"I will take a mucus sample now," he says calmly, pulling out a long white swab.
I notice a flicker of unease on Salt’s face when Dr. Lee takes the swab and walks back toward the machine.
He slides out a device resembling a microscope.
"You can get dressed now, Salt."
Salt dresses quickly, and we both sit down in the chairs by the desk with the laptop.
Several minutes pass in silence as the doctor analyzes the sample. Then, with a carefully neutral expression, he turns to us and stands.
"Am I correct in assuming you two have not had intercourse yet?"
I see Salt’s mouth tighten into a thin line, his hands resting on his knees curling into fists.
"We haven’t."
The doctor frowns.
"That is unfortunate. It would be a shame to waste such good momentum. I am very pleased with the changes in your mucus. Certain features have appeared that may indicate a hormonal shift," he adds the latter with a peculiar tone.
Feeling slightly pissed off for no particular reason, I shoot, "What kind of shift?"
Dr. Lee lifts his eyebrows slightly.
"It resembles a pre-heat phase, but with a beta, we must be cautious in our interpretation. In such cases, this type of mucus can persist for months without an actual heat occurring. Since Salt naturally has slightly elevated hormone levels, placing him in a borderline category of betas with omega characteristics, I cannot give you a definitive answer as to what is going on without a full hormonal workup."
Salt’s face is pale.
"So you don’t know what’s going on?" he asks quietly.
Dr. Lee sighs.
"No. But I strongly insist that you begin intercourse as soon as possible. This is a priority matter. Please take my words very seriously. In cases like yours, we usually prefer to press forward. Any delay or hesitation can disrupt the awakening process and put you in a position of…" Dr. Lee clears his throat lightly, "facing potential complications."
"What exactly do you mean by complications?" Salt’s entire body is radiating tension.
"Well, we have very strict guidelines in situations like this. We cannot afford to waste an opportunity such as yours, so we sometimes decide to apply additional stimulation."
The follow-up to what the doctor said almost hangs heavily in the air, and makes both Salt’s and my pulses race.
"Just say it plainly. Do you mean Drax?" Salt snaps.
I see the doctor make a minimal, almost imperceptible twitch. With visible effort, he composes himself, his fingers tightening around his pen as his gaze shifts to the laptop screen.
"I don’t know what you mean by this." His tone is extremely careful. "Besides, such matters are beyond my direct authority. I only provide medical reports. There is a board on the island that evaluates cases like yours and makes decisions."
A wave of heat rises quickly inside me.
"Say it. Would Salt be forced to have sex with another alpha?"
Dr. Lee does not answer immediately, which only proves he indeed knows what is going on here. Then he says,
"I’m not suggesting anything. Nobody is forced to do anything here. Simply put, if a person doesn’t want to follow the program rules, they are free to leave. What I want to do is ask you a question: do you intend to have intercourse with Salt within the next few days, or not?"
Wow, that sounded like a thinly veiled threat.
I scoff. "This is coercion! We are both virgins! What if we’re not psychologically ready? What if we want our relationship to develop naturally, without rushing, and certainly without a threat of rape disguised as medical necessity hanging over Salt?"
