Jethro didn't even look up from the screen of his laptop when they entered, but his voice carried the weight of someone who had already seen Grey long before he even crossed the threshold.
"I only give warning once, let what happened today not repeat itself again. Also, I believe there are decent clothes that were delivered to you. You can dress like this only when you are inside your room. Dress decently and officially and come back in here in ten minutes with everything I had asked for yesterday." His words were even and unreadable.
Ten minutes?!
The thought struck Grey like a physical blow.
Ten minutes to change, ten minutes to think about what his pack needed, ten minutes to write the report, ten minutes to walk all the way back?!
He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms, forcing himself not to speak.
His eyes stayed pinned on Jethro, and with every second, irritation climbed, coiling tighter.
He hated being spoken to like that, especially in front of that man he didn't like now.
Dress decently?!
How could that even apply to him in this moment? Was he not decent already? The words felt like an insult.
Knowing he was only wasting his own time, he turned and stormed outside without a word.
Each step carried the weight of frustration and the heat of sudden fury.
He hadn't even made it far, he was barely outside the office when he heard Leo speak.
"Ain't you a little harsh to your one and only unique wife? Isn't he decent already?" The casual tone grated against the tension, and Grey froze mid-step.
He also caught Jethro's reply, the weight in his voice was unmistakable, carrying seriousness and something that bordered on disgust.
"For the last time! Do not say such a thing again!" He said, "He is here for his pack, and for him to be taken seriously in here and even outside, he needs to carry my name... For so many reasons. Just as you said, I've changed a lot, and you should know that when I say stop, then I mean it."
Grey felt goosebumps rise, the words striking with a force he hadn't anticipated.
For a moment, Leo said nothing. And then, even as Grey continued walking, putting some distance between himself and the office door, he could still hear their voices.
"You're right… seriously, you've changed. I cannot believe that you are the same Jet I've grown up with ever since my father adopted you from nowhere… Who would have known that you would come from nowhere and be everything. I'm really happy for you, my brother." it was Leo's voice.
The words made Grey's steps falter..
Adopted?!
None of it made any sense to him, especially the way Jethro had spoken to Alpha Norman yesterday, as if they weren't close at all... And now he adopted him?
For a moment, he wasn't certain what shocked him more: the content of what he was hearing, or the fact that he could hear it clearly at this distance.
He had always tried the obvious abilities that people of his kind were supposed to posses, like... hearing from far away, picking up faint scents, even transforming into his wolf.
But none of those attempts had ever worked.
He would have thought it was because he was an Omega, but all Omegas had those basic abilities, though weaker than Alphas, weaker than some Betas, certainly very weak than an Enigma.
Shaking his head, he brushed the thoughts away. There was no time to dwell on it. He had a task to complete, and it was already slipping beyond the time given.
It didn't take long for him to realize that the endless hallways, identical in their grandeur and pattern, had already disoriented him.
The doors, the corridors, the subtle turns... all blended together until Grey could no longer tell where he was.
He took out his phone and checked the time: 11:35 a.m. He had left Jethro's office at eleven thirty.
Now only five minutes remained.
Panic clawed at him, but pride and ego held him from asking any of the servants for direct guidance to his own room.
When he met them, he pretended to be simply observing, wandering casually, even though inside he was counting every step and seconds.
By the time he finally located his room, only two minutes remained.
He changed quickly into a full white suit. The suit blended seamlessly with his porcelain skin, accentuating the clean lines and smooth cut, but it brought no comfort.
He hated it.
He wanted nothing more than to rip it away.
From the jacket he was wearing yesterday, he took the notebook he carried wherever he went, opened it, flipping quickly to an empty page, and prepared to fill it as he rushed back toward Jethro's office.
But on his way, he couldn't think clearly, couldn't think of anything to write. His mind replayed the route he had taken earlier with Leo, the glass door marking the final approach.
Time ticked louder in his ears with every hurried step.
When he reached the office again, the familiar glass door came into view. He stopped only briefly, catching his breath, notebook in hand, aware that he had written nothing yet.
But at least he came back on time, he thought.