CHAPTER 287: CHAPTER 287 - [~] ’INVISIBLE’ ISSUES HAVE COLORS YOU CANNOT GUESS

***[POV: Almost Alright Alpha]***

"...And? I’m sure there is more to this. If all it was is that you threw a tantrum that harmed no one, I’m a little unamazed."

The provoking words sounded a little flat. Criticizing me while also not... I cannot tell if she is trying to be nice or just playing devil’s advocate.

"She started apologizing after staring in shock, trying to clean up the mess even though she didn’t understand why I was upset. But I could see her hands shaking when she reached for a shard of the pot."

The guilt of that memory still sat heavy in my chest. I’m sure it’s one of the reasons, other than her being indispensable to me in a professional capacity, that I found it hard to open up all that much.

And why she’s kept her own interest in my life outside of work so... quiet. Until the other day. Because she said Citra told her that I trusted her. And I do.

She understood that I would need to check for more permission on revealing the abilities Citra has. I couldn’t just take her word on that. But the answers she’s been seeking lately, while I was in this stalemate with my potential mate, have been more... personal than I thought.

I start to roll the hem of my jacket back and forth. Trying not to think of her pestering for details about what I did during our ’first time’. Or how I just couldn’t admit that it was much of nothing but hold on to a tree...

"I made her leave the room and I cleaned up my own mess. But by then I’d terrified a human who’d only wanted to do something kind for a werewolf that she thought cared for her. And I’d shown her exactly how dangerous and uncaring I could be."

"Hmm... so you *don’t* always leave the room yourself and have others clean up your mess."

Citra’s phone buzzed then, repeatedly, as I choked back saliva that I inhaled from her small but annoyed accusation. And I watched her pull her hand away from me and check it.

Watched her brows shift as she read whatever the messages were telling her. And I realized quickly why the phone had been sat close enough to me.

She must have had my assistant listening in without letting me know. I should be mad, considering how much permission she demands from me to get all the time... but I just sigh. It’s a shame that I’m so used to these sort of invasions.

"Claire is filling in the details I’m leaving out, isn’t she?"

"Something like that."

No shame at all. Though I guess I should not expect it from someone who came her to do what was just done in my office... no, focus!

"What did she say?"

Citra hesitated, then seemed to search for a set of texts she was willing to speak. Even as a dozen more came in.

"She didn’t lie to Luca for your sake. She miscalculated and thought he would give her a shoulder to cry on. But her delivery was too bubbly and she thinks he thought it would be better not to get in the middle after all. Seduction failure."

...Well. That does sound like what she’d do. I guess I couldn’t really look at it like that at the time, which left me not seeing it that way until now.

"She also says that while she was pretty scared that she ’pissed you off’... she mostly recalls shaking because the pot itself was a premium item that set her back... that can’t be right. I’ve seen the prices of these at a store, once."

The face she made told me it wasn’t cheap. Even though I’ve given her my card to use as she pleases, she still seems to... live frugally at times.

Though I’m glad she found that apartment and at least accepted getting a wardrobe from Anise. Even if that lead to this modeling that I’m not as keen on. Letting other ogle her...

"How much?"

"Uh, it said about $400. Something about being handmade by a daughter of some big client you had at the time? And she was worried they’d ’cause a stink’ for a minute before - damn, why is she giving me all of this background... did I break her?"

"She’s probably just typing everything out so she can pick what parts she feels the most need to tell me later. It’s how she takes notes in meetings."

Blinking and tilting her head, one of her dark twintails bobs to the side - and I feel my hand twitch. She’s so close, but I still can’t do things like reach out and straighten her hair. Right?

She didn’t say anything when I grabbed onto her jacket sleeve, but that’s not exactly at the level of attached hair...

"Okay. That explains the volume. But why right into my messages? Anything and everything is just trying to force me to care more about you tonight. I hate it."

She grumbled the last parts quietly. And I won’t say that my chest didn’t pinch at the unwillingness there. But that first knee-jerk state was temporary.

Because she said ’more’. More about me. And that’s something I can latch onto and wring out for a while longer.

So much tension uncoils in me as I look out through the glass and see the moon. Halfway to full. Making another kind of tension rear it’s head when she spoke again.

"I should probably head home soon. I have an early morning. They want me on-site for makeup and hair at 7AM. And I need to wake up early enough to eat."

The string lights cast everything in a warm glow that reminded me of taking her to the food truck. It is actually why I had them hung, recently. Despite what she said, she seemed so relaxed and unhurried.

Citra seemed to belong here. In my sanctuary. With me. Especially with every wolf in the city feeling the effects of their ovulation cycle.

The males will get... pushy this week before it becomes full. Which is something I usually don’t worry about unless there are complaints. But I didn’t have a potential mate to protect, then.

Mate.

I didn’t want her to leave. Not without protection, but preferably not at all.