Chapter 7
chapter
seven
You know what?
I’m not surprised.
Finally finding a way to leave Wally’s, only to get jumped by some random alpha-hole in a super fancy suit? Because I was dumb enough to think, for one minute, that he might be my knight in shining armor?
That sounds like something that would happen to me.
I still have no grasp on the specifics of what just occurred or who any of the voices around me belong to, but one seems pretty darn insistent. “Tristan, you’re going to have to calm down. Your distress will only make her condition worse. Please, try to sit.”
Whoever Tristan is, he doesn’t listen. I hear footsteps pacing close by.
The voice drops into a mutter, hovering right at my side. “Or we could continue to ignore the doctor,” it says. “Outstanding.”
A doctor?
I’ve never been to a doctor. Maybe I’m dreaming I’m on General Hospital again. That used to be one of my favorite shows to sneak at three a.m.
A dream would explain why everything feels foggy and surreal. It could also account for all the strange sensations racing around inside of me. The pain carved into my neck is particularly annoying, but it’s nothing compared to the feelings ricocheting around my abdomen like pinballs.
Fear. Dread. Pain. Regret.
Fear again. Agony. More dread.
Holy shit. What is happening to me? And why can’t I seem to get control of my body long enough to open my eyes?
When I try my hardest, all I get is a twitch.
“She’s moving .”
An answering sigh speaks of great patience. “Yes, Senator. I told you, she’s very much alive. The twitching likely means she’s about to come back to full consciousness. You should prepare yourself. She’ll likely be panicked and in pain.”
Well, he’s got the pain part right; I’ll give him that.
It’s hard to decide what’s worse; the open wound pulsing on my throat or all of the horrible emotions seething in my stomach.
Actually, scratch that.
I know what the worst thing is. And it’s absolutely mortifying .
Because whyyyyyyyy in the world would I be horny right now? Like— what?! Where is this wrenching ache in my pussy coming from?
Silly little slut—I bet you’re nice and slick, too.
I cringe away from the lash of my memories, trying not to let them touch me.
It’s hard when that cruel voice has a point , though.
Because unless I’m some desperate, insane nympho, there is literally no reason for my pussy to be desperately sucking at nothing right now.
Did she not get the memo here? We’re in a strange place, surrounded by strange alpha men, basically naked. Unconscious? Half-conscious? And, now, in mysterious pain.
Like, come on, ma’am.
Read the room .
But, nope. I guess I really am an insane, desperate nympho because she’s melting like a popsicle on a summer sidewalk—all sticky and wet and, if the air in here is any indication, sweet, too.
Unless that’s the mystery doctor?
Doubt it; he seems to have a spicy scent layered with a thick slab of absolutely not , which means he’s bonded.
Thank the Lord .
He also seems fairly calm, given the vibes in here. “Hmm. You said you scented her and blacked out?”
Guilt swells in my middle. For a second, I think it’s my usual reaction whenever someone scents my ultra-strong perfume. It takes a second to realize this feels different. And I have no idea where it’s coming from or what’s causing it.
“I walked in and we looked at each other. She perfumed, and it just—” His voice cuts off with a hiss. The shame roiling through me doubles, then triples, along with a burst of pleasure that connects with the pulsing pang in my core.
A second later, I hear a mortified croak. “My apologies.”
The doctor clears his throat. “Perfectly natural. Most alphas and omegas bond in heat, during intercourse. Spontaneous climaxes are typical. Your body is just confused by the half-bond.”
Okay, now I know I’m dreaming. Most of what he said made no sense at all.
The husky voice asks the question I can’t. “Half-bond? ”
Another quiet sigh. “You bit her, but she didn’t bite you back. The bond is incomplete. To complete it, she would have to claim you in return. Preferably before her next heat ends. If she goes through the heat without bonding with you fully, the half-bond you’ve formed tonight will cause you numerous… symptoms.”
My mind spins as I listen, trying to absorb medical mumbo-jumbo that cannot be correct.
Right?
The doctor’s concerned voice drops lower. “In the meantime, you’ll be able to feel each other’s emotions, but they will be indistinct and lack any sort of context. You won’t be able to speak internally or show one another images, such as your surroundings or memories.”
“What about my pack?” the first man whispers.
“Fundamentally, pack bonds run through omegas and pack leaders,” the calm one replies as something presses into my wrist, hunting for my thready pulse.
“ You have a half-bond with her because you claimed her, and she has not claimed you back. Your packmates will likely experience an increased attraction to her—beyond that of normal mates—because she’s been claimed by their alpha. But as she hasn’t bitten any of them and none of them have bitten her, they don’t have any bonds. Yet .”
Claimed. Bonds.
Mates .
An embarrassing spike of hope impales my heart, but my stomach drops and clenches. Or is that the alpha’s?
The doctor continues, “If, for whatever reason, she eventually chooses to bond with them and not with you, she’ll have internal bonds with each of them individually. But, because you are the pack leader, none of you will have a pack bond—where you will all sense one another through her—until she chooses to claim you in return. If she chooses to claim you.”
I can sense alpha distress the way bomb-sniffing dogs sense gunpowder. I feel it now, even before the delectable scent of summer—which is already sour and sunburnt—starts to smell like a flaming pile of lawn clippings.
The doctor must sense it, too. “I wouldn’t fret about it too much,” he reassures. “If you’re truly mates, your omega will likely want to complete the bond soon.”
Silence beats in the air, thick as mud. “And if she doesn’t?”
Doctor Alpha clicks his tongue. His voice drops into a solemn mumble. “It’s your job to make sure she does.”