Then the memories rush in. Hands on me, groping and squeezing. Something sharp biting into my arm. The burn of it, the pressure, the way the world went thin and distant. Then waking up afterward with no sense of where I was or how I’d gotten there.
“Omega?” The doctor’s voice drops, softer. “There’s no need to be scared.” He curls his hand around the vial, hiding it from my view. “It’s a quick shot.”
“Did you talk to Cass or Warren about it?” Beck asks suddenly. His tone is careful, but there’s an edge to it now. Protective. “About giving her a shot.”
Dr. Pace answers a little too quickly. “It was Warren’s idea,” he says, smooth and reassuring. “Just to make sure she’s healthy. A simple precaution.”
My brows knit together as I study the doctor’s exaggerated smile. Unease curls tight in my chest. I don’t like the sound of that at all. “No,” I whisper, shaking my head.
Dr. Pace’s smile slips. Not all at once, but enough that I notice. His shoulders square, his expression turning clinical. “Omegas have more delicate systems,” he starts, measurednow. “Especially when they’ve been under stress. Your body?—”
“I’ll do it,” Beck cuts in.
The words land hard enough that even the doctor blinks.
Beck pushes his chair back and rolls up his sleeve without hesitation, jaw set like he’s already made up his mind. “If it helps.” He looks at me with his big gray-blue eyes. “I mean—to show you it’s safe. I’ll get a shot too.”
I can’t help but be touched by his kindness. I stare at the beta, taking in the fullness of his face, still rounded with youth. He looks so young. Too young to be standing between me and a needle, offering himself up without a second thought.
He’s too kind for this pack of alphas.
They don’t deserve him.
“Dr. Pace?” Beck’s brows lift. “Is it safe for me to get the shot too?”
Dr. Pace studies Beck for a beat, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes, before he nods once. “Of course it’s safe.” He reaches into his bag and pulls out a syringe. It takes him two seconds to fill it with the clear liquid, then prep Beck’s arm.
“Oh!” Beck stifles a hiss as the doctor pushes in the medicine. “That feels weird.” He frowns, staring at his bicep.
“All done.” Dr. Pace withdraws the needle, caps it, and disposes of it with a soft click before turning back to me. The vial is still in his hand when he lifts it, the clear liquid catching the light. “You don’t have to take this if you don’t want to,” he says, his tone gentler now. “But if you don’t, I’ll need you to monitor your temperature for the next fewdays. Watch for muscle pain. Swelling in your joints. Anything unusual.”
I swallow.
Because the truth is, my body already aches. A dull soreness sits deep in my muscles, but I don’t know if that’s from the trauma I’ve endured the last few days or because I’m sick. I shift in my chair, suddenly too aware of every joint, every twinge.
I close my eyes for half a second, then nod. “Okay,” I say quietly. “Just…do it.”
Two seconds later, a fresh needle is pushed into my arm, but it’s not the familiar burn I was expecting. It feels like ice, crawling up my neck and jaw.
“All done.” The needle slides free.
I let out a slow breath of relief, and then gasp as a vicious alpha growl tears through the house. All three of us flinch. Chairs scrape. The sound slams down the hallway like a warning shot, deep and furious, and my pulse spikes so hard it makes my vision blur.
Before I can even process the sound, a sharp cramp hits me low in the belly. It’s so intense it steals my breath. My body bows, a choked gasp escaping my lips as a sudden, embarrassing gush of slick soaks through my underwear.
I look straight at Dr. Pace.
My hands curl into fists, nails biting into my palms as I bare my teeth at him. “What the fuck did you give me?”
The Guest Room
Grason
The guest roomdoor rattles in its frame as Cassian’s growl tears through the house.
Alpha pressure slams into me, thick and brutal, making my instincts spike in response. But I force myself to stay still, planting my feet. I don’t dare move. I don’t dare even breathe.
Whatever punishment Cass decides to dish out, I deserve it.
