“No.No. Why can’t these experiments happen worldwide? Why can’t others help with the research?” Jamie’s eyes were glassy and his cheeks pink with his heightened emotions.
Sympathy welled within me. Even though European omegas weren’t generally mistreated like those across America, there was still a power divide between them and the betas in their communities. Additionally, the desperate hope swimming in Jamie’s hazel eyes reminded me of Sage, and of his desire to have children.
“The Magic insisted the focus had to be in Shifters Sanctuary,” I responded softly, prying his hands from my clothing. His hold loosened and his hands fell uselessly to his sides. “And even if I wanted to help you, I don’t have access to the scientific portion of the process.”
Jamie perked back up. “We have scientists in our packs here. Have your people send us their workings, and then we can host one of those…what do you call them? Unlocking events?”
I groaned, still not quite understanding how the pack in Iowa had gone from attempting to Unlock individual potential alphasto doing so en masse. As far as I could tell, Eric loathed the parties, mostly because it prevented him from being able to keep a closer eye on the test subjects before and after their alphas were unlocked. There was no real way to track them all, or to compare test results to find a pattern amongst them.
“It’s not that simple,” I tried to reason with him, and he scoffed.
“How? How is it not?”
“Well, the magical component has to happen at a very specific moment in the moon’s cycle, and—”
“So we wait for that.”
I almost choked on air. “No. That’s almost two weeks from now and I have to return to Iowa.” Being gone for almost six weeks was difficult enough. I missed my mates terribly. I didn’t think my inner beast would survive another two weeks of separation. I wanted to go home.
Home.
It was a strange concept for a nomad like me.
“Two weeks is nothing compared to a lifetime,” Jamie bit back sharply.
I wanted to huff at him. He hadn’t seemed to clock my species yet, but his lifetime was a blip against mine and…alright, maybe that was a point in his favor, too. What was two more weeks apart from my mates when we could be together for hundreds of years? It really was selfish to put my own wants ahead of others who weren’t as blessed as me, wasn’t it?
The Magic stirred within me, and I wanted to groan.Nowit wanted to exert its presence in Europe?Now?
Well, I knew better than to argue with it.
Nodding slowly, I acknowledged, “You’re right. It isn’t.”
Jamie seemed surprised by how quickly I had backed down. Cocking his head, he asked, “Does that mean you’ll help us?”
Licking my lips, I nodded.
My omegas were going to kill me.
Chapter Nineteen
Gaping at the phone screen, hurt and rage warred inside me. I moved my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. My gut churned and breathing became more difficult, a tell-tale ache building in my throat as my eyes stung.
Next to me, Dex was asking clipped questions, but I had stopped listening the second Sergio said he was willfully choosing to stay away for another two weeks.
He’d promised.
“—age.Sage.” Dex nudged me, his voice full of concern. His hand was on my bicep, the touch gentle and tender. “Sweetheart, are you al—”
I shoved his hand away and pushed to my feet. Glowering at the phone, I spat, “Just fuck off and stay in Europe.”
Then I turned tailand fled.
I was a jittery mess as my Jeep flew down the dirt roads to the speck-on-the-map town that Aaron, one of the local betas, had finally told me to visit for answers about the scent blockers. My emotions were all over the place, my stomach still roiling from the anxiety of being separated from my alpha and telling him to fuck off. Anger battled with embarrassment and hopelessness. Worse still, I had left my phone behind —on the coffee table, with Sergio’s voice calling for me to come back and talk— when I had stormed out of the house, so I didn’t even have my usual playlist to calm me down.
It was probably not the smartest move to be tracking down illegal substance suppliers without composure and focus, but…well, I wasn’t thinking clearly, was I?
Muttering to myself about stupid alphas and selfish European shifters, I almost missed the turn I needed to take. My tires skidded on gravel, sending up clouds of dust as I turned fast and hard, the squeal and roar of the rubber trying to find traction on the dirt kind of terrifying. The Jeep wobbled precariously, and for a moment my heart thudded rapidly somewhere in the vicinity of my throat. But the car didn’t tip, and I managed to get it back under control.
