Page 2 of Outback Heat
A glob of spit lands on the side of Neep’s face, and the Alpha lying on the bed howls with laughter. I bite my lip again to keep his amusement from bubbling up and through me. A mottled purple flush of rage slides up Francis’ neck and over his cheeks.
“I’ve seen enough. Take him to the wards.”
I blink.
“What?” I splutter, whipping my head to stare incredulously at the Beta. “Doctor, you haven’t treated the patient for his injuries.”
“He’s too hostile to treat and not my problem anymore. Get the paperwork for a transfer to the aura sickness ward. Now, Nurse Weber.”
He spits out my name like it’s a curse, derision flashing behind his eyes. I’m an Omega and he lumps me in with the misbehaving Alpha. If he had his way, I’d be locked up in the aura sickness ward, too. I hide my affliction well, but, at thirty-two and unmated, it’s a reasonable deduction to make. I’m just another ticking time bomb waiting to explode.
I step in front of Francis as he tries to slip around the curtains.
“They won’t take him if he’s actively bleeding.” I gesture to the blood slowly dripping to the floor beside the bed. “They’ll do the bare minimum to patch him up. He needs proper care.”
Francis narrows his eyes, looming over my short stature like a menacing praying mantis. His twig-like arms akimbo with his fists planted on his hips. His anger and superiority taints his scent. Like all Betas, his natural scent is faint, and the astringent antiseptic smell of the hospital masks it, but it’s there and it’s toxic.
“Not. My. Problem.”
I hold my ground.
The chuckling from the Alpha on the bed stops and a deep, ominous growl rattles through the room. The hairs on my arms stand to attention.
I peek over Francis’ shoulder and meet the fiery stare of an Alpha enraged. His hands flex in the restraints and the bed frame creaks in protest. The wound on his wrist spurts blood over his hospital gown and trickles onto the bed below.
The Alpha snarls, his voice animalistic as his aura sickness takes hold. “Back away from the Omega, Beta filth.”
The need to protect unmated Omegas is ingrained in Alphas, and Neep attempting to intimidate me has tripped an age-old instinct and hurtled him over the deep end.
“See? He’s too hostile to keep here. Surely you, of all people, understand,” Neep sneers.
“What do you mean ‘me of all people’?”
Like an infection, the violent aura emanating from the sick Alpha spreads through the room. It pulsates and crackles, nipping at our skin and making the air thick with power.
I can feel it influencing my usually soothing and empathic aura, tainting it and whipping it into something that is not me. His aura smothers and penetrates me until all I can feel is him and his rage. My rational argument disappears, instead, I feel a blinding need to hurt the Beta doctor standing before me.
“Oh come now, you don’t think everyone around here hasn’t noticed your aura sickness? One minute you’re the sweet, caring Omega nurse everyone loves, the next you’re acting like whichever delusional Alpha or Omega is being treated. The others might tolerate your mood swings, but I’ve made an official complaint about you,” he says with a sly smile. “You’re a danger to our patients.”
A snarl rips out of me. How dare he accuse me of endangering my patients. Some days I’m the only one who advocates for their welfare against bigoted doctors like Neep. They need me.
“I’m the danger? You’re refusing to treat this injured Alpha. He’s going to bleed out!” I practically screech, throwing my arm out to gesture wildly at the blood pooling on the floor.
My face feels hot and my knuckles pop as I clench them tightly. I growl low in my throat as my aura pulses with erratic energy. My breathing is coming fast, ratcheting up with each passing second.
The Alpha continues to writhe and scream, causing ripples of power to emanate from him like shockwaves.
“You’re becoming hysterical.”
Neep’s words are like daggers that slice through my self-control, and a red mist descends. Hysterical? I’ll show him how hysterical this Omega can get.
The Alpha’s howls intensify.
I take a step towards Neep.
He takes a step backwards.
Something inside of me snaps.
