Chapter 26
My skin crawls as I walk into the doctor’s office. I’ve felt off all morning, but assumed it was because of the impending appointment.
Today I find out if my scent glands are regrowing. Which is fucking terrifying.
Ridley’s fingers intertwine with mine, thumb brushing over the back of my hand in soothing strokes as we wait. He can feel my anxiety bubbling, but he doesn’t offer me empty promises; he just silently supports me. A rock I can lean on to weather whatever storm we are about to face.
“Bea Powell?” A nurse calls my name, and I jump to my feet. Better to get this over with now instead of pushing it off.
After ultrasounds, blood work, and the usual check-ins, I’m squirming in my seat when the doctor finally walks in.
Doctor Russell is someone I became acquainted with after she helped treat Omen’s chemical rejection.
She’s an awesome doctor, one who genuinely listens to her female and Omega patients instead of making assumptions.
“Good morning, Bea!” she greets me brightly, setting her laptop on a little desk and sitting on the round stools doctors love to use. “How are we feeling today?”
“Like I am going to crawl out of my skin if you don’t tell me what’s happening with my glands,” I bite out.
She just laughs, eyes flickering from me to her keyboard. “Understandable. Okay, here you go.” She turns her laptop to face me, with an ultrasound image on the screen. My eyes narrow as I study the image, but I can’t tell up from down on these damn things.
Sensing my distress, Ridley asks her to clarify.
“Here,” she points to a slightly darker gray blob at the edge of the black space. “This is your scent gland. It isn’t fully formed, but it is regrowing.”
Relief pulses through me, easing the tension from my shoulders. The itchiness of my skin doesn’t dissipate, but I barely notice it. My glands aren’t gone forever. I’ll get my scent back, eventually. Fates, that’s the best fucking news!
“Given the current rate of growth, I expect they will be fully formed in about three months.” She turns her laptop back around and clicks several times, scanning the rest of my test results. When her lips tick down just the slightest, my pulse races. “You are in the very early stages of pre-heat.”
“I just had a heat last month. I can’t have another so soon,” I protest.
Doctor Russell turns to face me, sympathy written across her expression. “Those mate marks are new?” I nod. “And you have other mates you haven’t bonded with yet?”
When I nod again, her smile turns soft. “Given the trauma you recently endured, and the proximity of your mates, it is likely your body is forcing the heat to hurry your bonding. Your instincts need to feel stabilized by those connections, to know you have mates to keep you safe. Have you seen a therapist or spoken with anyone about what happened?”
I purse my lips, my silence answering for me.
“Therapy is not likely to stop your impending heat, but you should still consider it. Your mental health is extremely important, acting as a direct link to your Omega side.”
We talked for a few moments more, mostly Doctor Russell answering Ridley’s questions. I tune them both out, fighting back an all-consuming panic at the thought of going into heat. My scent glands haven’t reformed yet. How will my Alphas be able to sense my need if my scent is fucking gone?
Warm arms wrap around me as I spiral, a purr cutting through the darkest of my thoughts—images of me alone and in unbearable pain as my heat consumes what’s left of my sanity.
“Come back to me, sunshine,” Ridley whispers, the words loud against my ear. The soft puffs of his breath are a siren call, luring me back to reality.
I blink, looking up into his mesmerizing jewel-toned eyes. “Alpha?” My voice shakes, unshed tears lining my eyes and betraying my distress.
“I’ve got you, Omega,” he promises, lips pressing against my forehead. “Let’s get you home and settled in your nest. Then we can figure things out with the others.”
I tip my head slowly up and down, my thoughts sluggish as the darkness tries to rise again. He takes my hands and pulls me off the table, making sure I’m pressed against him. I barely blink when he lifts me into his arms, melting against him to bask in the soft vibration of his purr.
The trip back to my apartment slips by in blurred pieces of skyline and traffic lights. Creed meets us at the curb and sweeps me from the passenger seat. The strength of his purr startles me, sounding more like a motorcycle engine than the lion-like sounds the others have made.
“Welcome home, kitten.”
Home. That’s right. These men are my home. My heart. As long as they are here, we can handle anything life throws our way. Even a scentless heat.
“Knock, knock! I hope no one is naked!” Foster singsongs as he swings my apartment door open. My mates glare at him, Orion and Creed ready to pounce on our unexpected guest. They only calm when Omen appears behind him, tucking her spare key back into the pocket of her messenger bag.
“This is a surprise,” I comment, eyes tracking over the bags of takeout and groceries in their hands.
“Obviously.” Foster rolls his eyes as he sets everything on the counter and starts unpacking. “We’re having a sleepover! Omega’s only, so those three need to go.”
My lips tug into a grin when all three of my mates start to protest. It’s cute that they want to stay with me, especially after my meltdown at the doctor’s this morning, but a night of snacks, gossip, and cuddles with my best friends sounds like heaven.
“I’m in, but only if you brought-” Foster interrupts me to wave several bags of my favorite candies in the air, one dark brow raised. “Sorry, Alphas, but you heard him. Time to find somewhere else to be for the evening.”
“Omega,” Creed growls, advancing on me. He squats so we are at eye level. “You need at least one of us here, in case-”
“Nope,” Omen chimes in, curling up on one of the empty chairs. Her nose wrinkles slightly at whichever of my mate’s scents is most prominent there. “This apartment is secure, and if Bea were to need you for anything else, one of us will call you.”
