By the end of the month, Warren was at his wits' end.
Being married to an alpha was challenging in ways he hadn't expected.
The smell of a strange alpha in his house, on his territory, was incredibly aggravating, no matter how much he had grown to like Jordan.
Wherever he went, every room seemed to stink of the other alpha's scent, which made him embarrassingly snappish and growly. It was fucking mortifying.
Jordan seemed sympathetic to his plight, but he didn't seem to have the same problem at all. It was probably easier for him because he didn't regard Reed Ranch as his territory.
For him, he was only sharing a roof with another alpha, nothing more.
"All right, that's enough," Jordan said one morning.
Warren lifted his gaze from the document he was studying on his tablet—or rather, pretending to be studying, trying to distract himself from the fact that the small dining room stank of the other alpha.
Jordan sipped his drink before setting his cup down. "We can't go on like this," he said. "If we do, you're going to snap. Get up."
Warren narrowed his eyes. He didn't appreciate being given orders. Who did he think he was, ordering him in his own house—
He cut off that train of thought. This wasn't him. He wasn't this territorial caveman.
Warren got to his feet and breathed deeply, trying to relax his knotted-up muscles.
It really couldn't go on like this.
Other people in the Assembly were starting to take notice of his snappish attitude. Before long, there would be rumors that there was something wrong with his marriage, which was the last thing they needed to keep this shaky peace.
"Come here," Jordan said softly, as if knowing how close to snapping he was.
Warren stalked forward and stopped by Jordan's chair.
Looking him in the eye, Jordan swallowed and tilted his head to the side. Baring his neck.
Warren tensed up.
Jordan hadn't offered him his throat again since that first night, and that other time had been instinctive, in response to Warren's anger.
This was deliberate. Jordan was doing it because he wanted to help him. He must have been forcing himself, fighting his own instincts for Warren's sake. It was incredibly generous.
And it was exactly what Warren needed to placate the alpha in him. He leaned down and shoved his face against Jordan's bared throat, rubbing his nose against the scent gland, his pheromones pumping out like crazy, until all he could smell on Jordan's skin was him, Warren.
He could feel Jordan stiffen at first before slowly relaxing. Fingers came up to thread through Warren's hair.
"Better?" Jordan murmured as Warren finally relaxed, just scent-marking him lazily.
"Yes," Warren said gruffly, embarrassed that he even needed this.
Millions of years of evolution, and yet he was little better than the animal he was descended from. He lifted his head and straightened. He felt calmer than he'd felt in weeks. "Thank you."
Jordan nodded with a small, crooked smile. "Anytime. Seriously, anytime. We can't have you exploding and making people talk. Gossip mongers look for any little reason to blow things out of proportion."
Warren grimaced. It was true, unfortunately. There were already people questioning their marriage because they didn't make public appearances often.
"Speaking of gossip, it'd help if we were seen together. What about dinner tonight? I know a great restaurant I think you'd like."
"All right," Jordan said. "I think I'll be done with paperwork by six in the evening."
Warren frowned. "Your father is still punishing you for not returning to North Veridia? How old is he, five? That's just childish."
Jordan laughed, but Warren could sense his mirth wasn't entirely genuine. "He doesn't like it when I disobey his orders. I had to tell him I would be home within the next five days."
Warren kept his face carefully neutral, even though he wasn't sure how he felt about it. As much as Jordan's alpha scent all over the house drove him nuts, he couldn't imagine returning home and Jordan not being there.
The thought was… strange.
"We'll talk about it in the evening," he said, glancing at his watch. "I'll pick you up at seven."
"I'll be sure to wear my prettiest dress," Jordan said with a laugh.
Warren smiled back. He liked how generous with his smile and easy to laugh Jordan was. He was… fun to be around.
For an alpha, he was quite easygoing and laid-back. It made living with him far less painful than it could have been. "You'll always be the prettiest for me," he deadpanned.
Jordan grinned and blew him a mock kiss. Warren's hands twitched. He turned swiftly and strode out of the room.
This… playful behavior never failed to agitate him. Jordan was that way with everyone. He flirted with Amelia, he flirted with Warren's mother, he flirted with their employees—and he flirted with Warren.
He didn't mean anything by it; it was just the way he was. Jordan genuinely liked people, and it was just a bit of fun for him. Warren knew it.
It still put him on edge. He… didn't mind when Jordan was that way with him. It was ridiculous, but it was… tolerable.
But as soon as Jordan fixed his baby blues on someone else and smiled at them, Warren could barely stop himself from kicking him out of the house.
Maybe it was his instincts acting up again, reacting to a strange alpha charming his people in his house. But it was immensely frustrating. Jordan was immensely frustrating. Jordan was—
Enough, he told himself, running a hand over his face. He spent too much time thinking about Jordan and being frustrated about him.
He was obsessing. Enough, dammit.