Page 27 of The Omega Verse

“You’re in a dip, Cass,” Tom says in the no-nonsense tone he uses on flighty patients. “Based on heat averages, you’ve still got a long way to go. If you’re comfortable with doing this here, I’d like you to sit up and let me check you over.”

I would rather pull him down on top of me, but I do as he says, my scent sour in my nose.

Oh, yeah. Another tweak in my new state – I can smell things a whole lot more clearly, including myself. But it’s Tom’s scent that’s at the forefront of my brain, a lemon-scented musk that makes me think of bonfires, sand dunes, coconut sunscreen, and safety.

But as Tom sets his med kit on the bed, it’s Silva he turns to. “You ever had an episode like this before?” When Silva’s grin starts to turn wicked, he gives him his stern soldier look. “I mean the designation change. You ever tested for alpha hormones?”

Silva rolls his shoulders in a half-shrug. “Nah, man. I mean, I grew up with alphas. My dad and brothers told me what I was, and that was that.”

“Right. Then, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to do a saliva test. It’s a simple procedure, but it’ll give us an indication of your current hormone levels.” Tom snaps a pair of rubber gloves on and takes a mouth swab from his kit. “This is no different to the oral fluid sample you’d give in a drug test. I’m assuming you’ve done one of those before?”

Silva just smirks and opens his mouth. Tom runs the sterile swab around a few times and then puts it into a little vial of fluid. “It’s testing for a bunch of endocrine markers, but basically if it turns blue, we’ll send it to a lab for confirmation.” It only takes a moment for Silva’s saliva to mix with the solution, and then it’s turning a bright, deep blue. “Yeah. You’re well in range for the sex and stress hormones we’d usually associate with an alpha male.”

Silva stares at the little tube for a moment, then gives a sharp nod. “Okay. And you’ll get it confirmed at a lab?”

“I can. Or you can get a test administered by your health care professional…”

“Nah, man. You take care of Cass’ tests, right? So, do mine.”

Tom glances at me, but takes a pen and baggie out of his kit and writes on the outside before depositing the sample inside. I have to admit, there’s something very attractive about watching him in medic mode, and when he peels off the plastic gloves, I have to bite back a small sigh of disappointment.

But then he pulls on another pair and looks my way. “Same test for you, okay, Cass? And I’ll process the sample myself.” He means he’ll keep it out of the system, which is the agreement we have for all my medical tests. Thankfully, I’ve never been sick enough to warrant a formal hospital visit.

“You ever seen this on the job?” Kobi asks as Tom repeats the test on me. “I mean, an alpha presenting like this during a heat?”

Tom glances between Silva and me as he feeds the swab into a new vial. “We’re looking for a red reaction this time,” he says, then looks at Kobi. “I think your timeline is off, but let’s just see…” The fluid in the tube has turned the colour of a bad sunburn and Tom nods. “I’ve seen something like this. We didn’t formally label it, because the diagnosis still isn’t recognised in the medical field, but it was a designation switch. I can’t say much about the specific case, but it involved an alpha male triggering a beta male into an omega presentation.”

Silva’s eyes pop wide and flick to the hallway. “Shit. River mentioned something about that. Jett blew him off, said it was science fiction.”

Tom shrugs. “The hormone tests are a good indicator, but there are other things we can check as well.” He must sense my unease, because he rests one of those cool, gloved hands on my shoulder. “I’m just focusing on your vitals right now, Cass. I’m not trying to solve a medical mystery.”

“But you’re saying that one of us triggered the other, right?” Silva persists, staring at me with a strange mix of concern and fascination. “I mean, we meet, we have a connection, and then our hormones go nuts and you end up in heat. There has to be a reason, yeah?”

I can taste his rising emotions in the air, moving across my skin like a warm breeze. It’s suddenly vital that Silva is right beside me and I hold out a hand. He doesn’t hesitate, sitting next to me on the bed and taking me into his arms, blanket and all. It’s only as he starts to nuzzle my hair that I look Tom’s way, hoping I don’t see any judgement in his eyes.

The concern there is familiar, but it’s the heat in his expression that takes me by surprise. Okay. So, Tom isn’t all the way into professional medical mode…

As if he knows he’s let his mask slip, Tom clears his throat and starts rummaging in his kit. “The important thing is to keep an eye on your condition over the next couple of days, and then if you want to know more about what’s going on with your designation, there are a few things we can explore.”

He takes a portable blood pressure machine out of his kit and wraps the cuff around my arm, writing something on the notebook he keeps in his pocket. He then checks my temperature, pulse, and pupil dilation, jotting things down as he goes. I’m pretty sure all of my senses are reacting more to him than to my heat, but he doesn’t say anything until he takes another longer swab from his kit. “This is the main procedure we use to confirm an omega heat. Not that there’s any doubt in my mind that you’re in the early stages.”

“Okay,” I reply and open my mouth again, but Silva’s chest starts to vibrate behind me. I twist to find his eyes dancing with amusement. “What?”

“I don’t think that’s where he plans to stick it, sugar.”

Oh. Oh, fuck! I study the swab and my thighs involuntarily clench.

“It’s for slick collection,” Tom confirms. “It’s a good way to assess the degree of lubrication, as well.”

I just blink at him, but Silva nibbles on my ear and purrs, “We’ve all tasted it, doc, and it’s not just copious. It’s delicious.”

“Jesus, Silva,” Kobi laughs from the doorway. “You got a filter for that mouth?”

I smirk, but Silva, of course, just sticks his tongue out. “Why don’t you stick something inside it and check, big boy?”

Tom’s gaze bounces between us, a small smile playing over his lips. “Right. Well, at least this won’t be awkward.” He nods at Silva. “Move up the bed a bit so she can lie down.” We reposition ourselves to his liking, and then his hand touches my thigh. “Just open up a little for me, Cass. It will only take a second.”

“Yeah, Cass,” Silva murmurs in my ear. “He’s gonna be in and out in no time at all.”

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