Page 14 of Yes Now Yes Forever

“Elora grew up in Numoland, and due to an issue with her paperwork, she’d been delayed a month. The second issue we discovered was that Elora is an Alpha and I’m an Omega. As I’m sure you know, most colleges don’t allow Alphas and Omegas to room together for obvious reasons. I planned to tell the housing director about the issue, but Elora begged me to test it out for a week. Since I’d already planned on taking suppressants so I could plan for my heat, it removed the biggest challenge, so I gave in.”

I combed my fingers through my hair as I grinned at the memories that flooded my mind. “It didn’t take a full week for Elora to change my life and become my best friend still to this day. She’s the reason I was able to remember what it felt like to feel the warmth of happiness. Since that day, we’ve told each other everything, and even though she travels all the time, I know I’m not any less important.”

“She sounds like an amazing friend,” Dr. Mann said, once I’d finished my story. “Tell me, Lyra, what if I told you it was possible for you to have more people like Elora in your life?”

My brows knit together not understanding what she was saying.

“What you needed most at that time in your life was someone who saw past your loss and trauma. A person who wouldn’t let you push them away for fear of getting hurt again. I would hinder a guess with you two living in such close quarters, she learned about your triggers fairly quickly?” Dr. Mann questioned.

I nodded, still not following where this was going.

“Were they better with her around? Worse? Or about the same?” she continued.

“Most of the time, better, but depending on how stressed I was, or if Dr. Barnett had me working through some tougher memories, they could be worse,” I explained. “Why would you ask about that?”

Dr. Mann lifted her hand to rest on her chin, a finger tapping absentmindedly as she thought. “I’m wondering if the fact she was an Alpha and genetically wired to look after an Omega’s wellbeing was the missing element.”

My jaw dropped at her words. “You think the only reason Elora is my friend is because she’s an Alpha?”

“No, absolutely not,” Dr. Mann cut in, slashing the thought with her hand. “Please forgive me, Lyra. What I said wasn’t the whole thought, I was musing aloud. You mentioned how schools always try to keep Omegas and Alphas separate. Was this also the case while you were at boarding school?”

“Yeees,” I answered hesitantly.

“This is just a theory and something I’ve been researching in an effort to help trauma victims specifically. Omegas need the support of an Alpha and a pack to feel fulfilled. Alphas are the same but different. See Alphas need an Omega to help balance them out and curb their erratic emotions until they can regulate them independently,” Dr. Mann shared. “What if keeping you away from an Alpha all that time hurt more than helped? In a perfect world, you would have had your fathers to help manage your needs as an Omega, but that wasn’t an option. So not only were you forced to deal with immense grief, you had to face it alone until Elora came into your life.”

I felt overwhelmed by what Dr. Mann had said, so I stood and began to pace slowly. My brain whirled as I broke down her theory and compared it to moments of my life. The times I felt so alone and unsure if it was worth going on were when I wasn’t around an Alpha. Could it really be that simple? Any family with an Omega or Alpha child would have to have both an Alpha and Omega parent.

Had I ended up like this because I was left all alone, or was I to blame? If I hadn’t fought against finding my scent matches and didn’t fear what it meant to be around Alphas, would life have been easier?

Just as I felt myself on the verge of spinning out of control, arms wrapped around me. The bond between Fawn and myself hummed as a soothing energy flowed through my veins. I clung to Fawn and buried my head in the crook of his neck so all I could smell was strawberries and cream, confirming I wasn’t dreaming. He’d felt me starting to panic and came to rescue me despite being in the middle of a therapy session. I’d told the guys not to bother us even if they heard me crying. In the past, therapy had been the safest place for me to break down and acknowledge my true feelings. Yet here Fawn was, refusing to let me face this pain alone.

“Shh, it’s okay, I’m right here with you,” Fawn murmured as his hand slowly stroked my back.

One thing I was realizing now, having experienced what it felt like to be bonded to another person, was they couldn’t lie to you. I knew Fawn wasn’t pitying me or resentful at the fact that he had to deal with yet another one of my meltdowns. It had been my biggest fear that no matter if they were scent matches or not, eventually, they’d get sick and fucking tired of dealing with my trauma. Yet, no matter how hard I looked, all I could feel from Fawn was love, devotion, and sadness. The sadness wasn’t directed at me, more so, he was sad I was hurting and couldn’t do anything about it.

Slowly, I lifted my head and gazed deep into Fawn’s hazel eyes as I cupped his face with my hands. “Fawn,” I rasped, my emotions causing my throat to tighten.

I paused to take a deep breath and swallow, hoping it would make it easier to speak through the feelings I was holding back. Fawn’s attention didn’t waver even as we heard Dr. Mann get up from her seat and walk toward the house.

“Take your time, I’m not going anywhere,” Fawn assured me and pressed his forehead to mine.

It was as if I’d been waiting forever to hear someone say that to me in a way I could believe they truly meant those words. The truth of his words struck a chord in my heart allowing it to sing with hope like it never had before.

“I believe you, Fawn, with all my heart and soul,” I whispered before closing the distance between us so I could kiss him.

Fawn didn’t hesitate to reciprocate and started to purr as we deepened the kiss. One hand slid into my hair so he could cup the back of my head, ensuring I wouldn’t pull back from him until he was ready to let me go. The need to tell Fawn what I was feeling was the only reason I pressed lightly on his chest. His grip loosened, and we stood panting, staring into each other’s eyes. Joy exuded from Fawn, telling me he already knew what I wanted to say but was allowing me to say it all the same.

“I’m in love with you, Fawn,” I admitted, unable to keep the happy tears from slipping down my cheeks. “Somehow, you’ve become the perfect fit for a piece of my heart I never thought I was going to get back.”

Elation at my confession slammed into me seconds before Fawn’s lips claimed mine once more. I wasn’t sure if there was another word to describe how happy Fawn was, but it felt like the perfect summer day, lying on the grass, staring at the sky wrapped in his arms.

“I love you too, Lyra,” Fawn said, showering my face with kisses. “God, I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting to say that to you. It’s been a sweet kind of torture to keep how I was feeling to myself so you didn’t ever feel pressured to reciprocate if you weren’t ready.”

The sound of clapping and cheering snapped us out of the little bubble we’d found ourselves in. Standing a few feet from us was the rest of our pack, grinning from ear to ear. Dr. Mann stood off to the side, a happy smile on her face as she watched, which caused my cheeks to burn with embarrassment.

Clearing my throat, I pulled out of Fawn’s embrace but laced our fingers together, not wanting to let go of him just yet. I shifted my attention to Dr. Mann, tucking my hair behind my ear. “I’m so sorry⁠—”

“There is nothing to be sorry about,” Dr. Mann stated, cutting me off. “Lyra, this is the whole reason why our society adopted the concept of packs. Life is hard all on its own, so why not build a support system of people who love and care about each other? Never apologize for leaning on your bonds and allowing them to take some of your burden.”