Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Eric’s eyes closed. He put his head on the alpha’s strong chest, enjoying how small and protected he felt.
“I’ll fix this,” the alpha murmured, stroking Eric’s back. “I will. I promise.”
Eric nodded with a smile. Of course Hugh would find a solution. Hugh was amazing. He would take care of everything.
He would take care of Eric.
Shivering in delight, Eric closed his eyes and clung.
Chapter 8
“Care to explain yourself?”
Inwardly, Hugh grimaced at the sound of his boss’s voice. Outwardly, he didn’t even glance at her, nursing his drink as he watched Eric dance with a female beta. The charity auction had ended an hour ago, but the party was showing no sign of winding down.
“What is there to explain?” he said, his gaze still on Eric. The kid was doing better. He hadn’t glanced back at Hugh for a few minutes, which was amazing progress compared to how fixated on him he had been when they rejoined the reception room.
Serena scoffed. “You’re unbelievable,” she said, leaning against the wall beside him. She was a tall woman, as most female alphas were, but she still barely reached his ear, and he knew it annoyed her. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t any easier for alphas to get along if they were opposite genders. Hugh had to consciously make an effort to be nicer to her, no matter how much he liked her.
“What are you doing, Hugh?” she ground out. “Don’t tell me it’s a coincidence that you turned up at this charity gala. I don’t remember the last time you bothered to attend them in person—you usually send donations online to avoid matchmaking parents. You knew he would be here—your former patient you were supposed to stay away from.”
“I did know he would be here,” Hugh admitted. He’d also known how anxious Eric felt about it. So of course he had to be here. To make sure the kid was treated kindly. To bully people into treating him kindly if he had to. “He could use a friendly face in the room, Serena.”
“Fine,” she said. “But don’t think I didn’t notice you following him out of the room. That was unnecessary.”
“He was upset,” Hugh said.
“Patients get upset all the time,” Serena said, glaring at him. “What were you thinking? That omega already has a bad hormonal imbalance on top of having the misfortune of imprinting on you. You helped him through his heat, fine—but you were supposed to stay away after that. What am I going to tell the prime minister? He could sue my clinic and he would be in the right!”
“What exactly are you accusing me of?” Hugh bit out, his patience worn thin. “I did as you told me and referred him to another doctor. He isn’t my patient anymore. You can’t forbid me from interacting with him when I’m not at work. There’s no law forbidding that.”
She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You know as well as I do that it isn’t as simple as that. Why are you so invested in this kid? He isn’t your problem anymore. He’s nothing to you.”
His lips thinning, Hugh returned his gaze to Eric. He found him already looking at him. The kid flushed and quickly averted his gaze, chewing on his bottom lip in an embarrassed, endearing manner.
“Oh my gods,” Serena said. “You care about him.”
“Of course I care about him,” Hugh said irritably. “I would be a bad doctor if I didn’t care about my patients.”
“No, you don’t care for him as a doctor. You care for him as an alpha.” There was no small amount of glee in her voice. “I never thought I’d see the day you succumb to the alpha instinct to take care of an omega.”
Hugh shot her an annoyed look, but he knew she wasn’t wrong. He was perfectly aware that the rush of protective affection he was feeling toward Eric was just a primitive alpha instinct to take care of a young, vulnerable omega in need of protection. As a specialist in alpha-omega biology, he understood perfectly well the biological mechanism and the hormones involved; unfortunately, it didn’t seem he was immune to them.
Contrary to popular belief, alphas had needs beyond stuffing their knots into a compatible omega. The instinct to protect and take care of their pack was actually the predominant alpha need. Alphas were so strong because they biologically served the function of a protector. In the absence of his own family, it seemed Hugh’s pack-starved instincts were acting up and attempting to adopt Eric Blake as an omega under his care. Eric was young enough to provoke those instincts, even if barely. Eric was certainly vulnerable enough—both physically and psychologically. Hugh hesitated to call his instincts fatherly—they weren’t quite that—but he did feel as an alpha guardian would feel toward a young omega in his pack. At least that was the closest thing he could think of.