CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
S omehow, Titus ends up driving me to my doctor's appointment two days later. It had made more sense for me to work from home instead of driving to the office and then driving to the appointment, so Reggie was happy as a clam in his new home, content to snuggle on my lap while I worked on the couch with my feet on the coffee table.
Since he was the only one home and he had deemed my car “unfit to drive”, he drove me, and I don’t know if I’ve ever had a more uncomfortable chauffeur. We haven’t really talked since he brought Reggie home on Monday, and I hadn’t thought it was intentional, but based on the silence in the car…maybe it was.
"So...do you know when my car will be ready?" I ask, my fingers playing with the hem of my shirt.
"No," he grunts. "There are a couple of things wrong with it and since it's an older car my guy has to wait for the parts to come in."
"Oh, okay."
Silence.
Desperate for something to focus on that's not the quiet air between us, I pull out my phone and send a text to Hannah.
I snort, and he shoots me a look, his eyes darting to my phone and then back up to my face, his face hard. Ignoring him, I read the next message I get from Hannah.
Before I can answer Hannah and drum up the courage to ask him what his problem is, we park at the doctor’s office and he’s sliding out of his seat, hurrying around the car to get my door.
Well, at least there’s that.
“Thank you,” I say quietly, taking his hand as he helps me out of the truck.
He merely grunts, and I internally roll my eyes. Titus is the only one I haven’t so much as kissed since I’ve been here. He had me sit on his lap during our movie day, but there haven’t been any other moves from him since then.
We walk into the doctor's office with his hand on the small of my back, the slight touch sending tingles through my body. Does he not feel it?
“Hi,” I give the receptionist a tight smile. “I have a ten am appointment? My name is Cady Jackman.”
“Alright, Miss Jackman.” The receptionist, an older beta woman, smiles and hands me a tablet. “Go ahead and fill out this intake paperwork for me, and then we’ll get you to blood draw, then Doctor Mejia will see you.”
The tablet asks standard questions like last heat, use of suppressants and birth control. I can tell that Titus is trying to not peek at my answers and roll my eyes before tilting the tablet slightly towards him. It’s not like I have anything to hide.
“You’ve been on heat suppressants for nearly ten years?” He hisses, and I shrug.
“Pack-averse, remember? I didn’t feel like suffering alone.” His jaw works but he has nothing to say to that. Ten minutes later, I’ve had my blood drawn and we’re being led into the examination room to wait for Doctor Mejia. The medical assistant asked if I’d rather meet with her alone, but honestly I feel a bit better having Titus with me.
“Heat suppressants fuck with you system.” He states after the door closes behind us and I’m settled on the examination table.
“I’m aware. That’s kind of the point.” I deadpan, meeting his eyes.
“No, I mean, like, really fucks with it. I’m surprised your kidneys haven’t given up after being on them this long.” He looks at me like he wants to give me a powerpoint presentation on why I’m a fucking idiot, and I feel my anger rising to the surface.
“Look, you don’t know what it’s like to be faced with the choice of either—”
My potential tirade is cut off by a swift knock on the outside of the door, and I shoot Titus my best “we will finish this discussion later” look, before the doctor peeks her head in and smiles at me.
“Cady, how are you doing today?” Doctor Mejia looks to be in her early fifties, slight wrinkles give her face wisdom and her brown hair is streaked with gray, tied up in a neat bun on her head.
“Hi Doctor Mejia. I’m doing well. I’m actually just here for a check in. One of my new alphas is a doctor,” I quickly jamb my thumb towards Titus, “not that one,” she nods in understanding, “and he’s worried about symptoms of a breakthrough heat. I don’t think it’s an issue but just to be safe...” In reality, I do think its an issue. But saying things makes them real and I’m trying to go for cool, calm, and collected Cady today. Not my-life-is-a-dumpster-fire-oh-look-theres-my-heat Cady.
A smile lights up the betas face as she looks between me and Titus. “I’m so happy for you, dear! It’s been a while since we’ve seen you last, so I’m glad to hear about the changes. You're off the TruBond now that you've found your pack?" At my nod she continues. "Let me just look at the results of the blood draw….”
her brow furrows as she swipes through her tablet. She clicks her tongue. “Oh dear. I’m afraid that your Doctor alpha was right, Cady. You’ve been on the suppressants for so long, they’ve become less effective. Based on your hormone levels…I’d give you a month, tops, before your heat hits.”
“Does that estimate hold if she’s found her…true scent match?” Titus asks, somewhat hesitantly.
Doctor Mejia pales slightly and shakes her head. “That complicates things. Scent matches affect your hormones differently than non-compatible alphas or even scent sympathetic ones.”
“And if she’s… living with them?” Titus hedges, giving me a pointed look that makes me want to stab him.
Damn. I really am hormonal.
“Then all bets are off.” She looks between the two of us. “If this is the case, Cady, listen to your body. The heat spikes will become more frequent the closer you get to your heat, and you need to make sure you and your pack have honest conversations regarding bites and bonding beforehand. We all know how pheromones can cloud judgement. This heat will probably be a lot longer and more intense than it would normally be considering it’s being brought on by a scent match.”
Numbly, I nod. My first heat. And it’s probably going to bea shit show.
She gives me a few pamphlets on heats after being on suppressants, checks some more of vitals, and then clears us to check out with the receptionist up front.
“Can I ask you something, doctor?” Titus asks before we stand to leave.
“Go ahead.” She nods at him.
“Why would you allow her to stay on suppressants for so long when there are so many studies that show the long term health risks to omegas who have been on them for over five years?”
