Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
RIANN
The alpha standing across the room from me is an androgynous goddess, quite possibly the most gorgeous human I’ve ever seen. Her hair and eyes are dark, her skin a stunning tan color that suggests she may be of Latin descent. One glance at her name tag—Dr. Skylar Morales—supports my suspicion.
A second later, a wave of crisp, fresh pine slams into me, immediately overriding my senses. It’s coupled with a layer of smoke underneath.
Oh. My. God.
She smells incredible, like a weekend hike through the woods. Like summer nights and bonfires.
Like fucking heaven.
Her short hair hangs just over her eyes, and there’s a confidence about her that only an alpha could possess. Assured, proud, commanding. It wouldn’t matter if we were the only two people in the room, or if we were surrounded by a hundred others, she would be the focal point.
My chest tightens, and I immediately scold myself. Now is not the time to fawn over a hot alpha.
Especially a woman.
Last time I checked, I wasn’t even into women.
Was I…?
“Hello, Miss Saunders,” she says, her eyes falling to the chart in her hands. Even her voice is dripping with fucking sex appeal. It’s deep and velvety, brushing over my skin like a pair of lips, intent on setting my entire body on fire.
My face flames, and I know my cheeks are beet red. Hopefully she thinks I’m sick or something, but I’m sure my pheromones will give me away. Rich, sweet marshmallow is bleeding into the air, tangling with the freshness of pine and smoke, blending into a delicious, almost familiar scent.
I try to keep my face stoic, emotionless, but I’m helpless against the warmth spreading through my body, making me sweat.
What the hell is happening?
If she’s affected by the swell of sugary perfume pumping into the air with my anxiety, she doesn’t show it, which gives me a bit of relief.
Maybe she’s just exceptionally professional.
Maybe she’s bonded, even though I don’t see any marks on her neck.
Or maybe I’m not radiating lust the way I think I am.
My pheromones might not even be strong enough to bother her, which would be the only godsend in this entire situation.
“My name is Dr. Morales,” she introduces herself after an awkward moment. Or maybe it’s only awkward because I’m making it that way.
Get it together, Riann.
“I’m one of the specialists here at the Buchanan Center,” she explains, still not looking at me. “We’re going to do our best to get everything sorted out for you. You’re in good hands.”
At the mention of hands, my eyes immediately fall to her long, slender fingers clutching the clipboard, and my stomach flip-flops. I shouldn’t be imagining all the filthy things those gorgeous, lithe hands can do.
I quickly drag my gaze back up and find her looking at me again. She’s staring at me with an eyebrow arched, waiting for some kind of response, and I realize I haven’t said anything this entire time.
What a good first impression I’m making…
“Nice to meet you,” I rush out, desperate to end the tense silence hanging between us. “I’m Riann. Broken omega trying to figure out what went wrong, but you already knew that.”
The corner of Dr. Morales’ mouth lifts into a smirk, and it takes everything in me not to melt into a puddle on the floor.
Yeah, I definitely need to get this shit sorted; my hormones are clearly getting more out of whack.
Dr. Morales paces to the little swivel chair by the desk in the corner and takes a seat, flopping my chart down on the table. I try to look at anything besides her, but my eyes keep getting dragged back to her gaze.
It dawns on me that this is the first time I’ve ever been alone with an alpha.
At the academy, we have mixers where omegas are presented with bachelor alphas looking for a bond, but interactions happen under the watchful eyes of the professors…
most of the time. Or we’re mingling in a crowd, but we’re always surrounded by other people.
Now, I’m trapped in a very small room with an alpha, away from prying eyes. That must be why I’m on the brink of losing my mind.
Yes, definitely that, and not because she’s the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen in my life…
I’ve talked to alphas before, even had dinner with a few at the academy, but being in such a tight space with an alpha’s scent drowning me is new. I wonder if she’d crack the door open or something just so I can breathe a little easier… not that I’d mind dying by suffocation at this rate.
That would probably be less embarrassing than admitting the effect she has on me.
“Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself?
” she says, probably pretending not to notice.
She crosses her ankles and folds her hands between her knees, and my eyes linger on the way her slacks hug the muscular shape of her thighs.
I swallow down the little noise bubbling up the back of my throat.
I have her full, undivided attention, which is a relief. I’d be kind of pissed if I made it all the way here just to be hurried through an exam and rushed out the door.
But at the same time, the way her gaze is boring into me makes me feel like I’ll combust at any second.
A little bit about myself? I didn’t realize I was here for an interview, but I’ll do whatever this alpha wants. All she has to do is ask.
“I’m enrolled in an omega academy. I’m nineteen. I like the winter but hate the cold…” I spit out the first things that come to mind.
She laughs, and I swear it’s music to my ears.
“I mean about what’s going on,” she clarifies mid-chuckle. “What brings you to see us?”
