The more she looked at the little screen, the angrier she got.
The tiny growl she accidently let slip wasn't helping her case and now Jon was looking at her more closely, his eyes swivelling to her every two minutes.
Mattheus hadn't acknowledged her for the last two days, paying more attention to fiddling with his nose ring than reacting to anything she bothered to say.
She really wanted to take off one of her heels and aim it at the monitor however she knew it would not only result in getting her fired, but she would probably rip her too-tight pencil skirt attempting to bend over while she was at it.
Guards had entered Auden's cell around ten minutes ago, and upon return, he had collapsed miserably on the bed and hadn't moved since.
Tanya coughed behind her to get her attention, gesturing to the notebook she held in her hand, "mark that down." She instructed, peering over her shoulder from an unreasonable distance.
Malandra did as she was told, scribbling down the needed information on the A5 pad.
"Okay, it's time to get him from his cell." Tanya remarked, "I'll go alone this time, you can wait in Zoe's room if you're more comfortable with that."
Mala didn't want to cause a scene by protesting so she said, "that's fine," and followed the woman out of the room and to Zoe's office.
Zoe blinked in surprise as she entered, "I didn't know you were Joan's replacement."
She looked at the woman, who although had her hair pulled into a tight bun rather than free flowing, was undeniably the blonde 'tour guide' that she'd had on the first visit to Irongate.
Why would they use the prison psychiatrist to chaperon them around? She wondered.
"That's me."
She motioned to the chair in the corner of the room, "well, feel free to take a seat, Miss Bates."
Not long later, she heard footsteps from around the room, the chord vibrating in her chest. She was glad that neither blondie, nor Tanya were shifters because there was no hiding the thrashing of her heart.
Inhaling and exhaling slowly, she waited patiently for the door to open, anticipation flooding her.
As the door opened, his scent was the first thing to reach her. It instantly grounded her, giving her a reason to pull herself together.
Then the door swung shut and she finally saw him in the flesh.
He froze in place, eyes instantly connecting with hers.
She almost said his name but then she noticed the way his face twisted.
He looked... put out.
Her heart gave a violent lurch and she pressed a palm against her breast, wincing as rejection shot through the bond.
His eyes flicked down to her pulse before shooting to Zoe.
"What is she doing here?"
Gripping the arms of the seat, she tried her hardest not to panic but the corners of her vision were going black and her throat was closing up. It was all happening way too quickly, the siren of rejection blaring in her mind over and over again as her body reacted to his inferred denial. Any minute now she would start hyperventilating, clasping her throat and gasping for air and-
"She's Joan's replacement." Zoe replied.
She was going to shift.
She was going to tear out his throat.
How dare he do this to her?
"Oh. Nice."
And just like that, the haze lifted and she could breathe again, a loud wheeze escaping as her senses returned to normal.
She never wanted to feel like that again.
At her outburst of noise, all eyes returned to her, Auden taking a step towards her with wide eyes just before he was yanked backward.
"Behave." Tanya said sternly, forcing him to sit in the chair next to Zoe. She came to sit next to Mala, taking out her notebook and pen to make notes on the session and giving Zoe a small nod.
The chains on Auden's wrists rattled as he adjusted himself in his seat, gaze not straying from Mala's face until Zoe started to speak and he shortly looked in her direction.
"How are you getting on with that book I gave you?"
His eyes redirected back to Mala and he shook his head to try and knock the wayward strands out of his vision, "will she sit in on all my sessions like Joan did?"
She watched in fascination as Zoe didn't miss a beat, not at all deterred by his unrelated response to her question. It was quite a change from the Zoe that she had met those weeks ago- the one who seemed very uncomfortable around shifters.
She wondered what had changed- the Zoe that sat in this office seemed to be in her element.
If she really thought about it, her behaviour was a bit like Tanya's. Tanya was awfully uncomfortable when around shifters like Mattheus and Jon, the ones that she couldn't control, however she didn't at all seem to have the inferiority complex around Auden, the inmate that she had some jurisdiction over. She had told him to behave and grabbed his arm like he was a naughty toddler.
