Page 98 of Talk About… History

She seemed startled. That didn’t bode well.

“It was a tincture. They put drops under my tongue. It was called something silly like the Mindful Omega or something like that. They assured me it was safe.”

I had believed them at the time, but her reaction was making me nervous.

Her eyes closed for a second. “The Mindful Omega?” she confirmed, opening them to focus on me. Her brown orbs were filled with anger on my behalf.

“Yes,” I agreed. “That was honestly the last thing I remembered from that entire heat. I woke up, I think it was seven days later. My body was so sore it hurt to move, and I was dehydrated and shaky. It took me several days to recover from that.”

She nodded, taking a few notes before continuing.

“Could you tell me how you recovered during that time?”

“I drank a lot of water, ordered some electrolytes and easy meals to take care of myself and my pack.”

There was that disturbed look again.

“Did your pack provide those things for you? Did they help you with aftercare and recovery? Did they cook for you?”

She lost her calm demeanor now, her anger coloring her words enough that I tensed. The guys shifted behind me but stayed silent still.

“No, they never cooked for me. I was the only one who cooked. They didn’t order meals either, they expected me to have food on the table the day after my heat,” I said.

Even now I could remember the way Travis and Brad scoffed and called me dramatic. They were tired, too, after all. Keeping me satiated had been a full time job and I was just fulfilling my duties as their omega. My stomach churned and bile started to rise. I could still hear their voices in my head, making me feel so silly and small for feeling that way.

My exes would pay and this was helping. After this, I could let it all go and focus on my pack. They would know everything and I wouldn’t have to talk it out over and over again.

“Could you tell me in your own words what you thought would happen if you didn’t provide those things for them?”

That thought struck me. There was no part of my mind that ever thought about not obeying them. What they asked for, I always provided. Sure, they emphasized that it was my duty, but how could I not question it? They were my alphas and meant for me… or so I thought.

“I genuinely don’t know. They never made it clear if there would be consequences. I simply followed their orders. God, that sounds pathetic.”

Saying it out loud made me feel so stupid. I’d let them do that to me and I didn’t even put up a fight.

As if she could see my internal fight, Eve reassured me this time.

“Part of those medications you took made you compliant, Avery. That was not a fault of yours, but theirs.”

“Thank you,” I said, my voice breaking. Knowing that my guys were behind me, silently helping me get through this, kept me going.

She allowed them to be in the room, against the wall, as long as they were quiet and watchful, not interrupting. She emphasized several times that if they did interrupt, it would affect the interview and its validity in court.

I glanced back, each one of them giving me an encouraging smile. Cohen had his hand gripped in Ford’s, his eyes glossy. Mason looked murderous, as did Arden. Ford kept smiling, though it was definitely strained.

This was just as hard for them to hear as it was for me to say out loud. That was just more confirmation that they truly cared about me.

“Another question for you, Avery. Did the alphas in question ever try to claim you with a bite?”

“No,” I said. “They made it clear that bites were not something they were interested in.”

At the time, it hurt that they didn’t want to bite me, but I had accepted it as part of our dynamic. Now, I had never been more grateful for something in my life. I was unbonded. That meant the break with them was clean, and the only bite I’d ever received was from my true pack.

Maybe that was what they were holding out for all along… their true mate. I was just a placeholder plaything while they waited it out. God, I hoped they never got a chance to find another omega.

The questions continued on for another hour. It felt like I’d been here for several hours already, but I didn’t have a clock to gauge that.

Finally, we reached the end. She stood up and stretched.

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