I finally settled on returning to the library to researchInterspecies Claim Dysphoria. While I trusted Rafe to be straight with me, the same couldn't be said of Adalwolfa, and I had no way of knowing how familiar Rafe was with the disorder. It was entirely possible that Adalwolfa was lying to us and Rafe actually didn't know.
I bypassed the smirking female Alpha behind the librarian's desk who had been eyeing Trevor earlier in the day and headed directly for the nearly hidden door that led upstairs. After all, logic suggested that that would be where I would find information on diseases relevant to what humans considered paranormal beings.
The room was deserted, but a familiar energy seemed to hum in the air. In the barely there moonlight, I found a light switch on the wall and waited as the single bulb over the table flickered to life. Books were still stacked and piled as they had been, but now two small books sat one atop the other in front of the chair I had used earlier.
"Diagnose und Behandlung von Dysphorie imOmegas," I read the title of the first out loud. TheGerman dialect was an ancient one, but I had no problem translating it. "Diagnosis and Treatment of Dysphoria in Omegas." Simple enough. Turning to the table of contents, I ran my finger down the various types until I reached the one I sought. "Interspecies Claim Dysphoria, page seventy-two." Flipping through the pages, I settled back in the chair and began to read.
Ten minutes later, blood was dripping down my jaw and puddling on the table from my fangs having forced their way free. My claws were buried in the palms of my hands as I fought to hold back the raging beast inside me, and, when my angry howl echoed off the walls, it sounded more like the scream of a wounded wildebeest. It was then that I realized I was no longer alone.
"You did this!" I spat the words at the figure in the open door. "You vile, hateful bitch!"
Adalwolfa's already serious expression took on a slightly sad tint, but she remained silent as I continued to fight for control.
"You knew the damage that this spell could do if the claim isn't restored." I'd never before had to fight back such a strong urge to kill a human. "How could you do this? How could you risk destroying so many lives without warning us? You know Trevor would have never agreed to this spell if he'd known that so many of his friends could lose so much!" My stomach roiled. "Trevor trusted you."
"It's not hopeless," Adalwolfa insisted softly when my fangs finally began to recede, "but you need to focus on the other book."
Shoving the medical book aside, I shrugged when I saw the prophecy book that I knew to be over half empty.
"I read this earlier. What is this going to help with?"
"You read the wrong part," Adalwolfa hesitated, and then groaned under her breath and continued. "If you want to know how to influence the ending, you should start at the beginning."
I looked down at the book, stroking my fingers over the soft leather cover as I considered her words. When I looked back up, the bog witch was gone, and my cell phone was vibrating in my pocket.
"Yeah?"
"Clint, it's Rafe." The other Alpha's voice seemed off. "You need to come to the hospital. Trevor's in the emergency room."
I shoved the prophecy book into my pocket and was out of the library before my phone had even disconnected the call. I was storming through the hospital's somber halls not too long after that.
"Where is he?" I demanded when I saw Colby leaning against the waiting room wall. "I thought you were taking care of him?"
"Calm down, Clint," Colby said, glancing over my shoulder with a concerned look. "Everything is okay."
"What did you let happen to him?" My voice thundered through the room, drawing every eye as I took a step forward. That was as far as I got before an answering snarl sounded behind me and a pair of large hands yanked me back and threw me to the ground.
"Donotyell at him!" Rafe ground out, his fangs and claws breaking free as he stood over me.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Colby huffed. "Both of you knock it off! Trevor's waiting for you in the exam room," he explained to me calmly before turning to Rafe, his voice softening a tiny bit. "I'm fine, Alpha. Let's go help Trev, yeah?"
ChapterSeven
Trevor
The problem with being an Omega –oneof the problem's with being an Omega – is that no matter how well your pack treats you, you're still pretty much chattel to the rest of the world. And that was why I was seated in the small exam chair with the doctor smiling gently at me as he explained that even though I was feeling better, he really couldn't release me without my guardian's approval. Sigh.
When Clint shoved his way into the exam room, all of the air seemed to be displaced as I stared up at him.
"Are you okay, baby?" Clint dropped to his knees in front of my chair, his big hands stroking my thighs as his concerned brown eyes roved over me. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Alpha," I responded automatically, drawing in a deep breath of his comforting scent. "I just got dizzy. I'm fine now."
"Trevor nearly passed out," Colby interjected from the doorway, shrugging when I gave him a dirty look.
Clint looked at the doctor who was smiling patiently.
"It could have been low blood sugar. He said he hasn't eaten much so far today." The doctor patted my shoulder. "You can take your Omega home now, but he probably shouldn't be left alone for the next day or so, just to be safe."
