Reece?

5

"Eat something before you leave, you look so thin as though we do not feed you enough in this house."

"Love you too Mum. I'll grab something on the way."  

Breeana closed the door to her mother's rising complaints about her eating habits with her father trying to intercede on her behalf only to get blasted about how he spoiled Brenna a little bit too much and tried not to smile. She loved her family.

Even Scar perked up a little at that. It was normal. It was home.

What wasn't normal was the ever-increasing pull she felt towards Reece and the wave of sadness it brought on Scar. Scar knew Breeana couldn't betray her sister but she still longed to be united with her mate.

Scar was miserable all the time and it was beginning to affect Breeana too.

That was why she'd asked the clinic if she could come in more often for volunteer work. If she was working, actively doing something, it would help Scar focus on something other than her douchebag of a mate.

Breeana grabbed two chocolate glazed doughnuts and a latte at the clinic's cafe. She was on the second doughnut when she realized someone was watching her eat. She looked up to see Reece looking down at her with an amused smirk on his face. She choked on the doughnut in her throat.

Reece rubbed her back until the doughnut went down then he removed his hand quickly like she was venomous or something.

Scar mourned the loss of his touch but still perked up more than she had in days.

"What did you think you were doing? You can't just sneak up on somebody like that."

"I was wondering how you kept adding on more weight. Mystery solved."

"Fuck off, Reece. I have work to do." Breeana stood up and grabbed just the coffee. Her appetite was gone, replaced by irritation and the need to be away from Reece.

"You won't be having that?" He motioned towards the half-eaten doughnut.

"No. You can help yourself to it." Breeana said sarcastically before walking away towards the reception desk to ask after Nancy, the older matron who assigned tasks to her.

Reece caught up to her munching on her doughnut.

The nerve of this guy. Breeana fumed.

She whirled around to face him. "Why are you following me about Reece? Is this because I didn't fall at your knees begging you to accept me? Get out of your own head for once. The world doesn't revolve around you." Breeana stabbed her index finger on his chest for emphasis.

Reece grabbed her hand on his chest and threw it down, a snide smile on his face and he snickered. "Nancy sent me to show you to your assignment."

Breeana's jaw went slack with shock.

"Aww. Don't be so shocked. A manchild like me has to volunteer as a part of my Alpha training."

Breeana grappled for words trying to gather herself. "But I've never seen you around before."

"I know it must come as a shock to you but I don't like seeing you so I don't volunteer on weekends. Just weekdays."

Breeana was extremely surprised. Not only was Reece volunteering at the clinic but he also knew her volunteering days well enough to avoid her. Today was a weekday. She'd asked Nancy for extra days to keep busy to avoid thinking about Reece and his ridiculously handsome face but here he was again. Where he shouldn't have been.

"Now person who doesn't think the world revolves around her, are you ready to work or do you want to interrogate me more?"

"Shut up." Breeana said her face was red with embarrassment.

******

They worked in the ER for hours.

It was Breeana's first time there and she was even more convinced of her decision to open a clinic. This was what she wanted to do; helping other people. Reece proved to be so super helpful and knowledgeable once he stopped being an asshat that she paused one or two times to observe him discreetly.

He gave all his attention to each patient. If it was a minor injury that both of them could address, Reece would talk the patient through the entire process calmly and confidently like he was a certified doctor before they began.

And when they couldn't handle the situation, he would tell her the exact pack doctor to get and jot down the patient's information for the pack doctor's easy access.

"You've been working for hours. Go and get something to eat." Nancy was working on a wolf with multiple fractures. Our accelerated healing could do a lot but the bones needed to be set straight continuously or it wouldn't heal right and would need to be broken again to ensure complete mobility.

"No, we can stay–" Reece was saying until a yawn interrupted his speech.

Nancy shook her head, her afro curls swept back into a low bun, her brown skin glistening and her lips pulled up into a smile.

"You are asleep on your feet young Alpha and your mother, Miss Connor, would have my head if she found out I was working you to the bone. So off you go. Shoo."

Walking back to the cafe with Reece in comfortable silence was disconcerting, to say the least for Breeana.

