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I moved behind her and pressed my body against hers, kissing her neck. “Thank you for explaining. I’m glad you understand now and yes, he wants you as his, not just for fun. He’s—it’s clear he wants me out of the way to make a real move.” I flinched.

“What?” she asked, turning in my arms when I didn’t respond. “What? Tell me.”

“I don’t want to start trouble, and I don’t know if I’m right, but there is something you might need to know,” I hedged, sighing when she waved me on.

“I didn’t put it together until now, and it only made sense after I overheard the security guys talking about keeping their mouths shut that you came from a rich vampire family and had to run from them. ”

She put it together without me having to say it.

“I figured Gerald knew. Yes, I’m from that Reed family.

Your mother knows and there’s no reason to deny it.

You didn’t ask, but—it’s more complicated and I doubt even your mother knows that.

” She cleared her throat and ducked under my arm to get away.

“No sane Alpha family would want me to mate in if they—”

“Most shifters are way more understanding of crazy family dynamics than you’d expect,” I promised her. “I’m not prying and you’re not ready to tell me. I just want that clear.”

Shit, I’d said too much. She gave me a scared look and like I was crazy.

I chuckled and cornered her again. “I didn’t mean for us when we’re not even officially together, Ellie.

I just—there are enough misconceptions out there.

It’s only when it’s the eldest or maybe in the old days the next eldest. Otherwise, Alpha families are pretty understanding and support inter-species matings even. ”

“That’s not been my experience, so your family is just better than most, pup,” she warned me quietly. “Or maybe London, but be careful. There are a lot of packs and prides—tons of shifter groups who still outlaw inter-species matings.”

I frowned. “That’s been against the law for—”

“I know, but we both know that people get around a lot of what’s legal.”

That was more than fair and yeah, we did both know that.

I gave her a soft kiss. “I know I’m rightfully in trouble, but you could stay and just… Stay. I’ll be good.”

“You’re always too good which is half the problem,” she grumbled, eyeing over my body before meeting my eyes. She flinched. It was minor, but I caught it. Then she cleared her throat and moved her hand to my chest, gently pushing me back.

I took the hint and didn’t fight her, stepping away and giving her space.

“I have work and stuff to review. Renee is coming by too—she wants to talk and check out the renovation ideas. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Of course,” I accepted. I snuck another quick kiss. “I’m glad you liked the place. Have fun, and if you want any insight, I just renovated some of this place too.”

“I will,” she said before collecting her things—including some leftovers so she wasn’t eating Gerald’s food—and was out the door.

I sighed. Heavily.

She was holding back and I had no one to blame but myself. I’d made us backslide.

“Tomorrow,” I reminded myself when I felt lost.

Except tomorrow never came.

Well, it did. Of course it did. But she didn’t come over and spend the night. I didn’t get to catch her or stay at her place either.

Time for more luring my sexy vampire in.

In the morning, I posted in the doctor’s lounges that I was starting a running group before office hours. That was the only time to do it since it was already getting to be hot now that it was the first days of May.

Something I took advantage of. My schedule was light since things were recovering in dermatology.

So after my last patient before lunch, I went on a run—well, more a sprint to get some energy out.

Then I showed up to the cafeteria with my tank top tucked into the back of my shorts and my chest covered in sweat.

“Okay, enough of the calendar shoot, Clark,” Dr. James called over.

I took a few gulps of my water and chuckled. “It’s hot here, mate. Like—are ya all having a laugh with this heat already? Yeah, my shirt comes off. You’re lucky I’ve got anything on. I had to sprint because that was all the sun I could take.”

“Oh boy, new kid is going to die his first Southern summer,” a female called over. “And I think more of the hot guys should come in shirtless. I hear about my ass in scrubs often enough. Give us some fun.”

People chuckled and moved on, but I still threw on my tank top… But not before I noted a certain vampire’s attention.

Perfect.

I went over to her like I was stopping on my way to get a tray. “We’re doing dinner trade tonight, right? I heard of this place with strawberry pie and it sounds aces. I’m so ready for something sweet after a long, hard week.”

I kept her intense golden gaze… And ignored when two people spit out their drinks around us.

Amusement and a healthy dose of frustration flared in her eyes. “Send me the link to the place and what you want.”

