Page 13 of Dream Girl
“She says it wasn’t this Fade, who of course had no hits in the system. Dr. Davidson found a mate bite though; an older one that looks odd. I can’t smell a mate on her, but we know I don’t have the best nose. Doc’s running a test to see if there’s a bond. Our girl here also has a lot of scars–old, scary scars. She has a concussion, which explains the disorientation. Still, I’ve never seen anything quite like this.” Carly looked like she wanted to cry.
I didn’t see a mate bite, which would indicate that she’d bonded with an alpha. But just because the neck was the favorite place to put it didn’t mean it was the only one.
“Pack tattoo?” I asked. Not that all packs had them. We had rings. Mine was on my right pinky, right next to the ring Brennan gave me, when he, Jett, and I mated.
Carly shook her head. “I didn’t see a wedding ring or anything either.”
Wes and I didn’t have rings, just matching tattoos.
“What does she remember? Anything?” I tried to put the pieces together.
“Her memory is really spotty. She said some guys were chasing her. She woke up in the park, unable to remember her name. Then, she got into a scuffle with some betas and ended up at the police station. None of this makes sense. Even the park cameras didn’t tell the police how she got there. It’s like she just… appeared?” Carly’s nose scrunched.
“Maybe she escaped an illegal omega trafficking ring?” I asked. One had been busted last week, she could be part of the remnants. They could have scrubbed her record in preparation, which could explain why we couldn’t find her.
“It could be that the massive power outage caused a glitch in the system when it went back up,” Carly said.
“That makes much more sense.” I went back inside the room, and before I could help myself, I was at the bed, wrapping the unknown young woman in a giant hug. “It’s okay, Peaches. Cry all you need.” I held her to me as she cried and cried, each sob shattering me into a million pieces.
This job did me in every single day. But we were saving lives.
She didn’t have that special extra undertone that indicated an omega. I didn’t get beta or alpha from her scent either. Given her size and how good she smelled, I could understand why they brought her here for more testing.
While omegas came in all shapes and sizes, including industrial-sized ones like me, they tended to be short and pretty–like Peaches here. She wastiny. Like way under five feet small. She looked underfed and was probably touch-starved. I could see it in her face and the haunted look in her eyes.
Where did you come from, Peaches?
“Evan, Rose is ready to get settled,” Claire called from the doorway.
“Don’t go,” Peaches said, chin stubborn, tone pleading. “Please?”
“I’ll come right back,” I assured her.
I went over to the residential wing and got Rose settled, bringing her extra presents from the care closet, such as a giant stuffed animal, some big pillows, a cozy blanket, and some fuzzy slippers with a matching robe. All things that would help an omega feel safe.
“I don’t understand. Why would she do that to me?” Rose said softly, but didn’t cry, her bubblegum scent salty with sadness.
“I don’t know. But we’re going to keep you safe. You have such a bright future ahead of you, and we’ll be with you every step of the way. Now, let’s go over the agenda for the next few days,” I promised.
After we finished, I stood. “I’ll check in tomorrow. Call me anytime.”
I snagged some ice cream from the dorm freezer, then went back over to the hospital wing to find Peaches.
“I didn’t think you’d come back.” Peaches had a blanket wrapped around her. Carly was still with her.
“Jett can wait.” I grinned and held up three individual containers of ice cream. “I came with reinforcements. Which flavor do you want?”
“Jett’s your significant other?” She took the cookie dough one and dug into the ice cream with the little spoon that came with it.
“One of them.” I nodded, taking a seat next to the bed. I held out the other two to Carly, and she took the mint chip.
“How many do you have?” There was no judgment in Peaches’ voice, only curiosity.
“There’s five of us in my pack. Three alphas, one beta, and me. But I’m not with them all, if that makes any sense.” I started to eat my chocolate ice cream.
We talked for a little bit as we ate our ice cream. Claire came to the door and motioned for Carly and I. We joined her in the hall.
“Boss says to discharge her and drive her to a shelter. The good one’s full, but 4th Street has room,” Claire told us, looking glum.
