Juniper flushed red while her class of omegas whispered in the doorway.As embarrassed as she was, Chase could see from the set of her jaw that she was pissed off.
“If we’re done satisfying your curiosity, I got better things to do than deal with you.”Ford removed a pair of sunglasses from his back pocket.“If you want more details about what Lucky Darro has been through, I suggest you consult the file you were sent, as one of his professors.It explains in detail that the head of the ORT herself authorised a week and a half of time off, as is usual for a witness or victim of an active ORT case.The fact Lucky chose to come back after a mere two days of missed classes just goes to show how fucking strong he is.”Ford gave Chase a discreet wink, then walked out, leaving a hushed silence in his wake.
Chase waited a moment, giving him the chance to shine as the badass ORTa who swept in to handle Juniper like a pro, then he walked out.He had to squeeze past the muttering omegas waiting to go into class, convinced they’d either get hell from Juniper in retaliation or they’d have a quiet lesson ahead.Either way, he had a feeling that Ford would be the talk of campus before the day was over.
At the end of the corridor, he found Ford hiding in an alcove, waiting for him.“That was a fucking rush, and better than any therapy I get at ORT,” he claimed, because he was reckless enough to have enjoyed that.
“Fuck’s sake.”Chase shook his head, grabbed him by his shirt and dragged him into a kiss, beyond grateful that he’d come to save the day.
Ford groaned and tugged Chase’s hips to draw him closer.“I’d love to stay,” he murmured against Chase’s lips, following the words with another kiss.“But I gotta go.”
“Busy day?”
“You have no idea.”Ford stole a last kiss then stepped back with a smirk.“Are you free for lunch?”
“In about an hour and a half.”
“Bring Lucky, we’ll get noodles.”He walked away, the swagger in his step nothing more than him riding the high of being allowed to put a professor in their place.He might’ve hated school, but he really did shine as an ORTa.
Chase headed to class, aware he’d woken a beast that wouldn’t be happy being told to wait.Maybe after class he’d grab Lucky and Ford for dinner or a night out.They all needed to put this last week behind them the best they could.
* * * *
One hour earlier
Ford
“Interesting.”Dr.Kai lay her pen between the pages of her notebook, open on her lap.“I’m stunned at your progress.”
Ford raised an eyebrow and lit a smoke.“Progress?It’s our first session, Doc.”He was only here because Wynna demanded that all agents get cleared after an active case.Even though he’d be continuing Lucky’s case, she still wanted him approved for duty, considering he’d almost shot his own mate and had had to watch Lucky suffer the effects of OX.
“Your biggest worry when we did your last appraisal was going back onto Bittersweet after this mission.I really don’t see a need.You’re doing amazingly well for the things you’ve seen and experienced.Now you’ve told me about Lucky and Chase, I believe you won’t need medication.”
That was an unexpected relief.Bittersweet was a new treatment for PTSD, but last time it had royally fucked with his sleep patterns.With a combination of pain killers, anti-psychotics, and a medicinal dose of Euphoria, Bittersweet had become an anti-insomnia treatment for alphas.As a medication, the mixture prevented dreams, regulated intense emotional reactions and gave respite from emotional triggers.
Bittersweet should have been perfect for Ford, as the drug was expensive and only given to an ORTa or the omegas they rescued.Dangerous and addictive, Bittersweet could cause serious damage to internal organs when mistreated and its use was highly regulated by the government.That Ford was given the medication was a miracle.Except his mother’s history with Euphoria was its own emotional torment.Whenever he thought about the drugs running through his veins, that same medication would dull his senses, preventing a triggering reaction to his mother’s memory.
Frowning in confusion, he took a puff of his cigarette.“Why?”
“I believe what you experienced last time was a type of dissociative grief from losing your true mate,” Dr.Kai explained, though Ford didn’t see how that made sense.“Being put on leave left you with more time on your hands than usual.Jesi has been spreading his wings to make new friends outside of the ORT, and you haven’t had the need or opportunity to spend your free time and affection on him.That made you more self-reflective.
“Then you took this job and came upon Lucky Darro, someone like Jesi, in many ways.Young, without direction or guidance, attractive and at risk.Being around Lucky should have added to your loneliness and set off a powder-keg of emotion because you didn’t have your own true mate.Instead, being around Lucky made you face those long-buried feelings.”
“Of grief?”
Pushing up the glasses perched on her nose, Dr.Kai nodded.“You said in one of our first sessions that you never grieved your true mate.You were too young to feel the spark and there was no emotional impact when he died.I believe the bond with your two mates has helped you, mentally.Chase has provided a safe place to be honest, to speak to an equal, and kept Lucky safe when you need to step aside.You can rely on and trust Chase.Mixed with the lust and attraction, you’ve developed a heady, powerful bond.Lucky offers comfort, somewhere to rest without judgement, where you can open your heart, be emotional and honest.”
Ford tapped his ash into the waiting ashtray on the coffee table.“You’re saying Lucky is my Bittersweet.”That made him a positive force, a soothing presence, someone who calmed the raging fire of conflict inside his chest.He couldn’t have described Lucky more perfectly.
“I am.”
“I like that.”He had a feeling he’d enjoy Chase’s reaction, because he would understand how precious that made Lucky.
They were both fucking proud of their feisty omega.After giving him a mate, a purpose, and control over his emotions, Lucky being the one to heal the pain he’d been hiding for the last ten years felt like fate.
Chapter Fifteen
Ford
