Page 128 of Unhinged Omega

"Geo is... occupied," the doctor says carefully, pressing a stethoscope to my chest. "Deep breath."

I comply, wincing at the sharp stabbing sensation that feels like fresh bullets going straight through me. "Occupied with what? Brooding in front of his security monitors?"

His lips twitch. "Something like that." He moves the stethoscope, listening intently. "Your lung function is improving. The transfusion seems to have helped."

That gets my attention. "Transfusion?" I ask sharply. "Whose fucking blood did you give me?"

From across the room, Raven raises his hand and wiggles his fingers at me with a smirk. "O-negative. You're welcome."

I grimace, my lip curling in disgust. "Great. Just what I needed. I better not turn into a weretwink."

"Too late for that," Raven says sweetly. "The transformation begins at midnight. Hope you like glitter and lip gloss."

I try to catch his scent, to verify if he's telling the truth, but my sinuses are still fucked from when Cosima broke my nose. A little parting gift from my omega. All I can smell is the lingering antiseptic and the musty concrete of the cell.

The doctor ignores our bickering, checking my vitals with practiced efficiency. "Well, you're healing remarkably well," he says finally, sitting back on his heels. "Which means it's time for another dose of sedative."

My muscles tense instinctively. Even with my arms bound, I might be able to take him down. He's not exactly built for combat, and if I can just get those keys...

A soft whimper from across the room draws my attention. Raven is pressed against the bars of his cell, his face twisted in what looks like pain.

"What's wrong?" the doctor asks, frowning as he turns toward him.

"I don't... I don't feel well," Raven says, his voice weak and trembling. "I'm so hot..."

The doctor's frown deepens. "The temperature in here is perfectly regulated."

"No, it's not that," Raven pants, pressing himself closer to the bars. His face is convincingly flushed, his eyes heavy lidded in a look I remember well. "It's... uhm..."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," the doctor mutters. "Again?"

I have to bite back a laugh as I realize what's happening. Raven is putting on quite the show, pretending to go into heat. Or rather, his version of it. Just like his weakness to alpha commands, his former madame's brainwashing had some fucked up side effects. His ruts manifest more like an omega's heat than a typical alpha's rut.

Looks like that hasn't changed.

"Please," Raven whimpers, and there's that unmistakable whine in his voice. It's not quite the same as an omega's whine, but it pulls at my chest in an unmistakable way all the same. "Can't you give me something? Anything to take the edge off?"

The doctor shifts uncomfortably. "Give me a minute?—"

"Ithurts," Raven cuts him off with another plaintive whimper, and damn if I'd forgotten how convincing he can be. Even knowing it's an act, I feel that old protective instinct stirring. It's like nature's own little fuck you to balance out hissusceptibility to commands—the ability to turn those instincts right back on other alphas.

It made half my men uncomfortable enough to fuck right off whenever it happened, which was a royal pain in the ass when it came to finding someone for guard duty.

The other half, well…

They knew what would happen if they touched him, much to Raven's chagrin. And they're still telling stories about the one fucker who ever tried.

The doctor glances at me, clearly torn. I keep my expression neutral, though inside I'm grudgingly impressed. Raven hasn't lost his touch.

Who's the real psychopath here?

Then Raven glances at the doctor's crotch and licks his lips with a little moan, and the doctor grabs his bag in a hurry and stands up, muttering under his breath. "I told Geo keeping him in here was a bad idea..."

I wonder if he means keeping Raven in here with me specifically, but I decide not to think about it.

"I'll be right back," the doctor says, already heading for the stairs. "Don't... just stay put."

As soon as his footsteps fade, Raven's demeanor changes completely. He straightens up, all traces of distress vanishing as he flashes me a triumphant grin.

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