AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You didn’t know.” I squeezed Crew’s hand, wanting to comfort him. I didn’t like seeing him, or any of them, upset.
Before I could overthink it, I pushed myself up and leaned forward, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Thank you for saving me.”
Crew didn’t hesitate for a second to gather me in his arms and stand us both up. It took everything in me not to wrap my legs around his waist and burrow into his scent.
With a gasp, I buried my thoughts before I could trigger another heat flare.
“What’s wrong?” Crew demanded, pulling back to look me in the eye as he set me on my feet.
Dang, had he always been this… big?
A flush heated my cheeks, and I found myself looking down. “I, uh, didn’t want to cause another heat flash.”
“Ah,” he murmured, keeping one hand wrapped around mine as he led me back to the couch he’d vacated. Much like Kellan, he simply tugged me onto his lap, arranging me so that I was tucked against him, my feet on his thigh and my head finding the perfect divot between his chest and shoulder.
It felt amazing. And dangerous as fuck considering my erratic as hell hormones.
“Crew, seriously,” I started. “I don’t know what’ll set off my heat and?—”
“The shot the doctor gave you earlier is a temporary stop-gap,” Rhett explained with a warm smile. “It’s a short-term heat inhibitor that will delay your heat for roughly forty-eight hours.”
I looked at Crew. “I thought Dr. Labine said they couldn’t stop my heat.”
Crew growled, the sound vibrating through the room. But instead of scaring me, it made me smile and lean against him. The sound slowly turned into a rumbly purr that made my muscles go limp.
Rhett cleared his throat. “We consulted with Dr. Orkan—she’s the beta you might remember from earlier?”
“Tiny woman who looked like she was going to pass out when she came into my room and saw a hysterical omega and a few nearly-feral alphas?” I drawled.
Rhett grinned and nodded. “Dr. Orkan said that while stopping your heat indefinitely with suppressants could cause irreparable damage, something like the shot she gave you wouldn’t harm you, and might even allow you some clarity.”
Jude’s lips twitched. “We thought you might appreciate having a say in what happens next.”
“Do I have a say?” I asked softly.
“Of course you do,” Crew assured me before pressing his lips to the top of my head. “If you want us to leave you alone, to let OS pair you with another pack?—”
“No!” I yelped, horrified to the point of nausea by the very idea. I shook my head emphatically. “No. I… I don’t want that.”
“Good answer, sugar,” Kellan drawled with a wink as he hooked his ankle over his knee. “Because we may let you go, but we also might kill any other man who dared to touch you.”
I swallowed hard. “Uh… good to know.”
Crew tipped my face up by pressing a finger under my chin. This close, I could see the way his blue irises faded from a navy ring around the outer edge to a pale blue near the pupil.
“Hazel, this break in your heat is temporary,” Crew whispered. “When it’s over, you’ll need to decide if you want us to help you through it.”
I looked at Jude, my eyes wide. “I… I can’t go through that again. That pain, that… I’d rather die.”
Several snarls ripped through the air, but knowing none of them were directed at me helped me stay calm.
Jude winced. “I’m so sorry, Hazel. I never should’ve let it get that far. The moment I met you, I should’ve insisted on getting you out immediately.”
“Why didn’t you?” I asked, genuinely more curious than accusatory.
“Because the mission came first,” Crew answered bitterly. “Because I thought the noble thing was saving hundreds, maybe thousands, if the APA was building a dirty bomb. That was how I justified it. Even if the price was an omega. But I had no idea it was you, Hazel.”
“How could you have?” I frowned at him. “Crew, I don’t blame you. I don’t blame any of you.” I looked around the room, but no one met my eyes.
