Malik's face scrunches up as Elias walks past him. "You smell awful. Like sadness and pride."

Elias grunts as he scowls at Malik. He ignores the commentary in order to continue wiping down the tables.

"He's smelled terrible for the past three weeks," Jason says as he comes back from the kitchen. He's balancing a tray of food in one hand and a small tray of drinks in the other. When Jason sits the items down on the table Elias just finished wiping, he turns to bite out,

"What are you doing? We're closing."

"Like hell we are," Jason replies with a smile. "You've been forcing us to do this pack bonding for years now and once I'm into a good routine, any disruption causes issues with my executive functioning."

"Oh congratulations," Malik cheerfully quips, "You're back in therapy!"

"Yes, and I'm learning to not suppress my feelings. Which is why we're having this pack bonding night. I have feelings." Jason points to a chair. "Sit."

Elias lets loose a loud exhale, but doesn't disobey. He throws the towel over his shoulder and plops down into the chair. "What?" He first stares at Jason before directing his attention to Malik.

"I feel—no, I believe you're being an idiot," Jason exclaims, a little too happily.

Elias' eyes narrow as he turns his head to stare at Jason. "I'm being an idiot? You both know what happened and yet I'm the idiot?"

"Yes," Malik states matter of factly. "You took him to your parents house without sharing a fraction of the truth. Then instead of allowing the focus to stay on you and your lying, you turned the tables and threw in his face that he has yet to adequately express his feelings for you. Then," Malik stresses, "when he tells you he's infertile, you stare at him."

"What was I supposed to say?!" Elias snaps. "If I say the wrong thing, that would have made matters worse."

Jason interjects, "Then, might I add, you haven't called this mystery man for three weeks."

"The phone works both ways," Elias complains.

"Fair," Malik mutters around a bite of food. "But" —he gestures toward Elias with his fork— "You have a tendency to do this."

Elias rolls his eyes as he asks, "Do what?"

"Whenever something seems good for you—,"

"Or whenever you really, really want something."

"—You self-sabotage and give up," Malik finishes.

"And before you say you don't, need I remind you of culinary school, studying abroad of your own volition, opening a restaurant, and now this poor, sweet omega," Jason clicks his tongue against his teeth as he shakes his head.

Elias sighs loudly as he scrubs his hand down his face. "He still doesn't know I'm a dominant alpha."

"Yet you know something so incredibly deep and personal about him," Malik says softly.

"How am I supposed to tell him what I am? If I couldn't tell him who I am, how am I supposed to tell him what I am?"

"You tell him in person. None of this text message or phone call bullshit," Jason chastises.

"That would require Eli actually making contact with him."

Right now, at this moment, Elias feels like a complete and total asshole. There is a lot he willingly hid from Delaney. And try as he might, his rationalization of this is coming up short. "I'm—," he begins but Jason and Malik simultaneously extend their phones and in unison say,

"Don't tell us. Tell him."

Elias swats at their hands as he rises. "I have my own phone. Lock up when you guys leave. I'll see you tomorrow, Jason." He moves down the hallway to his office, his fear growing with every step he takes. What if Delaney only likes him because he's rich? What if Delaney only wants to be with him because he's a dominant alpha? What if...Delaney doesn't want to be with him?

That last thought stops him from picking up the phone to make the call. If Delaney rejects him...it will quite possibly be the worst pain he's ever experienced. Right now he's struggling emotionally; he's irritable, having trouble sleeping, and doesn't have an appetite, but if he actually hears he's unwanted...He lowers his body into his chair and brings his elbows up onto the desk, placing his head in his hands.

Why does this have to be so complicated?

He exhales through his nostrils and decides to just rip the goddamn bandaid off. He quickly dials Delaney's number and waits as it rings.

An unfamiliar male voice answers, "Laney's phone. Who might I say is calling?"

Elias freezes, anger and possession flaring brightly in his chest before he snaps, "I see he's moved on already. Tell him he doesn't need to call me back." He hangs up, not giving the other man a chance to speak.

However, within minutes, his phone is ringing.

"What?" He snaps out.

"How dare you," Delaney says in a low, shaky voice. "How dare you have the audacity to not speak to me for three weeks, call out of the blue, and then be angry when my friend answers my phone."

