Page 125 of Mate
“Who?”
“The youngest Human girl. Long auburn hair, freckles? If she needs anything . . .”
Amanda glances at Koen, who nods. “I will,” she says.
“Thanks, Amanda, I really appreciate it. Are you okay, by the way? Was anything— ”
“Serena,” Koen grunts. “I swear to fucking— ”
“I’m going, I’mgoing.”
“I’m sorry about what happened at the office,” Layla tells me as soon as we’re in Koen’s room.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s not blame each other for stuff we did at scalpelpoint.”
She smiles, but her eyes are shiny. “I was so out of it, I couldn’t sound the alarm, and— ”
“Believe me, you did everything you could. I would hug you to underscore my point, but the idea of touching anyone who isn’t— Well, I’d rather not. Let’s do it after the injection.”
Layla bites her lower lip. “I don’t have good news for you, Serena.”
Not being called Eva feels so damn nice, the words don’t immediately register. Then they do, and ice pools in my stomach. “What do you mean?”
“You are too close.”
“Too close to . . . ?”
“Your Heat.”
She’s joking, right? “It’s not even a full twenty-four hours after we were planning to do the injection.”
“I know. In all honesty, I’m starting to wonder whether an injection this morning would have been effective, given how fast you’re progressing.”
“You haven’t even checked me yet. How can you tell?”
“Your scent, for one. Your pupils are permanently dilated. Your resting heartbeat is much quicker than yesterday, yourbreathing is shallow, and . . . When have you last eaten or drank?”
“I don’t know. Probably . . .” This morning? No. Not really. Yesterday? I must have, but—
“Are you thirsty? Hungry? Should I get you something?”
I quickly shake my head. “No, thank you.” Shit.Shit. “Is it normal?”
“For a Were on the edge of Heat? Absolutely. Once it starts in earnest, you’ll have to remember to drink often, or you’ll dehydrate soon, and that’ll make the post-Heat days a nightmare. We brought over supplies— ”
“We?”A wave of horror twists my guts. “Does everyone know?”
She cocks her head. “At this point, no Were of reproductive age would miss it.”
I let myself fall back on the mattress. Maybe I could grab a fork from the kitchen, fall upon it, and encounter a swift and merciful death.
“That’s not a bad thing, Serena. Your scent is attractive to Weres right now.”
Probably better to just make out with a piranha and hope he’ll eat me.
“It’s a testament to the Alpha’s trust in his seconds and his pack members that he’s allowing them inside the cabin to be in his ma— inyourpresence, so close to your Heat. And a testament to how much they respect him and you— ”
“What if I take the shot anyway?” I sit up. “Why not try, at least?”
