Lunch was a quick sit-down in a sweet-smelling independent café for sandwiches stacked with thickly-sliced bread and wrapped in brown paper. It all felt very homely in its rustic aesthetic, and River cosied up in the corner while Elliott handled everything. It was a nice feeling. Warm. Easy.

They were out of time not long after the last bite, and River shimmied out, thanking Elliott for lunch and promising to see him soon, when… he followed her.

“It’s fine art,” River reminded him as they stepped out into the cold again.

“I know.” Elliott stole her hand.

“Are you walking back to your car?”

“I’m walking my mate to her lecture.” He returned a tepid smile to a passing dominant. “And then I’ll pick her up from it when she’s done.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

He didn’t answer, instead leaning forward to snatch one of the double doors back into the university and pulling it open ahead of them. River walked through first.

The other fine art students were waiting outside the lecture hall. Elliott halted River just as she reached them.

“I’ll be here when you’re done.” He spoke a little louder, subtly wanting to be heard. Then, he let go of her hand to take her face between his palms and kissed the crown of her head. River stared up at him, unable to school her face from wide eyes and pink cheeks. Elliott wasn’t looking back at her, he was looking over her, giving the crowd a hard look. Warning off the dominants, she realised.

“Okaythankyouseeyoulaterbyebye,” River babbled.

Elliott stepped back, keeping his eyes ahead at those behind her for an extra few seconds, and turned to leave. Thankfully, their professor arrived to open the door and welcome them all to class just as he did. River avoided eye contact with anyone as she filed inside.

Yet again, she had no means to take notes, and Rowan was sick so she couldn’t ask him for help. She knew others in the class, she was friendly with everyone, but after Elliott’s mortifying display of dominance outside she couldn’t bring herself to pester anyone. The heat needed to cool off first.

She listened a lot. She learned a bit. She left the moment the professor finished speaking.

Elliott was leant against the wall opposite the theatre entrance. He was frowning at his phone. Before River could get a step closer, he sniffed and looked up.

“I’m sorry I forgot to tell you earlier, but I have volunteering with the Hedgehog Housing Group now.”

“That’s fine. Let’s go.”

“Oh, thank you, but I don’t need a lift.”

“Well, you’re getting one.”

“Elliott!” she reasoned with a hiss.

“River!” he mimicked with a grin. All for show. Playing out the bickering loved-up couple for the audience emerging from the class. And god, did it suit him.

His phone was put away and replaced with her hand again. River could have dug her feet or flailed or shouted at him. She let his hand guide her outside.

“I really don’t need any help to get there. It’s not even dark yet!”

“Will it be dark when you need picking up?”

River sighed and dropped into the passenger seat. Elliott shut the door for her.

When he was settled in his own seat, River said, “I don’t need picking up.”

Elliott ignored her. “What’s the address?”

River gave the community centre’s name. There was no reasoning with this man. Alphas and their stubborn ways. She crossed her arms over her chest and sulked while he pulled free of the parking space.

“You don’t want to be seen with me?” The words weren’t said with any particular emotion. No hurt or horror.

River dropped her arms. “That’s not it! I just don’t like that you don’t listen when I say no.”

“You don’t practice saying ‘no’ enough, petal.”

“What’s that supposed to be mean?”

“You should have said you didn’t want the ride, not that you didn’t need it.”

“It’s not that I don’t want it, it’s that I don’t want to put you out.”

Elliott squeezed the wheel with his hands and pinched his lips between his teeth for a moment. “River, it’s up to me if I put myself out.” He swung them into a tight space right outside the community centre. “So, stop worrying about other people and learn how to say ‘no’ for when you’re being put out.”

River popped the door open before he could jump out and do it for her. “Sure. See you around.” She shut it on his response and hurried up to the doors of the community centre. Fortunately, he didn’t follow.

“The boys told us you turned up to your lecture with a fresh scent mark this morning.”

River had only made it through the first set of doors. She kept walking to the next. “Good afternoon to you too, Willow.”

“What happened to your grand plan of being rid of Alpha Elliott?”

River shrugged. She really didn’t want to defend her choices as she walked through a hall filled with cardboard boxes and loo rolls. People bustled about with tins of cat food and clipboards of petitions and River attempted to blend in as she found something to do with herself.

Willow kept to her back like a bad smell. “Do you like him?”

