7. Luna #2
Archer’s growl cuts through the room and I curl into myself, hiding my face in my arms. Terror claws at my chest.
He’s absolutely furious, and I don’t know how to fix it.
Archer’s growl stops when the sound of a cell phone ringing cuts through the tension in the room.
Chase pulls out a phone from his pocket and lifts it up to his ear.
“Perfect. I’ll open the gate for you.” He ends the call and does something on his phone before giving me a bright, reassuring smile.
“We’ll figure all of this out later. My sister is a doctor, how do you feel about her helping you? ”
I glance over at Archer, whose scowl is still deep. “Is—is that okay?”
“You don’t have to ask me,” Archer grunts, scrubbing a hand over his face as if he’s exhausted. “But yes.”
I glance down, wincing as I try to take a deep breath and give him a small nod in thanks. “If—if it’s not too much trouble, I’d appreciate it. I’ll find a way to pay you all back.”
“No need.” Chase slides his hands into his pockets, emphasizing how low-slung the gray sweatpants he’s wearing are.
“Please, I don’t want to be a burden,” I insist.
“Okay then, we’ll figure something out later. What’s important now is getting you all fixed up.”
I nod. He’s obviously the one that’s the most attracted to me right now, at least from what I can see.
His sweatpants leave very little to the imagination.
Maybe I can use that to my advantage. He stood up for me too, to his pack leader.
Maybe if I can get at least a few of them to like me, they’ll keep me for longer .
“So this is where you guys are all hiding,” A feminine voice huffs from out in the hall.
A gorgeous woman with similar dirty blonde hair to Chase waves from the doorway and both Madden and Archer instantly move to the side. My eyes go wide with surprise when her scent hits me. Her perfume is like an apple pie, fresh out of the oven.
She’s an omega.
A very pregnant omega, too.
With the floor-length maternity dress she’s wearing and her hair piled atop her head, it definitely looks like she’d been woken up for this late-night house call. Guilt hits me at the thought of her having to get up for me.
I see the shadow of another alpha behind her and shrink back. His scent isn’t unpleasant, it’s far from Niall’s acrid burning plastic scent, but it’s also not like the scents of the alphas that’ve saved me. Their scents are special. These alphas are special.
I know nothing about this new alpha though.
A growl rises from Madden’s chest and he narrows his eyes at the alpha in the doorway.
“Hey man, calm down, I’m just here to carry Char’s stuff,” The alpha says, holding his free hand out like he’s trying to ward Madden off.
“Just set down my stuff over there, I’ll take care of everything from here, babe,” The omega says to her alpha.
The affection in her eyes is obvious when she looks at him.
It’s surprising. I’ve never looked at any alpha like that before.
“Now then, sorry Madden, I know this is your room, but all alphas, get the hell out.”
Panic shoots through my body. What in the world is she saying? Her alpha is right there! I’ve never dreamed of being that disrespectful to an alpha before.
She flashes me a small, understanding smile in response to my bewildered expression as all the alphas in the room actually do what she says, filing out of the room one by one.
Kane is the last to leave. “Let us know if you need anything, alright little one?” He says.
I give him a small nod. “Thank you.”
“Alrighty then, I’m Charlotte, Chase’s sister. What’s your name?” The omega asks, dragging her briefcase further into the room and shutting the door.
“I’m Luna. You’re also an omega?”
“Yup!”
I can already tell from her scent that she’s an omega, but for some reason, I need to hear her say it. She’s so bold. And confident. It’s obvious in the way she carries herself. The exact opposite of me.
“I bet this must be really overwhelming for you,” she says softly, moving to sit next to me.
“I—yeah,” I say, clenching the hem of Madden’s t-shirt in my fist.
She nods, as if she could already tell. “That’s why I kicked them all out. They can be real pushy sometimes.”
“You’re not going to get in trouble for that, will you?” My eyes draw down to her exposed shoulders where I can see three, white bite mark scars. Three alphas. Three mates she’s bound to for life. “With—with your mate?”
She tries to hide it, but I catch the surprise on her face at my question. “With Nolan? No. Not at all. And not with the others, either. They called me to help you, which means they just have to listen to what I tell them.”
