Charles Bentley.
Marco and Rocco incline their heads in understanding.
“Go. Now.”
They don’t say another word before turning and leaving the room.
Vinny waits until they are gone before settling back into his chair and opening the drawer. Inside is a bottle of pills.
Determined, Vinny retrieves them.
Thisdevelopmentsolidifies what his urges have been pushing him towards.
He is running out of time.
He needs to kick start Xenia’s heat before it’s too late.
one
Xenia
My body is on fire.
Figuratively.
Literally.
Swinging out, I reach blindly towards my bedside table.
A whine fills the small space, frenetic and broken. The pain doubles down, starting in my abdomen and spreading all the way to my toes and fingers.
This isn’t fair.
Finally, I manage to find the phone and unsteadily bring it closer. Another wash of stabbing agony solidifies my intent.
I can’t believe I’m doing this.
My fingers shake as I type in the number. The only person in the entire world I have.
Less than one ring later, she picks up. “Xenia, what is it? Are you okay?”
“I—” A whimper breaks through my lips.
“Xenia.”Her alpha bark assuages my pain for one searing instant, but then it returns two-fold. “Today?”
“Yes. Serena, it’s bad. I can’t—” I groan as a thousand razors slice across my skin.
“I’m on the way. The clinic will be ready for you. Vinny won’t know. I promise. Do you… Do you want tointeractwith the alpha at the clinic?”
“NO!” I scream. “I don’t want to see him, smell him, or even know his name. I just need his knot and then, and then I’ll befine.” The lie sinks between us.
Serena knows better than anyone hownotokay I am. How broken I have been for nearly a year now. How close I am to sinking even further into the depths ofnotokay because ofVinny.
A mated omega who loses her pack never lasts long. It’s the unspoken truth. It’s the excuse Vinny keeps using to push my boundaries further and further.
Through the phone, I can hear as she starts her car and my anxiety wanes, but only just the tiniest fraction.
“Serena, you promise this is safe?” My anxiety is only second to mydesignationattempting to take me under.
