Page 77 of Altius (The Scent of Victory #2)
Amber eyes flashing with renewed purpose, Morgan strode out of the closet, rising on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek before giving me a quick peck in turn.
“Pill me,” she said. “Then let me at him.”
Cal and I exchanged a long look. There had to be something we could do about her job search. Sure, intellectually dominating my brother was fun and all, but it wouldn’t give Morgan the professional satisfaction she craved.
Maybe it was time to make a few calls.
***
As the days passed and the number of packing boxes increased, Morgan was…fine.
Suspiciously fine.
When Kelsey asked if she could take everything in the TV room upstairs? Not a problem.
Rory knocking the frosted lamp off the entryway table, shattering it into a million pieces? A simple accident.
The weekend that Ethan and his pack invaded, upping the volume by three thousand percent as they disassembled the stockroom shelves, while alternating between giving me shit and treating me like a beast of burden?
That only prompted a stern look of warning before Morgan retreated to her library nest to review PheroPass data.
Her micro-expressions were always a bit tricky to read. But with her scent muted by blockers, interpreting them became even more important. And difficult.
Her smiles were rare and brief. More of a response than genuine emotion.
She continued her morning workouts with Owen and me. Allowed Alijah and Joaquin to woo her on Wednesdays. Put in her extra hours consulting for Redwing. Covered basketball games and popped in for the occasional gymnastics practice without issue.
Business as usual—or so it seemed until the Sunday before the move.
“So,” Rory asked, halfway through the lavish brunch Kelsey and Alijah had put together, “when are we tackling the kitchen?”
Kelsey shook her head as she finished chewing a bite of veggie omelet. “We’re not.”
Surprise rippled around the table—from Alijah’s wide-eyed shock, the pensive arch of Joaquin’s brow, to Owen’s subtle frown.
Every head at the table turned to look at Morgan.
She didn’t notice, more focused on drizzling hot sauce over her hash browns than on the conversation. Not even Cal clearing his throat managed to draw her attention.
“You picked everything out,” Piper said, topping off her mimosa. She was on hand for the day to help Kelsey sort through her closet, identifying pieces to donate or resell rather than move. “Why wouldn’t you take it all with you? It’s not like Morgan cooks.”
“At least pack your favorite things.” Rory leaned forward, looking at Morgan hopefully. “Right?”
No response.
Piper rolled her eyes. “See. Told you she doesn’t care—at least not about the pans and utensils.”
“That’s enough,” Kelsey said with quiet authority.
“Why?” Piper shot a challenging look over the rim of her champagne flute. “We all know you’re planning to keep stocking her fridge with pre-made meals.”
Rory jammed his elbow into her side. “Shut up.”
“Ouch! Don’t poke me, you little—”
“It’ll be all right,” Alijah said, although his cheer was a touch forced. “We’ll make sure Morgan’s taken care of.”
“Which is very sweet of you.” Piper’s gaze sharpened as it shifted to Morgan. “It’ll make it easier to pretend these two aren’t co-dependent.”
“No, they aren’t,” Rory said in a rush. “And even if they were—”
Kelsey silenced him with a gentle touch on his arm. “It’s our decision, Piper. And yes, there will be an adjustment period. But we’ll get through it.”
“Fine.” Piper leaned back in her chair with an exaggerated sigh.
“I just don’t understand why you’re moving out on the spur of the moment, upending the routine you’ve spent a decade perfecting, because of some horny alpha bullshit.
I mean, what if they break up?” She raised her glass at me and Cal. “No offense.”
“None taken,” Cal said, offering one of his affable grins.
Joaquin let out a low chuckle, which diffused some of the tension. “You think we don’t know better than to put ideas in either of your sisters’ heads?”
“If you say so,” Piper said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Kelsey leaned forward, channeling the calm confidence that made her presence so reassuring. “This was my decision, Piper. Sure, things are moving fast, but I’ll still be in the building if anything happens.”
Ah. So that was the real issue.
Piper was worried Morgan would backslide due to Kelsey’s absence.
“But nothing’s going to happen,” Rory interjected. “Which is why I say we start packing up the kitchen after we finish the dishes.”
Multiple heads turned to look at Morgan again. Still no response.
“Hey, baby,” I said, gently touching Morgan’s shoulder. “Is there anything off-limits in the kitchen?”
