Chapter 17
Wren
“When did you say you presented?” Doctor Petrov, an alpha woman, looks down at me with a frown. Her face looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t quite put my finger on why. It’s not like I meet a ton of people.
And I definitely would remember meeting a female alpha. They’re nearly as rare as male omegas.
But, Maverick says he trusts this doctor implicitly, so I doubt I would recognize her from knowing my parents.
“Um…” I bite my lip, glancing at the guys who are sitting in the living room with me. She’s already looked at my throat and declared that I’m healing remarkably quickly—I’m not sure why she’s asking about when I presented.
Though maybe it’s standard—I wouldn’t know. I’ve only ever been seen by my family’s doctor, Dr. Marino. “Two weeks before my twenty-first birthday, and I just turned twenty-two. So…a little over a year ago.”
“You’re overdue for a heat.” She glances at a chart in her hand. “Even late-blooming omegas have their heats within a year of presenting. You haven’t had any spikes or…anything?”
My face flames. I thought we were just checking on how I was feeling after my ordeal with Pack Caruso—not talking about my heat.
Though I have been ridiculously horny lately. Not sure if that’s a direct result of finding my true scent matches, or if it’s a heat coming on.
“Maggie,” Maverick snaps, standing up, and I suddenly realize why she looks so familiar. “I asked you here to check on her physical health, not her hormones.”
“It’s all connected, butt munch,” Dr. Petrov snaps back, and my hand flies up to cover my mouth as I suppress a laugh.
Butt munch?
But Maverick doesn’t react. “I don’t need my sister poking around my omega’s hormones–” His mouth snaps shut.
She’s his sister. That makes complete sense.
“Maverick Aleksandr Petrov! You did not tell me the omega from the news that is currently in your care was your omega!” Her expression is furious, and for a moment I feel like I’ve done something wrong, but then she turns back to me, her expression softening.
“I’m sorry about him, he never tells me anything.
” She shoots him a dirty look before returning her attention to me.
I grin, shaking my head. “It’s okay, Doctor Petrov—”
“Call me Maggie, please.”
“Maggie.” I smile, looking up at her. It’s so obvious now, I wonder how I didn’t see it before. Same brown hair, same eye-color, nose shape…huh. “Are you…twins?”
“We are,” she grins at me, “I have so many stories I can tell you about him—”
“And this,” Maverick grumbles, “is why I didn’t tell you.”
“I would love to ‘ear any dirt you ‘ave on ‘im,” Teddy jumps in, grinning from ear to ear. “As a pack member, I believe I ‘ave every right to that information.”
“Pack?” Maggie’s brows shoot up to her hairline. “So are you all…scent sympathetic?”
“True scent matches,” I add quietly. “All of them.”
“Oh dear.” Her eyes widen before she gives her brother another dirty look. “This changes everything. I’m going to need to do a hormone panel and a blood draw. I’ll expedite the testing myself.”
Brennan frowns, shifting in his seat. “What? Why does that change anything?”
“Because, Brennan,” Maggie huffs, “when an omega meets their true scent matches in a normal situation, it can throw them into an early heat. I might have prescribed heat suppressants under different circumstances, but given her malnourishment, and the fact we don’t know exactly what that pack drugged her with, I don’t know if her kidneys can handle it.
Though…it is amazing how much better she already looks from the picture they’re blasting on the news. ”
I frown. Malnourishment? I mean, sure, Mother kept me on a strict diet to keep me from getting too curvy, and they did withhold food as punishment sometimes, but I’d hardly say I was malnourished.
Before I can protest, low growls fill the air. “Just how malnourished are we talking?” It’s Ethan’s voice that breaks through the rumbling, something dangerous laced in his tone.
Maggie frowns. “It’s difficult to quantify, but it’s enough that I can tell just by looking at her that she’s still a bit underweight.”
“Mother said it was to keep me ‘trim’ for the photoshoots,” I mutter, looking down in shame.
But…what do I have to be ashamed of? All I did was listen to my mother, which you’re supposed to be able to do without worrying that she’s secretly starving you.
“And can you please stop talking about me like I’m not here? ”
When I glance up, everyone looks properly chastised, including Maggie.
She gives me her full attention. “I apologize, Wren. That was wildly unprofessional of me.”
“It’s alright.” I take a deep shuddering breath before meeting her eyes. “So…what does all that mean?”
“It means…” She gives me a small smile. “Let your pack take care of you.” My stomach swoops, remembering the way Teddy insisted on feeding me dinner last night.
“Pamper you. Be an omega. I’ll run your labs, and get you an answer on a more definitive timeline by tonight.
But Wren…” She sighs. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you have…
less than a week left before the spikes start.
They could happen at any moment, really.
” She turns to Brennan. “How long do you have access to this cabin for?”
He uncrosses his arms, sitting forward as he eyes me with concern. “As long as I need it.”
