Chapter 12
Back in Town
Liora
The house hadn't changed at all. I used the toilet and washed my hands in the guest bathroom that I'd picked the colors for so long ago.
Using one of the mauve washcloths, I wiped the blood away from my face and neck, then ran my fingers through my hair to loosen any pine needles that had caught there.
I looked like a total disaster. Mace would probably toss me out just for that.
Reluctantly, I returned to the living room to find all the guys there, each holding a cup of coffee. Finn handed me one as I approached and I stood awkwardly, not sure where to sit.
"Take the rocking chair," Mace said.
I wove between the others to reach the padded rocking chair that hadn't been here when I left.
Setting my milky coffee on the side table, I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.
My eyes stayed focused on the coffee table in the middle of the room, with its artful splay of architecture and tech magazines.
It was all so perfect and here I sat, a complete mess. Broken and dirty.
"Cookie?" Finn offered me a plate.
I shook my head. I was far too anxious to eat right now.
"Okay, we'll start," Aiden spoke up. "We thought the bond would dissolve over time, but it seems to be intact. We could feel you from time to time."
I winced. "Sorry. I tried to keep it locked down so you wouldn't."
"It's fine," Finn said, scooting as close as possible on his end of the sofa he shared with Aiden. "We just wanted to know what happened to make you hurt that badly."
Shrugging, I tugged on a loose thread from the t-shirt. "It doesn't matter."
"It does matter. We sent you away to find a new pack. One that could take care of you." Mace stated.
"No, you threw me away because I was a burden. You got successful and didn't need an omega who dragged down your image." I still didn't look up at them, but I knew they were staring at me.
"That's . . . no. Liora, we made a mistake, but we made it trying to do the best thing for you," Aiden said. He stood up and offered me a soft blanket.
"I can't believe that. You rejected me. You hurt me." I finally dragged my head up and looked each of them in the eyes. "And I did not find a better pack."
"Wait, no pack?" Aiden tucked the blanket around me. I wanted to tear it away and throw it at him, but it was the first comfort I'd had in nearly two years.
"Oh, there was a pack," my voice sounded bitter even to me. "They were worse than you three. Far, far worse."
"We were a good pack in the beginning, weren't we?" Finn pleaded.
"Can I just get some sleep?" I asked, not wanting to discuss this with them. "I'll leave in the morning. I'll do better with keeping the bond shut down."
"No, you can't just sleep after we've traveled over six hours to get you!" Mace scowled. "What happened? Why is your nose broken?"
"Because my pack leader broke it. I ran away and they caught me. Broke my nose, hit me. I got away and hid in a truck until I got far away." I threw up my hands. "There, that's the story. Like I said, I will be out of your hair in the morning."
"You can't just leave," Finn protested. "You can barely even walk."
"I'll be better in the morning." At least, I hoped that was true.
"It's already morning," he pointed out. "We have a traveling doctor coming to check you out."
"No, that's not a good idea. Not necessary." Panic flashed through me at the thought of a male doctor seeing me naked.
Frustration filled Mace's expression and he stood up, pacing. "Liora. We want to apologize for how we ended things. It was wrong. It was cruel. We thought it was the best thing at the time, though, for everyone involved. I've already apologized for my part in it, but I think we're all very sorry."
"I never thought it was a great idea," Finn muttered.
"I'm sorry, Liora." Aiden dropped to his knees in front of me. "Don't run off, please. Let the doctor check you out, fix you up, and get your feet back under you. Stay."
"And what will Andrea think of that?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Andrea?" He frowned. "Why would she care?"
"She's living here, right? That was the plan, get rid of me, move her in."
They all fell silent, then Finn swore.
"No, baby, that was never the plan. Andrea wanted to be with us, but we were never interested."
"Right." I shook my head. "You forget I could feel your love and admiration for her when you called her up on that stage. I foolishly thought it was for me, but no, it was for some blond beta bitch."
"She helped us immensely with the project," Mace said. "Of course, we admired her. But we were never interested in her as anything more than a business partner."
"Right. So you just stayed out all night with her the night of the opening to what? Work?"
"Actually, yes." Aiden grabbed my hand in his and didn't let me pull away. "We never slept with her. We were working on finishing up a project that one of our lab assistants screwed up. It had to be done by the next day."
I sighed. "Fine. Whatever. It doesn't matter anyway, since I'm not your omega. But I can't stay here. My pack will be looking for me. So will ORC if what I've heard is true."
"We'll tell them we took you back." Mace gave me a reassuring smile.
"That's not how this works," I said wearily. They weren't going to let me sleep, so I would need to take action instead. I got to my feet, wobbling slightly, but Aiden was right there to steady me. "You wouldn't happen to have a pair of shoes that might fit me, do you?"
Aiden looked down at my feet and frowned. "You don't have shoes?"
"No. I don't. I'm in borrowed clothes and their shoes were too big for me."
"Okay. We still have a box of your stuff in the attic. You can go rest in the nest," he said.
