"Can’t you convince him to keep his mouth shut?"
So that was the heated conversation with Gessler I overheard behind the door.
"No. Hiding the truth from Second Chance is no longer an option. The question is what about the Beta Activation rules. Would that be a breach?" He shakes his head, clearly frustrated. "We have no idea."
For a moment, I sit there, feeling a vague disappointment. Before it even started, it ended?
I sigh. "So what now? You’re suggesting I just walk out of here?" I spread my hands helplessly.
My thoughts drift to Salt. His sharp, feline face. His mismatched eyes. The feral energy that ignited a hot shiver through me…
If I’m to be sent away, will some other guy buy his contract? Bend him, fuck him?
Whoa, what a thought!
Suddenly, a slight cough reaches us.
The lawyer on the screen taps his tablet, and we all look at him.
There is a slight pause, and I study him more closely. Jordan Arnold appears to be in his early thirties, possibly a beta, though it is hard to say since he is well-built. Quite good-looking, but the thick glasses give him a stern air. There is something sour about the energy around him, like he is permanently dissatisfied.
Storm clears his throat.
"Do you have something?"
The lawyer responds in an irritated tone, "I may have. But firstly, I need to emphasize that I almost died at work, yet I am still taking calls during medical leave, and—"
"I’ll put in a good word about that raise!" Storm quickly assures him with an awkward smile. "But we really do need your help. The case is not theoretical at this point, since Eliano came back."
Jordan takes on an even more sour expression.
"I don’t have a magic solution for you. But I noticed something promising that may be our way out of it. I need to reread the contracts more carefully. Give me about twenty minutes, and I’ll check both our agreements with Second Chance and Beta Activation."
"Of course, of course," Storm says quickly. "We’ll wait, and thank you. So much. Call us when you’re ready."
Jordan gives him a crooked glance and disconnects.
"I guess he’s not thrilled," I mutter, looking off to the side.
"Jordan is never thrilled. He’s perpetually unhappy, " Storm replies, slightly amused. "But he’s extremely dedicated. I believe he’ll find something."
I lean back against the sofa, folding my arms across my chest. "Well, worst-case scenario, you tell me it’s not happening, and I’ll just leave."
Storm rubs his chin, then mutters dryly, "You touched, Eliano! The Pull will start between the two of you, not as quickly as between AOs, but it will. After a few months, you’ll get sick and you’ll need to find each other."
Now it’s my turn to grimace, almost like Jordan earlier. "That long? Can’t we test it sooner? Maybe run some blood tests?"
"With betas, the separation stress hormone, veradiol, only builds up over a long period of time, so the test wouldn’t be reliable until a few months have passed," Storm says quietly. "In alpha-omega cases the True Mate Government Agency may get involved and help, but not when they can’t have proof of your TM status."
"That sucks," I mutter, avoiding their eyes because I feel oddly cheated. "It still might not be true, right?" I add, glancing at them with my brows raised, almost hopeful, but I’m met with silence.
Finally, all these thoughts feel too heavy, and I decide to change the subject randomly.
"That Jordan," I say suddenly. "Was he here during the attack on Blue Lowen?"
Storm swallows lightly. "Yeah, he was. He was partially blasted by the bomb, just like I was. I guess working in a matchmaking agency is adangerousjob after all," he adds with a hint of dark humor.
I raise my eyebrows in surprise, something clicking into place in my head.
