“Did you tell them about what Glen…”
“No,” I said quickly. “I can’t… I don’t want to.”
“You have nothing to be ashamed of,” he said sharply.
When I didn’t respond, he sighed. I imagined him sprawled across the couch in the living room I had only seen in our video calls.
“I think you’ll need to tell them, but the timing’s up to you.”
He was probably right, but I couldn’t think about it right now. No matter how often Sam told me what happened wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was dirty because of it.
“So… the house is in the historic district?” Sam prompted, taking pity on me and changing the subject after I still hadn’t responded.
I grinned. “You would love it.” I paused for a second before dropping my voice, even though I knew no one could hear me out here. “I still want the suppressants. I’m not ready to go through heat with them.”
“They on board with that?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Or I’d have to fucking punch them. Mates or not, you’re still your own person. My contact confirmed that the doctor will call you tomorrow. They’re being cagey and not telling me the doctor’s name, but my contact assured me they’re reliable.”
“Thanks, Sam. I couldn’t do this without you.”
“You know I’m always here for you. I know how hard it is for you to trust your omega, but just try to follow your instincts, okay? Just because it feels like something bad is going to happen doesn’t mean it will.”
After I hung up, I was overwhelmed by the sudden urge to be with my alphas. I walked back into the room and stood by the door, my hand on the doorknob. What now? Could I just go downstairs? What if they didn’t want me around right now? The thought of them rejecting me froze me to the spot. And there I stood, unable to take a step towards them.
ChapterFourteen
Cam
Ipaced the kitchen, each movement laced with agitation at being away from Josie. Her sweet vanilla scent clung to my skin and clothes, making me grow hard. Fuck, having her on my lap, pressed against my cock, had been the sweetest form of torture I’d ever experienced. I wanted to camp out by her door just in case she needed something, but that probably didn’t send the right message after she’d asked for space. Leaving her, even to just go downstairs, felt wrong. She’d looked so tired and vulnerable in the room. I hoped she would at least be able to sleep.
I knew I needed to back off and take things slowly, but it went against my instincts. I had no doubts about our mate and couldn’t wait until she trusted me to take care of her like she deserved. My alpha was riding me to have a courting gift ready for her when she got up, but I couldn’t think of anything to get her that would be special enough.
“Shit,” Theo said, leaning over the kitchen island and looking at his tablet with disgust.
“What?” I asked, distracted by an article I found online:Forty-two failsafe courting gifts for your omega.
“The DC sent over thisOmega Care Instructionbooklet for us,” Ben said, anger seething from him through the bond.
My skin crawled with dread.
“Brace yourself. It’s fucking disgusting,” Theo said as he handed me the tablet.
I grabbed it and started skimming the multi-page document, white-hot rage pulsing through me the further I read.
Josephine Porter, omega, age 23, was assessed via blood work on October 7th to be in pre-heat. Through examination with the Designation Center medical specialist, she is a confirmed virgin with a rated vaginal tightness of 9/10. Ms. Porter is in good health with the exception of her weight, which is significantly higher than the average healthy omega. While at the Designation Academy, Ms. Porter was put on a strict diet leading to significant weight loss. In the intervening year, Ms. Porter has been without alpha supervision and has regained that weight. It is strongly recommended that her food intake be stringently monitored by her alphas for her to maintain optimal weight. A sample diet and eating schedule are attached below.
I could hear my heartbeat in my ears as other sounds fell away. The “sample diet” wasn’t enough food for a small child to subsist on, let alone an adult omega woman. Josie was curvier than most omegas, and she was perfect. I didn’t give a fuck about her weight. Reading that they’d practically starved her made me want to feed her right now.
“What the fuck is this about vaginal tightness?” I asked, my voice deathly quiet.
“I don’t know,” Theo snarled as he paced the kitchen.
“Does that mean someone touched her? What kind of examination is that?” Ben asked, his voice growing louder. Theo shushed him, not wanting Josie to overhear.
“What are they doing with omegas at that fucking academy?” I asked, my horror growing as I flipped through more of the document outlining Josie’s “significant behavioral issues.”
