Page 19 of Gold Sector
“No. Not exactly.” I pinch my lips, trying to figure out how best to explain this. “My father worked for borderpatrol. He stole some from a contraband stash before we fled to the nomad lands. I think he hoped we would find more, but we never did. So I… I ran out recently.”
“Which led you here,” she finishes for me, nodding again. “We do have suppressants for extreme cases, but I can’t in good conscience recommend them for you. You need to experience a few heats to regulate your cycle, or your dragon…” She glances at her tablet again. “Well, your dragonoryour wolf, whichever you have, could be at risk of disassociating.”
She starts scrolling on the screen—or I assume that’s what her thumb is doing.
“When was your last shift?” she asks, her brow furrowing.
“Um, last week? Maybe two weeks ago?” I’ve lost track of time with all the traveling, hiding, and foraging. “Possibly three? I… I don’t know.”
She frowns at me. “You should shift before your cycle hits. But it may also cause you to go into estrus. So… I suggest you wait until your comfort plan is in place.”
“I… Okay. But I haven’t even been accepted yet? Or given permission to stay?”
She looks at my neck and then back up at my face. “That token around your neck suggests otherwise.”
My brow furrows. “What do you mean?”
She considers me for a moment, then sets the tablet aside. “I think we should have that talk about Gold Sector now and the Omega relocation program.”
“Uh, all right.”
She reaches forward to tug on the cloak at my lap, but rather than pull it away, she draws it up. “You don’t need to be naked for this.”
“Oh.” I kind of forgot all about my nude state. Stripping was normal for shifters. My nerves before wereabout being knotted. Then Oros made it clear that wasn’t on today’s agenda, so I stopped being concerned about my wardrobe. “Do you want me to get dressed?”
She shrugs. “I just want you to be comfortable, Taliana.”
“I’m… comfortable.”
Her lips twitch. “You’re not, but that’s okay. Most Omegas are extremely uncomfortable when they get here. Your situation is a little unique, as usually my patients are rescue cases, and I don’t necessarily get that vibe from you. But I think you’ll benefit from a thorough explanation.”
She begins to pace.
Then she pauses and clears her throat, like she’s ready to embark on a lecture. “Let’s start from the beginning…”
CHAPTER SIX
OROS
“Your daughter isashamed of her wolf?” I ask, repeating what Keegan just told me.
He also explained that she’s a dragon-wolf hybrid but can only shift into her wolf half. And apparently, that upsets her.
“Taliana grew up in Obsidian Sector,” he says by way of explanation. “They favor dragon genetics there. Everyone else is shunned.”
“Then perhaps they should consider focusing on dragon procreation and cease all their hybrid experimentation,” I say as I collapse into the chair seated across from him.
Surprise flickers across his oval-shaped face.
“Oh, don’t give me that look,” I tell him. “Of course I know what’s happening in Obsidian Sector. Fuck, most of Drakon-Clan kind is aware that they’re trying to create superior species. It’s not the secret they think it is.”
His features return to a state of uncertainty, his guarded expression causing his square jaw to flex.
“Why were you in Obsidian Sector?” I wonder aloud. “Do you approve of their breeding program?” If he says yes, I’ll escort him right off my island.
And I’ll keep his daughter as payment for wasting my time.
Keegan leans forward to refill his glass with some fire ale, the bottle one I had delivered after he bluntly said, “Taliana anticipates the worst in Alpha kind because that’s all she’s ever known.”
