“I understand your frustration, Ollena. And I swear that I will not be so lenient, should the matter arise again.”
He turns back to us. “I trust that you will take this as the warning it is. Should any further incidents take place, we will remove the omega from your care. Is this understood?”
I have to unclench my jaw to force the words out. “Understood.”
My dad bangs the gavel down on the wooden desk in front of him. “Council dismissed.”
I watch, hands clenching on the arms of my rickety chair as he walks out. He doesn’t look back.
The discomfort in my chest shifts, developing into a weird burning sensation, just bordering on pain. When I glance around, everybody seems to be feeling the same. Logan is rubbing at his chest, and he looks at me. “Any idea why I suddenly have the worst case of heartburn?”
Gray twigs first, his face paling. “Sienna? Could it be her heat?”
Jax springs to his feet, the chair toppling over behind him. “We need to go. Right the fuck now.”
I glance at the rest of the Council. Erikkson is watching me with a gleam in his beady eye. He nods his head mockingly, before he drops his eyes down to the phone in his hand.
“Let’s go,” I say hoarsely.
It’ll be fine. She has the serum; she knows how to use it.
But the burning sensation only grows.
48
SIENNA
Iwake up groggy as hell, my hand sliding down to cover the dragging sensation in my abdomen. The sheets around me are twisted, soaked in sweat from my tossing and turning. I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep, but it can’t have been that long. The sun is still blasting through my window when I yank the covers around my bed back, causing a spike of pain in my head as it hits my eyes.
I don’t feel any better. I feel much, much worse. As I try to stand, the dragging sensation intensifies, my legs buckling beneath me. Grabbing the wooden beam of the bed, I use it to prop myself upright, my breathing deepening.
I think this might be it. The dragging deepens into a sharp, spiked pulse of need, the strength enough to send me to my knees.
Oh god. I didn’t expect it to be this… intense.
The need grows in a swell, my core clenching as my slick makes an appearance, my normally sweet raspberry scent sharpening into something sharper, more acidic.
Fucking hell. I say a mental prayer for the bedroom carpet as I sway over to the door, my balance listing to the side. I only make it to the hallway before I lose my balance, the deluge hitting me harder with every movement. My vision goes hazy, black specks dotting across my eyeline as I struggle to get to the stairs.
I left Tristan’s paper bag on the kitchen counter. I just need to get that far.
I don’t care if I pass out down there. I just need this feeling to go away.
The stairs take an eternity. By the time my toes touch the marble floor at the bottom, my breathing is see-sawing out of me, incoherent sobs punctuating the air as I crawl towards the kitchen. My whole body is shaking, my arms barely holding me up. When my energy threatens to give out entirely, all of it focused on the painful squeezing need in my abdomen, I drop down into a presenting position. There’s a small touch of relief as my head rests on my hands, but it only lasts for a moment before the wave hits me even harder.
I feel empty. Empty, clawing, savage need.
I need a knot.
I needtheirknots.
But they’re not here, and a raw, agonized whine escapes my throat.
Want my pack. Need them here.
The light streaming through the patio doors assaults my senses as I blindly haul myself through the doors, moving a scant few inches with each pull of my arms. The distance to the counter feels like an eternity as I reach up with my hand, weakly grasping the edge.
Just a little more. A little more, and then I can sleep.
