Page 69 of Stream Heat
All of it smelled like Alphas.
Like my packmates.
Or, more accurately, like the people whose stuff I’d apparently been hoarding for weeks without even realizing it.
I stared at the pile, heart dropping, as I picked up a blue flannel that was definitely Theo’s. When the hell had I taken that? I couldn’t remember even touching most of these things. Yet here they were, in my room, forming a not-so-subtle nest.
Nest.
The thought hit me hard and fast. I’d built an Omega nest. A proper, textbook, designation-cliché nest. And worse, I’d done it on autopilot. While my stubborn brain was busy pretending everything was normal, my biology had been quietly pillaging the rest of the house for Alpha-scented comfort objects and arranging them as Dr. Levine had suggested “might help.” Fantastic. I was officially nothing more than my designation.
Before I could even process the mortification, a soft knock broke the silence.
“Kara?” Reid’s voice, low and steady, filtered through the door. “Dr. Patel’s here for your check-up. Can we come in?”
Panic slammed into me. There was zero chance to hide the evidence. I ripped the most incriminating stuff off the top of my bed and jammed it under the mattress, but it didn’t do much. The whole room reeked of what I’d done.
I cracked the door. Reid and Dr. Patel stood there, both completely unreadable. Professional. Not a flicker of judgment, which somehow made me feel even more like I’d been caught with my hand in the world’s most embarrassing cookie jar.
Dr. Patel edged forward, forcing me to back up and let her in or make it super awkward. I gave in and swung the door open wide. She breezed in and set her med bag on my desk, scooping Ash’s stolen coaster out of the way with clinical efficiency. She barely gave me a glance before saying, “Fever’s broken. Good. How’s the cramping?”
I clenched my jaw, trying to act normal with Reid watching from the doorway. “Better. It’s... mostly over.”
“I’ll need to check your vitals,” Dr. Patel said.
Reid cleared his throat. “I’ll give you privacy.”
“Actually,” Dr. Patel said, calm as ever, “I’d like you to stay, if Kara’s comfortable. We need to discuss next steps.”
After the last three days, it felt pointless to argue. “Fine. Whatever.”
Reid let the door swing shut, but he kept his distance. I could smell him from across the room, all thunderstorm and cedar. Instead of making my skin crawl, it actually eased something in my chest. Which just made everything more humiliating.
If Reid noticed the nest behind me, he didn’t show it. But I knew. I knew he saw every last detail.
Dr. Patel wrapped a blood pressure cuff around my arm, her other hand steady on my pulse. I kept my gaze on the wall behind her. I didn’t want to see Reid cataloging my failures, the evidence that I’d been sneak-thieving Alpha stuff for weeks, desperate for comfort while pretending I hated the entire concept of pack bonding.
“Vitals are good,” Dr. Patel announced. “Temperature’s normal, heart rate a touch high, but not concerning. How’s your sensory tolerance?”
“It’s... less brutal,” I said. I flinched a little as she checked my pupillary reactions. “Manageable.”
“And the emotional state? Anxiety, mood swings?”
I glanced at Reid, then away. “I’m fine.”
Dr. Patel was silent for a beat, then: “Would you rather discuss that privately?”
I was too tired for another round of denial. “He can hear it. They’ve already seen everything else.”
Reid shifted his weight, uneasy. “Quinn, if you’d rather I go...”
“I said it’s fine,” I snapped, harsher than I meant. “Sorry. Just tired of pretending this isn’t happening.”
Dr. Patel made a note on her tablet. “The heat was more severe than anticipated. Even on suppressants, you had a full crash. That’s concerning, but not unexpected considering your history. After years of chemical suppression, your system is rebuilding itself almost from the ground up.”
My stomach twisted. “So it’ll happen again.”
“Very likely, yes. Maybe not as extreme next time if we adjust your medication and...” She scanned the room, not bothering to hide what she saw. “If you provide appropriate designation support.”
