Mateo comes back with a stack of clothes and immediately notices the empty bottle. “What happened?”
“I was going to take some suppressants,” I admit. “Figured they could only help whatever you gave me, but I spilled them.”
He exhales slowly and rubs at his temple. “First of all, drug interactions are a thing, Ava. You do not mix and match hormones without checking.” He sets the clothes on the counter. “Second, I swear you and your brother are going to give me a stroke.”
“Don’t yell at me,” I whine. “I almost died, and I still feel like shit.”
He makes a clawing gesture like he’s contemplating my murder, then reins it in and steers me back to the chaise. “Let’s get you dressed,” he says, calmer now. “Then you can crawl into your nest, okay?”
I nod, lettinghim help me into a soft pajama set. “I figured you’re still hot and sensitive,” he explains, “so this was the best I could find.”
“Thank you, Mateo. Really.” My throat tightens. “I’m sorry I’m being such a pain in the ass.”
He laughs. “This is nothing compared to your brother with a cold.”
As if summoned, Jack appears, phone held in front of him like it’s a live grenade. “Mom, here, you can talk to her yourself. Mateo gave her the shot, and she looks better.”
“Hi, Mom,” I say weakly, glaring at Jack for the lack of warning.
“Ava, what the hell is going on?” Her voice is warm and concerned right now, but I know as soon as she establishes that I’m no longer in immediate mortal danger, that will quickly change.
“Before we get into it,” I say dryly, “can you give me the cliff notes on what Jack already told you? I’m a little fuzzy on the details myself.”
There’s a pause. I hear murmuring in the background. Dad, no doubt.
“Your brother,” she says carefully, “said Tony called him saying you went into heat suddenly, were incoherent, and were burning up in the back of the car. You may have had a febrile seizure.”
“That does sound like what happened,” I agree.
“Do you haveany idea why?”
I know a trap when I see one, or I guess in this case, hear one. If I lie and say no, she’ll catch me in that. If I explain why, I’m going to get the riot act. I sigh. I don’t have the energy to dodge it. And honestly, I want my mom, so best to get it over with.
“I have theories,” I admit. “There was an incident with my last heat that I willnottalk about right now,” I say firmly. “And… the suppressants haven’t been working like they used to. I’ve had to double or triple the dose sometimes.” I leave off the part that this is almost certainly due to the copious amount of sex I’ve been having with an alpha who might be my mate.
She’s silent for a moment. “And you’ve been using the same ones?”
“Yes.”
“The strongest kind? Formulated through my lab connections overseas?”
Jack grimaces and makes a slicing motion across his throat.
I scrunch my nose up and shut my eyes. “Yes?”
“Okay,” her voice is chilly now. “So just to be clear. You haven’t had a normal, successful heat in nearly a year, and instead of consulting your mother, a physician who specializes in omega reproductive cycles, you chose to double or triple pharmaceutical-grade hormones at the highest dosage available?”
“Well, when you say it like that,” I mutter.
There’s a strained choking sound over the line. “Hank,” Mom snaps, “talk to your daughter before I say something unforgivable.”
The phone shifts. “Peanut,” Dad says gently, “you scared us half to death. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Jack that panicked.”
“I know, Daddy,” I whisper. “I was going to call. The other night. But it was late, and then I got busy, and then everything just… fell apart.”
Mom says something sharp in the background. Dad covers the speaker briefly, then returns. “If your fever spikes again, you’ll need to go to a clinic.”
“Daddy, I can’t.” The weight of it all crashes down at once, and I start sobbing.
