Chapter 34 #2
"And if it's not satisfied?" I asked, even though part of me didn't want to know the answer, my voice dropping lower, my hands clenching in my lap. Nolan's expression darkened, something heavy settling in his green eyes, his jaw tightening.
"Without an Omega partner to help him through it, rut can be brutal." His voice was quiet, serious, carrying the weight of medical knowledge and personal concern, his hands clasping together tightly. "Painful. Even dangerous — for the Alpha himself."
"Dangerous how?" My voice was small, my throat tight with worry, my eyes searching his face.
"Rut fever." Nolan leaned forward, his hands clasped together, his green eyes intense, his voice dropping to something grave.
"Without release, without an Omega's presence to soothe the cycle, an Alpha's body starts to turn on itself.
His temperature spikes — dangerously high.
He can become delirious, aggressive, unable to distinguish friend from threat.
In extreme cases, his organs can start to shut down. "
The blood drained from my face, cold dread pooling in my gut, my hands going cold.
"That can happen to Reid?" My voice cracked on his name, fear clawing at my chest, my eyes wide with horror.
"It's rare for it to get that bad." Nolan reached across the desk, his hand covering mine, warm and reassuring, his thumb stroking across my knuckles, his green eyes softening.
"Most Alphas can ride out a rut alone — it's miserable, but survivable.
But Reid..." He paused, his jaw tightening, his expression troubled.
"Reid is a strong Alpha. A Head Alpha. His ruts have always been more intense than average.
Without you, without an Omega to help him through this. .. I'm worried."
"What happens if I do help him?" I met his eyes, something shifting in my chest — fear giving way to determination, uncertainty giving way to something fiercer, my spine straightening. "What would it mean? What would happen to me?"
Nolan's expression softened, something like hope flickering in his green eyes, his hand tightening on mine.
"If you help him through his rut, his body gets what it needs.
" His voice was warm, gentle, his thumb continuing its soothing strokes across my knuckles.
"The fever breaks. The need is satisfied.
" His green eyes met mine, soft with reassurance.
"And you... you would be taken care of. Protected.
Cherished. Every instinct in Reid's body during rut is focused on his Omega — pleasuring her, satisfying her, keeping her safe.
He would never hurt you, Aster. Not even in the grip of the most intense rut. "
"How can you be sure?" The question came out smaller than I intended, vulnerability bleeding through despite my best efforts, my eyes dropping to our joined hands. "If he's not himself, if his instincts are in control—"
"Because I know him." Nolan squeezed my hand, his green eyes fierce with certainty, his voice strong and sure.
"Because I've seen him at his worst and his best. Because even when every instinct is screaming at him to take, to claim, Reid's deepest drive is to protect.
To care for. He would die before he hurt you, Aster. Rut or no rut."
I sat with that for a long moment, letting it sink in, letting myself believe it.
"What about the others?" I looked up, meeting Nolan's eyes, my brow furrowing with a new concern. "Kol and Sawyer? Will Reid's rut... will it affect them too?"
"Not in the same way." Nolan shook his head, his expression thoughtful, his hand still holding mine.
"They'll give Reid space during the worst of it — being around another Alpha in rut can trigger competitive instincts, make things more volatile.
But once the peak passes, having pack nearby can actually help.
The other Alphas can provide support, bring food and water, make sure both of you are okay. "
"And you?" I tilted my head, studying him, my voice soft with curiosity. "You're an Alpha too." Something warm flickered in his green eyes, something like affection and longing carefully contained, his expression going soft.
"My rut isn't triggered yet." His voice was soft, honest, his thumb tracing patterns on my hand. "Being around you, being pack... it's building. But I have more time than Reid does. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
The implication hung in the air — that all of them, eventually, would go through this. That being their Omega meant helping all of them through their ruts, one by one. The thought should have terrified me. Instead, it sparked something warm in my chest.
"Where is he now?" I stood, my decision crystallizing, my spine straightening with determination, my eyes meeting Nolan's.
"He locked himself in his room about an hour ago.
" Nolan rose with me, his expression worried but hopeful, his hand releasing mine reluctantly.
"He's trying to fight it off. Trying to protect you from himself.
" A pause, his green eyes searching my face.
"He doesn't want to pressure you, Aster.
Doesn't want you to feel obligated. He'd rather suffer through it alone than make you feel like you have to—"
"I don't feel obligated." The words came out fierce, certain, surprising us both, my hands curling into fists at my sides. "I feel... I feel like I need to be there. Like the thought of him suffering alone when I could help is unbearable."
