A quiet knock sounds on the door, and a man with silver in his ponytail steps through. His white coat bears a name tag that reads Dr. Walton and a pin shaped like a purple ribbon, the symbol for Omega advocacy.
“Lena Halloway?” His gaze passes between us, then settles on me. “And you are?”
“Ash Halloway.” I hand him the clipboard. “Her brother and legal guardian.”
He accepts this without question and turns to Lena. “My name is Dr. Walton, but you may call me Peter if you prefer. I’m a bonded Alpha, but before we begin, do you have any objections to me being your doctor for today?”
Lena shakes her head.
He reads the form. “It says you’re here for emergency services?”
“Yes,” Lena squeaks.
Dr. Walton takes a seat on the stool. “Want to tell me about it?”
“I, uh…” When she looks to me for reassurance, I gesture for her to continue. “I ran out of suppressants and went into Heat while out in public.”
“I see.” He clasps his hands. “When was this?”
Lena licks her dry lips. “Friday night.”
“And how long did your Heat last?” he asks gently.
“Only for a few hours.” Her cheeks pinken. “I’ve never had long Heats.”
“And did this encounter result in a Mark?” he asks.
“Y-yes.”
“May I examine it?”
Lena’s fingers turn white-knuckled on the examination table as she leans forward and pulls her collar down to reveal her nape.
Dr. Walton’s touch is clinical, gloved fingers gentle but impersonal as they probe the edges of the wound.
Lena winces, and my stomach twists in response.
“The Mark will take,” Dr. Walton confirms, and my stomach sinks. “It’s deep enough to establish a temporary bond.”
He takes off his gloves as he studies my sister. “The Mark is roughly done. This may have been Heat driven, but was it consensual?”
“I’m not here to report him, if that’s what you mean,” she says, gnawing on her lip.
His brow furrows. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she says.
He spins on his stool to open the drawer of a cabinet. “Do you mind if we take some pictures and swab for samples, in case you change your mind?”
Lena turns to me in panic.
“We only came for emergency contraceptives,” I say for her, choking down the bile. “And suppressants until we can buy more.”
“I see. Well, we can definitely give you those.” He closes the drawer and rises to retrieve medication from the locked cabinet.
The pill seems too small to hold such significance, innocuous in its paper cup next to a plastic cup of water.
Lena takes it with shaking hands, swallowing it down before the doctor continues.