Clouded amber eyes raised to meet mine. Was she having a migraine?
Morgan blinked a few times, glanced at Kelsey, and then looked back down at her plate. “Take whatever you want, Kels.”
Sighing into her glass, Piper muttered, “This is such a bad idea.”
“That was delicious. Thanks.” Morgan dabbed at her mouth with her napkin, got to her feet, and carried her plate to the kitchen sink. “I’m going to work on applications.”
She disappeared around the wall of boxes in the living room.
The second the door to her suite clicked shut, Rory dropped his cutlery on his plate and pushed away from the table, stalking into the kitchen.
Alijah followed him, quietly comforting the young omega while Joaquin gathered empty plates, leaving Piper on the receiving end of Cal and Owen’s combined glowers.
The longer they scrutinized her, the more defensive her posture became.
“What?” Piper bristled, setting her champagne flute on the table with a harsh click. “I’m not wrong. Morgan’s just going through the motions because she doesn’t want to upset Kels.”
Kelsey exhaled, planting her elbows on the table, fingers digging into her hair. “This is a huge change, Piper—for both of us. It’s only natural to have mixed feelings about it. But it was always going to happen sooner or later. There’s no need to make things more difficult than they already are.”
“You sure about the mixed feelings?” Piper asked, eyes darting from one alpha to the next. “Seems more like Morgan’s way of having her cake and cock—”
“Anyone ever tell you coconut smells like crap when it’s mixed with jealousy?” Rory asked, pretending to gag.
Piper shot to her feet. “I am not jealous!”
As the siblings bickered about which one would benefit more from a thorough knotting, I got up and headed over to crouch beside Kelsey, whose head was fully buried in her hands.
“You okay?” I asked.
Her voice was so quiet I barely caught it. “Was this a mistake?”
“No,” I reassured her. “You know how much Morgan wants this for you. Jacobi, too. And it’s obvious how excited you are about decorating your new loft.”
Kelsey exhaled deeply and sat up, rubbing her eyes, trying to hide that she’d been on the verge of tears. “You’re right…but how much is she hiding?”
“Honestly, I think the Garroway Forest rejection hit her harder than anything.”
“I agree,” Cal added, snagging the last biscuit before Joaquin could clear the plate.
Piper’s voice rose. “Don’t be so immature.”
“You’re the one fighting with a literal teenager!” Rory countered.
Owen stood up, sending a cold shiver of silence through the room. “Thank you for the meal. It was…enlightening.”
One long finger pointed at Cal before abruptly turning in my direction. Then he gestured across the hall. We had no choice but to follow him.
Settled in the leather chair, tapping his steepled fingers together, Owen looked like a supervillain about to announce his plans for world domination.
I sank lower on the couch, waiting for whatever unpleasantness was about to come out of his mouth.
But his words weren’t cruel or cutting.
They were brilliant.
“It might be best if Morgan is absent this weekend.”
“A change of scenery?” Cal tapped his knee. “It’d get her away from the noise. Maybe help get her mind off work and the job hunt for a bit, too.”
Owen fixed me with a steely gaze. “You have a gymnastics meet on Friday, correct?”
I nodded. “Yeah, why?”
“Rory’s planning to borrow Morgan’s car for the week, so he can help finish packing between classes.
” Cal’s enthusiasm grew stronger by the second.
“We could prep a bag for her and hide it in your trunk. You could leave right from the fieldhouse after the meet ends. Surprise her with a romantic getaway weekend.”
An idea immediately came to mind, but I didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself. “Am I the only one going, or is this a group thing?”
“I can’t go,” Cal said. “Got movers scheduled for Sunday. And the mated pair is too busy. Alijah’s handling food and a bunch of other things, while Joaquin volunteered to help organize inventory.”
“What about you?” I asked my brother.
His left eyelid twitched. “My relationship with Morgan hasn’t progressed to the point where my presence would be welcome.”
“Which makes you the man for the job.” Cal clapped me on the shoulder with a bit too much force. “Now, we just need to figure out your destination. I know it’s still freezing out, but renting a beach house would guarantee peace and quiet. Or—”
“No. There’s only one place I want to take her.” My certainty seemed to catch them both off guard. “It might sound crazy, but hear me out. I have a plan.”