Page 37 of Broken Alpha

“Yes, yes. Rawr, big, big scary Alpha. I’ll be waiting just outside the door, Aidyn. Come out when you’re ready.”

Fortunately, the X-rays confirmed that Aidyn had nothing more than a sprained wrist, and Ryan advised him to ice the wrist when he got home and wear a brace when he wasn’t icing it. He asked me if I wanted any medication to help with the worst of the bonding sickness, but I declined, insisting on going through the illness without assistance to atone for what I had done. After validating our parking ticket, we left the hospital and returned to the car, sitting in silence for a moment.

“I’ll take you to get a brace, and then I’ll take you home,” I said softly.

“I don’t want to go home.”

“I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

Silence deafened the space between us. I glanced at Aidyn, who stared straight ahead, clutching the otter tightly, but I could see tears sliding down his cheeks. Part of me worried the otter's head would pop off with how tightly he held the plush.

“E-even if you cleaned it up, can I return to my nest?”

“Yea, little fawn. I’ll take you to your nest.”

Luke

Returning to my apartment to find that Aidyn had left me the day his heat broke was one of the worst moments of my life. The feeling of dread and panic that consumed my being is a feeling I will never forget. It never even occurred to me that he was pregnant. I merely thought it was the bonding mark that had caused him to run. I never cleaned up the nest that lay at the foot of my bed, it was the last place I saw Aidyn. It was the last place we spent a moment together, and I couldn’t bring myself to clean it up, so I left a note for housekeeping not to enter the bedroom. I also couldn’t bring myself to sleep in the bedroom,choosing the couch in the living room instead of sleeping in the room that still held our scent.

When I returned to the apartment after the altercation at Aidyn’s apartment, I had opened the windows mainly to air out the scent of heat and slick, but his forest scent still clung to the fabric of his nest. However, without him here, I still didn’t permit myself to step foot inside the nest.

Aidyn dropped his backpack by the front door when we entered the apartment. He removed his jacket and struggled to get undressed, letting out a sound of distress and frustration at being unable to remove his clothing quickly. Without saying anything, I stepped in beside him and helped him, pulling off his shirt and jeans. He leaned down to pull off his socks, and my eyes zeroed in on the band-aid covering my mark at his neck. In just his boxers, he opened the bedroom door, and the sound of distress turned into an audible sound of happiness. Climbing into his nest, he began rolling in the blankets and curling up like a cat, purring in happiness. He opened his eyes and caught me watching him, his purr stopping instantly, shattering my heart.

My mistake had created a wedge between us, and his Omega didn’t trust me enough to purr for my Alpha anymore. I put him in a situation I never intended to, and he kept his distance. I couldn’t imagine how awkward this moment must have been for him, having a nest in the shared space by someone who hurt you. I smiled at him sadly, ensuring he was comfy before turning to leave when his voice called out to me.

“Where are you going?”

“The living room. Let me know if you need anything.”

Aidyn watched me, saying nothing as I moved into the other room. I began to collect Aidyn’s clothing, folding them and setting them on the back of the couch before I folded up the blanket I had used overnight and sat on the couch with a sigh.

I was so fucking exhausted. Bonding sickness was zapping my energy, and it was as if I was running off fumes while battling the worst flu of my life. I had woken up feeling nauseous with a severe headache and chills, and neither had gone away, which is why I still sat in my jacket despite the heater running in my apartment.

I didn’t know how to handle being this sick. Typically, whenever I had a cold or the flu, I would order hot and sour soup from the local Chinese place and drink enough green tea to drown a human being, but those would do nothing for a metaphysical illness. This was simply something I had to wait out. It was a good thing I had canceled classes for the week. Everything I had read on bonding sickness told me that this would get worse long before it got better. Some Alphas reported being unable to get out of bed and others reported vomiting and diarrhea. I prayed to the Gods above that I didn’t get that last one. Vomiting I could handle, but honestly I’d rather not be shitting my pants, thank you very much.

I leaned my head against the back of the couch and closed my eyes. The apartment was quiet, and I could tell Aidyn was content by his scent wafting from the bedroom. Not happy, but calm and content. My phone vibrated, and I dug into my pocket before pulling out the device and seeing a text from Ryan.

If Mr. Keller keeps the pup, his due date would be at the end of April or early May, assuming he can go full term, which is rare. An April pup would be likely.

An April pup. My birthday is in April, and I loved the idea of having a pup to share the month with, but I couldn’t let myself dream about such an idea. I wanted this pup without question. I also loved the idea of Aidyn’s stomach growing round with thelife we created together, and it made my chest ache in a way that I couldn’t explain.

“What are you thinking about?”

I jolted in surprise, turning to see Aidyn standing by the bedroom door still in his underwear, but his glasses were gone, curiosity on his face. I hadn’t heard him move, so naturally, he had scared the crap out of me. He tilted his head and watched me; I couldn’t lie to him, not ever and especially not now.

“Ryan texted me a projected due date if you kept the pup. How did you know I was thinking about something?”

“Your scent is really, really strong right now, and the change in the scent let me know that something was making you happy. This pup makes you happy?”

“Of course it does,” I said honestly, getting up from the couch and moving toward him but keeping space between us as I looked down at him. “It’s a part of you, a part of us. I know you’re not happy about it, and I know you don’t want to keep it, so I’m not entertaining any particular notion.”

“Dr. Easton said that not many doctors would terminate an Omega’s pregnancy, but if it’s the choice I want, he would do it.”

“Ryan is a good guy. I know he will care for you. Let me know if you want me there.”

Aidyn stared at me then, his eyes large in surprise, his face an expression of disbelief and shock.

“You would be there for the termination of your pup? You’d support that decision?”

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