Chapter 15 Mona #2
"What happened to you, anyway? How come you're all beat up?" Joey asks, dragging my attention back.
"I went somewhere I wasn't supposed to and ran into an angry wolf." I assume my light B-and-E in their office was what set off Andrea and Stance.
"But I thought we weren't supposed to hurt an omega?"
"Umm… Well, some wolves just don't like other wolves, I guess."
"But everyone likes omegas," he argues. "We learned about them in school this year. That's why they're so special, ‘cause everyone likes them. They make our wolves happy."
I don't know what he's talking about because I've been getting attacked by wolves for six months, but I file the information away for later. Maybe I need to break into their schoolhouse before I leave, find a children's book on everything werewolf, 101.
"Not everyone," I say gently.
He nods his head vehemently. "Everyone."
"You're right, Joey. You aren't supposed to hurt an omega. No one is," Orion says, deadly calm. The air thickens with his anger, his scent taking on a sharp edge. Doc clears his throat and quickly intervenes.
"Alright. Thank you, Heather and Joey, for taking over and watching after our new friend here." Joey smiles toothily, and Heather blushes and says goodbye.
It only takes me a second to decide to follow Doc and Orion down the hall, too curious for my own good. Besides, Beep would know if I was in danger.
Doc asks for permission to check over my injuries, so I take a seat at the edge of the bed in the room I woke up in. Might as well take advantage of some free healthcare.
"These healed nicely," he says of my hand and foot, then unwraps the bandage on my face, palpating my cheek. It stings a bit, but nothing like it did. "Your nose repaired well, as did your eye, but there's still some bruising," he comments, more to himself than to me.
Orion makes a strangled sound, and Doc pauses, lifting one ear toward him.
Orion walks to the wall and leans against it, then Doc resumes.
"I suppose I'll need to brush up on my omega healing.
It's been a long time since I've treated one.
I am terribly sorry this happened to you, Mona. It was an unconscionable act."
I steal a glance at Orion. His jaw clenches so tight I swear I can hear his teeth grinding, but he says nothing. I know he can feel me looking at him, but he stares at the ground between us. It shouldn't hurt that he won't look up, but it offends my omega.
Her feelings are highly sensitive, and I've never felt her so close to the surface before.
Doc drags a chair over and sits in front of me.
"What should I call you?" I ask.
"Well, my name is Edgar, but most everyone just calls me Doc."
"Is that what you prefer?"
His eyes sparkle, and he smiles warmly. "Yes, Doc is fine. Thank you, Mona. And you remember Orion?"
I look over again. This time, his eyes meet mine, and it's like lightning strikes.
I remember this feeling, the first time, in the jail cell.
Something rights itself inside me, I feel it shudder across my skin, through me.
Energy crackles between us. He smiles with his eyes, but otherwise keeps himself planted against the wall.
Like he's tethering himself away from me on purpose.
"So, I have questions. Are you feeling up to answering a few?"
I give Orion one last look before pulling my attention back to Doc. "You answer mine, I'll answer yours," I say wryly.
Doc smirks. "How did you come to be here? All alone?"
Well, let's see... The voice in my head told me to? The invisible cord in my chest dragged me here? Wolves can sense lies, I've learned, so I answer as honestly as I can. "I felt… compelled to come here. I don't know why."
Doc nods as if that's a perfectly reasonable explanation.
His voice softens as he leans closer. "Your reaction to our Lune—I was hoping you could explain… You must know, he would never hurt you in any way—"
I sit a little taller, startled. "The one who shifted into a black wolf?"
The memory of him standing over the hospital bed, and the other, darker memory, of him in my apartment, and just a little while ago, from my dream—
"That asshole tried to kill me," I grit. My nails bite into my palms, and it keeps me from just saying fuck it and lunging for the door.
Months on the run, and all it did was lead me right back to him.
Calm, Beep says. Listen to Doc. But I'm too pissed to listen.
Doc's mouth drops open in shock, and he sputters, "You must be mistaken—"
"I am not lying! I was there. It happened. I will never forget that face. I see it when I close my eyes. I see it in my nightmares. He made me into this freak."
Beep flinches, and I rub the heels of my palms into my tired eyes. "Shit, I'm sorry, Beep. Fuck, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that." You're not a freak, I tell her.
