Page 27 of Forbidden Taste
Riley tilts his head, his cheek brushing against my arm. “What do you mean,first?”
Octavia’s eyes flicker between us, before settling back on me. “The fact that there is an Alpha involved, one that you’ve said by name means that the Omega beside you isn’t your only mate. Correct me if I’m wrong?” When neither of us say anything, she continues. “Occasionally, a larger individual classified as an Omega, exhibiting Omega-like symptoms later in life, is the result of a misclassification—not a defect.” She pauses, letting it sink in, and I blink, my chest tightening.
“So, I’m an Alpha?”
She shakes her head, her smile gentle. “No, you’re a little bit of both. You’re what we call a Zeta. It’s why you’re exhibiting pieces of both designations. It’s nearly impossible to pick out all the clues unless they’re present—can’t see it in your blood as easily as other designations either.”
A Zeta. I’ve only met one—my Uncle Bear, my aunt’s mate. Growing up, I was around both my fathers’ pack and my aunt’s, but my aunt’s mates were sometimes gone for months, working odd investigative jobs—things my fathers never touched. I barely knew Bear, just flashes of him—big, quiet, a presence I didn’t understand. “So what does this mean?”
Octavia points to Riley’s shoulder. “That’s why that’s possible. You’re part Alpha. You can absolutely bond another person. But on the flip side, that Omega part of you still needs to be nurtured, loved. You’re not far from your own heat—maybe a few days at best.”
Riley’s brow furrows, his hand tightening in mine. “Is it being with me that’s pushing him toward a heat?” He’s worried, his concern rippling through the bond.
Octavia shakes her head. “Strangely enough, the symptoms manifest depending on the partner they’re around. If Leo had only been with you, he might not have tapped into that Omega side much at all—he’d be the Alpha you needed. But now that he’s in contact with an Alpha, his body’s responding.”
“But I had Omega-like symptoms before I ever met the Alpha.”
“Are you sure that’s the first time you met him, or just the first time you remember?” she asks.
Riley shifts beside me, a low hum rumbling through him. “Hawk does go to our school. It’s possible. I was looking for Leo before I ever saw him—I caught his scent first.”
“I don’t remember any of that,” I say, my voice cracking, panic creeping in as I search my memory—Hawk’s vanilla musk, familiar now, but before? Nothing clear, just a haze.
Octavia reaches forward, patting my knee. “It’s alright, Leo. The important thing is figuring out how best to help you both going forward. I’ll prescribe some scent blockers and a heat soother—it’ll make your heat not as chaotic, since I’m assuming this is your first one.”
My nose wrinkles, unease curling in my chest. “Can’t I just have a heat blocker?”
“No, you’re too close. It could damage your system.” She pauses, glancing at Riley’s shoulder again. “As for the mating bond, how recent was this?”
“This morning,” Riley offers.
Octavia’s eyes shift to me. “Leo, have you been nurturing it?” Silence stretches between us because I remember Riley explaining what to do and then having a mild freak out because all of it just seemed wrong. He said it was instinct and I just stared at him. Octavia smiles up at me, a patience in her gaze I’m not used to. “You have to nurture it. Zeta bonds take less time to heal, but if you don’t, you’ll both suffer.”
“I don’t…” I start, my voice faltering, unsure, lost.
“Just lean into your instincts. They won’t lead you astray.”
“That’s why we’re in this mess,” I mutter, my chest aching with the truth of it—instincts that bit, that bonded, that are pulling me to Hawk and Riley both.
Octavia stands, tablet in hand. “I’ll give you a few moments,” she says. “Your medication’ll be ready at the front, but make an appointment with me in a week or two—I’ll follow up after your heat.” She slips out, the door clicking shut, and I turn to Riley, mybreath shaky, my head spinning with everything additional that got thrown at me.
He arches his neck as he twists toward me as well, his shirt slipping to the other side, revealing that angry red mark on his skin. A sudden possessiveness surges through me, curling around my heart as I lean down, my lips brushing the tender flesh, soft beneath my touch. I run my tongue across it, tasting salt and honey, Riley letting out a little moan in response as I walk him back, pressing him into the wall.
My hands slide to his hips, hoisting him up, and his legs wrap around my waist, locking us together as I suck on his shoulder, my purr rumbling low in my chest—deep, steady, a sound I didn’t know I could make until now. “Mine,” I whisper, the word slipping out.
That’s when the panic tries to creep back in, Riley moaning again, louder this time as his hands grip my shoulder. “Don’t you dare put me down, sweetie. Keep going. It feels fucking amazing.” His words hit me, soothing the jagged edges, my cock thickening in my pants, the need to take him all over again roaring through me, growing. But we can’t do that here so I keep licking, nipping at the bite, my tongue tracing the edges, my teeth grazing gently as Riley mewls into my chest, his curls brushing my chin.
“Sweetie,” Riley purrs into my chest, “we gotta stop. Holy fuck, nest, now.” His hands push at me and I let him down, my beautiful Omega meeting my gaze as he presses himself against me. “I told you it would be okay and now we have some more answers. We’ve got some time before class so take me home, knot me, and then I think there’s a certain Dean I need to have a conversation with.” His scent shifts, sweetening further.
“Is this a spike?”
Riley laughs, shaking his head as he steps back, tugging me toward the door. “Hey, no. This is a ‘I’m going to make a fool of myself in the doctor’s office if we don’t get back to my nest in a minute.”
That draws a chuckle out of me, the looming changes of our immediate future not as scary as they probably should be. I’m still worried that this new bond is going to get us in trouble but for right now, I’m going to focus on knotting my Omega as he tells me again we’re okay and that he loves me. Everything else can come later.
nineteen
RILEY
