Page 121 of Lost
“Yeah, Hollis told me,” he murmurs. “You’re the midwife to some pretty powerful packs as well, and I hear they adore you. Now, tell me about how this bite happened.”
Wincing, I bite my lip. “Lars and I had sex in Corbin’s office and it happened on his desk.”
Dr. Royal’s hand clamps over his mouth as his face turns almost purple.
“Don’t die,” I say, shaking my head.
Dr. Royal coughs as he shakes his head. Dropping his hand, he wheezes, “You had sex on a mob boss’s desk. He used to makethe streets run red when he cleaned them up with the Senior Mafia Families. What did he say?”
“Ambrose dropped off bleach wipes and told us to make sure we cleaned up after,” I squeak.
“Holy fuck,” he gasps. “You’re like the scary alpha whisperer. Ambrose doesn’t like anyone.”
“I mean, he was nice to me,” I shrug.
“Okay, you’re definitely rejecting your bite, Nova. While that’s the bad news, this can be turned around. You need to move in together, spend as much time as possible with them. Your inner omega is running scared. What has your experience with alphas been growing up?”
“It was terrible. John, well he worked for Mr. Domino, he used his alpha bark on me often. When Lars used it on me, it felt like a trap. He was trying to get me to stop running away from him. Needless to say, I broke his bark and kept running. It was too close to a leash, and I’ve been caged too long to go back to that,” I say. “I don’t think Lars wants to cage me for what it’s worth.”
“No, but what you think and your inner omega does are two different things,” he says. “Have you always spent your heat alone?”
“Yes. I lived in my van until recently…”
I explain how I spent my heats before this, tell him about the one time that I indulged in a heat clinic, and he simply nods along.
“I think you should solidify your bonds before you have a heat, but often doctors don’t like to prescribe heat suppressants for long periods of time. I don’t want to rush you. However, this should be your priority,” he explains. “Nasty shit happens when an omega is actively rejecting a bond.”
Taking a shuddering breath, I nod. “You said omegas could go insane?” I whisper.
“It feels like you’re being torn apart,” he says, wincing. “I don’t know why there aren’t more records of it. If there were, I think people would take more care of their scent matches.”
“Okay,” I rasp.
“I’ll call them back in, but do you have any questions?”
“Did I…do something that could have caused this?” I ask almost inaudibly.
“It doesn’t seem like it to me. You were living your life before you found out you had a sister and scent matches that are assholes,” he says. “And I’m sorry, but that’s what they are to everyone else. Though, Hollis has this ridiculous sweet place for Caleb and Lars. You’ve had a lot of upheaval from your own words, so it stands to reason that you’d feel vulnerable. The only way to fix that is to sit with those feelings and let your alphas in.”
“I’ve started to,” I say, wrapping my arms around myself. “Caleb and Lars have dropped the attitude.”
“Good. Despite the fact that you may feel the pressure to bond with them all, take your time. Having three bites that you don’t feel completely safe with just means that you’ll be rejecting each bite. Get to know them, have their scents near you, scent mark them. These omega tendencies are important. If it was as easy as having three bites, you wouldn’t be rejecting any of them.”
I’m in a daze as I leave the appointment with the guys, quiet and worried.
How do we fix this?
TYDE
I can tell that Nova is full of nervous energy the entire ride home.Dr. Royal explained what is happening, and while we’ve come a long way, I’ve been working a lot. I leave her bed at odd hours, time when I should have been with her when Kane burned down her childhood home.
What kind of security could I give her before?
“Hey,” I murmur, watching as she wrings her hands on her couch. “What’s going on in your head?”
She gives me a droll look before sighing. “Everything. I love that the three of you are here but I feel like there’s not enough air in the room.”
“Do you have a nest?” Caleb asks gently.