Zoe was still probing for information, "would you like that?"
Auden's only reaction was the raising of an eyebrow.
Another question: "do you remember her name?"
Mala shifted uncomfortably at the woman's fascination, wishing that the blonde would move on from the subject.
He coughed and averted his eyes, "yeah."
"What was it?" Zoe was leaning forward on her chair now, face set in a way that Mala really didn't like.
"Malandra."
The sound of him saying her name would never get old.
The things she wanted to do to him- the handcuffs wouldn't even need to come off.
"Could you step over here, Miss Bates?"
Her eyes shot to Tanya, thinking that the other woman would say something, but she stayed silent, scribbling notes in her own notepad.
Mala stood up and walked closer, masking her fright with a blank stare.
Zoe shook her head, "right here in front of Auden."
She did as she was told, staring at her mate with reddening cheeks.
Gosh, she hoped her captivation with him wasn't noticeable.
He was now gawking at her, eyes soaking in her face as her blush grew.
Zoe spoke again, "do you feel comfortable around Miss Bates?"
He hummed absently, eyes dropping to her neck.
She had to look away as her lower stomach cramped, hoping that her mate didn't do anything stupid when he scented her interest. Once again, she was holding herself together by a thread.
"Do you feel more comfortable around her because she's also a shifter?"
"Yeah, that's it." He drawled, a teasing note to his tone.
"It's been a long time since you scented a female shifter, isn't it?" Zoe drew out, "would scenting her encourage you to shift?"
Mala didn't have a chance to process the question herself as her brain short-circuited at the word 'scenting'.
"Do you mind if Auden scents you?" Zoe asked her, sweetly. "He's been having trouble shifting at all recently and we're trying to find possible triggers to relay back to medical."
It was wrong.
By the way that terrified squeak Tanya exuded, she knew it was wrong.
Zoe was up to something, whether it was her inner psychologist prodding and poking for information, or some hidden agenda, her request was not innocent.
Yet, Mala couldn't resist the urge to touch her mate so she gave a jerky nod, coughing out, "it's okay."
Auden didn't avert his eyes from her when he said, "the cuffs will need to come off."
Zoe snorted, "nonsense. All you have to do is stick your nose in her neck, right?"
"That's not how scenting works."
Mala took a deep breath before giving her input. "Scenting is as much about the hands as well as the nose. It can be quite intense," she felt her forehead break out in a sweat and she took a nervous step back. "Maybe it's not a good idea. He's a prisoner."
"I agree. It's not a good idea, Zoe." Tanya cut in, finding her voice.
Zoe sighed angrily, "go underneath the handcuffs then."
"Are you sure?" Mala asked, wanting to be fully certain that her willingness wasn't going to backfire. "Could I lose my job over this?"
"Do whatever you have to do. We'll stop him if it goes too far."
Auden licked his lips when Mala turned back to him and she ran a hand through her hair before nodding at Zoe.
She took off her jacket, revealing her sleeveless top and bare shoulders before closing the space in between her and Auden. He hadn't even touched her yet but her skin was breaking out in goosebumps, flashes of warmth dancing up and down her arms.
The chord that tied them together tautened, coiling up in anticipation.
He gave her a dark look before lifting his arms for her to slide underneath, leaving her trapped between the cuffs and his chest. She ended up straddling him, her crotch pressed firmly against his as her pencil skirt was forced to ride up her legs.
Their body heat seeped into each other, the contact fanning the flames of the bond.
"Malandra." He rumbled in a low voice, hands free enough for him to splay both of them on her lower back. "I will try to control myself."
She knew what he meant.
"Okay." She whispered, becoming oblivious to the others in the room as he lowered his head to her neck and inhaled, releasing the beginnings of a contented rumble.
