Page 12 of The Chosen Son

Phobos nodded and collected my bowl, putting it in the sink for me. “Sure. Next time.”

I hoped that whatever the doctor said, there would be a next time.

I chose a small clinic downtown, somewhere I wouldn’t be recognized, wearing my fake glasses as a disguise just in case. Considering I didn’tknow what was wrong yet, I didn’t want this getting back to Phobos. What if he fired me? I really liked the job stability. I would fill him in later if he needed to know.

The clinic was on the corner of a four-story brick building, its façade stained with decades of car exhaust. They accepted walk-ins and cash payments, which fit my needs perfectly. The waiting room had rows of chairs with cracked vinyl seats, repaired with duct tape, and only a handful of other patients, none of which made eye contact with me. Everyone sat in total silence, only broken by the occasional cough or sniffle. I only had to wait 20 minutes or so before I was called back.

Someone knocked on the door, and a gruff older alpha in a white coat walked in. He had bushy gray eyebrows that looked like seagulls that were trying to fly off with his face. “I’m Dr. Adler. What seems to be the problem?”

He still hadn’t even looked at me as he plopped himself down in the squeaky chair in front of his computer and plucked his glasses up from where they hung on a string around his neck.

“Um, yeah, I’ve been having a lot of headaches, some dizzy spells. Burning and tingling in my hands and arms. Loss of balance.”

“Mm-hm,” he murmured, typing something in his notes.

I decided to take that sound as encouragement to continue. “And, uh, my body is changing in ways I can’t explain, but it feels like something is really wrong. I feel… disconnected from reality.”

“Yes, I see.” He did? I wish he would share what he saw with me, but he was still typing. Was he even listening? “How old are you?”

“I’m 24.” I tucked my hands between my legs to keep them from shaking, but I wasn’t sure if it was from nerves or my rapidly declining health.

Dr. Adler finished with his typing and spun his chair to face me, lowering his glasses just far enough down his nose to look over the rimsat me. His eyes were a cloudy gray, those bushy brows encroaching on his vision when he frowned. “It sounds very much like you have a hormone imbalance. It’s very common in young omegas around your age. Is it near your ovulation?”

“I—what?” I blinked dumbly at him. Was he being serious? “You think this is hormones.”

He nodded while reaching into the front pocket of his coat and pulling out a prescription pad. “Yes, I know it might seem unlikely, but the endocrine system is responsible for an astounding number of symptoms. One hormone falls out of balance, and then they topple like dominos. Let’s get you on some suppressants. That should clear it right up.”

Now my frown shifted to a scowl. “I’m already taking suppressants.” I’d clearly listed it on the intake form when I first came in, though it was pretty obvious he hadn’t even looked at it.

“Ah! I knew it! That’s obviously the culprit right there. I think it would be best if we took you off the suppressants for now, and we’ll switch to another form of birth control. How’s that sound?”

It sounded suspiciously like he was trying to make my symptoms match his diagnosis.

The doctor slipped the script pad back in his pocket, removed his glasses, and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his rotund belly, internally congratulating himself on a job well done, another patient cured. “Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

“No. I think that’s—”

“Wonderful. You have a great day, and come back in three months if your symptoms haven’t improved.” He was up and out of his chair, already on his way out the door, on to his next patient, the tail of his coat flapping behind him much like Phobos’s cape.

I left the clinic feeling shaky and uncertain. Was it really as simple as my suppressants messing with my hormones? I’d been on them for five years, starting from back when I’d started dating Scott Strilek. We’d gotten pretty serious… or so I thought. Until I found out he was secretly a big Chosen One groupie who ran a fan site, and he’d been posting pictures and videos of us together online, selling someveryprivate images. Talk about betrayal. I’d packed my things that very afternoon and high-tailed it to Valleywood. The change in scenery was exactly what I needed.

What Ididn’tneed was to get sick.

Well, there was no harm in trying to go off the pills. It wasn’t like I was even seeing anyone right now. If it made things better, then great. And if things got worse, well… I would cross that bridge when I came to it.

I just wished it was a quick fix. The hormones from the pills would likely take a while to work their way out of my system. How was I supposed to do my job when I felt like this? Even just driving home, I kept thinking about how dangerous it was, that I could too easily just fall asleep behind the wheel and coast into oncoming traffic.

Luckily, I made it back to the mansion and quietly made my way upstairs, hoping to avoid a conversation with Phobos. Fortunately, he seemed to be out somewhere, probably saving a senior or a kitten—or a senior kitten—so I crawled back into bed with a sigh. Even behind my closed eyelids, I could feel the room spinning around me like a whirlpool of stars.

And I fell into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 6

Deimos

“Your cocoa, sir.” Zeekstood at the door to my office, mug in hand.

I huffed, glad for the distraction. I’d been trying to manage my investment portfolio, but it was really beginning to get out of hand with all these new businesses I’d been snapping up. I should ask Phobos who he’d hired to manage his finances… “Bring it here,” I demanded, waving Zeek in.

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