I nod my agreement, pressing a kiss to the corner of Creed’s mouth before he can voice more objections. “I promise I will call if I need you.”
“Fine,” he grumbles, heaving himself to his feet. Orion and Ridley stop to press filthy kisses to my lips before all three of them leave.
Foster hands me a glass of wine and a bowl of mixed candies before sitting next to me. “Welcome to the mated Omega club, though I don’t envy your crazy ass with so many Alphas in your pack.”
Clinking my glass against his, I grin. “They’re all Alphas.” The aghast look on Foster’s face cracks me up, my stomach pinching from how hard I’m laughing.
“You psychopath!”
My shoulders shrug as I sip my drink. “How’s fatherhood?”
The wistful look that crawls over his face has a small flare of jealousy sparking in my soul, but I’m quick to brush it aside. There’s no way in hell I’m ready for a baby.
“It’s wonderfully exhausting. Having Hannah and the kids there… everything almost feels perfect.”
“Almost?” Omen asks, head tilted curiously.
Hannah is Omen’s older sister, and the DAU’s former leak from the Montgomery anti-designation cult.
The two of them spent many years apart after Oms went into hiding to escape her birth family, only reuniting this past summer when a very pregnant Hannah and her daughter fled the state.
She’s a very caring Beta woman who was dealt a shit hand in life and used it to make the world a better place.
Her connection to Foster and Shepherd was a surprise to both me and Omen, but she deserves mates who will worship the ground she walks on. Exactly the way I know Foster and his Alpha do.
“I had a heat recently,” Foster sighs, grabbing the TV remote and flipping through channels.
He isn’t focused on the screen, just keeping his hands busy.
“It was too soon after Everett was born for Hannah to join us, so we used a heat helper. He was… incredible. Having him in my nest, it felt like he was meant to be there. Obviously, he didn’t stay after.
Contractual obligations and such, but I miss him like crazy. ”
“You think he might share your Fated Connection?”
We’ve always known Foster and his Alpha were Fate-matched mates, sharing a matching birthmark connection. It was crazy to learn Hannah was also part of their Fated pack, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume there are other matches out there for them.
Foster side-eyes me and shakes his head. “I’ve seen every inch of that man’s body, and there’s no birthmark.”
“That doesn’t mean he can’t be yours, though,” Omen adds softly, a small smile on her lips. “As long as he chooses you, too, that’s all that really matters.”
My stomach rumbles loudly, interrupting the sweet moment and making us all laugh. “Good thing we brought food!” Omen dips into the kitchen and returns a few minutes later with overflowing takeout containers of jambalaya, cornbread, and fried okra.
“Yes, please,” I groan, making grabby hands at the food as she hands it to me. “Omega anxiety shit always leaves me starving.”
“What happened?” my bestie asks, settling in with her own food. A teen drama show plays in the background, more background noise than something we are actually paying attention to.
I shove a piece of cornbread in my mouth and give her wide eyes. Omen just gives me a narrow look before rolling her eyes. I’ll tell them; I just need to enjoy this mouthwatering food before I try to deal with my hectic emotional state.
When our plates are empty and our stomachs full, I flop into the corner of the couch and groan, patting my belly. “Fates, I love gorging myself on delicious food.”
“Don’t we all.”
Foster turns to sit in the opposite corner, angled toward me. I can tell by the look in his sage-green eyes that he isn’t going to let me drop Omen’s earlier question. If I have to drag this topic back up, I suppose it is best handled with other Omegas who will understand my concerns.
“I went to the doctor today.” They listen as I explain what Doctor Russell told me, eyes wide and bodies shuddering when I mention my impending scentless heat.
“Fucking Fates, Bea,” Omen mumbles, pulling her long hair out of its ponytail and running her hands through the dark strands. She has a faraway look on her face that makes guilt swirl in my stomach.
Not too long ago, she was drugged at one of her guy’s shows. It led to a hellacious nine-day-long heat, where her body refused to accept any of the relief she gave herself. Only after one of her mates came to help her did the heat dissipate.
“Your mates will be there,” Foster adds. “They might not scent your need as strongly, but the bonds between you will tell them everything they need to know. Your pack will find a balance.”
“Hopefully.” I shrug and bury myself in a blanket that smells faintly of Orion’s ozone scent, helping to calm my riotous thoughts. A lot can go wrong during this heat, but I need to remember that a lot can also go right. My mates won’t let me face this alone; of that, I am certain.
“I hope your Alphas are prepared for one bossy Omega,” Foster laughs. “I have a feeling you’re going to put them through the wringer!”
Grinning widely, I let the mischief in my heart shine through my eyes. “Hell yes, I am!”
“Are you all living here?” Omen asks, looking around with a frown.
“For now. We can’t stay after the end of the month because the apartment is Omega-only. And honestly, we need more space anyway. You should see Creed trying to fit into my nest here!”
Laughter fills the air as we share jokes and updates about our packs and careers.
Ice cream and wine are plentiful throughout the long night, leaving a content smile on my face as I drift to sleep on our makeshift pillow bed in the living room.
An Omega night was precisely what I needed, and I think my friends needed it too.
This year has been chaos for us all, and I know there is still more to come. With the members of the Eternals still on the loose, and the upcoming trial for Omen and Hannah’s birth family, we can’t expect peace for a few more months.
One day, though, we’ll be sitting on the beach, soaking up the sun, and enjoying the hell out of this amazing Fate we’ve found.