Page 103 of Seraphina (Castle Omega)

A cramp seizes me, squeezing the breath out of my lungs. I gasp for air, my eyes rolling back. Everything feels off—the scents, the sounds, even my vision, and my head pounds relentlessly. Worse still, my usually racing heart thuds slowly, ominously stalling. My heat could actually be the death of me.

It’s a rare but not unheard of fate for omegas who go into heat alone, without a pack or even a temporary partner. The absurdity of it all makes me despise every part of being an omega right now. What would my headstone say? Here lies Seraphina Cicero, died from a lack of affection? It’s ridiculous.

Another cramp hits, tightening my chest and sending a strange ache through my shoulders. Regret churns in mystomach like a bad taco. I shouldn’t have locked that door, but now, I’m powerless to do anything about it.

My phone slips from my weak grasp. I need to get out of this tub, out of this bathroom, but my body betrays me, heavy and unresponsive. Trying to lift my hand is futile, it just falls back down.

Get up, Seraphina, I mentally urge myself, gasping for air. I manage to lift my shaking hand and force my eyes open again. My hand slaps against the tub, only to fall limply, a whimper escaping my lips. The blanket over my head suddenly feels like it’s suffocating me.

I tug my hand back under the blanket, not yet ready to surrender, but deep down, I know I already have. This realization only intensifies my swirling emotions. Abruptly, a crash echoes through the room, debris sprinkling onto my blanket. A howling wind tears through the bathroom, and suddenly, someone lifts me out of the tub.

The blanket is yanked off my cold body, but my eyes are too heavy to open. My whole body feels exhausted, completely drained.

“Seraphina, Seraphina, stay with me,” Avery urges. My Avery.

Why did I run? Oh, right, the moaning woman. This whole situation is just a mess.

“Come on, love, stay with me,” Avery pleads, his palm warm against my cheek as he moves me. My head rests against his chest as he carries me from the chilly bathroom into the omega suite. “Max! Devlin!” His voice cracks with panic.

Footsteps thunder through the house, mingling with the distressed yowls of my cats. My poor babies.

“What’s happening?” Ashton’s voice is close, his presence sandwiching me between him and Avery. “Damn, it’s because she stopped her heat midway.”

“Is that bad?” Avery asks, his voice laced with panic.

Maybe it’s the morbid amusement inside me, but all I can think is,Yeah, looks that way. I wasn’t thinking straight. Well, now I am thinking straight, mainly because my heart is on the brink of stopping.

“Her heart is slow. We need Max,” Ashton declares, his warmth leaving as he dashes away.

The house seems to tremble with the urgency of his racing footsteps.

“Hey, sweet girl,” Avery coos, cradling my face as he gently lays me down on what feels like a cloud. “I need you to tell me what you need.”

I can’t even open my mouth to respond, but the answer, ludicrously, is intimacy.

How messed up is that?

My survival hinges on one of my alphas... well, you know, or marking me to forge a bond. Maybe just the bite would suffice, considering the current dry situation, not counting what’s left from earlier.

I definitely don’t count that.

“Move,” Max commands, breaking into my thoughts.

I’m mad at him, but paradoxically, I need him too. The Fates are indeed cruel.

The bed dips under his weight, and his hands press against my cheeks, feeling icy though I know I’m the one who’s cold.

“Oh, sugarplum, I’ve got you,” he murmurs, his hands stroking my hair, but he doesn’t really have me. He didn’t before.

Rushing in with a stumble and a curse, Devlin announces, “I have your bag.” If only I could muster the strength, I would laugh.

Max leans over me, his lips briefly meeting mine before he pulls away. “Forgive me,” he whispers. “We never should have left you.”

No kidding.

“Max!” Avery’s scream pierces the air as my chest tightens painfully. “Bite her now!”

“Not without her consent,” Max whispers.

---