Mira shook the human’s hand, astonished that she was so bold. Any wolf would have recognized her as an Alpha female and lowered their eyes. Humans. They grated on her last nerve. “Charmed I’m sure,” she uttered briskly, darting her eyes to Tristan’s.
Kalli quickly removed her hand. She didn’t have time for pissing contests. And if there was going to be one, her opponent was going to drown trying.
“Yes. Okay, well, nice to meet you, Mira,” she replied, not knowing what else to say to her. She wasn’t sure what came over her but before she knew it she’d turned her back on Mira. Closing the distance, she pressed her body to Tristan, not quite touching, her breasts mere inches from him. Resting a hand possessively on his waist, the other touched a palm to his chest. The electrically charged tension hung in the air between them.
“I have to go freshen up. Then can we swing by the hospital? I’ve got to get in there before they fire me.”
“Sounds good. I’m going to review the sketches real quick with Logan to see if anything about them seems remotely familiar. We’ll get them out to the rest of the pack so they can be on the lookout, too. You go ahead. Take your time,” he suggested, not moving an inch.
“Thanks.” Kalli took a deep breath, removing her hands from him, but letting her breast brush him slightly as she turned.
Before Mira had a chance to say another word, Kalli spoke. “Nice to meet you.” With confidence, she flipped her hair aside and walked away to go get ready.
“Humans,” Mira sniffed. “God, Tristan, it’s probably a good thing she’s not wolf. I might have to take her down a peg or two.”
Logan came up from behind her, wrapping his hands around Mira’s waist, snuggling into her shoulder. “Mir, what’s wrong, baby? Didn’t we have fun last night? I’ve never seen you so prickly. Tris, our girl got up on the wrong side of the bed. You see what happens when you leave us in the middle of our play?”
Tristan tried to focus on Mira’s reaction to Kalli, but was having a hard time, given the ache he felt below. The mere touch of Kalli drove him mad. He needed to take her soon, get her out of his system so he could think straight.
“What?” he asked, not having listened to the question. Ignoring it, he looked back to Logan and Mira. “Listen, Mir, I don’t know what’s gotten into you but you need to be nice to Kalli. She’s already skittish around wolves.”
“I was perfectly nice,” she protested, gathering her up her things. “If you’d stop drooling for five seconds, you might notice that she was the one who was disrespectful.”
“Seriously? Because she didn’t avert her eyes? She’s human. You need to get used to it. And she also holds a position of authority. In case you didn’t hear it right the first time, she’s a doctor. I get the feeling that she doesn’t mince words. Despite what happened to her, she’s no shrinking violet. She’s tough. It’s in her nature,” he told her.
Humiliated, Mira rolled her eyes. “Human nature. Don’t forget that, Tris,” she countered, cupping his face briefly. She turned, giving Logan a brief kiss on the cheek, before entering the elevator.
Tristan considered what had just transpired. Consciously or not, Kalli had physically blocked Mira from touching him, possessively rubbing her hands all over his torso, thereby asserting her role in his life. And she happened to put on the display in front of his beta, who also took notice. Mira’s feathers had been justifiably ruffled. He understood why, but it didn’t change what had just happened. However vulnerable Kalli had appeared yesterday, there was no mistaking the lurking dominance within her.
Chapter Eleven
Kalli sat across from Dr. Marcus Cramer, who wasn’t at all happy with her request for leave.
“Dr. Williams,” he began. “We really can’t have our doctors taking leave willy nilly. I understand you had an incident in the garage a few days ago, but you look fine to me.”
“Dr. Cramer,” she addressed him using his professional name, thinking that two could play that game. “You don’t seem to understand. I really don’t have a choice. I’m requesting a personal leave, effective immediately, which under my contract, I am entitled to do. And while I really do want your approval, I will escalate if necessary.”
She didn’t want to burn any bridges but she also wasn’t about to let the jerk push her around. She reasoned he was trying to strong-arm her, because he knew that it was just a matter of time before she was completely in charge of her own department. She supposed he felt she needed to pay her dues before moving upward within the administration. But then again, the man just seemed to be a generally disagreeable person, regardless of who he spoke to, staff and patients alike.
“I feel that as a courtesy you should tell me why you are taking the leave. Is it medical? Are you pregnant?” he challenged, raising his voice.
“What?” she nearly shouted back at him, incredulous that he’d even ask such a personal question. “That is none of your damn business. I need to take a personal leave. I am under no contractual obligation to explain the reasons.”
Tristan had heard quite enough. Kalli’s boss did not just ask her if she was pregnant. What the hell? Was that even legal? Even though he hadn’t wanted to leave her side, she’d insisted that he and Logan wait for her in the hallway while she explained the circumstances of her absence to her supervisor. Of course that didn’t stop him from listening to the entire conversation, given his enhanced senses.
Logan raised his eyebrows at his Alpha and took a deep breath, realizing that the shit was about to hit the fan. Truthfully, Kalli’s administrator seemed like a total dickhead and was about to get what was coming to him. He smiled, thinking to himself that this was going to be fun to watch.
Tristan launched out of his seat and stomped across the waiting room. To the dismay of a very concerned receptionist, Tristan opened the door to her boss’s office like a wild tornado. Dr. Cramer literally jumped in his seat at the sound of his door hitting the wall. As it bounced back, he looked up to see a large, very irritated male glaring down at him.
“What are you doing in here? Who are you? Get out of here right now, before I call security,” he demanded.
Tristan growled, hands fisted at his side. He restrained the beast within, which was ready to rip out the good doctor’s throat.
Kalli shot to her feet, ready to pull him away. “Tristan, it’s all right.”
He shot her a look, warning her. “Sit, Kalli.”
She found herself complying without argument. Nervously watching him, she tried to stifle the seed of excitement growing in her belly. His dominance called to her inner wolf.
“Dr. Cramer, allow me to introduce myself.” Tristan leaned forward, putting his palms onto the desk.
“I’m calling security right now,” the doctor tried interrupting.
Tristan grabbed the receiver from his hand and forcefully ripped the phone out of its outlet. Flecks of dry wall splattered all over the floor.
“So glad to have your attention. As I was saying, my name is Tristan Livingston.” He deliberately emphasized his last name.
“Livingston? As in the Livingston Equine Rehabilitation Center?” The doctor’s face paled. Mouth agape, he sat silently stunned.
“Yes, that Livingston. Now this is what’s about to happen. You’re going to apologize to Dr. Williams for your atrocious behavior. And if I ever hear you speak like that to her ever again, you’ll be looking for more than a new job. Are we clear?”
“Yes, yes sir. I’m terribly sorry, sir. Mr. Livingston, please know that we very much appreciate your donations and contribution to our fine institution. We wouldn’t be able to function without donors such as you.”