“Do you... want to?” She asks hesitantly, her voice small and shaky.
“Course I do,” Griffin says, his voice pitched low. “But only if you want to. This is a big decision to make, Sweetheart. I know the situation is fucked, but the last thing any of us want is for you to feel forced into a situation?—“
“I want to.” She’s quick to interrupt him, eagerly nodding her head. “I’ve always—I never thought?—“
She closes her eyes, a little line of frustration forming between her brows. It’s adorable despite the tough subject. She seems frustrated with her inability to say all the words she wants to say, but the two of us wait patiently for her to collect her thoughts.
“I think back at the facility, a lot of the rules revolved around suppressing our omega nature. So there were whispers about what bondmates and bondmarks were, but it wasn’t until I—I met a new girl who came in who apparently had an entire pack of guys who loved her I realized... I wanted that.”
One of her delicate hands comes up to rest on her shoulder, squeezing the flesh there like she’s imagining what it would be like to carry a bondmark there.
“Do you—do you think the others will be mad?” She whispers, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.
“Ash and Rage?” Griffin asks, using his thumb to tug her bottom lip from between her teeth.
She nods, her strawberry perfume souring in the air ever so slightly from her worry.
“I mean, I can’t say they’re going to be happy,” Griffin says, letting out a quiet huff of laughter. “I definitely wouldn’t be, in their shoes. But I think they’ll get it, if you’re the one to explain it to them. That it was your choice.”
“You biting me now... that won’t prevent them from biting me later?” She asks slowly.
“No, Sugar. Plenty of omegas have packs,” I answer, squeezing her hand reassuringly.
“Packs with betas in them, too?”
“They’re a lot rarer, but yeah, some packs include betas.” It’s a struggle to keep my voice even. I don’t want my hope and excitement to sway her opinion.
The soft knock at the door is like a bucket of ice water on my anticipation. Dr. Stetson makes his way back into the room, scrubbing a hand through his salt and pepper hair.
“Your family is certainly... something,” he mutters under his breath. He offers Mirabelle a nod and a warm smile when he glances up and sees that she’s awake. “Hello, Mirabelle, I hope you’re not in too much pain?”
“Not right now. It’s not as bad, since I have Rowan and Griffin taking care of me. But when it gets bad, it’s still really bad.”
“Yes,” Dr. Stetson nods attentively. “That makes sense, it matches with what I’m seeing from your hormone levels. Have Griffin and Rowan had a chance to explain everything to you?”
“I need a bondmark in order for this heat to stop, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“I want that. But—“ She cuts her gaze to me and my heart stutters in my chest at the smile she flashes me. “Can a beta bite me, too?”
“So unfortunately, a beta and an omega bonddoesn’t function the same as an alpha and omega one. Butthat doesn’t mean one can’t be formed. You would be the one biting him. While he could bite you, it wouldn’t leave the same bondmark.”
“Oh,” she says, nodding slowly.
“The bond will also take significantly longer to form completely, in terms of the other characteristics and advantages, like feeling each other’s emotions. You’d be able to feel how he’s feeling, but it would take time and close proximity for him to be able to feel how you’re feeling, since he’s a beta.”
She turns her gaze on me, leaning back against Griffin like she needs the support. Like she expects she’s not going to like what I have to say.
“Is that okay with you, Rowan?” She asks softly.
I fall to my knees in front of her, clasping her hand in mine and pressing it to my forehead. “I’d be honored, Sugar, if you wanted to make me a part of your pack.”
“Then let’s do it,” she says, reaching down and brushing her lips on the top of my head. It’s such an innocent and tender gesture.
My shoulders slump forward. I didn’t realize how tense I was holding my entire body.
“Just the thing we like to hear, Sweetheart,” Griffin growls, running his nose up the column of Mirabelle’s neck. I don’t miss the way his jaw ticks at the presence of the collar. But I still don’t have the key to that thing.
