Josie and I sat in the humming room, fluorescent lights flickering above. The faint smell of disinfectant clung to the air, and the tray of medical supplies kept drawing my gaze like a car wreck. I could feel my heart rate increasing, that thumper chest feeling ramping up. That’s what it always felt like to me—the silly rabbit in that children’s movie who pounds the ground quickly with one furry foot. I winced as Josie yanked me from my mounting panic by sinking claws through the medical gown to gain purchase in my thigh.
“Ouch!” I protested, picking her up and spinning her around. Her claws were still stuck in the thin cotton robe. As I lifted her, the skirt lifted as well. We were alone though, no one was here to see me exposed. “That was not nice, Josie,” I disciplined.
She meowed sweetly.
“Well, I’m glad you’re acting like yourself at least,” I finally sighed, after she definitely won the staring contest and I blinked. I was never able to stay irritated with her.
The door swished open without warning, and I instinctively placed Josie down on my lap, which also lowered the skirt of the cotton robe into place. Thankfully, my stubborn cat circled only once before settling down. Her keen kitten eyes were fixed on the new arrival—a tall Alpha woman with broad shoulders and an authoritative aura. She wore a crisp,white lab coat over a tailored charcoal suit; her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight, glossy bun which put her chiseled cheekbones on full display. She wore no name tag, probably because she didn’t need to. She was an Alpha, an obviously important one. I couldn’t smell her, which I thought was strange, until my eyes locked on the thick sterling band around her wrist which boasted a few lines of blinking pink light. A scent blocker, but unlike one I’d ever seen before. Even when we were wealthy and I was curious, I’d not seen a model like that in my internet search.
The Alpha lifted her hand, patting the right side of her head as if there were phantom hair strands going rogue. The arm she lifted bore the bracelet, and now I could also clearly see the letters E R O S engraved on it. She caught me staring at it.
“Remarkable device, isn’t it?” She acted like she was showing off a million-dollar, diamond tennis bracelet. “I’m one of the product testers for it. Completely neutralizes my scent so it doesn’t interfere in the laboratory. Alpha production can skew results so easily.” She smiled down at the device, like a mother looking at their child.
“It’s very fancy,” I managed, feeling small.
“Miss Fortune,” she said now, eyes retraining on my face, her voice somehow both gravelly, yet smooth. “I’m so pleased you are here. We’ve been desperate for virginal samples. They’re so necessary if we’re to adequately map the trajectory of scent production and pheromones from first heat to last. The variables of sexual activity must be firmly considered.” She smiled at me, and I think she meant it to feel beatific. Instead, with the way her huge mouth widened, nearly stretching from ear to ear, the smile felt threatening.
“I’m glad I can help,” I said weakly, feeling smaller and smaller the longer I was in her domineering presence.Oh, to be a fucking Alpha. I bet everything would be so freaking different. I bet the lawyer would have been more help. I bet the government wouldn’t have taken everything if the estate had a proper heir. I bet predators wouldn’t have continually pushed their luck on the streets those first few months before I got… less desirable.
“Yes, wonderful.” The smile fell slightly as she picked up theclipboard, reading through Beta Love’s scrawl. “Lovely. All lovely.” Once she set the clipboard back down, she clapped her hands lightly. “Let’s begin then, shall we? Depending on how the scent samples turn out, we’ll decide on further bloodwork and such.”
She must have seen the way my expression grew distrustful. My gut was roiling. I felt like I needed to pee. I hated that being nervous made me feel that way.
“Oh, don’t worry, Miss Fortune. There’s genuinely nothing to fear from me.” She smiled wildly again. I wish I could tell her not to.
The door opened again, a pop of exterior air darting inside as if the pressure had been lowered in this room. Maybe I’d sucked it all away with my anxiety. It was Beta Love, returned in a blue disposable robe of his own, hands concealed by blue gloves and eyes now behind a thick set of googles. He was pushing a machine on wheels. It wasn’t very tall, maybe as high as his waist, and a weird bulbous wand device was mounted to the side. He positioned it next to Doctor Swann and then plugged it into an outlet on the floor. It blinked a few times, before the monitor fully awoke.Charos Compact Ultrasoundread its label.
“Set up the initial rapid tests, Love. I’ll begin sampling.”
“Yes, Doctor Swann.” He spoke with deference. So, at least with this Alpha, he wasn’t a complete clinically cold fish. He moved over to a hooded work surface, flipped on a fan switch, and then began setting up a very strange contraption with glass tubing, lightbulb shaped upper globes, and lower drip tips that reminded me of a watering bottle for a hamster.
Movement near me brought my attention back to Doctor Swann who was currently holding the weird wand from the compact ultrasound and playing with knobs at the front of the machine. When she seemed satisfied, she picked up the scary syringed.
I shrunk away the minute she started coming at me with both items.
Josie, sensing my fear renewed, shifted to push her body against my stomach. For the first time, the Alpha doctor gave the cat her attention.
“Hmm, I’d forgotten about that.” She quirked an eyebrow, considering,and then she turned to Beta Love. “Love, get one of the vented animal crates they used to ship in the rodents.”
He simply nodded and disappeared.
I tried to stand up, fearful of what was about to happen.
Doctor Swann gave me her face-splitting grin once more. “I promise we are not taking her permanently. However, contamination of our samples is a possibility. This is also a very delicate process. If she squirms, causing you to move, I could miss the glands entirely. I do not wish to cause any unnecessary pain.”
“Will she at least stay in the lab?”
“Of course!” Doctor Swann crowed. “We’ll place her in the containment bag, make quick work of removing any visible hair on your robe, and then proceed.”
“But she’ll stay in the room, right?” I pressed, wanting a clear answer. These folks really liked to dance around directness.
“Yes, of course.” The Alpha soothed, in a very maternal tone as if I were a child afraid of the monster in her closet.
Beta Love returned carrying an odd white box with green lettering and screened ‘windows’ along each side.Live Animals. Keep air spaces clear.I mentally read. It was plenty large enough for Josie, but she was going to hate it.
I swallowed hard, eyes glued to Beta Love’s patient, practiced movements as he placed the transport crate down on the floor near the wall furthest from me. He pulled out flaps of cardboard attached to the lid from where they were seated inside slits in the container’s bottom. He felt inside the box for a heartbeat, then stood up and nodded.
“It’s clear of any droppings or debris, Doctor Swann. Shall I place the animal inside?”