"Look," my voice cracks, and I suck in a shaky breath, steadying myself. "He stole my life. It may not have been a good one, but it was mine, and now it's gone. I've got nothing. And it was… god, I thought I was dying. It felt like I was dying."
Doc's brows lift higher on his forehead.
Orion pushes off the wall and approaches me cautiously. "Mona," he starts, shaking his head slowly. "There's no way Gray could have—"
Something tears inside me. The betrayal cuts deep, which is absurd because I don't even know the man.
He owes me no loyalty. But I've heard enough.
I've had enough. I hop off the bed and push them both away.
"Thanks for patching me up, Doc, even though your psychotic wolves are the ones who did this to me.
I'm just going to… You know what, maybe I'll head to the Bahamas.
I've always wanted to live on a beach. Since north didn't pan out so well, maybe I'll give south a shot. "
I don't even see Orion move. One second I'm ripping a bandage off my arm, the next, I'm pressed against the hospital bed, Orion's body a wall of heat and muscle caging me in.
I'm so surprised by his reaction, all I can do is breathe him in.
I wrap my hands around his biceps to brace myself—to hold him back or pull him closer, I can't tell which.
His muscles flex beneath my fingertips, and I can feel the scorching heat of him, his breath hot on my lips.
I think he's going to devour me. I think I'm going to let him.
My omega fucking preens.
"You. Are. Not. Leaving. I won't let you.
" Each word is a threat, his deep, rumbling voice vibrating through me.
My skin flushes, a current of heat traveling down low, pulsing between my thighs.
He's so close, his short, messy blond beard, little more than shaped stubble, brushes against my cheek as he leans in and inhales my scent.
I'm shaking against him and I don't know what I want or what to do. His chocolate hazelnut scent makes my vision go hazy, body haywire.
I'm grateful when Doc reaches between us, pressing a palm against the solid wall of his chest. "Orion," he urges.
Then he says his name a second time, gently but firmly, and only then does awareness flood back into Orion's blazing blue eyes.
They soften, as if to say he's sorry, and the shift makes me want to open my legs and pull him closer.
An ache unfurls deep inside me, spreading like wildfire, and it's so surprising, so unwelcome, that my trembling hand joins Doc's and I give Orion a desperate shove. I'm not strong enough to move him, but he steps back.
"Let's all just calm down," Doc chides. And though Orion's moved, I can still feel him, even with a foot of distance between us. My pussy aches for this man. What the hell is wrong with me?
Doc continues as if all of this is normal behavior.
"Please, Mona, just… You said you had questions of your own.
There's a lot we're clearly misunderstanding about one another.
Tell us your story. We will listen. And, after we talk, if you really want to run away to the Bahamas…
well, I'll help you do that. But give us a chance.
Give me a chance. An omega with the kind of welcome you had into our clan…
" He shakes his head sadly. "Please allow us the opportunity to make it right. "
"She's not going to the fucking Bahamas," Orion snaps. His eyes flash again, and his scent pulses toward me.
As much as I want to turn and run from how Orion is making me feel, I do have questions. And after all we went through to get here, asking a few wouldn't hurt. As long as Orion keeps his hands to himself. And his body heat. And his scent.
Beep plants her ass right where we're sitting, so leaving now would be a struggle, anyway. This is all embarrassing enough, they don't need to watch me fight with my wolf if I tried to leave. We look ridiculous when we fight.
And, admittedly, Orion's words, like a declaration, do something strange to me. He doesn't want me to leave, and when he says it like that, I don't want to leave him either. It makes no sense.
Our mate, Beep says proudly, and my omega concurs.
For the first time since she said that word, I feel it wriggle around inside me, the idea planting itself in a place so deep I don't think I could dig it out. Mate. What does that even mean?
I glance toward the door. I want to leave. But… I also feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, despite everything that's happened. Nothing makes sense anymore.
And so, I tell Doc, "Okay… fine."
His smile brightens, and he claps his hands together. "Alright. Now, please continue with your story. You were saying… about our Lune?"
I hesitate. My throat threatens to close around the words, but I force them out.
"He… that guy, your Lune, or whatever—" I point toward the door, where I last saw him.
"Six months ago, he followed me home after a party and attacked me.
Bit me—tore into me like I was nothing—and left me for dead.
I woke up the next morning as a fucking wolf. He made me a werewolf!"