Page 7 of Pack Deception: Part One

Jerrick Price

When will you be in?

Me

Should be within the next hour. Waiting on some results, and then I'll be on my way.

Jerrick Price

Will you pick up some breakfast on your way in? I already put in an order with the coffee shop down the street.

Me

Will do.

A breath of relief escapes me. For a split second, I thought I'd get into some kind of trouble for taking so long. It's my first professional job, so I'm still learning the unspoken rules of an office.

A soft knock breaks me from my reverie, and the door opens. Doctor Turner pokes her head in to make sure I'm ready. Her beta nurse follows her in, and my spine snaps up at their expressions. They look apprehensive and maybe a little somber.

The good doctor takes her time rolling over her backless chair and sits right in front of me. If she were to check my blood pressure right now, I'm convinced it would be through the roof.

"We got your results back. They confirmed my suspicions. Your labs show elevated levels of LSD and ketamine," she looks like she's winding up for more, but I can't help cutting her off.

"I don't take drugs," I say abruptly and then flinch at the aggressive note in my voice. But she has to know I'm not in pain because I'm abusing drugs.

She shakes her head sadly. "I know, Summer. I'm not saying you are," I frown.Okay...

"What I'm saying is, we've seen this combination a lot recently. It's honestly on its way to being an epidemic. There is an experimental drug going around. Most doctors won't even touch it, but the ones with looser morals are supplying it to packs on request."

"What kind of drug?" I ask warily, not sure I actually want to know.

"They're calling it ‘Passion Pack,' and it’s a cocktail of hallucinogens and other drugs that make you susceptible to suggestion.Supposedly,it was created as a drug for bipolar or manic episodes, to lessen the severity of the disorder by allowing the user to see or feel reason when they otherwise can’t during an episode. Its purpose lately, however, is much more sinister. It has been, and is being, used to trick omegas into a mate bond. Packs have been using it to convince them they're fated mates."

Her words should shock me into silence. I should be close to tears, begging her to take them back; to tell me it's all a joke. That's not what happens though.

As her words settle like a wet blanket over my body, anger assaults me, quickly followed by denial. I shoot up off the exam table, causing the doctor to roll back in shock.

"No!" I shout. "NO. They wouldn't...they can't..." My head is shaking so fast I'm getting dizzy, but I can't get my emotions under control.

"They're my mates! They wouldn't do that to me."They would though,my subconscious whispers.She hit you, and they stood by and watched. They're not your mates.

"I know it's hard to take in. I've included a packet for you to read on the drug if and when you're ready," she says as she hands me a folder full of information.

"How has this been causing me pain?" I demand. "If I've been drugged, why have I never noticed?"

"You wouldn't notice the side-effects while you're taking it. That is the point of a hallucinogenic drug. What you're feeling now is basically like withdrawal pains. Though, you do seem to be experiencing them more frequently than we've seen. How long were you with your last pack?"

"Two years." Her brows shoot up.

"The drug has to be taken daily or every other day, depending on the dosage. That is a long time to be on it but isn't the longest I've seen recently. Are you on any other medication?"

"I've been taking a bond suppressant for the past three or so months."

"You will need to stop taking that immediately," she says, worry clear in her voice.

My mouth drops open. "I can't." Then I lift my shirt a little and pull down the waistband of my pants to reveal one of my three bondmarks. This one was from Brody, and he put it right on my hip. "If I stop taking them... I just can't."

She doesn't look unsympathetic, but she also isn't going to budge. "I don't know your situation, but a bondmark doesn't work like a tracking device. You'll be able to stay undetected physically. I know it's not ideal to feel them and their emotions, but itispossible to block their voices.”

---