Chapter 94 - 93. Phone Calls

The alpha felt his heart throb when Connor's gave out. For a moment, he had gone back six years. He looked at his friend's body as his heart stopped beating and the vision terrified him to the point that anger was the only thing that helped him maintain a bit of sanity. The bad memories all came back to him.

He remembered the frail and still body surrounded by doctors. The face wasn't quite similar, but so alike that a single glance was enough to make the connection between the two brothers. Glen remembered the hair of the same color that framed an equally pale face. A vision portending a loss that had destroyed them.

Glen felt something inside him snap as he saw Connor's body unresponsive to Trinity's CPR massage.

The seconds passed, slow and agonizing. The dominant's eyes looked up at the man who had done this. Glen knew it. He could smell Connor's blood on him and he had also heard the alpha ask him for an explanation. This man, he was the one who had done it. He had dared to touch his family.

Glen felt a hand squeeze his shoulder and grip him tightly so he wouldn't move. Alpha Silver had felt the pressure of Glen's murderous aura and tried to make him listen to reason, but the young dominant didn't want to.

"He's back!" Trinity's voice pierced and Glen's head snapped to see Connor whose chest was rising weakly. He was still unconscious and his life was still in danger, but for now, he was alive. So far, he had kept his promise. So far, Connor hadn't left him.

Beta Acher's voice cut in and informed everyone that an ambulance was on the way and he snapped Glen out of his thoughts.

"You need to call the person he is looking for."

Acher was right. Connor was alive now and he was going to be fine. He had to. When he recovers from his injuries, the first thing he'll want to do is look for his boyfriend. If he let anything happen to Greg, the agent would be devasted.

The long dark-haired alpha stormed out of the room and headed to Eden's cave where all his belongings were.

He went inside the room, pushing open the curtains that hid the entrance from curious eyes. Without giving any side glance, he went straight to the shelf above the desk where he had left his phone. The dominant hadn't touched the device for a while and clicked his tongue when he saw that it was almost out of battery.

Rummaging around the place in the cave of his omega that he had appropriated and had left his belongings, he found his charger which he plugged into the nearest outlet before plugging in the phone and making a call.

The tones echoed in his ears for a long moment, and Glen gritted his teeth, worrying about how long the man was taking to respond. A click was heard and immediately the familiar voice spoke to him.

"Hello? Glen. I tried to reach Connor to no avail. I'm…"

"Greg," the alpha cut off abruptly. "I need you to go straight to your lab if you are not already there. I'm going to notify the WIA office so they can assign you an escort and…"

"If you're calling to tell me about the Skinwalkers, it's too late."

In the distance, a voice coldly ordered Greg.

"Drop that phone right now!"

________

In his office on the third floor of the WIA's main lab, Greg was studying a report giving the latest numbers from the research he directed. The man hadn't taken a break since he rushed home straight from Little Soul. To say he felt tired would be an understatement.

He rubbed his eyes and loosened his tie before undoing the two first buttons of his shirt. He needed a break, no matter how small. The scientist leaned his back on his chair and closed his eyes.

The day before, to his surprise, he had had a phone call from Connor. His boyfriend wasn't the most demonstrative person in the world, he knew that, so hearing him saying that he missed him had been a very pleasant surprise that confirmed the decision he had made.

His hand rose mechanically to his neck, which he massaged before moving his fingers to the other side without feeling anything either. Greg sighed, but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

Of course, he didn't feel anything, and that was what frustrated him. The man wanted to feel for lack of seeing the mark Connor left on his skin. Make sure it exists.

Back in Red Creek, Greg had been watching his neck from every angle, never seeing anything but his bare skin.

After learning from the Soul Healer that his lover wasn't a civilian but the descendant of a powerful line of wizards, Greg knew nothing would be the same. Or rather, he didn't want things to stay the way they were.

Not now that the scientist knew the man he loved had chosen him as his mate, he craved more.

Greg's fingers stroked once again the base of his neck, uneasy. He had felt that way ever since he had decided to leave, and even his schedule with no place for a nap couldn't dispel the feeling.

He let out a smile and the words he had just exchanged with the Soul Healer came back to him.

Greg straightened up in his seat and opened his browser to book a flight and rent a car before going back to reading his file.

He was totally immersed in analyzing the numbers before his eyes when he heard a few knocks on his door. Before he even answered, the handle lowered and the door opened to reveal his research assistant. Doctor Sharks gave him a beaming smile and the scientist decided to ignore his rudeness.

"Doctor Sharks, you are already here! Come in, sit down please."

"Sure, will do."

Julian Sharks' smile widened and he strode confidently into the room, then, without warning, walked around the desk to stand next to his boss. He stopped a few inches from the desk chair where Greg was sitting and placed the tablet he was holding on the desk.

Stunned by his attitude and lack of regard for personal boundaries, Greg was about to make a comment when Julian leaned down to get level with his face. He turned on the tablet screen without giving Greg a look and started talking.

"Here are the results we obtained during the last…"

"Doctor Sharks?"

"Yes ?"

The man turned his head to Greg. The movement had the effect of bringing their faces closer, and if the scientist hadn't pulled back to slide away his seat from the man, there would have been only a few centimeters of separation between their lips.

