“Oh honey,I promise. They take all the precautions in the world. First Chapter is notorious for keeping the omega’s privacy and safety first and foremost. The alpha will spend a few days at the clinic and will help you ride out your heat. They will administer the birth control when you arrive, and then you’ll be taken to the room with a nest attached to it. Industrial scent-blockers will be used. And there will be a divider separating you two except for—” A horn comes through the speaker cutting off the rest of her words.
Using all of the energy I can muster, I roll over on the bed and attempt to get up, but it is the wrong move. “You might… You might have to carry me. I’m sorry I waited too long.” Reachingout instead, I grab hold of my heat-blockers. I hadn’t stopped taking them, but they finally ceased to work. My plan is to bring them with me and take them again as soon as possible. Restart this treadmill. Put my next heat off another year.
A low growl rolls into my ear from Serena. “Apologies, just knowing how horribly you must feel has kicked my urges into overdrive. I still have the spare key. Do you have a bag packed?”
My eyes flicker to the corner of the room. A single small bag sits on a chair; it is overfilled with my favorite items, including the scents of the man I truly wish to be with.
“I do.” My face heats as tears well and blur my vision. I swallow it down as best I can. “Do you think Tony—”
“Hush Xenia. You are going to work yourself up. I’m here. I’ll be up there soon, and I will be with you every step of the way. You aren’t alone.”
Falling back on the bed, my attention goes to the ceiling. I watch as the old fan spins and spins and spins. Over the last year, I had counted every single scratch on the blades. I had been self-confined to my apartment, mostly to this very bed. I had filled myself with heat-blockers, attempting to push off the inevitable.
But they could only work so long. And they couldn’t change my biology.
In the last few days, it was clear that I was running out of time, and I had called Serena with my concerns. She had told me it wasn’tifbutwhen.
When I would be going into heat.
When I would need to be knotted.
When I would have to break my promise.
I don’t have a choice.
Omegas never do.
two
Xenia
Serena glances back at me in the rear-view mirror for the hundredth time. “Are you sure this is what you want? After you ride out your heat, I can take you somewhere away from his family. We can keep you safe. You never have to hurt again.”
I’m lying on my side in the back seat of the car. My cramps have subsided, but I know that my heat is approaching. It’s in the clamminess of my palms, the desire that churns forcefully in my gut, my emotions that split and fray, a swarm of wasps attempting to escape. Trying to form a cohesive thought, I swallow down the sand that has filled my throat.
Inside my pocket, my phone begins to ring. It isn’t the first time, and I know exactly who is calling.
“He’s going to track this,” I choke out, digging into my pants. Finding the heat-blockers first, I throw them into my bag.
I might need these…after.
Serena growls in the front seat, her hazelnut scent turning harsh, nearly burning my nostrils as she weaves in and out of traffic.
Sitting up, I roll down the window. The fresh air is a necessary reprieve from the alpha who is also my best friend.
“I’m sorry, I can’t help it. You have been my best friend since I met you in that facility. The thought of everything you have gone through. That Vinny is trying to push your boundaries. You were his brother’s mate for fuck’s sake, he should know better.” Her tone is surprisingly soothing as she clips the words out, but there is also an off-putting undertone to her words. As if there is more to them than she is saying.
Pushing that aside, I recallthe facility.
The one my foster family threw me into when my designation made itself known at the ripe age of eighteen. The one Serena volunteered at. Where she was the only friend I ever made until Tony took me from it.
Digging back into my pocket, I find the phone. It’s ringing again. With only one last minor hesitation, I answer, “Vinny.”
“Xenia, where is Serena taking you? I came to your apartment, and you were gone.”
Ice forms along my spine. There’s only one way he would know I am with Serena. “So youhavebeen watching me.” The words come out before I can swallow them down.
“Of course I have. You are a Rossi. It is my duty.”
