“Hey, um, it’s okay.” Noah tried a shaky smile. “Guess I need to watch where I’m going.”
“No,” John said, climbing off Micah to scowl down at him. “It’s not okay. You attacked a staff member without cause or provocation. You lost control.”
Which was the precise moment Phoenix walked up, and Nick was with him. Awesome.
“What?” Nix said, taking in the scene.
Micah pushed to his feet. “Look, I said I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Nick’s expression was like a gathering storm getting ready to unleash. “What won’t happen? Did you actually attack Noah?”
“Yes, but he ran into me,” he tried to explain. “Or we ran into each other, and my wolf thought—”
“My office. Now.”
Fucking shit. Nodding, Micah could only watch miserably as the commander stalked off in the direction of his office, John following. Turning, he started to apologize to Noah again. But before he could take a step, Nix got between them, getting right in his face.
“Touch him again, ever, and I’ll kill you. Brother or not,” he said quietly. He was dead serious.
“I said I was sorry, and I am.”
“Get yourself together, Micah. We all see how you’re suffering, but you’re a time bomb ready to go off, and we don’t know what to do.”
“I’m dealing with my issues the best I know how.” he paused, anger rising again. “What about you? How are you dealing with yours? That mating thing coming along just peachy?”
“That’s not any of your goddamn business,” Nix growled.
“Nope, but looks like you’d better make it yours. Sooner rather than later.” He jerked his chin to where Noah was disappearing down the hallway.
Nix cursed and took off after Noah.
Micah stood in the hallway for a moment, collecting himself. He’d fucked up. Bad. He’d apologize to Noah again, later, without an audience, and make sure the man knew he was sincere. First, he had to appease his boss.
When he reached the office, he knocked once before slipping inside. Nick was sitting behind his desk, papers in hand. Setting them down, expression hard, he gestured for Micah to sit. Nerves assailed Micah but he schooled himself to appear calm in the face of the commander’s quiet anger.
“What the actual fuck was that out there? You lost control and attacked Noah in the middle of the hallway. Noah, who’s half your size and wouldn’t hurt a fly.” His jaw clenched and his blue eyes were like steel. “Talk to me.”
“I don’t know. I was walking along, and I was deep in thought, so when he ran into me I guess I just reacted.”
“Snapped.”
It sounded terrible, put like that. “I don’t think I really would’ve hurt him.”
“We don’t know that because John stopped you before you could do any harm.” His frown deepened. “Is Mac still counseling you?”
Dr. Mackenzie Grant worked in Sanctuary, with Dr. Melina Mallory, Noah, and the others. She was also Kalen’s mate, and the daughter of General Jarrod Grant. In short, a woman not to be fucked with.
“Some. I’m seeing her this afternoon.”
“Good. You’ll tell her about this incident or I will. If Noah hasn’t already, that is.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The pills. How many are you taking?”
He should’ve expected the question, but it still caught him off guard. “Mac prescribed one in the morning and one at night.”
“No. How many are you actually taking? Don’t even think of lying to me.”