The moment Elliot's phone rang, the warmth between us shifted. His expression changed first, the softness in his Alpha aura tightening into something sharper, more controlled.
He looked at me and spoke in a low voice, telling me to go rest, his attention already half pulled into whatever pack matter was waiting on the other side of the call. I nodded and left quietly, not wanting to disturb the shift I could already feel building in him.
As soon as I stepped out of the study, I heard it. His voice had changed completely, no longer calm, but edged with authority and restrained fury, the kind that made even the air feel heavier. "Is this how you do your job?" The words carried a dominance that didn't need shouting to be felt, and despite knowing it wasn't directed at me, my heart still skipped at the intensity of it.
