Page 9 of Knot Their Soldier: Part One
She’d been a brand new doctor, and I was scared out of my wits. It was Everlyn’s kindness during my intake medical exam which made the transition easier, and we’ve been friends ever since. We don’t see each other often due to the restricted access Omegas have on base, but when we manage to catch up in person, it feels like no time has passed.
I’m rarely in the hospital. Instead, I’m assigned to the warehouses.
Deliveries come from all over the country, and I enjoy seeing the locations on the shipping labels and imagining what it’s like there.
They’re like portals to another world.
It’s a physically active job too. I’m on my feet every day, lifting heavy boxes and keeping busy. At the end of a hard day, my aching feet and sore muscles make me feel accomplished.
The warehouse also means working with Beta soldiers and delivery people. It’s a chance to speak to others who are part of the outside world, and I love hearing all about their lives.
However, today I’m in the hospital.
The fracking hospital.
The shift manager knows how much I dislike working here. There’s something about the sick and injured that sets myOmega instincts into overdrive. A gnawing need to help and fix whatever is ailing them. It makes me feel itchy and out of control.
Nope.
No, thank you.
I’ll stick to my warehouse.
“I’m filling in for Ember while she’s on heat leave,” I explain, bending to gather the strewn supplies, shoving them back onto the shelf.
Ember thrives in the hospital. While she has the nurturing instinct which all Omegas possess, she’s prickly and detached enough to keep the more extreme caretaker urges at bay. She doesn’t fall apart in a medical crisis.
Everlyn leans against the doorframe, a big smile plastered on her face. “She better come back in a better mood. She’s been snarky for days.”
I nod in agreement. “She’s agreed to let Dazz and two Betas help her through her heat this time. I bet she’ll come back with a healthy glow.”
“Ooo, good for her! And good for Dazz.” Everlyn waggles her eyebrows, and I chuckle. “Are you thinking of doing the same?”
“Nah, my Omega is a picky bitch. She’d slice the face off anyone who tried to enter her nest who isn’t her Alpha,” I say as I re-stack the errant bedpans, swallowing back the hurt threatening to seep into my voice. Just thinking about how desperate I get for an Alpha during my heat makes me feel lightheaded. It’s getting so bad that I’m considering sedation for my upcoming heat.
It’s best not to dwell on it, and Everlyn doesn’t pry.
She understands that there will never be an Alpha in my nest. Not while I live in The Omega Division, and I have no intention of leaving. I likenotbeing sold into sexual slavery, thank you very much.
“Anyway, how have you been?” I ask, moving the conversation along. “How’s Jason?”
Everlyn mated with a Beta soldier a few years ago, and I love them as a couple. Everlyn can become hyper-focused on her work, but Jason keeps her grounded. He’s goofy and makes her laugh.
Frack, Jason makes everyone laugh. The guy is well liked on base.
“Fine,” she says, a small wobble in her voice. I look up from the shelf and notice the deep circles under my friend’s eyes. “Nothing to worry about.”
I narrow my eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Everlyn doesn’t get easily shaken, and my gut twists. How could I have missed the specific salty fragrance of dried tears and the evident stress coming from my friend?
“It’s under control. No need for you to worry.”
“Everlyn, I’m already worried. Just tell me what happened.”
“Jason – he… he was injured in battle. An Alpha in Blood Lust went on a rampage.”
Soldiers are always being injured at battles happening at the border of Fathim and Hampcourt. The humans are waging a ceaseless war on anyone not purely human, and the Fathim Military rose to defend the citizens of Fathim.