My jaw drops. He did not just do that. I go to defend Doctor Mejia, but she holds out her hand to stop me. “It’s okay, Cady. It’s a common question from alphas who are unaware of the way life is for omegas.” She raises a brow at him. “As a doctor, it is my responsibility to weigh the risk versus the benefit for each of my patients. For a patient like Cady, it could be emotionally and physiologically detrimental for her to go through a heat alone. Given her history with packs, it would be just as detrimental to go through a heat at a clinic. After the five year mark, I set her up to come in every six months so we can make sure the suppressants aren’t affecting her kidney function. The plan was, and always has been, to re-evaluate if her health was ever at risk.”
Titus looks properly chastised, and I keep my snort to myself. I’m glad she only said “history with packs” though, and didn’t detail out the whole incident for him. I’ve been coming to Doctor Mejia since I started having pre-heat symptoms right after I moved here. She knows my entire story and has looked out for me the last ten years.
“I apologize,” Titus clears his throat, “I didn’t mean—”
“Oh, I’m sure you absolutely did,” Doctor Mejia says, before smiling softly. “However, I do not take offense, because I am so grateful that Cady seems to have a pack of alphas in her corner that cares for her health.”
Titus gives a stiff nod and we get checked out then head to his car. We buckle our seatbelts, and I give him a look as he pulls out of our parking space. “Did you really have to go after her like that? Doctor Mejia helps not just me, but many other omegas who have escaped from bad situations.”
His grip turns white knuckled on the steering wheel, but he doesn’t answer me. His jaw only ticks and I sigh, turning to look out the window.
“I know you don’t think I’m capable of taking care of myself, but I’ve been on my own for ten years, I can handle it.”
He finally answers me. “I don’t think you’re incapable.” I wait for him to elaborate, but he just keeps driving, looking out at the road ahead of him. I guess I’ll take the win but I really wish he would just tell me what his deal is.
“So, um, any word on who broke into my apartment?” I ask, hoping the subject is close enough to work that he’ll actually talk to me about it.
“Not yet,” he says, not looking at me. “It seems they were smart and didn’t leave any physical evidence behind. Your building doesn’t have security cameras, and none of your neighbors noticed anything out of the ordinary.”
I snort. “Yeah, besides the kicked in door .”
He shoots me a grim look. “Yeah. Besides that. The police and the OMS won't give me the names of the pack you saw the night before us, and Archie's sister doesn't have access to the pack names.”
Then, as quickly as the conversation started, it ends, nothing but awkward silence yet again. I hate it. This…weirdness between us. It’s so easy with everyone else. But with Titus? It’s like he’s trying his damndest to not interact with me at all.
“Are you always this talkative?” The question takes him by surprise, but he just grunts.
“Yes.”
That’s it. No explanation. No apologies.
I cross my arms like a pouting child and look out the window.
Fine. If he wants to sit in awkward silence, awkward silence it is.
We finally pull into the driveway, and I find myself unbuckling and throwing the door open before he’s brought the car to a full stop.
“What the hell, Cady?” Titus slams on the breaks as I hop out and I turn around and glare at him.
“What the hell, what , Titus?!” I ask throwing my arms up.
“You could have gotten seriously hurt! What the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that you’re so damn miserable in this car with me, I might as well relieve you of your burden as soon as possible!” I slam the door before he can answer me and start stomping up the driveway.
Anger burns in my chest, threatening to make me go up in flames. What the fuck is he playing at? How can he ignore me and then act like he has any right to be concerned about my safety?
A growl rips through the air as I hear another car door slam.
“Cady! Stop!” There’s the barest hint of an alpha bark in his voice and I whirl around, fury hot in my veins. I don’t think he meant to bark at me. But he did.
“Do not fucking bark at me Titus Mendez!” I nearly shriek, my hands curling into fists at my sides.
Regret immediately washes over his features. “Shit, Cady, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, just hold on—”
“No!” I stomp towards him, jamming my finger into his chest. I’m sure it looks hilarious, me in all of my five foot two glory facing down an alpha a foot taller than me that’s built like a tank, but hell hath no fury like an omega barked at. “Pick a fucking lane! Either care about me or don’t, but don’t fucking ice me out and then try to tell me how to be safe!”
Before he can answer, I’m turning back towards the house and stomping up the steps.
He doesn’t follow me.
Reggie is weaving around my feet as soon as I step in the door and I nearly trip over him. “Careful, Reggie. Titus might think you’re a threat to my safety and get rid of you.” I roll my eyes as I bed over and scoop him up, earning a small “meow!”
“Then, he’ll continue to ignore me,” I grumble, stomping up the stairs to my nest. Reggie leaps from my arms and retreats to his cat tree as soon as I reach the top of the stairs.
Fucking spoiled little baby. I was right, Ollie is the one who got him the cat tree, citing that he couldn’t let his ‘new son’ not have anywhere to climb. Mattie and Archie have been caught feeding him gourmet tuna dishes, and I think he has some new favorite humans.
Flopping on my back in the nest, I pull out my phone and send a text to Hannah, updating her on the heat situation. She hasn’t met my alphas yet, but we’re supposed to have her over this weekend.
My phone vibrates with a text.
I quickly create a group chat with everyone in it, and send out a mass text.
I bite my lip, wondering if I need to send this next part. These are my alphas. Of course they’re going to want to help me through my heat, but I don’t want to just assume .
Of course, Titus doesn’t respond to the actual message. I’m not sure if that’s because he already knows or because he’s not planning on helping me through it. He’s my fucking scent match. He shouldn’t be able to resist me. But do I really only want him in there because of this biological pull?
His message to Ollie is evidence enough. Apparently you need to be a freak to be excited about a non-stop sex marathon with me.
I guess I’ll have to ask him about it on our date. If it even fucking happens.