Boundaries

Chapter 26

"That's a really good idea. Sam's offered for us to work through the Bluewood pack house whilst we wait on repairs." Kieran says.

Orion's jaw falls open, his brows already knitted together as he begins to shake his head. But Kieran is already accepting.

Orion grumbles every moment of the drive over to Bluewood pack house, but he can't deny the lightness in his chest, or the excitement jittering through his muscles at the prospect of seeing Dylan again, of being so close.

When he gets out of the car, Dylan is already stood at the door, his arms folded tightly against his chest. He doesn't look happy with the arrangement in the slightest, and the sight makes Orion's stomach clench.

Or, that might have something to do with the way Dylan's pectoral muscles cling to the thin material of his shirt. Who knows.

Dylan purses his lips when he spots Orion, his heart aching at the sight. His hands tremble and he tucks them firmly out of sight. He remembers the feel of his mates hands on him, how perfectly they had...

He shakes his head. That was an anomaly, a mistake. He had been tired, weak. It wasn't going to happen again.

"Follow me." He says grimly, leading the Ironhill Alpha upstairs.

He opens the door to his Beta's office and gestures for him to go inside.

Orion peers in, stepping inside as he looks around.

"Is this Sam's office?" He asks and Dylan nods tensely.

"Yes. If you need anything, I'll be next door." He mutters.

He moves quickly through the adjoining door, shutting it firmly behind him.

Orion sighs, placing his bag on the desk and settling down. He cracks through emails, makes notes and catches up on expense reports that had been weighing on him for months. He's being remarkably efficient, and he grimaces when he realises that his proximity to his mate likely has something to do with it.

He flicks through the planning sheet for the next few months of pack activities and tries to find the preliminary budget, frowning as he sifts through his papers. He thought he had it.

He hesitates, exhaling heavily as he glances at the door keeping him from his soulmate.

He did say that if he needed anything...

Orion stands up cautiously, swallowing the lump in his throat and moves to the door. He knocks gently, waiting for the answering call before entering.

He pokes his head in, the scent of Dylan making his head swim temporarily.

He spots the curious gaze of his mate and he snaps out of it.

"Hey, I was just wondering if you have the pre-lim budget for the next quarter?" Orion asks and Dylan nods, his expression clouding as he sifts through documents.

Orion steps forwards, peering over the desk. The sight makes him queasy. There are stray papers, folders and pens scattered everywhere. It's a wonder Dylan can find anything at all.

"You should invest in a filing cabinet." He comments unhelpfully and Dylan throws him an unappreciative look.

"You should invest in mouse traps." He quips back.

Orion leans over further, his hands reaching out as he sifts through another stack of documents.

Dylan smacks the back of his palm quickly.

"Hand's off, those are confidential." He mutters, sweeping a stack of papers into his desk drawer.

Orion rolls his eyes and flips through other stray documents.