Oli nods.
I can’t resist anymore. I brush a strand of hair from Oli’s face, letting my fingers linger against her skin. Her smile, small and brave, is everything to me.
The doctor pulls out some pills and hands them to Oli, who takes them dutifully with a small cup of water.
When Oli grimaces while swallowing, Chase growls low and fierce. He’s barely holding himself together, muscles taut as steel cables.
Aiden’s hand lands on his shoulder, a silent command for restraint that Chase seems to accept, even if his entire being screams protest.
“Make sure to call if there are any changes,” the doctor continues, undeterred by our raw intensity. She’s seen our kind before and knows how to navigate the stormy seas of alpha emotions.
“Thank you,” Aiden says, sincerity etched into his tone. We’re a fortress around Oli, bodies close enough to be a physical shield, manifesting our desperate need to protect her.
The doctor packs up her bags before looking around at the raging alphas in the room.
“You’re her mate,” she says firmly, looking at Chase, and I swear even the walls lean in to listen, “I need you to remain calm. As her bonded alpha, your distress will only heighten Oli’s anxiety. It might help if you both engage in some… soothing physical contact.”
The suggestion hits Chase like a lightning strike. He swallows hard, his jaw clenching. A soft growl rumbles in his chest—a sound that would send lesser beings scurrying. “I’m not hurting her just because my alpha wants to knot her.”
The doctor rolls her eyes. “It’s up to Oli, but I wouldn’t suggest it if her body couldn’t handle it. Being with her alphas could even help her heal faster. It sounds counterintuitive, but that’s how it is between alphas and omegas.”
I feel the unspoken words thrumming between us, the commitment to Oli’s well-being as palpable as the heat from our bodies. We hover around her like planets orbiting a sun, drawn in by her gravity.
The doctor leaves, and we all find a way to touch Oli again.
A deep, primal part of me is screaming for connection, for that indescribable bond that only comes from knotting my omega. It’s a raw, burning desire that has nothing to do with lust and everything to do with needing to feel like she’s okay.
“I know your alpha instincts are,” she coughs painfully, making my heart squeeze, “in control, but I am okay,” she says,and I lean closer, my forehead resting against hers. I can feel the pull, the need to connect, to claim her in the most intimate ways, but the fear that she might be hurt holds me back.
The metallic tang of fear still lingers in my mouth, and I’m grinding my teeth to keep from growling.
Someone tried to kill my omega tonight, and I wasn’t there.
That willneverhappen again.
Never.
Oli
ALPHA TEA GOSSIP COLUMN
MAY THORNTON IS SEEN LEAVING DC. SHOULD FANS EXPECT A COLLABORATION?
June 2nd
Aiden’s hair slips like silk between my fingers, his head resting in my lap, a soft sigh escaping him as he gives into the calm I offer.
My alphas are understandably worked up after I was attacked after our show tonight.
I can still feel the ghost of hands around my neck, stealing my air and crushing me. There’s no world where I can forget the fear and pain of that moment, but being here with my alphas is the safest I can feel right now.
They’re vibrating with rage, and the bus is full of alpha pheromones.
Dax is silent behind me, but I can feel the tension in his body. I’m afraid that if I move at all, Dax will realize I’m sitting on his lap and kick me off.
Aiden has been continuously touching me, but my fingers through his hair have calmed him down most.
“Better?” I croak, meeting Aiden’s grateful brown eyes. They’re gentle, like the melody he coaxes from his keyboard, soothing my nerves.