjustments, saved it. Opened the next one in the queue. This one was from the Steel Wolves game two days ago. Jaxon checking another player into the boards, all aggression and controlled violence.
I'd taken dozens of shots of him that night. Couldn't help myself.
My phone buzzed on the desk.
I glanced at it, expecting a text from Luca or Jaxon. They'd both been checking in constantly, hyper-aware of my approaching heat even from a distance.
But the name on the screen made my entire body go cold.
Mom.
I stared at it like it might bite me.
