Page 8 of Thorns That Bloom (Venusverse #3)

Theo

Anxiously tapping my foot, I sit on that shitty, hard couch outside Gary’s office, waiting for my turn. He’s been talking to Christian there for a few minutes now. I’m sure I’ll get the same kind of lecture after our almost-scuffle at the toilets.

I sigh while staring at my shoes. What the hell even happened there?

One moment, I was in the cafeteria, enjoying my food, and then I caught the faintest hint of that scent, and it was like my brain shifted into some primal gear.

Next thing I knew, I was in the restroom, arguing with Christian, feeling irrationally angry and frustrated.

I’ve never felt this protective of someone before. Almost…possessive.

Just as I’m about to tap my way through the floor, the door opens.

I straighten my back and stand swiftly. Christian meets my eyes right before he tiredly rolls them back and lets out an exaggerated exhale.

I don’t know him that well, since he’s usually at the other end of the manufacturing area, but what I do know is that he’s a damn workaholic.

To him, being pulled away from his job to listen to Gary reprimanding him is clearly not ideal.

“Hey man, I-I’m sorry,” I say quickly, before he has a chance to walk by me. Christian pauses and curls his lips slightly. He no longer looks like he wants to punch me, at least.

“Yeah, it’s whatever,” he mutters, shrugging his left shoulder. “Last time I’ll try helping some random omega,” he adds under his breath and walks off.

Frowning to myself, I watch him leave. Not exactly what I want him to take away from this…

When I turn back, Gary is standing in the doorway, beckoning me to come in with his index finger.

“Theo, Theo, Theo,” he says ominously, stepping away for me to get in.

I sit in the chair in front of his desk, feeling like a kid again, sent to the principal’s office for talking too much in class. “Is he okay?” I ask before Gary can even sit back down. He raises his uneven brows in surprise.

“Who, Sam? Oh yeah, I think so. Called an ambulance for him. They said it was just some…pregnancy-related issues,” he mutters. “He’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

I can’t stop thinking about his face. Those eyes…

The eyes I now know are rich brown, with the slightest hint of dark blue, like stormy skies.

He looked so scared. Terrified. His pheromones had this uncomfortable, heavy undertone to them.

It made me want to protect him even more, though, looking back, I only made things worse.

He didn’t want or need my protecting at all…

Gary puts his hands together. “Look…this won’t take long.

You’ve never caused any trouble. You’re a good kid and a good worker.

Clearly, I’m somewhat underqualified to understand what really happened there.

As…ah, as far as I’m aware, whatever transpired between you and Christian was just some hormonal alpha nonsense that won’t happen again, okay?

” he says, giving me his more serious glare.

I suppress a smirk over his awkwardness about the whole venus aspect and nod.

“Got it, boss.” Maybe it was Sam’s pheromones in the air that made us both so tense.

At least that would mean it wasn’t just me losing my head for some reason.

“I’m sorry for causing a scene. I really was just trying to help him. ”

He hangs his head down tiredly. “I know, I know.”

“It looked like he was in a lot of distress. I found Christian and the others basically surrounding him, and that seemed to be upsetting him. I just wanted them to go away, but then Christian started arguing with me, and—” With a controlled exhale, I rest my open hands on my knees.

“I got a little carried away, I guess. Alpha…nonsense.” I say, darting my eyes to the ground.

Gary lets out an understanding snort and moves back in his chair.

He clears his throat, which makes me think he’s going to let me go, but instead of ushering me away, he leans in toward me over the table with a careful expression.

“I know you had good intentions, Theo. So I want to warn you to maybe…stay away for everybody’s benefit, hmm? ”

My brows tug together in confusion. “What do you mean?”

He sighs and looks around, as if we’re being watched or something, before leaning on his elbows. “I shouldn’t really say,” he murmurs in a hushed tone, indicating that he definitely does want to spill whatever is on his mind, “but heard certain rumors about his transfer.”

When the ominous pause he makes is only met with my exceedingly widening eyes, he gives in and continues.

“I think there was some incident at Torken when he worked there. There have been whispers of important meetings and people getting reprimanded—high-standing alphas. Whispers of a court case, too… I’m pretty certain they’ve moved him here as a part of some settlement.

