Page 77 of This Fate That Guides Us
The fans are raving about their new song. Loving the romantic lyrics and sultry notes. My heart pangs. The organ already cracking into pieces. Why did they have to choose tonight to make such a life-changing proclamation? To debut lyrics that spoke of ownership with heated looks promising they want to claim me?
Backing away from the barrier holding the crowd away from the artists, I feel something sharp pinch my arm. Snapping my eyes down, my stomach churns ferociously as I watch a needle pull from my skin. Words drown in my throat. I can’t move. Can’t think past the horror of what just happened. Heat spreads up my arm as the drug courses through my veins.
Lex is immediately at my side, pulling me away from the sea of people. “Omen? You good?” The horror and panic in my eyesputs him on high alert. His phone is at his ear in seconds, dialing Bea’s number and rushing out a quick emergency warning.
“Drugged,” I rasp as my mind finally manages to look past the familiar fire burning through my veins. “Someone drugged me.”
The world sways around me. I can only watch as security goes on high alert. The boys’ head of security tries to force Nebula to move into the rest area away from the crowd, but he is fighting a losing battle. I can tell the bassist is going to win, so I bolt further into the festival.
Lex shoulders his way through the crowd, catching my wrist and stopping me. The air around me fills with my sunflower and honeysuckle scent so intensely I’m sure every alpha in the area is aware an omega nearby is going into heat. Cramps stronger than I’ve ever experienced roll through my lower abdomen, nearly sending me crashing to my knees.
Before I can fall, Lex scoops me up, throwing me over his shoulder. I can hear Brady and Ridley barking ahead of us, clearing our way through the crowd.
“You’re in heat,” Bea chokes out from beside us. I didn’t even notice her join us.
“No shit,” I grit out. Having an incompatible omega so close is driving my instincts wild right now. I can barely resist the urge to scratch the shit out of her.
Moments later, I’m being tossed into the backseat of a car. Bea leans in through the open door, her eyes filled with concern and her voice nasally as she tries not to breathe in my scent. “Lex is getting you set up with a heat suite at one of our trusted hotels in town. Brady will drive you there and Lex will carry you up.” I nod, curling further into myself as another wave of pain strikes. “I’ll alert Shiloh too. We had it written into your contract so there shouldn’t be an issue with you missing Orbital Somatic’s show tomorrow.”
“Bea, close the damn door! We’re moving out!” Lex bellows. My bestie rolls her eyes but listens. The car door slams closed as she backs away to stand next to Ridley. As far from where I’m pumping out hormones like a broken air freshener as possible.
Twenty minutes later I’m sweat-soaked and sobbing as Lex carries me through a private entrance and up an elevator to the heat suite they booked. The small nest is scentless, but filled with soft things. I immediately set to work on arranging it, not noticing the click of the lock engaging as he leaves.
Lying on my side, naked and alone, I let myself be consumed by the need coursing through my body.
Minutes roll into hours, which turn into days as my body is consumed by fire. I’m exhausted. So wrung out I can barely move. I haven’t eaten enough or gotten enough hydration to balance out what I’m losing. Lex tried to stay to help me with the basics, but my scent was too overwhelming for my alpha bodyguard. The hotel was supposed to send a beta helper up, but I don’t think they ever showed. Or maybe I sent them away.
Everything is a hazy blur in my mind from the heat fog.
I hear the main door to the suite click open and wonder if they sent someone else to check on me. Then I hear Bea gag and call my name. “Here,” I croak, “but don’t come in.”
There is silence on the other side of the nest door for several moments before I hear her gag again. “Oms… are you still in heat?” She sounds like she is crying. Probably from the overwhelming power of my heat scent and our incompatibility. “It’s been a week. I thought I’d find you passed out and recovering. Not… this.”
“It won’t stop,” I whine. “Nothing makes it stop. Nothing makes it better. It hurts so much.”
I hear her fumbling before the door cracks open and a phone lands beside me. A call is connected and the speaker button is already pressed. I can see Shelby and Bea’s names at the top. “Hello, girls, how is the tour?”
“Mom, something is wrong with Omen. We need your help,” Bea demands from the other line.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Shelby asks.
“Heat,” I stammer as another small wave of cramps hits. The heat is starting to rise again and I don’t know how much longer I’ll be clear-headed enough to talk.
“She went into heat at the festival last weekend,” Bea explains. “It was unexpected. She started perfuming like crazy after the first show and–”
“Heat. Inducer,” I grit out between clenched teeth.
“Shit. I didn’t know that part. Mom, it’s been seven days of heat and there are no signs of it easing.”
We both hear the sharp intake of Shelby’s breath and her muffled cursing. “There are very few things that would make an omega have such an adverse reaction to a heat. An allergic reaction to the drug they used. Too high of a dose could possibly prolong a heat, and with the mini-heats you’ve been having… There are too many options for me to give you even a solid guess without blood work too. Where are you? Me or one of the other DAU doctors will come administer a stronger heat suppressant to chemically end the heat before it can do more damage.” Her voice fades, but we can hear her shuffling around on the other side of the line.
“I think…” I suck in a deep breath knowing once I speak this truth into the world, I may get my ass kicked by my best friend. “I think it’s because I met my Fate matched mates.”
Bea is too quiet. Her silence only lasts a few seconds before her voice booms through the room echoing in the phone.“OMEN I’M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS AS SOON AS YOU RECOVER FROM THIS HELLACIOUS HEAT!”
“Sabine Powell! What on earth is your problem?” Shelby scolds her daughter, but I can sense it. Bea has figured it out. She knows who Primordial Covenant is to me. And my bestie is pissed I didn’t tell her.
“Omen’s known she had Fate matched mates since her birthday last year. I wasn’t aware she had MET them until this moment. And she didn’t even tell me!” Bea seethes.
