He knocked, once, then waited, but the answer didn't come immediately. The office was quiet, sealed off by glass walls that reflected light like mirrors.
From the outside, no one could see in, only the person inside had that privilege. Seconds stretched, each one tightening the knot in Grey's chest.
Then a voice came through, "Enter."
Grey swallowed. His heart began to race as he realized he was walking in without what he had been asked to deliver.
He knew it would irritate Lord Jethro, but still, he forced his feet forward, straightened his shoulders, and stepped inside with a courage he didn't truly feel.
Leo was still there. He wasn't sitting near Lord Jethro's desk this time. Instead, he sat on the couch to the side, leaning back casually, a file open in his hands as he flipped through its pages with lazy focus.
Grey stopped in front of Lord Jethro's desk and forced his gaze up, fixing his eyes firmly on him.
"Sit."
Grey obeyed, lowering himself into the chair opposite the desk.
The moment he looked up again, Lord Jethro extended a hand toward him, palm open, clearly expecting the report.
Grey didn't move.
"I haven't written it yet," Grey said quietly. He forced his voice to remain steady, "But I'll be done in thirty minutes."
He didn't look away from Lord Jethro's face, even though his piercing stare made his skin prickle.
"Then why are you here?" Lord Jethro snapped. His brows furrowed, irritation flickering across his composed expression. "Why did you come back if you don't have what I asked for?"
Grey inhaled slowly, grounding himself.
"Because you told me to return in ten minutes," he replied. "And I wanted to respect that, my Lord."
For a moment, Lord Jethro looked as though he was about to retort, but his expression shifted, the irritation eased from his face, replaced by something closer to consideration, as if he were replaying his own words in his mind.
As though he was just realizing how impossible his request had been, because at the moment he had already known that Grey hadn't done the work yet, so doing all that on only ten minutes was actually impossible.
As though he were only just realizing how impossible his request had been, he had already known Grey hadn't done the work yet, and expecting it to be finished in only ten minutes was, in truth, impossible.
His gaze dropped to the screen on his desk.
"Don't make me wait more than twenty minutes," he said at last.
His tone wasn't harsh, but it wasn't gentle either.
Grey nodded, but still, he didn't stand right away.
He hesitated, fingers curling slightly against his thigh. There was a question forming on his tongue, one that felt unnecessary, almost stupid.
He could work anywhere- his room, a common area, even outside if needed.
But something told him to ask anyway.
"Where… am I working from?"
Lord Jethro didn't look up even as he replied.
"Since you're here for work," he said, the words sounded insistent, making Grey wonder if he was being reminded that he was here strictly for work because he had acted too intimately, or if Lord Jethro was trying to make a point to Leo, "I thought it best you have an office of your own." he added, "Alpha Leonard will show it you."
Grey stood slowly, irritation simmering beneath his calm exterior. Of all people, it had to be Leo. Still, he followed without protest.
Leo led him down the corridor, stopping at the first door.
"This is my office," he said, gesturing inside. "I'm Lord Jethro's deputy, I mean... secretary. If you ever need anything from me, you know where to find me."
Grey nearly scoffed.
Why would he ever need him? he thought, but said nothing.
They took only two more steps before Leo stopped again and opened another door.
"And this," he said, stepping aside, "is yours."
Grey glanced inside.
The office was spacious, clean, and as fancy as the rest of the mansion.
"You should thank me," Leo added with a small grin. "I chose this one for you. It's cooler than the rest."
Grey walked past him without a word and sat into the chair behind the desk, as if trying to making it clear he wanted to get to work and that any further talk was unnecessary.
But still, Leo lingered. Unexpectedly, he stepped closer.
"Look," he said, lowering his voice. "I owe you an apology."
Grey stiffened.
"I realize I might've made you uncomfortable earlier," Leo continued. "And I'm sorry. I'm not a pervert or anything. And I'm definitely not into… that. You know... man to man."
Grey's fingers tightened around the armrest.
"Sometimes eyes just slip," Leo went on quickly. "It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean interest. It just means the eyes noticed something captivating and lingered. That's all. Still… I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."
The words almost sounded sincere, but Grey still didn't trust them. He didn't know why- he simply didn't like Leo and didn't trust him, even though they had just met.
If he were certain his wolf existed, he would have said it pushed Leo away, as if it didn't want him… but he wasn't.
He didn't want stories or ideas about male–male, so he replied simply to end the conversation,
"Okay," he said flatly.
Leo seemed relieved, but he didn't leave immediately. He was about to speak again, but he cut him off quietly. "I really should get to work," Grey said, keeping his tone unreadable. "Can you go?"
"Sure," Leo said. But still didn't leave, he spoke again, "Don't pressure yourself too much. Jet won't get impatient. He pretends to be cold, but he actually cares about you. Earlier, he said you seemed like you were going through a lot, and that's the reason why he insisted you move in so quickly. He said if you were here, he could keep an eye on you."
Grey's heart slammed against his ribs, the force of his reaction to those words startling even himself.
"Don't tell him I told you though," Leo added quickly before walking out.
Grey sat frozen.
He told himself it was a lie.
It had to be.
Why would Lord Jethro care about him so much- enough to notice when something was bothering him? Did he even have the time for that?
And why would Leo say a lie like that?
No one had ever worried about him like that before, and just the thought of it made emotions rise uninvited.
He hated it.
He pushed the words away, shoved them into the farthest corner of his mind, and forced himself to focus on work.
But he couldn't.
All he could think about was the idea of someone caring about him. Someone like Lord Jethro caring, watching over him, even protecting him.
He didn't know when it happened, or how, but somewhere between denial and longing, Grey realized that he was starting to crave it.