“No.” My rush of adrenaline is wearing off now, and my voice is shaky.
“Jo.” His voice is a warning. “You think I don’t already know that it was Hayden Pierce?”
My heart leaps into my throat. “That’s…ridiculous.” My words make me feel like I’m betraying the little ball in my chest that I’ve come to recognize as Hayden’s bond. But…this is more than just protecting him.If they confirm it’s him, they might figure out we’re true scent matches, and if that happens…well, they might just figure out a way to keep the true scent match from being able to nullify the drug they’ve been giving us.
Brooks shakes his head, stuffing the necklace back into his pocket. “What did I say about insulting each other’s intelligence, Jo? You two have been hanging all over each other the last two weeks.”
He doesn’t mention Kole, thank goodness.
“Don’t know what to tell you, Doc.” I shrug. “It’s not Hayden.” As if to reassure myself, I tentatively check my bond again. He’s still there, muted, since I’m blocking him off, but there none the less.
“Icouldjust strip search every alpha until I find out who it is.” He tries to sound nonchalant, but I can hear the hint of trepidation in his voice.
If he could just strip search every alpha…then why doesn’t he? If it’sreallythat simple, why didn’t he do it while I was passed out? My mind races as I try to remember everything Hayden has said to me about his father.
Oh, shit.
My first day, he was offering to give me a tour.“I know all the ins and outs of this place—my old man bankrolled the renovations. I can give you the inside scoop.”
They can’t take the risk. If it’s not Hayden, and they take drastic measures like that, Hayden’s daddy will be pissed. Maybe pissed enough to not give them any more money. As long as Hayden retains his daddy’s protection, they can’t do anything to him.
“Then do it.” I raise a brow, feigning nonchalance. “Sounds simple enough.”
“I will figure out how you did it,” he says menacingly, but then in the blink of an eye, his demeanor changes. “As it happens, this might just work for us.”
I swallow, blinking rapidly. “How so?”
“We’ve never had the opportunity to study how being apart from a new bond mate can affect the psyche up close before.” He starts making notes on his clipboard. “Normally, doctors do all they can to ease the symptoms of bond sickness. I, however, want to see just how far it progresses without any external intervention. For now, we won’t sedate you, since that would take away your response to your pain receptors. But…three days, I think. That will give us enough time to see how an omega handles being separated from her brand new bond mate. Then…well, we’ve been working on a medication to remove bonds entirely. I think you’ll be the perfect first live test subject.”
My blood runs cold. “Wait, you can’t—”
“Unless you feel like telling me exactly who gave you that bite?” He sounds almost hopeful. But…no. I won’t subject Hayden to this. Alphas may get irritable and short-tempered when separated from their new mate, but only omegas succumb to bond sickness.
Plus, if I give Hayden away, his daddy may realize that he’ll never give into his demands to get married and remove any protections he has in place for him. Hayden could end up right next to me in the Cathedral. I can’t let that happen.
“Sorry, Doc.” My resolve hardened, I meet Doctor Brooks’ beady eyes. “Can’t say I have a clue.”
Brooks only gives me a long-suffering sigh before he leaves the room, taking his disgusting scent with him and leaving me with the signatures of the orderlies. The beta orderly approaches the bed, a syringe in his hand.
Sohe’sthe one who smells like he got into a fight with a lawn mower.
“Don’t you put that thing anywhere near me.” I bare my teeth at him. “I won’t be a zombie.”
The orderly only chuckles. “Easy, omega. Like Doc said, he’s not going to sedate you. This is just to make you a little less…violent.”
I thrash against the bed, hoping that if I move enough, he might give up, but then in the next second, the alpha comes around the bed, his grip on my shoulders hard as he holds me still.
Wet asphalt and…gasoline? Together, they smell like someone’s yard after a heavy rain. Which, sometimes, can be a pleasant smell.
Not in this case.
Having my olfactory sensors suppressed for so long, only to have all these scents come at me full force is a special kind of torture.
“Get your nasty hands off me!” I snarl, whipping my head around.
“We don’t want to hurt you,” the beta snaps, sounding angry. “Just stay fucking still!” Then the needle is being jabbed into my arm, the angle all wrong, and I cry out in pain.
“Fuck you!” I yelp, my voice sounding weak, and it’s only when the alpha holding my arms lets go to wipe a tear from my cheek that I realize I’m crying. He shakes his head at me, as my body goes limp and fuzzy. The pain is still there, but everything feels…heavier. Like I can’t quite make myself do anything about how pissed I am.
