Page 69 of Who We Were

I keep sneaking glances at the omega I shared a horrible college experience with. She seems sonormal.

Freya's mouth twists at the food menu. "Are we ordering any food? 'Cus I'm starving."

Kate's response makes my stomach roll a little. "Yeah, pizza."

I frown, a little taken aback by Kate's declaration that should have been a question.What if Freya doesn't want pizza?But Freya's shoulders relax, and her mouth settles into a small smile. My eyes are narrowed on her body language when she addresses me, making me jolt in embarrassment.

"Amaya," Freya says my name softly. "It's okay. Kate knows I have a hard time making decisions. Without my pack around, I struggle a bit more, so she's actually helping me."

"Really?" I ask, shocked that someone who looks so happy wouldn't know what to eat for lunch.

Kate gives me an understanding look and Freya nods with a small smile and explains a little more. "Yeah. I'm getting better at it, but everything feels a bit more daunting without my alphas and beta with me."

The idea of sharing my own issues makes me fidget and I'm suddenly really regretting wearing these jeans. The band around my waist digs into my tummy, making me cramp a little.Can the tops of knees even sweat?

"Amaya, you okay?" Kate asks and touches my bare arm.

It feels a little irrational, but Ireallydon't want her touching me right now. I pull away from the contact and take a sip of my beer. With a gulp, I nod. "I thought it was only me," I murmurand they wait for me to continue. "Vincent, my alpha, has been helping me with some basic choices, and I guess I thought I was just weird."

"Well, Iama little weird, but I think my pack likes it," Freya teases with a wink.

I blow a relieved sigh and look at Kate, realizing she did the exact same thing for me when we got here. "Thank you for choosing my beer without thinking anything of it."

"Of course," my friend says earnestly around a frown. "Are you sure you're okay? Your face is like beet red."

As she says it, a drop of sweat stings my eye. I work to rub it away, glad I didn't wear any mascara. "I'm just a little anxious, I think. Being away from Vincent and meeting someone new is making me feel..."

"Unsettled," they both finish in unison.

I'm about to ask more, but Kate beats me to it. "Amaya, when did you have your last heat?"

"Like three months ago," I answer slowly, trying to understand why my omega is all of a sudden pacing in my mind.

Then Kate pales, freaking me out even more. "Amaya, you're due for a heat," she hisses, leaning forward.

"What? No, I'm not. I only have them like twice a year." My protest is weak as the lesson on heat at rehab comes back to me.

"That was probably because of all the drugs. A normal heat cycle, which your body has had a year to settle into, will happen three to five times a year."

My tummy twists. "So I'll take suppressants."

At my frantic words, the two omegas share a look until Kate gives me a serious look. "You can't take suppressants. After so many years of all those drugs wreaking havoc on your system, it would be the worst idea to introduce them to your body again."

"I'm not fragile!" I snap, even though I've had to swallow a whimper multiple times now and clench my fists to distract mefrom the increasing pain. I survived a heat on my own at rehab with toys and blankets; I can do it again.

"No you're not," Freya agrees. "And that's why you aren't going to take suppressants. Your body is telling you it's strong enough to have a natural heat, Amaya. This is agoodthing."

"Um, Freya," Kate cautions. "While that is true, Amaya's pack isn't in the picture."

I scoff, annoyance bubbling up, only to be followed by desperation for the boys I thought loved me. A tear slips down my cheek.

Kate eyes me with worry but explains my predicament. "She only has one alpha. The other two and her beta live down the road and fucked up really bad. They're trying to get back in her good graces, but..."

Freya's eyes are wide, and I catch a hint of fear in her sugary scent when she snaps her attention to me. "So you've had contact with your scent matchesafterthey fucked up and havenotreconciled?" I flinch but she shakes her head. "I'm not judging you, hun. I'm trying to clarify."

"Tha-that's correct," I stammer, chills starting to make me shake.

"We need to leave. I'll call Vincent,” Kate decides, bursting from her chair and grabbing my purse for me.

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