"I'm not going anywhere near a nest," I snapped. "Get me the shoes and a change of clothes if there are any left and I'll shower and go."
"We never touched your nest," Finn told me. "It's exactly the same as when you left."
"Okay?" I would have shaken my head, but it was pounding so hard I felt like it might explode.
The doorbell rang and Finn went to answer it. I could hear a woman's voice and narrowed my eyes at Mace. "I see your latest hookup is here, and you wanted me to take the nest?"
"Liora, this is Dr. Nova. Dr. Nova, Liora."
Oh.
Finn led a tall, willowy beta into the room. She was wearing scrubs under a pink jacket, a large black duffel bag dangling from her hand. So, this was the doctor they'd mentioned.
"Where should we do the exam?" she asked brightly.
"I just need my nose set, no exam," I muttered.
She eyed me professionally. "It looks like you had a blow to the head. Are you seeing spots, lights, or do you have blurry vision?"
All of the above. "No, I'm fine."
"I can't examine a patient against her will." She stepped across the room and frowned at me, then reached out a hand to run it over my cheekbone. "Have you had this x-rayed?"
"She won't even agree to let you check her out," Finn said in exasperation. "Do you really think we could get an x-ray done?"
Dr. Nova waved him away. "Liora, is there somewhere we could talk, just the two of us?"
I looked at Aiden.
"The guest bedroom," he said. "Down the hall and to the left."
We walked slowly down the hall, with me hobbling after the doctor. She didn't say anything until we reached the room, but she held the door open until I made it in and sat down on the bed. Just as she was about to close it, Finn came running up, a white plastic bag in his hands.
"Clothes and shoes. In case you want to change."
"Thank you, Finn." She took the bag and closed the door in his face, turning the lock with a click. Then she spun to me, her eyes wide, "I'm so sorry, I was shutting them out, not locking you in."
"It's fine." I took the bag she offered me and dumped it on the bed. A pair of my old pink sneakers fell onto the bed, along with an assortment of dresses and a pair of sweatpants that I'd always worn when the men were gone. There was a tank top, too, my favorite one.
"You're not fine," the doctor said, sitting carefully on the bed beside me. "I don't know what you've been through, but if you ask me, I think that cheekbone is broken, as well as your nose. And you have a severe concussion."
"What's the treatment?"
"Pain meds and rest, mostly."
"Great. Give me the meds and I'll be on my way." I tossed the dresses aside and gathered the shirt, a bra, underwear, and the sweatpants into my lap. "Go ahead and set my nose, please. I need to shower and leave."
"Why are you in such a hurry to get out of here?"
"There are some unpleasant men after me. I'd rather they not catch me."
"Shouldn't your pack be the ones who deal with that?"
"These guys? They're not my pack. They rejected me years ago."
She nodded, as if that made sense. "I've known these guys for a while now, I work in their lab, but I know how stubborn they can get. Especially Mace."
"Yup." I wobbled again as I stood up. "I need to shower."
"Tell you what? You shower, I examine you, and I'll give you a ride into town."
For a long moment, I studied her. "Why?"
"Because I want to make sure you're okay, first of all, and second, I think these alphas need to know what you've been through."
A ride back to town meant I wouldn't have to deal with the stupid alphas waiting in the living room. I nodded. "Fine. Deal."
It didn't take long to shower, but I stayed under the water for an extra half hour, just to see if Dr. Nova would leave.
Unfortunately, she was still there when I stepped out of the bathroom in a towel.
For the first time in years, I smelled good, with my natural lemon scent enhanced by the eucalyptus fragrance of the shampoo I'd used.
"You can drop the towel, if you're comfortable."
I tossed it onto the bed and Dr. Nova's eyes widened slightly. She remained professional though, stepping forward to shine a light on a few areas of my body, touching me with gloved hands.
"Where did these burn marks come from?" She ran her finger over some of the scars from the center.
"Taser sticks."
"At the Center?"
I glanced at her. "Maybe."
"You're safe with me. I've heard things about that place." Her lips tightened. "What happened here?" She pressed on a lumpy part of my rib.
I winced at the tenderness there. "I was knocked down."
"By?"
"Does it matter?"
"Liora, I'm on your side." She sighed. "Look, I know it's hard, but when an omega has been abused like this, the best thing to do is report the alphas who did it. That's the only way to make sure they don't do it to anyone else."
After she finished examining me, she let me get dressed before checking my head and shining a light in my eyes.
"Like I thought, you have a pretty serious concussion. And you're very malnourished. When was the last time you ate a proper meal?"
I snorted. "That hasn't happened in years."
"Even when you lived here?"
"Haven't you heard? Mace likes his omegas to look good on the red carpet," I snapped.
"I hadn't heard. I'll be having words with him."
"Don't bother. He won't care. It's all about looks with them." I shook my head. "Are we done?"
"I just need to set your nose."
She warned me to hold my breath for a moment, then let it out as she realigned my nose and added a strip to help with healing. Then she left the room and I quickly put my shoes on and followed her out to the living room, ready to leave.