Beta Complex-Chapter 66: Who Does That Damned Alpha Think He Is?

The sound of glass breaking is what wakes Ethan up from his deep slumber. The dream he’s having slips away, something about maid dresses and strawberries. It’s probably best he doesn’t remember it anyway.

"Shut, fuck," A deep voice says from the other side of the bedroom door. Ethan blinks up at the ceiling, remembering where he is. Right, he’s in Zander’s room. His neck is stiff and aches, though not as much as before. He misses the range of motion he used to have, and he swears that he’ll never forget how privileged he was for it. This fucking sucks, that’s for sure.

"Zander?" Ethan calls out, his voice cracking on the word. He waits, and there’s a moment of silence. When Ethan starts to suspect that Zander didn’t hear him, and is about to call his name again, the door opens with a soft click. There’s a creak and the alpha steps in, his head tilted down as he stares at his phone.

He looks just as exhausted as he did before. He’s no longer wearing the sweater and sweat pants he wore the last time Ethan saw him. Instead he now wears his work suit, with his black tie hung loose around his neck, and his dress shirt half-hazardly tucked into his matching slacks. Just how long was Ethan asleep?

"Are you okay?" The beta asks into the quiet air between them. Zander finally tears his emerald green eyes away from his phone to look at Ethan. His frown is deepset, and despite his attempt to smile, Ethan can see the anger set into his broad shoulders.

"I’m fine." Zander says, but Ethan doesn’t believe him. He notices the cloth clenched tight in Zander’s other hand. The alpha grows distracted once more when his phone buzzes and he glances down at it. He types away with a heavy sigh.

"Sit down please." Ethan pats a spot on the bed with his uninjured hand. Zander does so without looking up, and Ethan frowns. As soon as the Alpha is within reach, Ethan grabs Zander’s hand that holds the cloth and pulls it out of his grip. He winces at the large amount of blood, and watches as the deep cut in his palm quickly heals before his eyes.

"I’m fine." Zander says again, his head tilting to look down at the broken Beta. "Promise." His smile is genuine this time, and without thinking about it, he leans down to kiss Ethan’s forehead.

Ethan flushes red, and pushes the cloth back into Zander’s hand, who sets it on the bedside table. Ethan glances towards the curtain, noticing that little to no light shines through the seams. It’s dark out, and Ethan suspects he’s been asleep for a long while. "What time is it?"

"It’s 4 in the morning." Zander answers, as he glances at his phone once more. He chews on his bottom lip, seeming distracted when he looks at Ethan again. "I’m sorry I woke you, I accidentally dropped a glass."

"Did something bad happen? You look upset." Ethan asks. He curls his hand around Zander’s and gives it a light squeeze. Zander’s large palm is warm and smooth against his own, and he has the urge to put it on his cheek.

Zander raises an eyebrow, realizing how stuck he is to his phone and forces a chuckle, "It’s just some work stuff. Things aren’t going the way I expected." He shrugs it off as if it’s not a big deal. Ethan knows better though. It must be something drastic if it has this dominant alpha rattled.

"Oh I’m sorry." The beta says instead of pushing the matter. Drastic or not, it’s not really Ethan’s business anyway, right? If Zander really wanted to tell him, he would have. He won’t force it out of him, no matter how curious he is.

"Can I call my mom now?" He asks instead.

"Now?" Zander asks as his eyebrows raise in surprise. "At four in the morning?"

Ethan smiles and nods. "Mom is usually up at this time to prepare the restaurant." He explains. Just thinking about it brings a strange nostalgia. Why does it feel like forever since he’s done that with her? "She’s got to bake bread and make desserts, as well as take inventory and all that other stuff."

"She does all that by herself?" Zander scoffs, his lips quirking upwards. She works very hard, it seems.

"Jessie is probably there to help her," Ethan tries not to chuckle, sure that it will only hurt his throat. "I’m sure." He holds his hand out for the phone, his fingers curling in a ’give me’ motion.

Zander reluctantly passes his phone along and Ethan types in his mother’s number that he memorized the moment she got it.

There’s a click and then a soft and tired, "Hello?"

"Ah," Ethan cringes and then says, "Hi momma."

Zander stares at him for a moment, the momma boy beta flustered as her voice turns shrill.

"Ethan?!" She shouts, any sign of fatigue disappears and is replaced by a frantic edge. There’s another voice in the background, but it’s too muffled for Ethan to make any of the words out. "Where the hell are you?" There’s a slam on her end before it goes quiet. Then she’s speaking in a much more restrained tone. "One day you’re at the hospital and then the next I’m being told you’ve been discharged to another doctor!"

Ethan winces at the accusation in her voice. He glances at Zander, but the alpha stands on the other end of the room with a book in his hand. Is he giving him space to talk? Ethan couldn’t appreciate it enough. The beta quickly explains where he is and about Zander’s doctor.

"He did what?" She screams. Ethan has to pull the phone away from his head to keep his eardrum from hurting. "Just who does that damned alpha think he is?"

Ethan cringes. "It’s fine momma." He chuckles and groans at the sharp pain in his neck. "I’m fine. I’m already feeling tons better."