“Yeah, I’m sorry.” I cringe. “I made Rory promise not to tell you until I figured out how to be honest with them about it. In the end, I couldn’t, I had to let my scent do the job for me.”
“I understand. It’s impossible for me to keep a secret. Kendall or Ciro can see that I’m hiding something right away,and I wouldn’t have forgiven myself if I betrayed you. So good call.” She nods. “But… It’s pretty cool to have your scent back, huh? I missed your unique fruity scent.”
I turn bashful. “Oh, shut up.”
“I’m glad you two are settling that secret, but there’s still something else we need to know,” Rory points out.
I wince, remembering them overhearing my conversation with Kit that night. “Have you guys ever heard of Hyper-Hormonal Omega Syndrome?”
They both shake their heads.
“Well, I have that. It’s a chronic illness where I experience uncomfortable symptoms and…” I swallow. “And have heat cycles before being bonded.”
Both of their eyes widen. “Opal, have you had one?” Stacia asks.
“Yes,” I admit. “After I met Sam for the first time. It was another reason why I didn’t know how to tell them. Everything just got so messed up.”
“So, is that why you were sleeping all the time?” Rory asks, thinking back to our time living together.
“Yes. You caught me having flare-ups a few times, but I always said I was on my period.”
Her brows pinch together, like she’s thinking about our entire time living together with a new lens. “I wish you had told me.”
“I didn’t want you two to see me any differently,” I confess, hanging my head. “I finally had other omega friends, and I didn’t want to ruin that by being a defective omega.”
“Don’t call yourself that,” Stacia reprimands me, fierceness in her eyes.
“Okay,” I agree. “I don’t think that anymore. But, at the time, it was still so early in my diagnosis… that’s just how I felt. Ididn’t feel normal, and I didn’t want you two to see me that way as well.”
“We never thought you were normal,” Rory laughs, which makes my lips curve with amusement. “But that had nothing to do with your omega and everything to do with your quirks. Your nicknames, and your mug collection, and the patterns you love to wear.”
“And the anime.”
“And the video games.”
“And all the crocheted animals.”
“Okay,” I interrupt their little back and forth with a laugh. “I get it, I’m a weirdo.”
“Yes,” Stacia agreed. “But your weirdness matched ours. And I’m so glad we befriended you.”
My eyes fill up with tears once more. “So, you two don’t care that I’ve been keeping my condition a secret?”
They both shake their heads. “Like I said, you had a reason. What’s important is that we’re all caught up now. And we can help you and your pack if you ever need it,” Stacia says.
I sigh, still a little teary. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that I ran into you both in that bar. I really needed omega friends like you two. It felt like something was finally going right in my life.”
“We’re happy, too,” Stacia agrees. “Seriously, you’re so much fun. And now that there aren’t any more secrets, you can come to us for anything.”
“I’m so glad. I’m done hiding.”
“Good,” Rory says, like the word solidifies it. “So, after your heat and your bonding and Kit’s heat, we’ll have to plan a girl’s night. No! A girl’s weekend!”
I giggle at that. “That will probably be very much needed. That’s a long time for me to be cooped up with masculine energy.”
“Exactly! It’ll be like another rescue mission. We can chill, watch movies, and experiment with our snacks.”
“Experiment with our snacks?” Stacia asks, her brow furrowed. “I’d like to stick with my hazelnut M&Ms, thank you very much.”
