The Kitchen
Tansy
My mother's words at the boutique ring in my ears, “Don’t be surprised if the administrators start forcing you to attend the pack meet-and-greets.”
“The old omegas were placed with a pack whether they liked it or not.”
“This is what happens when an omega wastes her prime years.”
I can’t help but wonder what my future at Danvers would even look like if I were there right now.
Would they force me to accept the first pack that showed interest?
Do they already have someone picked out for me?
What would happen if I refused?
I know my parents wouldn’t do a damn thing to stop it, and neither would anyone else. I’d be on my own, fighting off an entire institution determined to mate me off.
A light touch brushes my hand, and I flinch before I can stop myself. Beck quickly pulls his hand back, clearly not expecting that reaction from me.
“Sorry.” He grimaces. “I didn’t mean to startle you. You just looked…” he pauses like he’s looking for the right word, “lost for a second there.”
I immediately nod. “Yeah. Sorry. I’m good,” I lie, but the truth is too much to unpack right now.
“There you are,” A voice cuts through the quiet kitchen seconds before the doctor walks briskly into the room. His gaze drifts from me to Beck.
“Hey, Dr. Pace,” Beck says, straightening a little. “Do you want some breakfast? I made eggs and bacon. There’s toast.” He holds up a tiny jar of strawberry preserves. “The jam’s from the farmer’s market.”
Dr. Pace lifts a hand, already shaking his head. “No, thank you. I’m fine.” He sets his medical bag on the table. It lands with a thump, like it weighs a thousand pounds. “I just finished up with Mr. Vexler.”
Beck’s shoulders tense.
“He’s not out of the woods just yet,” the doctor says plainly. “But his fever is coming down.”
“Thank goodness.” Beck exhales, relieved.
“It’s definitely good,” Dr. Pace agrees. Then his attention shifts, and his eyes land on me. “I can only attribute the improvement to you, young lady,” he says, matter-of-factly.
My spine stiffens. “Me?”
He nods once. “Omega pheromones have a measurable effect on alpha recovery. In the old days, they called it the elixir of life.”
I bite down hard at that, the phrase crawling over my skin.
Elixir of life? God, that’s disgusting.
But before I have a chance to show my disgust, the doctor’s gaze swings to Beck. “Of course, the effect would be stronger if she and Mr. Vexler were mated.”
I go still as my stomach twists with rage.
Of course, that’s what I am to him. Not a person. Not a girl who woke up drugged and terrified in a stranger’s house. I’m just a biological boost he can give to his patient.
I don’t look at Dr. Pace again. Because if I do, I might say something I can’t take back.
Beside me, Beck clears his throat. His voice comes out low and uneven, like he’s bracing for a reaction. “Uh… she might not be staying,” he mumbles, not quite looking at either of us when he says it, embarrassment and sadness bleeding through every word. “She wants to go home.”
I blink, shocked.
For a second, I can’t even breathe.
I can’t believe Beck said that out loud for me. He’s not going to try to keep me here. He’s actually respecting what I want.
“Go home?” Dr. Pace’s eyes go wide as they lock on my face. “You’re leaving?”
I nod, still looking at Beck. He keeps his head down, staring at his lap, but the rush of emotion I feel for him is shocking. I want to launch myself at the Beta and hug him long and hard.
Dr. Pace angles his head down, catching my eye. “And what did Mr. Vexler say about that?”
My shoulders stiffen, and I clear my throat. “I haven’t told him yet,” I admit quietly.
Something loosens in Dr. Pace’s posture all at once, relief flickering across his face before he can school it away. Then he smiles, bright and reassuring, like everything is suddenly back on track. “I want to give you an immunization booster,” he says, reaching for his bag.
My entire body locks up. Every muscle goes rigid as heat flashes under my skin.
