The promise of getting answers was the only thing keeping me in my chair. With every beat of my heart, I was reminded of everything I’d been told in rooms just like this one.
She’s attention-seeking.
It’s all in her head.
She’s manipulative.
A knock at the door startled me out of my thoughts as Dr. Ash walked in. She was younger than I had expected—maybe in her forties—and her dark hair was pulled up in a bun. As she neared, I caught the slightest hint of a scent mixed with the metallic edge of de-scenter. My lips parted in surprise as I realized she was analpha. I’d never met a female alpha—they were even rarer than omegas.
“Welcome, Westin,” she said, shaking my hand. “And Henry. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you.” She was all calm confidence as the other guys introduced themselves.
“Well, you’re all very welcome here,” she said, sitting on a rolling stool and giving me a soft smile. “We’re going to start today by taking a health history and understanding what’s going on. Then I’ll do a brief physical exam and decide where to go next.”
“Okay.” My voice sounded hoarse.
Dr. Ash started with a series of questions about my symptoms, typing my answers on her laptop. I did my best to answer, but it was a struggle. I had done my best over the years to block out the details of what was happening to me. By the end of her questions, I felt on the verge of tears and didn’t know why. Liam ran his hand down my back as though he could sense what was happening inside me.
“I know this was a lot of questions,” Dr. Ash said with an understanding smile. “But I’m done, at least for now. Let’s get this exam over with, alright? It will just take a few minutes.”
I was scared the exam would be invasive like the ones I experienced at the Designation Academy, but she kept it quick, just like she promised, and there was nothing more invasive than her listening to my heart.
“You can sit back in your chair,” Dr. Ash said.
I hopped down from the exam table and returned to my spot between Liam and Henry. Gray and Bear stood behind us, the small exam room not having enough chairs for all of us to sit down.
“Well, first of all, Westin, I’m so sorry you’ve been going through all of this. I can’t understand why none of the doctorsyou’ve seen ran any tests on you.” A crease appeared between her eyebrows as she typed a couple of notes on her laptop.
Liam muttered something under his breath, tightening his hold on my thigh.
“Well, they all thought I was just making things up.” I twisted the hem of my shirt.
Dr. Ash stopped typing and looked at me with concern. “Why would they think that?”
“Because they’re bastards,” Bear growled.
Dr. Ash raised a brow.
“During the Designation Government’s reign in Luna, omegas were treated like second-class citizens,” Gray said, anger saturating his words.
Second-class citizenshonestly seemed generous to me.
“I was diagnosed with infertility at the Designation Academy,” I said. “The doctors said the news was so upsetting to my omega that it, uh, I don’t know, it made me lose my mind or something. They said I was making up my symptoms for attention.” I cringed at bringing up my infertility again. I’d mentioned it to the guys after my heat, but we hadn’t talked about it since.
Dr. Ash met Bear’s gaze over my head. “Sounds like your assessment was accurate.”
An unexpected smile tugged at my lips. I liked this doctor.
“Did they say what the cause of your infertility is?” she asked.
I shook my head. “They might have, but I don’t remember.”
“Is there infertility in your family?” she asked.
“My aunt couldn’t have kids, and my mom was told she couldn’t have any either. Everyone was shocked when she got pregnant with me, especially since my father was a beta. She always called me her little miracle.” I almost whispered the last words, embarrassed that I had shared so much.
“Wait, your father’s a beta?” Henry asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah, have I not said that?” I turned around to face him.