"I'm thankful for your enthusiasm, but that doesn't exempt you from respecting the decorum and my personal limits."

"Oh…" Julian's eyelashes fluttered but the man hadn't moved an inch despite the contrite look he was wearing. A light blush had spread to his cheeks and Greg's eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm sorry, I…"

"Sit on the other side of the desk, please," the man ordered, his ultramarine eyes staring coldly at his assistant.

Julian's eyes darkened in response, but the man maintained his clueless expression. A smile that didn't reach his eyes curved his lips as he straightened his chest.

"Of course Doctor Douglas. I apologize, I got a little carried away because of the success of the last test. He tucked a lock of hair behind his ear and trotted to the other side of the desk, leaving the tablet with Greg.

Julian took a seat across the desk and started to speak with an enthusiasm that quickly dispelled the strange impression of the scientist. The two men thus reviewed all the work in progress, interrupted only by the secretary, Miss Avery, who came to bring them their lunch.

Two hours passed like this and the time had come for Julian to take his leave. However, the man didn't seem about to leave. He was fuelling the conversation for the umpteenth time with a question that, Greg was sure, he already had the answer to, when the scientist handed him the tablet.

"Email me to let me know of any positive or negative developments."

Julian's smile faded.

"Email? Do you have meetings with the up-highs again? You won't be available to come and follow the results yourself?

"No. I came back only to request the transfer of my research to Black Moon's laboratory. Moreover, I'm still on leave and I have a plane to catch…"

"No, you can't leave!" The man raised his voice. His smiling face was replaced with an upset expression.

Julian was flushed and Greg noticed that his hands were clenched into two fists. The scientist understood that something was wrong. The incident just before, but also all the abnormal behavior of his research assistant, confirmed the impression that he had ignored.

Greg knew he had been at the center of gossip ever since Connor showed up at his office over a month ago announcing he was his boyfriend.

Of course, his lover didn't out him. At least, not in front of his rare friends in the laboratory and even with his superiors who were already aware of his relationship. It had to be open about it for them to stop offering him matching meetings and avoid situations that could trigger his boyfriend's jealousy.

Those who found out about his relationship were those who, like young doctor Julian Sharks, weren't in his close circle. Greg didn't see the point in giving information about his personal life to people who are only professional connections.

The attitude of his research assistant was that of an unwanted wooer trying in a deceptively innocent way to provoke an ambiguous situation. Now that Greg had understood what it was about, he could no longer overlook his colleague's behavior. He decided to reject his advances indirectly so as not to humiliate him.

"With all due respect, I don't think it's up to you to decide. It won't interfere with the schedule, don't worry. Just so you know, the reason for my request to transfer to Black Moon is that my fiancé has been transferred to the area himself.  Right now, I'm going back to him, because, I remind you, I'm on leave." The scientist paused, letting his assistant greet the news.

Greg had chosen the word fiancé instead of boyfriend to show the man that he was definitely not available. And even less interested. Also, technically, it wasn't wrong since Connor had marked him as his mate.

Again his hand went up to his neck which he touched and Greg resumed.

"I have to go. My plane takes off in less than two hours."

"But we didn't talk about..."

"Write an email."

Greg stood up, face set and cold and Julian gritted his teeth before forcing a smile to his lips.

"I will do so. If you'll excuse me."

He stood and bent over to retrieve his tablet from the desk before turning on his heels. When the door closed behind him, Greg let out a loud sigh.

"What a pain." He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyelids before shutting down his computer.

Once his belongings were gathered, Greg left his office. Suzie Avery turned her head the moment she heard the sound of the door and a beaming smile split her face.

The man blinked, taken back by her cheerful expression. He had no idea that his secretary had understood from the upset face of his research assistant that he had just been rejected. Greg responded to Suzie's smile with a polite nod, unaware that, as she watched him, the former cheerleader was waving her virtual pom-poms all over the place.

"You can reach me by phone during office hours or by email. I will be back in a few days, but if there is an emergency from up there, don't hesitate to contact me and I'll do my best to hurry back."

"Got it, Doctor Douglas," she answered in a perky voice.

The man walked away to reach the airport while, behind his back, his secretary was humming happily.

________

"Drop that phone right now!"

Glen's body froze when he heard the voice coldly ordering Greg to put down his phone. What was happening? Why had the man just told him it was too late? Before his mind got lost any further in incorrect assumptions, he heard the doctor continue.

"I can't stay long. I likely have to help out if I want a roof over my head tonight." The same voice interrupted him immediately followed by a childish voice, but Glen didn't understand or recognize either of them.

"I'll be short," Greg continued. "I'm in Little Soul. The Elder has contacted me at noon to tell me that there may be issues after your meeting with the Skinwalkers.

She advised me to go to the Soul Healers and let you know once I'm here. I tried to reach Connor, but I couldn't reach him." Glen flicked at his words.

"Greg, about that… Connor was brought back to the cavern after being badly injured. Just a few minutes ago his heart stopped, but they managed to bring him back. We are waiting for an ambulance to transfer him to Black Moon…"

A click was followed by the tones of the communication the scientist had just cut off. Glen squeezed the phone between his fingers and gritted his teeth as the lump in his throat grew bigger again.

"Shit."