“It’s nothing to be scared of,” he says as he pulls out a small vial of clear liquid. “The Morder isn’t exactly the cleanest environment,” he continues, still calm, still clinical. “Especially for sheltered omegas. You could’ve been exposed to something. This is only a precaution.”
I don’t answer. I can’t.
The vial fills my vision, the glass catching the light as he turns it between his fingers. I can’t look away. My throat locks, words backing up somewhere behind my teeth.
Then the memories rush in. Hands on me, groping and squeezing. Something sharp biting into my arm. The burn of it, the pressure, the way the world went thin and distant. Then waking up afterward with no sense of where I was or how I’d gotten there.
“Omega?” The doctor’s voice drops, softer. “There’s no need to be scared.” He curls his hand around the vial, hiding it from my view. “It’s a quick shot.”
“Did you talk to Cass or Warren about it?” Beck asks suddenly. His tone is careful, but there’s an edge to it now. Protective. “About giving her a shot.”
Dr. Pace answers a little too quickly. “It was Warren’s idea,” he says, smooth and reassuring. “Just to make sure she’s healthy. A simple precaution.”
My brows knit together as I study the doctor’s exaggerated smile. Unease curls tight in my chest. I don’t like the sound of that at all. “No,” I whisper, shaking my head.
Dr. Pace’s smile slips. Not all at once, but enough that I notice. His shoulders square, his expression turning clinical. “Omegas have more delicate systems,” he starts, measured now. “Especially when they’ve been under stress. Your body—”
“I’ll do it,” Beck cuts in.
The words land hard enough that even the doctor blinks.
Beck pushes his chair back and rolls up his sleeve without hesitation, jaw set like he’s already made up his mind. “If it helps.” He looks at me with his big gray-blue eyes. “I mean—to show you it’s safe. I’ll get a shot too.”
I can’t help but be touched by his kindness. I stare at the beta, taking in the fullness of his face, still rounded with youth. He looks so young. Too young to be standing between me and a needle, offering himself up without a second thought.
He’s too kind for this pack of alphas.
They don’t deserve him.
“Dr. Pace?” Beck’s brows lift. “Is it safe for me to get the shot too?”
Dr. Pace studies Beck for a beat, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes, before he nods once. “Of course it’s safe.” He reaches into his bag and pulls out a syringe. It takes him two seconds to fill it with the clear liquid, then prep Beck’s arm.
“Oh!” Beck stifles a hiss as the doctor pushes in the medicine. “That feels weird.” He frowns, staring at his bicep.
“All done.” Dr. Pace withdraws the needle, caps it, and disposes of it with a soft click before turning back to me.
The vial is still in his hand when he lifts it, the clear liquid catching the light.
“You don’t have to take this if you don’t want to,” he says, his tone gentler now.
“But if you don’t, I’ll need you to monitor your temperature for the next few days.
Watch for muscle pain. Swelling in your joints. Anything unusual.”
I swallow.
Because the truth is, my body already aches. A dull soreness sits deep in my muscles, but I don’t know if that’s from the trauma I’ve endured the last few days or because I’m sick. I shift in my chair, suddenly too aware of every joint, every twinge.
I close my eyes for half a second, then nod. “Okay,” I say quietly. “Just…do it.”
Two seconds later, a fresh needle is pushed into my arm, but it’s not the familiar burn I was expecting. It feels like ice, crawling up my neck and jaw.
“All done.” The needle slides free.
I let out a slow breath of relief, and then gasp as a vicious alpha growl tears through the house. All three of us flinch. Chairs scrape. The sound slams down the hallway like a warning shot, deep and furious, and my pulse spikes so hard it makes my vision blur.
Before I can even process the sound, a sharp cramp hits me low in the belly. It’s so intense it steals my breath. My body bows, a choked gasp escaping my lips as a sudden, embarrassing gush of slick soaks through my underwear.
I look straight at Dr. Pace.
My hands curl into fists, nails biting into my palms as I bare my teeth at him. “What the fuck did you give me?”