Friend...

"You didn't call me either," Elias lamely points out. He knows it's childish, but going tit for tat helps the pain to lessen. "Did your friend have your phone for the past three weeks?"

Delaney's voice is small when he replies, "Fuck you, Elias." The beeping of a call being disconnected follows his anguished voice.

Elias pulls the receiver away from his ear to stare for a few seconds. He hits redial and as soon as the phone is answered, he states, "You didn't call me for three weeks either, yet I'm the one in the wrong?"

The same unfamiliar voice responds, "Yes. You are. And you're lucky he's already asked me to not bring you to your knees and make you my bitch, although you already have the bitch part down very well."

"Who are you?"

"The person that's been fixing your fuck up. Tristin, Delaney's best friend."

Ah.

"Can I speak to him please?" Elias asks, his tone a bit more civil now that he believes his position in Delaney's life, if he still has one, is not being threatened.

"Here's the thing, Elias Bordeaux. You can't. I'll tell him you called and if he wishes to return your call, he will. Stop calling him."

Once again, the call is disconnected, leaving Elias to stare blankly at the receiver. He replaces it and stands, moving through his office and back to the restaurant. When he rejoins Jason and Malik, neither asks what happened. Instead, Jason scoots closer and places his head on Elias' shoulder while Malik pats the other. After a while of sitting in silence, Elias finally cracks, his voice breaking as he says,

"I'm pretty sure I've lost the love of my life."

Malik tuts softly, muttering, "there there" as he pats Elias' shoulder.

"What happened?" Jason asked.

Elias swipes at his eyes, clearing away his blurred vision in multiple passes. "Uh. Someone named Tristin answered his phone." Malik visibly perks up at the mention of that name, which aids Elias in regulating his emotions by taking the heat off of himself and placing it elsewhere. "You know him?"

Malik exhales a hard sigh and nods. "He's the alpha that's been attempting to court me at work."

Elias stares at Malik, his eyes narrowing as he rushes to formulate a plan. However, before he can, Malik quickly rushes out,

"I will not be part of whatever plan you're thinking of."

Malik knocks on Delaney's office door and waits, his hands clasped behind his back. Once he hears the invitation to enter, he opens the door slowly, peeking his head in. Delaney looks like a wreck. Dark circles are under his eyes, his usually neat hair is swept up into a messy bun, and he's wearing an oversized, tattered and bleached stained sweater, and loose fitting jeans. When he raises his eyes to smile at Malik, the usual light to his golden irises is not there, his smile falling short of reaching them.

"Oh, Malik. Has Tristin been bothering you while I've been gone?" Delaney's voice is strained, weighed down by fatigue and heartache.

The huge change in the man's personality is like a punch to the gut and despite Malik being upset that Elias roped him into this plan, his heart aches for Delaney. He enters the room and stands a few feet from the large desk.

"No. He actually did not come to the office while you weren't here. I'm here on behalf of, well, Elias Bordeaux." Delaney pained expression as he says Elias' name has Malik wincing in kind.

"What about him?"

"He's actually a really close friend of mine and...I don't mean to overstep my boundaries, but he asked me to give you this." Malik holds out an envelope.

Delaney stares at the letter for a spell before raising his eyes to meet Malik's. "You are overstepping your boundaries. Tell him if he wants to talk to me, he knows where to find me."

"You see, he has tried. But Tristin blocked that from happening."

"Yes, only because he has the annoying habit of disseminating pertinent information via phone call or text message and I refuse to have this conversation with him unless it's in person. Now if you excuse me," Delaney glances towards the door before going back to looking at the documents in front of him.

"He's not an asshole," Malik starts. "He's just...afraid."

"Of what?!" Delaney snaps.

"Probably the same thing you are."

"Bullshit!" Delaney shakily exclaims. "He doesn't know what it's like to live in fear of constant rejection because of something he cannot help."

"Rejection, no. But false acceptance, yes." Malik pulls the corner of his mouth to the side, pursing them a bit as before he says, "I'll relay your message. If you relay one for me?" Delaney's sigh is weary, but he nods, agreeing. "Please inform Tristin that I prefer sunflowers and red roses." He slightly bows at the waist before taking his leave.