If you told me twenty-four hours ago that I would witness five alphas listen to a tiny, pregnant omega’s orders, my brain would’ve short-circuited. Well, it’s kind of short-circuiting now, but it happened in front of me. I can’t deny reality.
“So, my brother didn’t tell me much about you other than you’re a bit banged up and needed my help. Where’re you from?” Charlotte asks.
“The Southside,” I say. I stare into her gray eyes, her sweet apple scent wrapping itself around me. Who knew omega perfumes would be this relaxing to be around? “I’ve never met another omega before.”
Her head jerks back in surprise. “Really?”
My cheeks grow hot with embarrassment at her surprise. It’s like a reminder of a new way I’m deficient. “I wasn’t allowed outside,” I murmur.
Her eyes soften and she reaches out to squeeze the back of my hand. “Well, I’m glad we got to meet each other then, Luna. What about your parents though? Your mother?”
I blink at her in confusion. “My parents are both betas.”
Her mouth makes a silent O as if she’s struggling to find the words to say something. “Are you—are you sure they’re betas?”
I nod. There’s no way they aren’t.
“Luna, I’m not sure how to say this so I’m just going to say it: then they can’t be your parents.”
“What? I—I don’t understand what you mean.
” I barely know this omega, but she doesn’t seem like the type of person to lie about something so serious.
If anything, there’s pity in her expression, not glee at being able to manipulate me.
Also, what would the point of lying about my parents be?
It’s not like I have very fond memories of them.
“Two betas can’t have an omega child,” she says softly. “If your dad was an alpha there would’ve been a chance they could still be your parents, but not if they’re definitely two betas. I’m sorry.”
“There’s—there’s no need for you to apologize.”
I think back to my childhood and how my parents always seemed to resent me. I always thought that was because I put even more strain on their already strained relationship and finances. Could it also have been because they were forced to raise a child who wasn’t theirs?
Something settles in my chest. Like I know she’s right. Had they been my biological parents, would they have been so eager to use my heats to their benefit?
“Do you have any idea who your real parents could be?” She asks.
I shake my head. The only people I really knew were my parents. And Alpha Niall.
My mind spins as I try and figure out why they would even take care of me, especially if I wasn’t theirs.
“Even if they weren’t your biological parents, why didn’t your parents register you?” Charlotte asks, bringing me back to reality.
“They said that the government would take me away,” I whisper softly, wincing. “And that—and that I’d be forced to service whole packs of alphas.”
My eyes dart up to Charlotte’s neckline, seeing the three sets of bond marks. Three alphas.
And obviously she’s serviced them well, considering she’s carrying one of their children.
“Sorry,” I murmur, my eyes lowering when I see the flash of shock in her expression. I didn’t mean to offend her. The one alpha I saw seemed nice enough, and she does look very well taken care of.
“Oh Luna, that’s—god, this must be terrifying for you.”
I shrug, swallowing hard. It is. But I don’t know if I want to admit that. I think I’ll fall apart if I let myself say that I’m willing to give myself over to four alphas. Especially because it only took one to permanently take parts of myself I’ll never get back.
“Is it at least comforting that they’re yours?” She asks, an attempt at a reassuring smile plastered onto her face.
“Mine?” I have no clue what she’s talking about. They’re no more mine than anything around me right now is.
“You know, your scent match.” She says in a way that sounds like I should know exactly what she’s talking about.
“I—I don’t know what that means.” Will all my conversations with anyone make me feel this stupid?
“Can you—can you really not tell they’re yours?” At my continued confusion, she hums in thought. “Like, do their scents not smell really appealing? Like you wanna jump them or climb them like a tree?”
“I don’t think I’ve met any other alphas that smell as good as they do,” I say, clasping my fingers together in my lap. “But I also haven’t met many alphas, either.”
Her expression shifts to something a bit more professional like she’s been given a problem and is trying to solve it. I guess this is technically her job, considering she’s a doctor.
“Have you used suppressants or other kinds of drugs?”
I shake my head. “No, no drugs. I don’t even know what suppressants are.”
