Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
HOLLY
Case dismissed.
I read the words in my email for the fifth time, still not quite believing they’re real. Even though I heard the same verdict during the virtual hearing yesterday, seeing it in black and white makes my heart race.
“Congratulations again, Dr. Chang.” My lawyer’s voice crackles through my laptop speakers. “This is a significant victory, not just for you, but potentially for omega physicians everywhere.”
I nod, trying to process the magnitude of what’s happened. “I still can’t believe they ruled in my favor so quickly.”
“Don’t underestimate the power of public opinion.” She shuffles some papers on her end of the Zoom call. “Once the story broke about Ryder Greythorn’s contamination scheme and your role in exposing it, the board couldn’t very well punish the ‘Hero of Heat Mountain’ without facing serious backlash.”
I wince at the nickname the local paper gave me. “I’m just glad it’s over.”
“Not quite over,” she corrects. “This is just the beginning. Your case has opened the door for a larger conversation about designation discrimination in medical licensing. I’ve already had calls from three other omega medical students who’ve been hiding their status.”
Pride and responsibility settle on my shoulders in equal measure. “Keep me updated on how I can help them.”
“I will. For now, enjoy your victory. You’ve earned it.”
We end the call, and I push away from the desk in Kai’s office, my mind spinning. I should be ecstatic. I am ecstatic. My career isn’t over. I can be both an omega and a doctor. I’ve won.
So why does my skin feel too tight? Why is my heart racing? Why do I feel like I’m about to crawl out of my own body?
I press my palms against my flushed cheeks, the answer obvious because I’ve been anticipating it for days.
My heat is about to start.
The thought sends a shiver of anticipation and anxiety through me. I’ve been preparing for this, of course. We all have. But preparation and reality are very different things.
I make my way down the hallway toward the heat suite, my steps quickening as my body seems to recognize where I’m headed. The subtle ache in my lower abdomen intensifies, and I catch myself inhaling deeply, seeking the scents of my alphas.
When I reach the doorway, I pause, momentarily stunned by the scene before me.
Kai sits cross-legged in the middle of the floor, surrounded by a chaotic array of pillows, blankets, and what appear to be... nesting magazines? He looks up as I enter, his expression brightening.
“Perfect timing!” he exclaims, holding up two glossy pages.
“Quick question: are you more pillow-dominant or blanket-dominant in your nesting style? Because these memory foam body pillows look amazing, but then there’s this weighted blanket that’s supposed to simulate an alpha’s embrace when we’re not around, which seems totally unnecessary since we’ll be here, but the reviews are stellar. ”
A laugh bubbles up from my chest, easing some of the tension. “Are you seriously researching nesting styles right now?”
“Someone has to,” he says with mock seriousness. “You’ve too busy with the case to have time. Some of this stuff I had to special order weeks ago.”
“I think you care more about my nest than I do,” I observe, stepping into the room and immediately feeling calmer as I’m enveloped in the combined scents of my alphas.
Kai shrugs, looking slightly sheepish. “Just trying to resist the urge to convince you to spend your heat out in the woods.”
“In the woods?” I shiver, not entirely from revulsion. “With bugs and dirt and—“
“And fresh air and privacy and primal energy,” he counters, eyes gleaming with mischief. “Very traditional.”
“Maybe next time,” I concede with a laugh. “For now, I really like those pillows you picked up from Caro’s last week.”
“The purple ones with the satin trim?” Kai asks, glancing toward the closet.
“They’re on the top shelf,” a deep voice rumbles, and I nearly jump out of my skin as Grayson rises from one of the couches where he’d been sitting so quietly I hadn’t even noticed him.
“How do you still keep doing that?” I demand, pressing a hand to my startled heart.
Grayson’s lips quirk in the barest hint of a smile as he moves to the closet. “Sorry.”
“Well, I bet sneaking up on me is going to be harder once we’re bonded,” I inform him pertly. “And yes, the purple ones.”
He wraps an arm around me from behind, pulling me against his chest. I let out of a squeak of surprise in response as my heart pounds faster. When he leans over me, it only highlights the relative difference in our sizes.
Scarred lips gently brush the shell of my ear as he whispers, “Good thing I like a challenge.”
Grayson reaches up effortlessly to retrieve the pillows, his t-shirt riding up to reveal a strip of tanned skin above his jeans. My mouth goes dry at the sight, and I quickly look away, almost disturbed by how strongly my body is already responding.