"Auden." His name flew out of her mouth without her consent and her eyes slammed shut at the violent release of pheromones.
He was rock hard in five seconds, rocking a solid rhythm against her as she ran her hands over the back of his head and down his shoulders, nails turning into claws as her stomach cramped and thighs clenched.
He focused on rubbing his scent all over her, his tongue darting out to lick her exposed skin and his hands rubbing against her back as best as they could.
It wasn't enough.
She tugged on his hair and his mouth detached from her with a wet pop, eyes lazily sliding open. There was a wildness, a slipping of restraint that crashed around them. Waves and waves of inhibition.
This was the way it was meant to be.
He looked at her face and something between them seemed to click, the intensity kicking up a notch. His eyes moved to her lips and locked on them, shining with the desire to press his own against them.
She wanted that so bad.
She wanted him to kiss her.
Instead he averted his gaze and moved back to her neck, scraping his teeth against her skin, pressing down more violently until she was on the cusp of begging him to bite her.
Her lips parted and a noise, so debauched that she didn't know she was capable of making it, flew out of her throat, lurching the both of them.
It spurred him into twisting his head to Zoe and letting out a deafening growl.
The sound of a dominant shifter male who was dangerously angry at their presence.
Rather than scaring Mala, the sound made her keen and bury her head in the crook of his neck, hand creeping down to palm at his tented crotch.
"Get these cuffs off NOW." He growled, demanding it of the blonde woman.
Mala moaned and latched her mouth on to his neck, sucking and nipping at his collar bone as he continued to thrust into her grip, "Auden, Auden, come on. Come on, come on, come on, come on-" Her other hand moved up to unbutton his jumpsuit.
"I swear, if you don't get these off me I'll murder all of you."
Mala moaned again. "Yesss. Auden, just- come on."
Zoe stood up, "I think it's time to separate them."
Unwanted hands curled around Mala's forearms and removed them from Auden's body, pulling her down and under and away, Auden roaring curses as he was subdued.
"No! What are you doing? Let me go."
"Look what he did to her, Zoe." Tanya spat, sounding out of her depth. "She warned you and you didn't listen. What the hell do you know about scenting anyway?"
"Can it." Zoe snapped, "it's not your job to lecture me."
Mala belatedly noticed that she was bawling, giant crocodile tears streaming down her face as she wailed for her mate.
He was struggling and snapping his teeth as Tanya easily restrained him, the drugs preventing him from overpowering her like he was attempting to.
"Bring her back to me before I-"
Zoe drowned him out by screaming, "for goodness sake, get him out of here."
Tanya dragged him out of the room, his threats getting louder and more graphic as he was taken away.
Mala smelled so much like him that it took her a long time to descend from her loopy state, and even when she eventually came to herself, she still couldn't stop the flow of tears that streamed out of her eyes although she tried.
"We had to try, he hasn't even partly shifted in the last three months."
"By having him dry hump her in the middle of your office? Imagine if that camera wasn't broken and someone saw?"
"Well, it is broken and nobody saw so stop being paranoid."
"You know how Mr Wellington feels about the shifters being tested on."
"He'll never find out. Calm down."
She made a noise and the conversation stopped, both women turning to face her.
Their faces wobbled as her vision adjusted and she covered her eyes with the palms of her hand, groaning as embarrassment caught up to her.
She wasn't sure if she was meant to apologise, the crippling shame making her want to bawl and beg for forgiveness, or if she should be shouting at them and overturning her chair in rage at their utter stupidity in intruding into something as personal as two mates scent marking each other.
Of course, they didn't know that her and Auden were mates.
She shouldn't have agreed to the stupid idea.
The silence stretched on for way too long and she stood up, vision now perfectly aligned.
"I'm assuming we're going to pretend this never happened?" Her voice was hoarser than she would have preferred, but her question came out reasonably strong otherwise.
Zoe and Tanya shared a look before Zoe spoke up, swallowing audibly.
"I think that would be for the best."