“Struggling withwhat, Kit?” I repeat.
My omega grunts with frustration. “It’s not my secret to tell! And to be honest, she didn’t even tell me. I just figured it out.”
Figured it out? What could there possibly be that Kit felt the need to investigate what was going on with her? I mean, she sleeps a lot and she’s a bit frantic, but nothing really sets off any alarm bells.
My thoughts stop as something tugs at my brain. After everything that’s happened with my internship these past few weeks, one of our conversations got put to the back burner, but the presence of it feels heavy as the pieces slide together.
“Hyper-Hormonal Omega Syndrome,” I say in realization. “You told me you were just curious, but I could tell how serious you were at the time.” Kit looks guilty and my alpha whimpers in my chest. “She has it, doesn’t she?”
He gives a meek nod and suddenly, I feel sick. Everything he had told me about that awful disorder comes back to me now. The premature heats, the symptoms, the fatigue. I can’t believe I didn’t fucking notice.
“You can’t beat yourself up over this, Sam,” Kit snaps at me. “She wanted to keep it to herself, and for good reason. She doesn’t want anyone to look at her differently.”
“I would never?—”
“You can’t save her from this,” he states pointedly. “She will have this for the rest of her life, and you need to accept it. Right here. Right now.”
The firm way he speaks to me makes my alpha purr in my chest. Kit’s eyes widen in surprise, but then soften as he places his palm against me to feel the calming effect.
“She’s ours, Kit,” I repeat, although it still feels wild to say. “The way you look out for her, the way you take care of her, makes my alpha just as happy as if he were doing it himself.”
His omega responds with a happy whine. “Now, we can take care of hertogether.”
“Where is she?” I ask. “What happened? I’m still a bit fuzzy.”
Kit winces. “Opal didn’t realize you were fighting a rut… She thinks you’re angry with her for lying for so long.”
My body runs cold. “What?” I can’t think of anything worse than her thinking I had rejected her. My alpha and I would never in a million years push away a scent match, especially not Opal. I fell for her so swiftly that I should have known it was instinctual from the very first notion of attraction.
“She’s obviously scared, Alpha. Now that you’re clearheaded, we can go find her and explain.”
My lungs pull in deep breaths as I try to wrap my head around his words. When I feel a bit calmer, I take his face between my hands. “Let’s make this right. Let’s go get our girl.”
FORTY-SIX
Playing: “People You Know” by Selena Gomez
With nowhere to go,I run on autopilot. Even with everything standing between us, I call the one person I used to always call when in a bind. It’s been a while since we spoke, but Cindy comes to get me with no questions asked. It feels like my friend is finally here again, clutching my hand while I sob in her passenger seat. My phone lights up every few seconds, texts from everyone coming in, but I don’t have the heart to open them yet.
“Opal, please tell me what happened,” she says softly, her thumb caressing over mine.
“I messed things up.” I give a wet, humorless laugh. “My scent came back, and my roommates found out that they’re my scent matches. I’ve kept it from them for months and now they hate me.”
Her lips purse. “You stopped taking your blockers?”
I nod, realizing she couldn’t tell because she’s a beta. “Yeah.I realized that it was the only way I was going to be able to tell them. I knew I’d chicken out if I had to do it verbally.”
She stays quiet for a few moments. “And they seriously got mad at you?”
I hang my head. “Sam couldn’t look me in the eyes.”
“The same alpha who came to the apartment all those months ago?”
“Yes.” I rub my eyes.
“Huh,” she comments. “You did look rather surprised when he showed up. I guess that explains it.”
“Ugh,” I groan as I try to stop the tears. “I wish I could take it all back. Just continue to live on with the uncertainty.”