I’m an alpha mate. I want to get married to my alpha and have lots of babies. That was her line, but somehow she wanted so much more to gush about being kissed on the lips for the first time. Not here, though, too many eyes and ears.

“He’s my mate,” she said, as though that answered the question.

“For real?”

River nodded, shy. She fiddled with a pile of straw.

“Oh, River, that’s great!”

River couldn’t bring herself to say the rest of Elliott’s script, so she shrugged again with an awkward smile.

“Can I tell the girls?” She was already withdrawing her phone in a slow, over-dramatic pull from her pocket.

“Honestly, that might save me some stress, so go ahead.”

Willow skipped on the spot, tapping away at the screen. “And the boys?”

“Sure.”

Willow squealed.

“Okay, okay, there’s hedgehogs that need housing!” River plucked a box and some supplies to kit it out with and hurried away to find a space to build. Anything to be out from under the spotlight that was Willow’s desperation for details.

Ninety minutes - and plenty of hard hedgehog-helping work - later,  and the group was dismissed. River didn’t linger to help with pack-up, she had promised the running club she would help them paint signs.

Back out in the cold she bumped straight into a barrier of her own scent.

“Finished?” Elliott asked.

River lingered against his chest for a little longer than she should have - he was so warm. “Um, no. I need to get to the running club to help paint signs.”

“Athletics track?”

A nervous laugh escaped her. She couldn’t read Elliott’s tone at all.  “That’s the one.”

“Come on, then.”

The Hedgehog Housing Group were spawning at her back.

“Thank you,” she said. This time, she took his hand.

It was dark now, even though it wasn’t even five yet, and River’s cardigan was really not pulling its fluffy weight in keeping her warm. Her jeans were turning stiff too, even as she scurried along at her top speed.

When they reached the end of the path, Elliott redirected them.

“I had to move spaces.” Once they were walking in the right direction again, he pulled his hand free. “I’ve got a spare hoodie in the car but wear this for now.” He dropped his jacket from his shoulders and slipped it over River’s.

“Th-thank you.”

“You need a proper coat.”

“Spring is comi-”

“No.” Elliott opened the car door for her. “We’ll go shopping tomorrow. I’m not going to be known as the alpha that let his mate freeze to death.”

River swung her legs into the car and the door closed. When Elliott joined her, she said, “I haven’t got time for anything extra tomorrow.”

Elliott started the engine. “What’s the schedule for tomorrow?”

River listed off her lectures, society meetings and volunteer work for the next day and Elliott drove.

“I’ll pick you up at eight, then.”

River’s mouth opened to argue. Then, she wondered whether she even wanted to. No, she liked being looked after. Even if it was only temporary. Warm and easy, that was the feeling that followed her when she let Elliott chaperone her.

“Thank you,” she whispered, wriggling deeper into the heated seat and the sandalwood-smelling jacket. What she would give to take another nap here instead of spending hours painting signs…

“Here you are.”

River sighed.

“You don’t have to help everyone who asks, petal.”

“I like to.”

“That’s not what it sounds like.”

“I’m just… tired.”

“Then cancel.”

“I can’t.”

“River.”

“Elliott.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

She hopped out of the car. “I’m keeping this for a little longer,” she called behind her before shutting the door. She ran to the track before Elliott could call after her and demand his jacket back.

×

Once again, a sleek, black car awaited her when she had finished her support for the running club. One of the doms, Begonia, refused to let her walk from the building alone, even with all the flood lighting around the tracks. River pointed to Elliott’s car as they approached.

“That’s my mate.”

As if on cue, Elliott appeared, ready to welcome her back onto warm leather.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Begonia.”

“Elliott.” He shook her hand. “Thanks for walking her.”

“Can’t be too careful.” She didn’t bother to say ‘with omegas’ out loud, but they all heard it.

River climbed inside. “Thanks, Begonia, I’ll see you later.”

Begonia nodded and stepped back to let Elliott close the door. As they pulled away, she waved, walking backwards to offer her bodyguard services to some other helpless submissive.

“Finished?” Elliott asked. She knew he didn’t just mean the painting, he was asking if the day was done. If she had anywhere else she needed to be.

“Finished,” River sighed happily, slouching into the toasty seat. All she had left to do today was rest up ready to do it all again tomorrow. Oh, and respond to the dozens of messages from her friends having a mass meltdown over her new, official, mate.