I frowned. “I can pick it up.”

She focused on her food. “It’s fine. You did last time, so it’s my turn. Just send me the place.”

So, I did, guessing something was up… And unfortunately, I was right.

I received a text later that day that food was delivered.

And at my door.

But only the food was there.

“You deserve this. You deserve this,” I reminded myself as I tried not to take it personally or get too upset. “You did this to the relationship.”

It was hard though. I just wanted her, and I knew I’d fucked up, but… I really had no one to blame but myself. I was desperate and even called Mum to ask what I should do, apologizing for how late it was.

“Whatever you’re doing is the right plan, my youngest,” she told me firmly. “Ellie has said a few times that you’re being amusing and groveling well.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” She was quiet a moment. “She is a woman that many have not appreciated. Even I know at the hospital that she is the one everyone blames and never praises. That has only changed now that so many understand she is the reason they have easy housing or consideration most don’t.

She has to move mountains to be given any allowances.

“And you did the ghosting the first time you found out something you didn’t like or didn’t trust her.

I understand your perspective, but I also understand hers as a woman.

You hurt her. You need to put in your penance to fix it.

But she didn’t tell me what you were doing, simply that it was amusing and she sounded… Good. It was good.”

Well, that was something. At least I wasn’t annoying her then.

So I kept with it.

I made sure to wear everything that I knew she would like or catch her eye…

Sometimes lack thereof. I brought her food from Mum and stopped hiding that we were friends outside of work.

I even asked Mum for extras for Ellie’s direct staff.

I kept focused on helping at work and doing what I should so I was never a problem.

And I kept some of the pests away.

I think I fell a bit more for Ellie when I saw her duck in and check on that vampire who had been abused by her mother-in-law. Apparently, she did every day and got a report directly from the guard on the room that everything was calm.

She was ridiculously impressive. She constantly had dozens of balls in the air and never dropped one. I could never be that coordinated or amazing.

I could barely handle the problems I had and currently one was from ortho. He was poking me every chance he could and challenging me. He was talking shit and undermining me and the way I practiced medicine.

Part of me wanted to use it as an excuse to talk to Ellie and get in front of her, but bringing her problems when she had so much going on was about the shittiest way to flirt. Even I wasn’t that dense.

Instead, I asked Dr. James for a meeting. That alarmed him because normally I caught him in passing and just hashed out whatever. So he told me to swing by his office immediately.

Good to know he was just as impatient of a shifter as I was… And man probably. It was best to be honest about that.

“You should have come to me before you were ready to explode,” he grumbled as I walked into his office.

That made me freeze, but then I sighed. I closed the door behind me and sighed again. “Do you have that noise-canceling thing that—” I nodded when he flipped a switch on a machine behind his desk and recognized the pitch. “I need one of those for my office.”

He frowned. “That should have been already in there.” He seemed to shrug it off as I did but promised to handle it. “What’s going on?”

“First, this is where me being different can be a problem,” I hedged as I sat down.

“I’m not as upset as you’re reading.” I nodded when he seemed skeptical.

“I promise you that I’m a healthy level of annoyed at petty adults and that I have to run to ‘dad’ to handle this.

I’m not remotely ready to explode. I’ll find you if I ever am and you will… ”

“What?” he asked, his tone curious and not dismissive.

“It will take your breath away,” I admitted with a shrug. “It does my dad and he’s Alpha of London. I’m not a normal wolf—a normal Alpha at my age even.”

“Well, you know yourself better than I do, and you’re not the only special supe we have here, so it’s not that odd. I’m just glad to hear you didn’t wait until things are ready to explode with the typical Alpha pride.”

I shook my head. “I handle my own issues as best as I can, but once I hit the line of not being able to see a productive course forward, I have no problem asking for help that I know will come through.”

He chuckled, hearing the compliment in that. “Okay, then do you have a suggestion, or do you want me to resolve it?”

“It’s time for me to give a lecture to the hospital staff on how what I do is different,” I told him firmly. “Or things will blow up and you’re going to need to replace a few people in ortho.”

To say he was shocked was an understatement, but at least he heard me out… And agreed with me that it was time for him to tap in. That was always the best outcome when there was a problem and you had to involve your boss.