Page 28 of Taken By the Pack

I nod. “Yeah. I went into heat anyway. Last night.”

Dr. Avery frowns, leaning forward. “That’s… unusual. Suppressants almost never fail unless there’s a specific trigger. Have you had any major changes to your life recently? Diet, stress, anything out of the ordinary?”

“No,” I lie quickly. Then, softer, “I mean… nothing big.”

She tilts her head, unconvinced. “What were you doing when it started?”

I hesitate. “I was at the shop.”

“And what time was that?”

“Uh…” I think back. “Around midday. That’s when I first noticed the symptoms.”

Dr. Avery taps her pen against the desk, thoughtful. “Interesting. That’s not typical. I’ll need to run some bloodwork, see what’s going on. Does that sound okay?”

“Yeah, whatever you need to do. I just… I can’t go through that again.”

She nods, standing up and grabbing a pair of gloves. “Let’s start with a blood draw. We’ll go from there.”

I hold out my arm as she preps the needle. “You’re sure this isn’t something serious, right?” I press.

Dr. Avery gives me a reassuring smile. “We’ll figure it out, Grace. One step at a time.”

The prick of the needle is quick, and before I know it, she’s handing me a cotton ball and a Band-Aid. “Go ahead and wait here while we run these tests. It shouldn’t take long.”

“Okay.” I slump back into the chair in the corner of the room. I watch her leave with my blood in the little tube. “Thanks,” I call after her.

I start tapping my foot again. My leg bounces so much it makes the chair creak, but I don’t stop. It’s either that or losing my mind.

The longer I wait, the more my mind spirals. What the hell is wrong with me? Why didn’t the suppressants work? And why now, of all times? I clench my fists, trying not to think about Rowan. About his hands, his voice, the way he?—

“Grace Halloway?”

The nurse’s voice cuts through my thoughts again, and I nearly jump out of the chair.

“Can you come with me to Dr. Avery’s office? She has your results.”

“Okay,” I say, my voice thin.

I walk into Dr. Avery’s office, my stomach in knots. She’s sitting behind her desk, her expression serious this time. No warm smile. Just business.

“Well?” I ask, crossing my arms.

Dr. Avery gestures for me to sit.

“The bloodwork shows an increase in…” She names something scientific, but it goes right over my head.

Seeing my confusion, she explains, “It’s a hormone that spikes when an Omega is entering heat. Yours is unusually high.”

“Okay, so how do I stop that from happening again?” My voice is tight, desperate.

Dr. Avery leans forward, resting her hands on the desk. I notice the ring on her finger—a delicate band with a small diamond. Married. To an Alpha, no doubt. Everyone in this town is.

“For now,” she says carefully, “I suggest continuing with the suppressants and seeing if things stabilize. I’ll do more tests on your blood sample to rule out any other factors.”

“That’s it?” I snap. “Just keep using the suppressants again and hope for the best?”

“I understand this is frustrating. But heat is natural. It’s part of the Omega cycle. Fighting it only makes it harder to manage in the long run.”

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