36
Wren
T he sound of my phone ringing shatters the fitful sleep I’d fallen into at my desk for the third time in as many days. I haven’t been sleeping well since Scarlett walked out on us, so I often find myself falling asleep while trying to get some work done in my office.
Groaning, I reach for my cell on the corner of the desk, swiping my thumb to answer the call before I can even check to see who it is. “What?” I grumble, scrubbing a hand down my face in an attempt to brush off the lingering exhaustion weighing me down. It doesn’t help.
“There’s a possibility I will lose my license for this, but I can’t in my good conscious not inform you about the situation I’m currently dealing with at my clinic.” It takes me a few seconds to process the words and voice on the other end of the line.
“Kars? What the hell has happened?” I pull the phone back from my face to see that it is indeed Parker Kars, my pack’s on-call doctor for emergencies, on the other end.
“Which one of them is hurt?” I’m already rising to my feet, gritting my teeth against the throbbing in my right temple from the way I’d passed out at my desk.
I glance at the clock on the wall above the door as I march out of my office to see that it’s only one in the afternoon.
There’s a pause from him before he speaks. “It’s your omega.” I nearly stumble into the wall when I step through the door, just barely stopping myself from slamming my face into plaster and wood.
“Excuse me? What the fuck is going on with my omega?” I bark, unable to help myself. My pace picks up and I practically jog into the kitchen where I find Lark sitting at the island, nursing a cup of coffee and a Sudoku puzzle from yesterday’s paper.
My pack brother’s head jerks up at my words, his eyes flaring wide as he too gets to his feet.
Panic is already making me sweat, and I veer off from the kitchen, heading towards the front door.
I snatch up the keys to something when I pass the key rack on the wall.
I can feel Lark hot on my heels, but I am too focused on getting down to the clinic as fast as possible.
“Meet me at Black Tide Memorial. I’m having her transferred. I don’t want to speak about this over the phone. Just get here.” He says, and then the fucking dickhead hangs up on me.
“Motherfucker!” I snarl, jabbing my fist into the button on the elevator that will take me down to our underground parking garage.
“That shit stain just hung up on me!” Fury starts pumping through my veins like poison, but it’s not enough to override the overwhelming dread his words have dredged up in me.
“Tell me what’s happened.” Lark demands when he steps in with me the moment the elevator doors slide open.
I punch my finger into the close door button, and when it doesn’t work fast enough, I snarl again.
Tension bands tight in my shoulders, and I’m two seconds away from taking the stairs down when the door finally slides shut.
I pull up Caito’s contact information as we plummet down to the parking garage.
“Kars just called me to say Scarlett was at the clinic and she’s being transferred to Black Tide Memorial.
He wouldn’t give me any information over the phone before the bastard hung up on me.
I’m going to call Caito and see why the hell he didn’t call me when she left her apartment. ”
I bring the phone up to my ear before it even starts to ring out. He picks up on the second ring. “We have a situation.”
“No fucking shit, jackass. Why didn’t you fucking call me when you brought her to the clinic?” I snap down the line, and a deadly silence follows for all of three seconds, which is a record for Caito.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” His tone is low, bordering on a vicious snarl.
My brow furrows. “What do you mean, asshole? I just got the call from Kars that he’s transferring Scarlett to Black Tide Memorial. You’re not with her? The fuck is going on, Caito?” Now I’m getting pissed the hell off.
“Apollo’s with me. I’ll fill you in on our situation when we get there.” Caito hangs up on me before I can protest, and I snarl in fury, whipping my phone at the closed elevator doors.
Lark winces. “I hope you didn’t just break that. How are you supposed to get updates on Scarlett now?”
“They’re not with her.” I seethe as the elevator finally comes to a stop, and I’m out the doors as soon as they start sliding open.
I press the key fob in my hand, and thankfully our pack SUV chirps from across the lot.
Good thing I hadn’t picked out one of the bikes, otherwise Lark would’ve had to ride bitch to the hospital.
There would be no way I’d go back up to get another set of keys.
Time is of the essence.
Lark doesn’t respond to my statement until we are seated in the SUV and peeling out of the garage in the direction of the hospital. I know I’m speeding and I’m likely to get pulled over, but I could honestly care less right now. The faster I can get to our omega, the better.
“We’ll figure out what’s going on. If something was seriously wrong, Kars would’ve said that on the phone.” He says it like he’s trying to convince himself more than me.
I don’t say anything. I keep my mouth shut all the way to the hospital, too keyed up to voice my feelings. I’m going to strangle Kars as soon as I see him, and then I am going to bloody Caito’s pretty face for leaving his watch post and not knowing what the hell is going on.
Tires screech when I come to a halt in front of the front doors of the emergency department, and I’m hopping out of the car before Lark can say anything. There’s no valet at this hospital entrance, so he calls out that he’ll park the car and meet me inside, but I’m moving too fast to respond.