And, well, there are only so many things serious enough for a company like Torken to do a thing like that.

After seeing him in the state he was in earlier, I think it’s not too far-fetched to conclude what happened.

You know, the bad thing that…sometimes happens with alphas and omegas.

Hence the…predicament. Of course, some alphas!

Not all. I didn’t mean to imply that you, or anyone here, would ever do anything like that. ”

I barely pay attention to the rest of his rambling. My entire body feels like it’s being covered with sticky black tar. My heart sinks into it.

He was assaulted?

The fact that it might be true, and I’ve even thought about him in any sort of way, makes me almost physically sick. I pushed into his space and bickered with Christian in front of him and didn’t control my pheromones when—

You fucking idiot.

The pang of guilt causes the heavy sensation to grow even stronger. I was so focused on my own feelings, on this stupid notion that I couldn’t get him out of my head for some special reason, that I completely ignored any warning signs from him. Like a selfish prick.

“Theo?” Gary asks, forcing me to pay attention to him again. “Just stay clear of it, alright? The higher-ups want him to be comfortable here, and I don’t think a bunch of alphas is what that man needs right now.”

“Got it,” I blurt out firmly, giving him my best cooperative good-boy smile.

Gary looks a little perturbed by my reaction, but waves his hand for me to go.

I have to get back to work and no doubt explain what happened to Ben and the other nosy bastards around, but I already know that I won’t be able to think about anything else all day.

After my shift, I stop at home for a quick shower. I don’t even let Martin give me his daily info dump about what thrilling events went on at his job before I step out again, shouting that I’ll be back later.

Sometimes, my parents living only a few blocks away is a good thing. A great thing. Mostly when I’m in a pinch. Or when there are crazy thoughts rushing through my head that I can only share with someone who isn’t allowed to judge me.

Using my key to unlock the door, I slip in, hoping one of them is actually home.

“Hellooo?” I shout and wait for an answer.

At the other end of the long hallway, Pop pokes his head out of the kitchen. He has glasses on, so he must have been reading in the study. “Theo,” he says with a smile and slides them up and into his hair, pushing the few strands out of his face. “What’re you doing here?”

I put on an offended grimace as I make my way through the hall toward him. “Am I not allowed to visit my own parents’ house?”

He chuckles. “Of course you are, dork. Usually, you call first.”

“Well, I was feeling spontaneous,” I grumble playfully and walk up to him. Pop hugs me briefly before sitting back down, shaking his head in disbelief at the gall of me. There are papers all over the table. He seems to be in the middle of something, but I won’t let that stop me.

Glancing around with my brows curiously raised, I realize there’s no one else. It’s a little strange to see this place so quiet. “Dad not home?” I ask.

“He’s working afternoons this week. Why?”

I sit across from him, leaning into the chair with a sigh. “Umm, just wondering.” When I meet Pop’s mossy green eyes again, he’s narrowed them at me. He purses his lips and scratches at his short beard as he sifts through the papers, seemingly without rhyme or reason.

“Anything happening? At work, maybe?” He carefully fishes for information. I guess he knows me too well. “What’s new in your life, dear son?” he asks in that ‘I know you’re up to something’ tone.

Rolling my eyes with a smirk, I spread my legs out as I sink lower into the chair. “I broke up with Emily a few days ago,” I say, starting with the boring stuff. Pop cocks his brow, but doesn’t really seem that surprised.

“Again?”

“Again,” I mutter. “For real this time.”

He’s never really liked her, and neither did Dad. It always annoyed me, but now I see that maybe they just knew she wasn’t the right person for me.

“Aaaand?” he continues, slowly tilting his head to the side like a curious dog.

I hum, pretending I’m trying to think of something interesting, even though there’s pretty much only one thing on my mind. I should probably just get to the point. “Can I ask you about something? Something about Dad?”

He narrows his eyes, putting the papers in his hands on the table to show he’s paying full attention. “Yes?”

“I’m not sure if I should be asking him about it or not, it’s just that— I know this will come totally out of left field, but… You know how you said he was assaulted in college?” I ask in a hushed tone, nervously shifting my foot on the floor.