Nolan's smile was soft, proud, his eyes bright with unshed tears, his expression full of warmth.
"That's the bond." His voice was gentle, filled with wonder, his hand reaching out to squeeze my shoulder. "Even without a formal claiming, you're already connected to him. Your Omega recognizes him just like his Alpha recognizes you."
He walked me to the clinic door, his hand warm on my shoulder, his presence steady and reassuring.
"Go to him." His voice was encouraging, supportive, his green eyes warm as they met mine. "He needs you. And I think... I think you need him too."
I found Reid's door at the end of the hallway. Even from feet away, I could feel the heat radiating from the room, could smell his scent — sharp and heady and overwhelming, making my head spin. My Omega stirred in my chest, drawn to him like a moth to flame, every instinct urging me closer.
I knocked softly, my heart pounding against my ribs, my knuckles rapping gently against the wood.
"Reid?" My voice came out steadier than I felt, my hand pressed flat against the warm wood, my body leaning toward the door. "It's me. Can I come in?"
A long pause. Then a sound — something between a groan and a growl, rough and desperate, muffled by the door.
"No." His voice was strained, wrecked, barely recognizable, the word forced out through gritted teeth, his breath audibly harsh even through the barrier. "Aster, you need to leave. Go back to the others. Stay away from me until this passes."
"Nolan told me what's happening." I kept my voice calm, even, my palm still pressed to the door, feeling the heat seeping through the wood. "I know about the rut. I understand."
"Then you understand why you need to go." A thud — his fist hitting the wall, maybe, or his body slumping against the door, his voice cracking with strain. "I can't control it, Aster. I can barely control it now, and it hasn't even hit full force yet. If you come in here, if I touch you—"
"What if I want you to touch me?" My voice was soft but certain, my forehead pressing against the door, my eyes closing as I spoke.
Silence. Complete, deafening silence.
"You don't know what you're saying." His voice came out ragged, broken, desperate, his breathing harsh and uneven through the door.
"This isn't like before. This isn't gentle.
During rut, I'm not... I'm not myself. I'm something else.
Something primal. Something that only knows how to take and claim and—"
"And protect." I cut him off, my voice fierce, my hand pressing harder against the door. "And care for. And cherish. That's what Nolan said. That even during rut, your deepest instinct is to take care of your Omega."
"Aster—" His voice was strangled, desperate, pleading.
"I'm not afraid of you, Reid." I pressed my forehead against the door, wishing I could see him, wishing I could touch him, my voice softening with love. "I've never been afraid of you. Not from the first moment you found me in that barn. And I'm not going to start now."
"I don't want to hurt you." The words came out broken, anguished, carrying the weight of every fear he'd ever had about himself, his voice cracking on each syllable. "I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you."
"You won't." My voice was soft now, certain, filled with trust. "I trust you, Reid. I trust you with my body and my heart and everything I am. I'm not leaving you to suffer alone when I can help. When I want to help."
"Why?" The question was barely a whisper, raw and vulnerable, his voice breaking on the single word.
"Because I love you." The words came easily now, flowing from somewhere deep in my chest, my voice warm and certain.
"Because you're mine just like I'm yours.
Because leaving you alone right now goes against every instinct I have.
" I smiled against the door, even though he couldn't see it, my lips curving up.
"Apparently my Omega has chosen you too. "
Another long silence. Then the sound of movement — footsteps approaching the door, a hand pressing against the wood from the other side.
"Last chance." His voice was rough, strained, but some of the despair had faded, replaced by something that sounded almost like hope, his palm pressing against the door to mirror mine. "Once you come through this door, I won't be able to stop. Not until it's done. Not until we're done."
I reached for the handle, my fingers curling around the metal, my heart pounding in my chest.
"Then don't stop." I turned the knob, pushed the door open, stepped into the furnace heat of his room, my eyes finding his immediately. "I'm yours, Reid. Take what you need."
He was standing just inside the door, shirtless, his skin slicked with sweat, his muscles taut and trembling. His dark eyes were wild when they met mine — desperate and burning and so full of need it stole my breath.
"Aster." My name was a prayer and a warning and a promise all at once, his voice rough and broken, his whole body shaking with restraint.
"I'm here." I reached for him, my hand cupping his burning face, my thumb tracing the line of his jaw, my voice soft and steady. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. We're going to do this together."
His control snapped and I let him catch me when I fell.