I head straight to the receptionist’s desk the moment I’m inside. Some of my anger slips when I slam my fist down on the top counter, snapping the elderly omega’s attention up to me. “Parker Kars. Where did he take my omega?” I demand, and my eyes narrow when her nostrils flare in indignation.
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to refrain from speaking-”
“Here, Madden. Follow me, and I’ll take you back to her.” Kars’ voice cuts her off when he appears from the direction of the lobby. The receptionist huffs in annoyance, but she doesn’t say anything as I stalk towards the beta doctor, Lark appearing at my side. Damn, he moves fast.
“If you don’t tell me what the fuck-”
“Stop. I’ll explain as soon as we are all back in her room. Let’s keep the peace out here, yeah?” He holds up a hand to silence me, and I swear that steam must be blowing out of my ears from how hot my rage is boiling now.
Lark slaps a hand down on my shoulder when I open my mouth to argue, and when I glance over at him, the look he gives me makes me clam up. Baring my teeth at the beta, I jerk my head. “Take us to our omega.”
He eyes me for a moment before he nods, turning to lead us through the lobby to a set of doors marked emergency exit.
He uses a badge to scan us through, and then we’re following him down a set of halls.
We come to a stop outside of a closed door, but he doesn’t immediately twist the handle and push it open for us.
“Her roommate brought her in for some testing when she said she was experiencing some flu-like symptoms. She passed out during the appointment, and I thought it best to bring her here. She awoke about three minutes after I got off the phone with you, so I’ll let her explain what exactly happened as it was one of my nurses that was with her when she fainted.
” He steps aside then, making it clear that he isn’t heading inside with us just yet.
“Am I correct to assume the other two are on their way?” When I nod, his lips tighten before he dips his chin.
“I’ll wait for them out in the lobby and bring them back when they get here. ”
He disappears back down the hallway, leaving me and Lark to stare after him for a moment.
I exchange a look with my pack brother before I suck in a breath through my clenched teeth.
I knock, and then push into the room before I receive an answer, feeling far too anxious and impatient to lay eyes on my omega.
As soon as we step into the dimly lit room, Kate—the roommate—is up on her feet from the chair she’d been sitting in by the bed and planting her hands on her hips.
“How the hell did you know we were here?” She demands, but I only have eyes for the omega sitting with her legs crossed on the bed, a stark white blanket pulled up to cover her lap.
I have to bite back my growl at the sight of her.
Dark circles stain the undersides of her eyes.
Her hair is pulled back in a low ponytail, making her gaunt cheekbones stick out more than usual.
Her usually vibrant, dark hazel eyes are dull with exhaustion and something else I can’t quite place as soon as she meets my gaze.
She doesn’t even look angry to see us. Resignation settles over her features.
“It’s fine, Kate.” I hate how dull her voice sounds.
She wraps her arms around her waist, and I take note of the lack of sling.
Her shoulder must be feeling well enough not to need it anymore.
It has been three weeks since we last saw her.
“They’re a bunch of stalkers, Scar. That’s not healthy behavior, and you shouldn’t encourage them.” Kate turns her ire on Scarlett, but my omega just sighs and shakes her head.
“They need to be here. You know why.” I exchange a look with Lark at that, and I find the look Kate gives Scarlett rather curious.
“What’s going on, Sweetheart?” I can’t help but to fall back on the old nickname I used for her before she walked out on us.
I can see some of the tension leak out of her at my use of it, and that warms something inside of me that has felt cold and dead since I watched her disappear behind our elevator doors three weeks ago.
“I’ll fill you all in as soon as the others are here.” She doesn’t even ask if Caito and Apollo are coming. She leans back into the mound of pillows behind her, and Kate moves to grab a plastic container sitting on a nearby wheeled cart and hold it up to her.
“Do you feel nauseous?”
Scarlett shakes her head. “No. I’m just dizzy and tired.”
Kate nods, placing the container closer in case she needs it. “Kars said something about flu symptoms?” Lark hedges after a moment of silence, but Scarlett just keeps her eyes closed, resting back against the pillows. She’s paler than normal, and I don’t like that at all.
My jaw grinds, but I’m saved from having to demand answers of both omegas when the door swings inward again, and Caito and Apollo stalk inside. “ Mo chroí .” Caito growls, stalking towards the bed with single-minded intent, but Scarlett holds her hand up to stop him.
He freezes, hurt flashing across his features, but it’s gone the next time he blinks before she’s even opened her eyes. “Kate, can you give us a minute?” She turns to her roommate. The other omega hesitates, casting a glower over all four of us, before she sighs.
“I’m going to get a coffee from the machine down the hall. Then I’ll wait outside the door. Call if you need anything.” She hands Scarlett the emergency call button remote, then, with one last glare around the room, she stalks out and shuts the door quietly behind her.
Once she’s gone, all four of our gazes fall on our omega, holding our breaths in preparation for what’s to come.