“Can you keep a secret?” The words are out before I can second-guess myself. “I mean a really life and death level secret?”
Aspen leans in, her eyes widening with interest. “Like it’s my job. What’s up?”
I glance around, making sure no one is within earshot, then lower my voice. “I’m not actually a beta.”
“I KNEW IT!” she exclaims, loud enough that several heads turn our way.
“Shh!” I hiss, mortified. “Jesus, Aspen!”
“Sorry, sorry,” she whispers, leaning in closer. “But I totally called it. You’re an omega, right?”
I nod, still glancing nervously at the other patrons, but they’ve already returned to their conversations.
“I knew something was off when you came into the pharmacy.” Aspen continues, her voice thankfully much quieter now. “I looked up endocrine disorders after you left, and I couldn’t find anything that would make a beta need heat suppressants.”
My stomach drops. “Did you tell anyone?”
“Of course not,” she says, looking offended at the suggestion. “I don’t gossip about medical stuff. That’s sacred. I thought about asking Jackson, but Googling it was easier. He likes to tease me when I ask dumb questions about the medication.”
Relief washes over me. “Thank you.”
“So why the secret identity?” Aspen asks, stirring her frozen concoction. “I mean, I get that some people are weird about designations, but it’s not like it’s the 1950s anymore.”
I take another sip of my latte, gathering my thoughts. “It’s complicated. In medicine, especially emergency medicine, there’s still a lot of...prejudice. Omegas are seen as too emotional, too unstable for the demanding schedule. The heat cycles alone would disqualify me from most residency programs because of the scheduling conflict.”
“But that’s discrimination,” Aspen protests. “Can’t you sue or something?”
“Exceptions are made to discrimination law when appropriate accommodations are impossible. Kind of like how the military doesn’t have to let women become Navy Seals, or whatever. All the medical board has to say is that my designation prevents me from performing the core requirements of the job.” I shake my head, sounding way more neutral about it than I actually feel. “You think normal alphas can be arrogant? You haven’t seen the ones with embossed degrees that prove to the world how very important they are. The god complex is real.” I think of Noah and that what I thought of as arrogance at the beginning was just his intuition telling him to keep me at adistance. Seeing how things have turned out, I can’t really blame him for assuming I’d be a problem. “There are some exceptions, but nowhere near enough.”
“That is so messed up.”
“It is what it is.” I shrug, trying to appear more nonchalant than I feel. “Once I’m fully trained, things will be different. I won’t need anyone’s permission to practice. I can set up my own practice, make my own rules. I also really want to do volunteer work overseas, places that are too desperate for trained doctors to worry about designations.”
Aspen looks skeptical. “And in the meantime?”
“In the meantime, I take my medication and do my job.” I straighten my shoulders, the familiar determination settling back into place. “It’s worked out so far, and I’m in spitting distance of being done with my training.”
“Except now you’re living with three alphas,” Aspen points out. “That’s going to make keeping your secret a lot harder, especially in a town this size. People are already taking bets on how long it will be before you’re all packed up officially. The consensus is that you’re pretty enough to make it work, even for a beta.”
I groan, dropping my head into my hands. “Does everyone really know about that?”
“Pretty much.” Aspen doesn’t even try to soften the blow. “Small town, remember? People have been speculating about who Noah, Grayson and Kai would end up with since they were teenagers. Plus, you’re new and pretty, and they’re...” she waves her hand vaguely, “…them. There was no way people in this town wouldn’t immediately take notice.”
I feel heat creeping up my neck and take a long sip of my latte to hide my embarrassment. This is exactly what I was afraid of—becoming the subject of town gossip, having my professional reputation overshadowed by speculation about my personal life.
Aspen suddenly points over my shoulder. “That probably doesn’t help if you’re trying to lay low.”
I turn to follow her gaze and nearly spill my drink. Across the street, standing on the corner outside the hardware store, is Grayson. He’s trying—and failing spectacularly—to appear casual, his tall frame and masked face making him about as inconspicuous as a grizzly bear at a tea party.
“Is he... following me?” I ask, my voice rising slightly in disbelief.
Aspen’s eyebrows shoot up. “You didn’t know? He follows you whenever you’re in town. Been doing it pretty much since you got here.”
“What?” I whip my head back to stare at her. “And you’re just mentioning this now?”
“I thought you knew!” Aspen defends herself. “He’s not exactly subtle about it.”
I turn back to look at Grayson, who is now pretending to be deeply interested in a display of snow shovels. A mix of emotions swirls through me—confusion, irritation, and something else I’m not ready to name.