It’s starting, I think with a flutter of panic. It’s really starting.
I busy myself arranging the pillows Grayson hands me, trying to ignore the growing warmth spreading through my limbs. The pillows smell faintly of laundry soap and more strongly of my alphas—they’ve clearly been scent-marking them when I wasn’t paying attention.
The door opens again, and Noah enters, medical bag in hand. I groan at the sight.
“No,” I say firmly. “Absolutely not. Heats don’t require medical intervention.”
“This is only your second heat ever,” Noah points out reasonably, “and your first since coming off all medication, including your suppressants. I just want to make sure—“
“That I don’t spontaneously combust?” I finish for him, rolling my eyes.
He steps closer and lightly brushes my cheek with the back of his hand. His expression is tender, but serious. “I just want to make sure you’re taken care of. I need to know that nothing bad will happen to you. Ever.”
My belly clenches, a curl of heat settling in the pit of my stomach.
I lean into him as his arms come around me in a loose embrace.
My lips brush his chest and even through his shirt, I know my mouth is mere millimeters away from the claiming bite.
Finding it as instinctive, the mark practically like a homing beacon.
In the last few days, he hasn’t been allowed to walk around without his shirt on because just the sight of it is enough to distract me from whatever it is I’m doing.
“You do take care of me. Always. But I don’t want you in doctor mode right now.
” I can’t resist the urge to press my teeth against the indent of the mark in his skin.
A little thrill runs through me at the reminder it’s a perfect fit.
“My blood pressure should be the last thing you’re thinking about. ”
Noah’s breath hitches as my teeth press harder, but it isn’t a sound of pain. “Nothing can make me forget my concern for your wellbeing, Holly.”
I raise an eyebrow in challenge. “Nothing?”
I sink to my knees in front of him, maintaining eye contact as I reach for his belt. His pupils dilate, the blue of his irises nearly swallowed by black.
“Holly,” Noah says, his voice strained, “not yet, I need to examine your—“
“Too late,” I interrupt, my fingers working the buckle with surprising dexterity given how they’re trembling. “I’ve been thinking about this all day.”
It’s not a lie. Ever since I woke up this morning with that telltale warmth spreading through my limbs, I’ve been imagining this moment. The anticipation of my heat has been building for days, and now that it’s finally here, I want to embrace it fully.
I tug his belt free and unbutton his jeans, sliding the zipper down with deliberate slowness. Noah’s hands come to rest on my shoulders, neither pushing me away nor pulling me closer. Just steadying. Always steadying.
“Let me,” I murmur, looking up at him through my lashes. “Please, Alpha.”
The title slips out unintentionally, a product of my approaching heat, but the effect on Noah is immediate. His grip on my shoulders tightens, and a low growl rumbles in his chest.
I pull his jeans and boxers down in one smooth motion, freeing his already hard cock. The sight of it makes my mouth water, another omega response I’m still getting used to. I wrap my hand around the base, feeling it pulse against my palm.
“Holly,” Noah says again, his voice rough with restraint. “We should be taking care of you.“
“You are,” I say firmly, stroking him once from base to tip.
His fingers tighten on my shoulders, definitely pulling my closer now as I take him into my mouth completely. The taste of him explodes across my tongue—salt and musk and Noah—and I moan around his length, the vibration making him gasp.
I’ve done this before, of course, but never on the cusp of a heat. Everything feels heightened, more intense. The weight of him on my tongue, the stretch of my lips around his girth, the scent of his arousal filling my nose—it’s all overwhelming in the best possible way.
I work him slowly at first, using my hand to stroke what I can’t fit in my mouth. Noah’s fingers thread through my hair, not guiding, just holding on as if he needs an anchor. I glance up to find his eyes fixed on me, his expression a mix of pleasure and awe.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispers, thumb tracing my cheekbone. “So beautiful, Holly.”
The praise sends a thrill through me, and I redouble my efforts, taking him deeper. Behind me, I’m acutely aware of Kai and Grayson watching, their scents heavy with arousal. The knowledge that I’m the focus of all three alphas’ attention makes me dizzy with power and need.
Noah’s breathing quickens, his hips beginning to move in shallow thrusts that I eagerly meet. I can feel him swelling, his knot beginning to form at the base of his cock. The sight of it makes my core clench with emptiness, slick gathering between my thighs.
“Holly,” Noah warns, his voice tight. “I’m close. You should—“