There was no more hiding, no more gigs at the bar, no more hobbies at home. The notion of my home brought tears to my eyes. I thought about my little potted plants that needed water, my guitar that needed to be tuned, and the half-finished painting I had planned to work on tomorrow. I choked on a loud sob, realizing that my life as I knew it would never be the same.
Cade started purring again, trying to put me at ease, but even his purr couldn’t touch the deep despair I felt knowing I might never see my home again. Every memory of my father and metucked away in that little woodland oasis, all of my freedom to learn and grow, stamped out by Arca.
My worst fears were coming true.
“Now that the medical exam has confirmed your omega status, we’ll complete the seizure warrant, and it will go before a judge sometime tomorrow. You’ve been out for a few days. The process started when you were first brought in, so it shouldn’t take long. A judge will decide your placement, but you'll most likely go to the unit that recovered you. You will then integrate into their pack and fulfill your posting as an omega.”
“A few days? How long have I been here? When did they bring me in? Which unit recovered me? What about my home? What about my belongings? I have plants I need to water! Did anyone tell my friends? Do they know where I am?”
Uninhibited and impulsive questions flew out of me. I didn’t care about feigning subservience; it didn’t matter now that they knew. I was so angry, numb, and emotionally exhausted, mainly because Cade manipulated my moods, giving me whiplash.
Before he responded to any question in particular, the dull ache in my abdomen multiplied tenfold and knocked the breath out of me. I tucked my knees into my chest, unable to wrap my restrained arms around them to bring me comfort, as another sharp ache rolled through my stomach and in between my legs. The feeling was so intense that I couldn’t talk or focus. I groaned, and when a particularly strong contraction hit, I screamed.
Cade pressed the emergency call button.
Chapter 11: Cade
Rowan writhed on the bed, trying desperately to bring her knees into the fetal position. In an instant, she went from asking a million questions about the logistics of her new situation to writhing in so much discomfort that she could no longer speak.
The two nurses from earlier returned with a male doctor, and they scrambled to get her legs back into the restraints. The doctor reached to touch her ankle, but I ripped him away from her, sending the man flying into a tray of medical equipment, which clattered to the ground with a loud crash.
“Do not touch her!” I growled, trying to restrain myself from tearing the terrified beta in half.
I didn’t care that he was a doctor; I didn’t care that he was trying to help her. My alpha instincts would not allow anotherman besides my packmates to touch our omega. I pushed past him and began holding one of her kicking legs as the nurses fastened the restraint.
“I’m sorry, I was only trying to help her. My name is Dr. Michaels. I am an internal specialist. I’ve been treating your brother, Killian, as well. Based on her history, it’s clear she’s going into heat. She’s been here several days without suppressants. We knew it was a possibility. She’s showing signs of detox as well. The combination of heat and detox is very dangerous. It could kill her,” he said, voice shaking nervously after I threatened him. He continued saying, “We don't know what those suppressants have been doing to her body without more tests. We don’t know how she’ll respond to heat, or if she's ever even had one before.”
“She hasn’t,” I responded as the nurse finally fastened her other leg.
“The exam discovered her hymen is still intact. She’s a virgin. There's no way she could have gone through heat alone,” the nurse added.
“First heats are notoriously difficult. We have no clue what stress it will put on the body, and she could have underlying conditions because of the prolonged suppressant use. We have never had a subject who has used them so constantly for such a length of time. She is an anomaly. Allowing her heat to continue could be dangerous. My recommendation is to put her in a medically induced coma for a week or two, at most. She will experience her first heat and detox sedated while we run tests and gather more information.”
I considered the options. The doctor was right; her detox symptoms were only going to worsen, and despite my wanting nothing more than to fuck her right here and now, the risks weretoo great to allow her heat to continue. An induced coma was the best option.
“Do it, but only female nurses touch her. If you, or any other male does, I will kill them,” I threatened again.
Walking to Rowan’s side, I tried to purr and provide her comfort, but she could not focus on anything but the heat contractions. A sheen of sweat coated her porcelain skin. Her body was writhing in pain and need. Rowan looked up at me, her bloodshot blue eyes filled with tears, and started begging.
She begged me for her suppressants. She begged me to take her home so she could water her plants. She begged me to take away the pain in her stomach. Later, as medical staff prepared her for the induced coma, she begged for different things.
First, she started begging me to touch her.
And then she started begging me to fuck her.
“Please, Cade, it hurts between my legs. It feels so empty there. I need to be filled. Please, I need you to knot me. I'll do anything, sir. Please knot me, Cade,” she begged me over and over, my name spilling from her lips like a prayer. Her small body looked so beautiful arching off the bed, desperate for my knot.
I had enjoyed holding her in place during her exam and watching her squirm with embarrassment and excitement. I could smell the arousal that dripped from her core while I touched her. She turned a wonderful shade of red when she was nervous. While my hand gripped her knee, she had softly moaned in response, and it had taken all of my self-control not to kick the medical staff out so I could fuck her right then.
It was taking all of my remaining control not to fuck her now.
I had seen firsthand what Ryker described as her “defiant fits.” She had gotten quite frustrated trying to resist my bark, and it was clear she wasn't used to submitting to alphas in the way most omegas were. I had no clue how she had stayed hidden for so long, but perhaps she had just gotten very good at pretending to be submissive.
I was going to really enjoy exercising control over her and shaping her into the good girl I knew she could be. She would need a firm hand to train her, as she clearly had been entitled to do whatever she wanted for far too long. Soon she would be ours to do just that, and I couldn’t wait.
Chapter 12: Talon
2 Weeks Later