Page 24 of No Strings Attached
My hands fidget in my lap, my gray sweater sleeves brushing my knuckles, and I’m worried this is about to turn into a fight. Warren’s bigger and meaner, but Olivia’s fighting for Elias, our Omega, and she won’t back down. I want to jump in and protect her, but I know she’s got this. I also know she doesn’t expect anything of me other than being her quiet comfort. Still, my stomach twists, fear mixing with pride as I watch her hold her ground.
Warren narrows his gaze at her. “What do you mean he’syouremployee?”
Olivia bursts out laughing and pushes to her feet, throwing her arms across her chest. Her blouse shifts, the unbuttonedcollar revealing the necklace I gave her for her birthday. “See, I told you to read the damn contract before you signed. It’s in there. Whoever you lend for this project is under my direction to ensure the proper delivery of these ads. I expect your absolute professionalism when we start shooting or I will have you removed from set.”
Warren growls, a low rumble in his chest but it’s nothing like earlier. It’s an almost defeated sound that has me feeling a bit victorious, that is until my phone starts vibrating. A sudden pain in my chest has me digging the device out, Elias’ name scrolling across the screen. Even though it could be a harmless call, something tells me that it isn’t.
I hurry over to Olivia’s desk, out of earshot of their argument before answering. “Hello?”
A timid female voice comes through, her words hesitant. “Hello? Are you Elias' Alpha?”
I clutch the phone tighter against my ear, my knuckles whitening, my heart slamming against my ribs. Olivia and Warren’s voices fade into the background as I focus on the timid female voice on the line. Panic floods my chest as I answer. “Yes, this is his Alpha. Where is Elias? Is he okay?”
There’s a sigh of relief through the phone as the woman speaks again, her words rushed. “We’re at the hospital. He asked for a ride here and then passed out, and I couldn’t figure out who to call. I had to use his thumb to unlock his phone. He’s… he’s okay, but he… uhm.”
I open my mouth to ask what’s wrong, when a faint terrified whine comes through the line. I just know it’s Elias, a desperate sound that hits me square in the chest. My knees weaken as I grip the edge of Olivia’s desk. The thought of him alone, hurting, needing us, pains me more than I could put into words. “Which hospital?” I ask, barely holding it together.
She tells me the name—St. Mary’s, just outside town—and I thank her repeatedly, my hands trembling as I hang up. Tears burn my eyes as I rush over to Olivia, ignoring Warren completely. “Olivia, love, we have to go.” My voice cracks as tears spill down my cheeks. “Elias is hurt.”
Olivia doesn’t hesitate, her brown eyes flashing with resolve as she turns to Warren. “My assistant will escort you out,” she tells him, already moving toward the door. “We have an emergency to tend to.”
I don’t wait for her as I rush down the stairs, tears blinding my vision. I know every step of the way, though, reaching the car seconds before Olivia. She slides into the driver’s seat as I slip in across from her, vibrating with the desire to see if our Omega is okay.
She grabs my hand over the console as she puts the car into drive. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” I push out, a fresh wave of tears running down my cheeks. “I don’t know, but I didn’t feel him this time, and he passed out. That’s what the girl on the phone said and then I heard him whine. He needs us, Olivia. I’m sorry about your meeting but I…”
Olivia squeezes my hand before dragging it to her lips. “No apologies. He’s ours, remember? Warren can fucking wait and Elias will be okay. There’s no other option.”
I silently pray that she’s right, clutching her hand in mine as she speeds through the streets. Neither one of us speaks as she pulls into a parking spot, both of us rushing into the hospital, scrambling for Elias’ hospital room. His name comes out in a jumble, the nurse at the front desk alarmed at our intensity. It takes a few minutes before she realizes what I’m saying before she gives us his room number.
“I’m assuming you’re the Alphas he’s been crying for? Room 214. The Omega who brought him isn’t here anymore. She stayed until her Alpha picked her up.”
I barely listen, already skirting toward the elevators, both of us a little strung out and frantic as we rush toward our Omega. The doors don’t move fast enough for me as I start vibrating, panic rising in my chest with every second that I’m not with Elias. We still don’t even know what happened to him or if he’s okay which makes waiting even worse.
The moment we skid into his room, I freeze.
Elias is strapped to the bed, his right arm in a sling, his left pulling against the restraints. He’s snarling at a nurse who’s hovering with a thermometer, her face tense as she tries and fails to take his temperature. Fear and frustration run off his scent making my heart hurt even more than it already does.
“Sweetheart, we’re here,” I push out as Elias turns, his gaze locking on us. His head falls back against the pillow, his body sagging against the cushions as his scent softens. I scurry to his side, my heart breaking at the tears in his eyes. I press light kisses to his forehead, my lips soft against his warm skin, and brush back his hair. “You’re okay,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion. “We’re here.”
Elias looks up at me, his voice a desperate plea. “Can you please ask them to undo the straps?Please.”
The raw need in his voice hits as I start undoing the straps. I try to be as gentle as I can, ignoring the nurse who tells me he’s violent. Elias isn’t violent and if he’s reactive, there’s a reason. I have no proof but I can feel how scared he is and I can only imagine what waking up like this felt like. “No, no, my Omega isn’t violent. He’s in preheat and he’s terrified.”
I get to the last strap and free his arm before Elias yanks me onto the bed and stuffs his face into my hair, inhaling my citrusscent. He trembles against me as I curve into his side, wrapping my arm around his waist. “You’ll be okay,” I tell him again.
Olivia steps closer on his other side, anger radiating off of her. Her smile softens for a minute, catching us together before it hardens again when she addresses the nurse. “What happened?”
The nurse with the thermometer hesitates, her hands fidgeting as she clears her throat. “I would love to know the same thing. We haven’t been able to do much since he woke up. His arm was dislocated, and he doesn’t seem to have any other issues other than a bit of stress from the preheat, but we strapped him down because he started whining and getting a little violent after we tried to put an IV in.”
Olivia glares at her. “Did you explain what you were doing to him when he woke up? Or did he just wake up and watch you stick a needle in his arm? Jesus Christ.”
Elias
I clutch Jamie tightly to my side, my good arm wrapped around his waist, my face buried in his hair, his citrus scent flooding my lungs. The panic from waking up strapped down and alone is finally easing but now I can feel the pain searing through my arm. I only briefly caught that it’s in a sling and every shift sends a new sharp jolt through my side.
The last thing I remember was passing out in that Omega’s car and then waking up, nurses hovering over me, shoving things in my face and arms. I couldn’t help the way I reacted, the terror from riding that bike crashing back. The first strap terrified me and I fought like hell, thrashing, snarling, but it wasn’t enough. They pinned me down and tethered me to the bed while I was freaking out, lost in fear for I don’t know how long, until Jamie and Olivia walked in.
