Page 26 of Omega Shattered
"This is bad. Why am I perfuming for HIM?" I groaned, then realized I'd spoken the words aloud. "Is there some way to stop this from happening? This is the wrong time to have a heat."
"I think it's pretty natural," Archer told me. "Your body is doing what an omega does. It wants bites and sex, but that doesn't mean you have to give it what it wants."
"Cuz that went so well last time," I muttered. "If he's taking me back tomorrow and I'm like this, I'll be taken straight to the heat dens and probably strapped to the bed."
"They can't do that," Archer assured me.
I gave him a look. "You have no idea what goes on in that place."
"I thought you said you'd never had a heat. Have you ever been to the heat dens?"
"Not yet, but the other women talk. I know what they're like. I've been in the center for nearly a year and I've heard things that would curl your toes."
"So tell me and we'll figure something out for you."
I glared at him. "There is no figuring something out. I have no way out, don't you get it? Even if they don't decide I'm completely defective, they're going to send me off to some random group of alphas who may or may not be nice to me in between using my body."
"That's not how it works," Archer tried to soothe me. "They have to go through testing and sign paperwork saying they will treat their omega well. It's not just throwing you to the wolves."
To my surprise, I burst into tears as I pulled violently away from him. My scent turned the entire room sour as I hopped off the bed and ran to the bathroom.
"Whoa, wait. Quinn!"
I shut the bathroom door behind me and ripped down the pants I was wearing, using toilet paper to clean up my legs. My thighs were sticky with my own fluids and for a moment, I hated that my body was doing this against my will. A flush of heat washed over me.
Outside the door, Archer called my name again. "Let me in and we can talk, okay? I didn't mean to upset you."
I didn't dare open my mouth to answer him. There was a whine in my throat, just dying to escape and I refused to let any alpha have that power over me. It was bad enough to have hot tears pouring down my cheeks and sobs shuddering my entire chest. I didn't cry. I'd never cried at the center, not even when the sharp snaps of electric batons made the tears rise in my eyes. Why was this happening now?
"Quinn, I'm sorry, can I come in?"
I reached over and turned the lock, hearing his sigh through the door. Then I completely peeled off my sticky clothes and turned the shower on cold before climbing into the tub and sitting directly under the icy spray.
I'd been through a heat on my own before. I could do it again. Without alphas.
Chapter 14
Bitter
Quinn didn't answer me, but when I heard the lock click, I knew she wasn't going to let me in. Fair enough. I'd said something that had obviously hurt her, based on the sobs I could distantly hear through the shower spray.
Sliding down to the floor, I sat with my back to the door, listening to her cry and wishing I could just break down the door and make it all better. Her scent in my room was no longer a pleasant thing, rich with honey and spices. Instead, it smelled bitter and sour with her fear and anger.
"What the fuck did you do?" Orion stood in my doorway, his nose wrinkled. "She's so upset I could smell it from the kitchen."
"I don't even know. We were talking about the heat dens and dreams and she said she didn't want a pack because alphas are horrible . . ." I racked my brain for what had set her off. "Then I said the packs for the ORC have to go through a rigorous process and sign papers saying they will treat the omega properly. She just started crying and ran into the bathroom."
Orion frowned. "She's at the beginning of her heat. Her emotions are all over. Normally, an omega would be nesting at this point and she's not. She has no real security here."
"And River came in to let us know he's taking her back tomorrow."
"I'll talk to him. It's a bad idea to move her in this condition."
"What are we supposed to do? They're better equipped to help her at the center," I pointed out.
"But she didn't feel safe there. She went into heat here. With us." He gave me a look and when I just stared back, he dropped his head back to stare up at the ceiling. "Dios mío, dame paciencia."
"Hey, buddy," I scrambled to my feet. "Just because the rest of us have zero experience with omegas doesn't mean you get to treat me like an idiot."
