Shefrowns. “Insane…how?”
“I…Iwhined, and then it was like my omega took over. I stole all their dirty clothes, and made his bed into my nest. I was absolutely psychotic, the guys looked so scared.”
Maggie is silent for only a second before a laugh bursts out of her.
“What?” I try not to feel hurt.
She shakes her head. “Wren, honey…that’s all a normal part of being an omega. It’s good that you’re nesting, that means we have a clearer indicator that your heat is on the way. I’m just laughing because…well, it’s funny, imagining those four alphas being scared ofanything.”
Oh.
“This is all normal, Wren,” she reassures me. “Besides what happened last night, have you had any fevers or need for a knot?”
I shake my head. “Not that I know of. I mean, I wanted…a knot,” my cheeks flush, “but it wasn’t an intense need like you’re describing.”
Maggie nods, grabbing the end of her stethoscope. “Okay, noted. Now, take a deep breath for me.”
She monitors my breathing for a moment before nodding to herself and grabbing her thermometer. It beeps as she scans my forehead, and she frowns, looking down at it.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, shifting in my seat.
“Nothing,” she says quickly, “I’m just going to scan you again.”
It beeps again, and her frown only deepens. “Huh. It says you’re at a hundred. But you feel okay?”
“I feel fine,” I frown, “does that mean…am I having a spike right now?”
“You’d know it if you were.” Her brows furrow. “I wonder…”
Great. My case is so peculiar, I’m making a doctor “wonder”.
“What?” I ask again, feeling like I might explode under my skin.
“Well, in the cases of typical heat spikes,” she says slowly, taking off her stethoscope, “they last until the need is sated, and the fevers gethigh—around a hundred and six degrees. As I’m sure you know, that kind of temperature could be fatal for an alpha or beta, but for an omega, it’s just biology. So…think of heat spikes like sprinting towards the finish line—the finish line being your heat. Short bursts of high intensity. What your body is doing, however…well I’m actually pretty sure it’s taking the ‘slow and steady’ approach. So, while you don’t have SOHS, your body is still taking an…unconventional approach to get ready for your heat.”
Slow and steady? “So that means…?”
“If I’m right,” she puts the stethoscope back in her bag, “your temperature will continue to slowly rise until you reach around one hundred and six.”
“And then?” I swallow roughly.
She gives me a kind smile. “I think you know. But Wren…these guys you’re with…they’re the good ones. You’ll be taken care of, I would bet my life on it.”
Her words, even though I had never doubted my alphas for a second, settle me. Nodding, I sigh. “So…how long do you think I have?”
“I’ll direct the guys to check your temperature every hour or so after I leave here. If there isn’t any drastic change by mid-day tomorrow, you should still be good to have dinner with your parents.”
I really hope my stupid heat doesn’t get in the way.
Something like…sadness takes over Maggie’s face for a moment before she stands, putting her bag over her shoulder. This—the sudden look of heartbreak—happened last time too… “Hey Maggie?”
She pauses, looking up. “What’s up?”
“You can tell me if I’m overstepping, but…why don’t you have a pack?”
Her expression freezes. I’m worried I’ve horribly miscalculated the level of our friendship.
But then she sighs, sinking back into the couch. “Do you know, statistically, how rare female alphas are?”