“Hmm, well, could you tell me about how you’ve gotten through your heats in the past?”
“I uh, I’ve only been with one alpha, for three of my heats. The rest were betas.”
“Oh my god,” She whispers, her eyes wide with shock. “How many heats is that?”
More shame. More feeling like I can’t do or say anything right. “I’ve had my heat every four months ever since I turned 18. I’m 21 now.”
“Holy shit,” she murmurs, running a hand through her hair.
“Is that bad?” I ask nervously.
She offers me a weak attempt at a reassuring smile—her weakest attempt yet. “Well, now you know me, so I can help you if there are any issues. I’m going to have to do more research for you, though. How does that sound?”
I can only bring myself to nod in response, because what else am I supposed to say to that? A doctor knows something is wrong with me but doesn’t know what. Or she’s not willing to tell me right now. Either way, I’m still left in the dark.
I don’t like the dark.
“Okay, let’s head to the bathroom so I can get all the things I need to set up,” she says, standing and grabbing her briefcase.
The bathroom is just as luxurious as the rest of the house. It’s fancier than I ever dreamed a bathroom could be, with a huge shower with multiple showerheads, marble floors, and a huge jacuzzi-style tub.
I freeze when I see myself in the mirror. Under the bright, harsh bathroom lights, the shadows under my eyes and the bruises against my skin are so obvious. The dirt and grime on my skin make me feel disgusting, like a stain upon the luxury of the bathroom I’m in.
“Okay, so I can definitely see that your feet and legs are probably bothering you, but what do you think I should take a look at?” Charlotte asks, opening up her briefcases and pulling out a pair of latex gloves.
“My ribs hurt pretty bad,” I murmur.
“Here, how about you sit on the side of the tub and I’ll take a look at it,” she says.
I do as she says, lifting up Madden’s shirt over my head and turning to the side so she can start examining the full extent of the damage done.
She gasps and I wince. “Oh my god,” she says, her voice thick with sympathy. “I’m so sorry Luna.”
I feel her fingertips against my skin and jump a little at the touch. “Is that a bite mark?”
I shift, glancing down to where she’s pointing, and wince. There is a bite mark on the bottom of my breast. The splotchy bruising forming around it is ugly and disgusting. It must’ve happened during my heat.
“I—yeah. It—it must’ve happened during my heat.”
“Was your heat recent?” She asks, her brows drawn down in concern.
“Yeah, it ended a couple days ago.”
She hesitates, her apple pie scent going a little sour with her change in emotion.
“Was it consensual, Luna?”
I hold the fabric of Madden’s shirt to my front like the thin fabric can protect me from my memories. My shoulders curl in as I do my best to make myself as small as possible.
“Oh, darling. I’m so sorry.” She grabs my hand, squeezing it gently until I look up into her eyes. “I have to document this before I get to treating anything.”
“Documenting?” I whisper, fear making my chest tight.
She pulls her hand out of mine and digs around in her briefcase before pulling out a digital camera. “I’ve never had to use this before, so the SD card is completely new, but I need to take pictures of your injuries and write down notes.”
“Do you—do you have to?” The only reason I’m comfortable asking such a disobedient question is because Charlotte is an omega and a seemingly kind one at that. But I can tell from the sadness in her expression what her answer is going to be.
“I have to do this, Luna, I’m sorry. If you choose to go to the police later on, this will help your case.”
“But, I don’t want to go to the police,” I beg. “Do you still have to?”
She sighs. “I’m going to be really honest with you, Luna. You’re such a sweet girl, I don’t think you’d do this, but because you’re an unregistered omega, if someone wanted to, they could say that my brother’s pack did that to you if you don’t have this documented by someone like me.”
The thought of the pack that’s been so kind to me getting in trouble because of me has my mouth snapping closed. I give her a firm nod before I drop the shirt onto my lap. “I’ll—I’ll do it. Please do whatever you need to do.”
“Thank you, Luna. I’ll do this as fast as I can.”
I give her a half-hearted smile before turning away. With each flash of the camera and the feel of cold marble on my skin, I find myself drifting further and further away from my body.