Page 31 of The Omega Project

Soren gives me a long slow blink, the edge of his mouth tipping up as he studies my face. “I might need some help with this answer, I’m afraid. Control it how? Do you mean would I be able to walk away and cool down? Or do you mean would I be able to control myself enough to make it good for my partner?”

I’m pretty sure the questionnaire means the first, but my mind is fixed on option number two, and I gulp at the pheromones I can smell leaking through the glass. Forget about Soren’s sexual urges, I’m now drowning in desire. That objectivity I was clinging to has evaporated into a pheromone-soaked mist, and as for the ‘observe but don’t touch’ rule? If I could melt the glass between us, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

It doesn’t help that Soren gives a throaty chuckle, his grin exposing a dimple in his left cheek. He’s so attractive it’s almost painful, and my heart is fluttering so fast, I almost miss the sudden cramp in my belly.

What the hell?

I freeze, trying to make sense of the feeling, when the next sharp jab has me hissing in pain.

Could it just be from skipping breakfast? Coffee withdrawal, on top of a crappy night’s sleep…

But as I arch my back to relieve the strain, my hand slaps against the glass and a moan slips from my lips. Soren’s laughter dies away, a growl rumbling from deep in his chest. When I liftpained eyes to his face, his pupils are dilated, his lips parted enough for me to see a stud in his tongue.

“Oh, shit!”

My hand slips off the glass, and this time the cramp is deeper, right down in my core. I rub myself through my trousers, but I can’t stop a flush of wetness soaking into the too-tight fabric. “Oh, God. Did I just…?”

I can’t finish the question. The explanation for my symptoms – the itch under my skin, the purrs I can’t swallow, and now the pain and heat blooming between my thighs - doesn’t compute, but my scientist’s brain can’t ignore the facts.

How is it freaking possible?

As I roll forward onto my knees, the next cramp has me plastered to the glass. It feels like ice against my sweaty skin and Soren crowds right up against the other side, his eyes wild. “Emily? Are you hurt?”

“I’m not sure…” I pant, swallowing back a whimper that feels like it’s dredged from the bottom of my soul. “But I think I need to borrow one of your heat tests.”

Soren

“I’ll get it!” I’m on my feet in a flash and running for the medical kit on the table. I’ve been taking these tests for so long, I could grab the gear with my eyes closed, but my hands are shaking so hard I have to stop and take a breath. When Emily gives another pained whimper, I give myself a mental kick in the pants.

This isn’t about you, Sorry!

It’s an echo I hear far too often, but I thrust it aside with a growl. Now is definitelynotthe time to start wrestling with the voices in my head.

When I slide back to my knees with the kit in hand, Emily’s arms are wrapped around her middle and her forehead is pressed to the glass. It’s a pose I recognise, and I shoot a furious glance up at the two-way mirror. “Can we get a little help down here?”

I rip open the kit, but I’m not surprised when Finn and Lang appear in seconds. While Emily was completing her observation, they were no doubt spying on every interaction between us. “Open the door. I need to help her.”

“We’ve got a test here,” Finn says as Langston drops to his knees, his hand touching Emily’s back as he tries to coax her off the glass. She makes another pained little sound, and my fingers form a fist around the swab I’m clutching.

Finn, of course, notices the gesture, and I can feel hisdominance leaking into the air, testing my emotions. “Seriously? You think I’d hurt her?”

Finn doesn’t deny it, his wolf-grey eyes holding mine. “This is new territory for us, Soren. We have to be careful.”

Which is as close as he’ll come to saying he doesn’t trust me. Not that I’ve given him much reason to, resisting their treatments and letting my despair overwhelm me after months of little to no progress. But if he can’t tell the difference between that nightmarish state and how I’m feeling now, he’s not half the alpha I think he is. “I’m not in a rut, but I’ll be pretty pissed off if you don’t let me help her, Finn.”

He just watches as Lang dips the swab into the vial and the liquid turns a violent shade of red. He’s only performed the oral test, but anyone with half an olfactory system can tell Emily’s in heat.

Anomegaheat, when yesterday she was all beta.

“Let me out.” I can’t resist thumping the glass, and when Finn gives me another of his searing looks, I huff. “If she’s switched because of me, then she’s my responsibility.”

“She’sallour responsibility,” Langston argues, climbing back to his feet. Of all the guys in our messed-up pack, the professor is the one I’m closest to, but all that could change depending on how things play out.Is he feeling bad because he brought her here, or because of what he plans to do next?“We’ve all had a hand in this, Soren. And we all need to agree on the next steps.”

“Then get Creed in here.” The words spring from my mouth with relative ease, but I don’t miss the way Lang’s eyes widen. I suppose it’s to be expected since the last time I saw my mate, I tried to tear his throat out with my teeth. “You saidall, so where is he?”

Finn glances up and I realise he’s staring into one of the many cameras that dot the ceiling. “You really want him here?”

“He has as much reason to be a part of this as you do.” I stop and think about that, knowing that if things play out the way I want, Creed will need to be right at the center of things. “In fact, he’ll probably argue that he has more skin in the game than you do.”

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