Page 130 of Knot All is Forgiven

"That woman in the picture on your desk, she's your Omega, right?"

I slowly rise to my feet and pull a few bills out of my wallet, putting them on the table, mouthing "I gotta run" to Athena. She nods and blows me a kiss as I turn and rush out of the door.

"She is, why?"

"Well, she's here. With Dr. Talbot. And I lied and said I had to go grab some research so I could come out here and call you because I thought you should know, and I know this is breaking so many rules, and I could lose my license and get fired, but you have to know-"

"Crystal. Take a deep breath. Why is my Omega there?" I can barely keep the growl out of my breath as I climb into my car, already heading to the Clinic. I don't know why Jordan is there, but I know I need to be, too.

"She's asked him if there is any way to deactivate that Omega gene you found."

I'm pretty sure my heart stops. My breathing switches to manual, and I have to force myself to calm down so I don't wreck my car on the way there.

"Dr. Valentine?"Crystal's voice echoes through the car speakers."Are you still there? Did you hear me?"

"I heard you. Thank you for letting me know. I am on my way. Please, don't let her leave." I hang up before she can respond, my mind reeling.

What in the world is she thinking? You can't deactivate a gene like that. And why would she want to? All she's ever wanted was to be an Omega.

I fire off a text to the guys at a stoplight.

I received a call from a colleague. Jordan is at the clinic trying to get them to deactivate the Omega gene.

Simon

They can't do that

Tell me they can't do that

No, they can't. But I am concerned about the implication of this.

Rafe

Ditto. What do you need from us?

Cyrus

Let's just get home. I don't want to bombard her at the clinic.

Russ, we'll meet you at home. Give us a heads up on what we can expect or if we need to do anything before you get here.

The drive to the clinic has never taken so long. By the time I get there, I'm a wreck, my hands shaking so much I can barely get my key out of the ignition.

I follow the familiar path to Dr. Talbot's office, my steps faltering when I realize I have no excuse for being here. I could inadvertently out Crystal for revealing Jordan's visit.

Do I knock on the door, pretending I was here working and had a question for him?

Do I wait until Jordan comes out and intercept her before she can leave alone?

I'm wringing my hands, pacing in the hallway, when the decision is taken out of my hands.

"There must be something you can do!" Jordan's voice echoes in the hallway. The door to Walter's office opens slowly, and I glimpse him holding it half open.

"I apologize, Ms. Cross, but there is no deactivating a gene. We could put you on suppressants to hold off your heat. Those work for about a decade."

Moving slightly around the corner so neither of them see me, I'm not ashamed to admit I eavesdrop on their very loud conversation.

"I don't want to be suppressed. I want to go back to how things were. Being an Omega is too much. I lost my job. My life has been completely upended. My best friend betrayed me. I –" her words hitch with a sob, and I grip the wall to keep from rushing forward to gather her in my arms.

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