I fight the urge to slap myself. Of course that’s what she meant. Why would she care about my personal life?
You’re fucking this up big time, Riann.
“Well, maybe be more specific next time,” I say, heat prickling over my cheeks. The only way this could get worse is if I suddenly fell off the exam table and broke my arm.
Gods, help me.
“I’m an enigma,” I say, throwing my hands up as I repeat the last doctor’s assessment. “No one knows what’s wrong with me. I have some omega traits and some alpha traits, but apparently I’m neither.”
She nods slowly as she listens, and I clock every one of her movements: the way she runs her fingers through her hair, the way she plays with the sleeve of her lab coat. When she blinks, when she breathes.
I’m starting to feel a little crazy with how intently I’m watching her, drinking in every detail like the entire purpose of my visit is to commit her to memory.
“What omega characteristics would you say you possess?” she asks, reaching for her pen.
Shit.
Here we go.
I’m going to have to add to an already awkward situation by getting vulnerable and personal with this alpha.
I shuffle on the exam table as I avoid her gaze.
“Well, uh…” I fan my scorching face with my hand, trying my damndest to form a coherent sentence. “Sorry, it's kind of hot in here… I’m sweating.”
Not even close to what she asked for.
Maybe dying of embarrassment would be better than answering the question at this point.
I had no problem spilling the truth to the last doctor, despite him also being a stranger. But talking about heats and ruts with this gorgeous alpha while her scent is smothering me makes me uneasy.
“I perfumed when I turned eighteen,” I finally manage. “My scent has never been as potent as a lot of other omegas, but I didn’t question it. Everyone is different, you know?”
Dr. Morales makes a sound of agreement, jotting down notes on her clipboard.
“I had my first heat, but only one,” I go on, realizing it’s much easier to get the words out if I stare straight ahead at the white wall across from me. “After that, I started at the academy, and they gave us suppressants; that’s probably why I haven’t had another one.”
“What about your alpha traits?” she asks without missing a beat.
“That’s a… newer development.” My stomach pitches at the memory of last month’s weird rut spell.
Thankfully, classes had been nearly over for the day, and I spent the worst of it buried in my nest. “Last month, I had what I’m calling a rut.
It was similar to a heat but… not. More violent.
Way scarier.” I shift uncomfortably on the exam table. “But it only lasted a couple of hours.”
Dr. Morales’ pen scribbles notes faster than I can keep up.
“Which one would you say you identify with more?” The question catches me off guard, even though it feels like I’ve been waiting for her to ask it. It gives me the tiniest spark of hope, like even if all the test results come back inconclusive, I’ll still be able to claim my omega designation.
“I’ve been an omega my entire life. It’s all I’ve ever known.”
She nods along. “Aside from the instance last month, and the inconclusive test results from the last clinic, what makes you think you may not be an omega?”
“I…” For some reason the alpha’s scent seems to have kicked up a notch, invading my sinuses.
“You don’t need to be nervous,” she says softly, and I almost wish she’d barked an alpha command at me.
That way, at least, my body would obey even if my mind didn’t.
Every muscle in me is tense, constricting tighter, and making it harder to breathe as more of her smoky pine scent stuffs into my lungs.
“I…” The words won’t come as my mind spirals into an incoherent mess. “It’s… your scent. I can’t… I can’t think.”
Her eyes widen at the admission, and she quickly hops to her feet, crossing to the door and ripping it open.
The suffocating feeling lessens as her scent spills out into the hall, and I choke down a deep lungful of air.
I grip the edge of the table to keep my fingers from trembling and squeeze my eyes closed until my head clears.
“I’m sorry,” she apologizes, her voice tender. “I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s fine,” I cut her off. “Scents don’t normally affect me like that, but things have been getting weirder lately.”
Dr. Morales takes a seat again and scribbles something on her clipboard. Her expression is serious, her jaw clenched. Focused and poised and hot…
Her eyes snap to me like she heard me, and my train of thought crashes.
Can she read my mind? I almost laugh.
“I’ve looked over your results from the last clinic, so we’re going to take things one step further and get some bloodwork for a deep pheromone test,” Dr. Morales explains. “We’ll do a couple of preliminary exams too and go from there.”
Great.
Here we go with the needles.
My heart rate kicks up a notch and I nod.
“The nurse will be in in just a few minutes.” She offers a smile before grabbing the clipboard and slipping into the hall, closing the door quickly behind her and leaving me alone.
I sit there, staring after her, clinging to the faintest hope that she’ll come walking back in through the door to ask me more questions, even though I know it’s pointless.
Dr. Morales probably has several other patients to get to and can’t waste her entire day locked in a room with me, even though I would enjoy that… a lot.
I’ve never felt such an intense attraction to an alpha before, despite the hundreds I must have met at the academy mixers.
It’s strange and foreign, but I’m sure of one thing.
I’m so screwed.