“Good.” She nods before turning back to me. “Do you have any questions for me?”
Any questions? Besides how I’m supposed to handle the fact that my spiral into a mindless, days-long sex fest could begin at any moment, and the only experience I have is Teddy touching me with my clothes on?
“No.” I shake my head. This is something I’ll need to talk to the guys about.
“Alright then,” she smiles, grabbing a small case and removing a syringe, “just a quick poke and then I’ll get out of your hair. Can I get your phone number from Maverick to deliver the results later?”
I barely feel the prick of a needle when I answer. “I…uh, no. I don’t have a phone.”
She nods. “That makes sense. I’m sure you ditched it as soon as you left Pack Caruso so your parents couldn’t track you.”
Nope.
“I’ve never actually had a phone. Ever.”
She stills, before shooting yet another death glare at her brother. “Maverick, for fucks sake, get your omega a phone. Now I’m worried she’s only with your scrawny ass because she has literally no other options.”
I have to hide my smile. Maverick is not scrawny in any capacity. He’s strong, with just a bit of padding around the middle that makes him ridiculously perfect to snuggle into.
“I’d bite back,” Mav mutters, “but you’re right. I can’t believe I didn’t think to get her a phone.”
“Who would I call?” I shrug as Maggie takes the needle off the vial and replaces it with a cap. “The only phone number I know is Teddy’s.”
“Nine-one-one.” Maggie smirks, zipping her bag back up. But then she turns to me with a serious look. “But really, Wren. Once you get that phone, call me any time, okay? I’ll reach out to Maverick tonight with the results.”
Smiling, I nod, thinking I may have found a friend.
“So,” I address the alphas sitting on the couch across from me. “This is super awkward, and completely embarrassing, but I need to tell you guys something.”
The only thing that keeps me from sinking into the armchair in embarrassment is the sight of all four alphas squished on the couch together. It really is quite cute.
Teddy nods encouragingly, clearly already knowing where my thoughts are heading. I may not know when exactly my heat is going to hit—but I do know one thing. I don’t want my first time with any of my alphas to be in the haze of my heat.
“I’m…I’m a virgin.” Various degrees of shock come over my alphas’ faces, and I can’t keep myself from rambling.
“Really, until I met Teddy, I had never met anyone I wanted to do that with, so it’s not like I was missing out.
But…I don’t want my virginity to be lost to my heat.
I want to remember my first time with each of you, so while it’s quicker than I would like to move, I think we should make it a point to try to do… that, before my heat hits.”
Brennan frowns. “Song bird…you shouldn’t be pressured to—”
I sigh. “You’re welcome to tell my heat to fuck right off, Brennan, but somehow I don’t think it’s going to listen to you.” I almost balk at myself. Look at me, voicing my opinions so confidently.
Ethan leans forward. “But Wren, it’s not…” He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure each of us would love nothing more than to…have you that way. But, it’s not like you don’t have other options. You could be sedated—”
“No,” I shake my head fervently, the thought of being drugged for days making my skin crawl, “I will not be sedated. This is what I want.” I look around the room. “All…all of you.” The only one who hasn’t kissed me yet is Brennan, but I’m not under any impression that it’s been intentional.
“So…like wot?” Teddy asks. “Dove, I’m not tryin’ to be an arse here, but ‘ow is this gonna work? ‘Ow are you gonna go from never ‘avin’ slept wiff anyone to…” he glances at the rest of the guys, “four ‘o us wiffout you feelin’ like you’re on some kinda…rotation duty?”
I bite my lip. “I want each time with you to be special…even if that sounds corny. I was thinking…if you’re up to it, I can have a date with each of you individually.
If my heat spikes start…well, only the ones who have…
been with me already will help me through it.
But the goal…the goal is to have sex with all of you at least once before my actual heat hits. ”
“You…you’re sure about this?” Brennan asks hesitantly. “That you even want us all at your heat?”
“Yes,” I answer without hesitation. “I may not have known you all that long, but something deep inside me…it’s telling me that this is right. That the four of you are right. So even if things don’t progress that far before my heat hits, at least I’ll know each of you more.”
Ethan frowns. “It’s not a bad idea by a longshot, but what would we do for dates? We can’t exactly leave the cabin. Well, we can,” he quickly amends, “but you can’t.”
Right. With my parents telling the world I’ve been kidnapped, if someone spots me at the movies or something, they could call the police and I’d be back with my parents in an instant.
“I can get creative.” I shrug.
“No.” Maverick’s voice is stern, and my heart drops. No? No to the dates? No to the whole thing? “As your pack, it’s our job to think of things like dates. We’ll get creative.”
Just as quickly as my heart had dropped, it soars back up, feeling lighter than air. Every time I expect the rug to be pulled out from under me, they surprise me instead.
“Okay.” I smile, my cheeks heating, but I don’t care.
Teddy grins. “Well then, I guess my date is tonight then, cause I already have the perfect idea.”