Adored by the Alpha

Chapter 25

I wrote the first 30% of this chapter in Danish for some reason, and then I had to translate all of it. This was not a good day.

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Metal grinding against metal. Consistent heart beating. Airflow from the vents.

With a deep breath, filling my nostrils with the scent of old paper, hand sweat, and the slight hint of freshness from the potted plant in the corner of the small room. I'd never liked waiting rooms- so many people passed through it, and their scents always lingered, it was quite distracting.

The faint sound of wood against wood drew my attention to the left. My eyes landed on Paige's delicate fingers, fidgeting in her lap. My gaze moved up to her face- her brows were furrowed, making a small 'v' in her otherwise perfectly smooth forehead. My hand ran over my own forehead, where I could still clearly remember the feeling of pumps- I wish I'd had that good skin when I was a teenager.

"Everything alright, Love?" I whispered, trying my best not to draw attention from the other wolf in the room. Paige rolled her eyes at me.

"I'm fine," she mumbled, averting my eyes. She's definitely not fine. I sighed.

She bit the inside of her cheek and then looked up at me through her lashes. "It's got nothing to do with you, it's just... therapy," she fake shuddered. "Blabbering all of my feelings to someone who doesn't really care... nah," she shrugged.

I smiled, placing my hand on top of hers, enjoying the warmth and electricity that shot through me at the contact. I'd heard people describe how touching your mate felt like, but I could've never imagined the intensity of it until I actually got to experience it.

"I'm paying her to care, so don't you worry about that," I smiled at her. And that was very true- I was paying a minor fortune for each consultation, but it didn't matter, money had never been something I'd had to worry about, and now that Paige was a part of my life, they didn't matter to me at all anymore- they were a means to an end, nothing more.

Her face lit up with the most gorgeous smile, the faint hint of a dimple popping out. Her blue eyes shone in the light from the window, my face reflecting in them. "That's quite true," she teased, her grin becoming lopsided. I love you.

The sound of footsteps drew my eyes away from her beautiful face, to the door to the psychologist's office. The latch scraped against the metal when the door handle was pushed down, and out walked the doctor and her patient, another girl around Paige's age- maybe a bit older, walked up to the man who had been sitting in the chair opposite of me. He smiled warmly at her, and then gently wrapped his arms around her. My mind drifted to this noon.

Paige's delicate arms wrapped around me, her lips touching my temple, the warmth of her body enveloping me- I could still smell the faint hint of chlorine on my shirt- and in Paige's hair for that matter.

The doctor called Paige's name, my eyes out of instinct scanning over her. Paige seemed relaxed- shoulder down, a faint smile on her lips, her heart beating normally. She turned her face to me with a smile. "I'll see you later?" she asked.

With a deep breath, resisting the urge to wrap her in my arms before leaving her alone, I nodded. "I should be back here once you're done, and if I'm not, just call me," I reminded her, to which she nodded and then followed the therapist into the office.

The second the door closed behind them, I pulled my phone out of my pocket, finding the number I needed amongst my recent calls. I put the phone to my hair, pacing down the hallway, towards the elevator while the first ring passed. "Hello, this is Susan Jace with the DRHRS,"