Shar was sated and at last calm in her head.  

"I didn't know you could be like that." Breeana said, looking at Reece with new eyes.

Reece looked at Breeana in askance. "Like what?"

"You know. Compassionate, caring, emphatic."

Reece laughed. "You don't know a lot about me, Breeana."

"I see that now," Breeana said, then looked up at him sharply. "You said my full name."

"Oh, did I?" Reece coughed looking away.

"You did too. All this while I thought it was because you couldn't be bothered to remember it but you actually knew it, you pretended not to just because you love needling me."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." But a smile was tugging at his lips.

Unbelievable. But Breeana was also fighting a smile.

*****

"I got interested in this after Mom passed away." Reece hesitated. He would never have imagined he would be discussing this with Breeana of all people, he didn't like to talk about his mom with anybody, not even his dad but she was surprisingly easy to talk to.

"I know they couldn't save Mom because she was too far gone but they tried. They gave her comfort when she was almost gone. I just want to pay that back in a way I guess."

Breeana sniffed.

"Breeana, are… are you crying?" He was very confused. Was he supposed to do something, say something?

"Shut up, Reece."

Their food arrived and thankfully conversation was shelved for that moment as they tucked in their lunch.

Breeana was a lesson in juxtaposition. So strong yet so soft. She was different from other girls.

He had lied earlier on when he had said she just kept adding more weight, she was perfect. And the fact was he couldn't get over how perfect she was.

Her wavy black hair framed her face with defined cheekbones and cupid bow lips and her ocean blue eyes that seemed to see right through him at times and her body, goddess her body, could drive a man to sin. It had driven him to sin. He reminded himself.

It was the reason his relationship with Ariana was currently on rocky shores. This mating bond was messing with him. He didn't know if he was truly connecting with Breeana or if it was just the bond.  

"Reece." Brianna tapped him as though she had been calling him for a while.

"Yeah?"

"Are you eating that?" She gestured at his half-eaten food.

Her plate was empty. Reece hid a smile.

"No, I'm–" What was he doing here?

"You what?" Breeana turned following his gaze. Her features transformed with delight. "Ryan!"

Food forgotten, she got up and went to give him a hug. Reece tried and failed to suppress his anger. He knew what Ryan had done to Breeana yet she had forgiven him so easily.

Ryan. He mocked her in his head. How annoying.

You do realize you are being jealous. Ray commented drily.

No, I'm not. I just realised the kind of person Breeana is. Reece said.

Someone, you clearly don't deserve? Ray said.

No. Someone who has poor tastes in wolves.

Even his wolf was taking Breeana's side. Unbelievable.

After exchanging pleasantries with Ryan, she came back to the table grabbing her bag in a hurry.

"Reece, I have to get going. Please tell Nancy, I had to leave."

Reece grunted, ignoring Breeana and glaring at the waste of oxygen behind her. Breeana hesitated then left with Ryan following behind her like a lost puppy.

Reece turned back to his cold food with a diminished appetite when he saw the phone on the table buzz. It wasn't his. She'd left her phone behind.

*********

"It's so cool that you could come over. I wasn't expecting it." Breeana tried to get her mind off Reece's sudden change in behaviour.

Apparently, it was too much to hope for him to stop being an asshat.

"I just had to see you," Ryan said nervously, drawing Breeana's attention.

"Yeah. That's right. Why did you want to see me?" Breeana wondered if it had anything to do with the strangeness between him and Sarah. Did he want relationship advice from her? Her of all people?

"I… I wanted to ask you… I wanted to tell you…" Ryan stuttered, his cheeks turning red.

"It's cool. Just say it. I promise I won't eat you alive or something." Mostly. She'd just tell him she wasn't the best–

Ryan took her left hand and Breeana looked up at him curiously.  He pulled her closer and Breeana jumped in shock, her hands going to his shoulder to catch herself. Then he kissed her. Breeana's eyes widened with shock and she froze for a second then she pushed him away.

"What was that about?"

"Breeana, I can't stop thinking about you, about us–" But before Ryan could finish his statement, he was knocked to the ground by a punch.

"Reece?"