I nodded. “Those angry sensations seemed to calm down when I started taking the hormone medications.”
Shit. The medication!
“Maybe the new medicine I’m on is causing this.”
Ty was quiet for a bit. “Long-term use of medications can cause a lot of complications, not to mention high doses of hormones. Once we’ve mated, I don’t think you should take your medication anymore.”
I turned to face him. “Really? Don’t you think that would be too risky?” It was certainly something I’d have to discuss with Doctor Reynolds again before I made that decision.
“You’ll have a mate, and our scents will mingle once I claim you. There’ll be no need to mask your scent anymore.” He grabbed my hand. “Isn’t that the whole point of taking the medication?”
He was right. I hadn’t thought about our scents mingling and possibly toning down my intense pheromones.
“Honestly, I would be happy to not take them anymore. They stifle me,” I admitted.
“In what way?” He cocked an eyebrow.
Before I could answer Ty, Sabrina hollered from the front steps of the bar. “Liza? Are you okay? Should I call an ambulance?”
So much for her sobering up and gaining some volume control.
“No, that won’t be necessary.” I smiled weakly in her direction. “Let Bryce take you home. Ty’s taking care of me.”
“Oh, I bet heistaking care of you.” She stumbled over her own feet as a chuckling Bryce caught her before she fell on her face.
My face flamed when I met Ty’s gaze. So much for having a serious conversation without us thinking about banging one another.
We watched as Bryce walked Sabrina to his car before Ty turned his attention back to me. “You were just about to tell me how your hormone pills stifle you,” he reminded me.
“My wolf always seems lethargic. Not just that, but I no longer feel the pull of the moon like I did as a child.” I stared straight ahead, a little embarrassed to admit how different I was from other shifters. “I don’t even feel the need to shift often. And, if I’m being honest, I don’t have a strong sense of connection to other wolves.” I hated being this way. I just wanted to be like he was. I wanted to be enough to deserve him.
Sympathy radiated from Ty as he squeezed my hand. “I can tell you want to say more. Go on.”
A lump rose in my throat. “I’ve often wondered if my lack of connection was due to the fact that I was depressed because I’d been displaced. My wolf knows this isn’t her pack. Or, maybe the pills affect more than just pheromones. Either way, I stick out like a sore thumb.” I touched my hair and pushed it back from my face as if I wasn’t touching it to point out how out of place I was in a sea of dark-haired shifters.
Ty looked away and didn’t say anything. Had I said something to make him rethink mating with me? He would soon be an alpha. Perhaps he needed a woman by his side who had a much stronger sense of belonging to the pack. Instead, fate had stuck him with a depressed, hormonal, light-colored shifter who didn’t even know who her real parents were. Lucky guy.
He turned back to me, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb as he curled his fingers into my palm. “I’m sorry you’vefelt so out of place all these years. I can’t imagine feeling the way you’ve felt for so long.” He paused, and I sensed the emotion emanating from him. “I promise that from now on, I’ll make sure you know you belong to the pack. You’re mine, and you’ll always belong by my side.”
Who wouldn’t fall for a guy who said stuff like that?
23
TY
Liza remained silent as I drove her home. She was concerned about her health, and I could understand that. With her pheromones being out of whack, and now this sudden onslaught of rage and uncontrolled aggression, my girl had had a rough week. Not that she was wrong for putting that son of a whore on the floor, but the rage had rolled off her like waves. I felt bad for her, even though I was sure pity was the last thing she would want.
There was so much running through my head that I didn’t remember why I was driving to her place instead of to mine. I wanted to tell Liza she was right. Those fucking hormone pills were affecting her wolf. The way she’d responded tonight was a sign that her wolf was over it. She wanted to be free. A wolf wasn’t meant to be suppressed like that for even a short period of time, not to mention for years.
Of course, I didn’t know a lot about her wolf or the special attributes of an omega. It was crucial to remember that I wasn’t dealing with a typical wolf. She was an omega. They were powerful beings capable of so much, yet Liza had the distinctimpression that the pills were stifling her wolf. And only she would know.
I glanced over at her. She was so beautiful, even with her brow furrowed and her hands clasped tightly together in her lap. Her eyes had had a fiery determination to them earlier, and I didn’t think that fire would have faded just because she’d climbed into my car. She was staring out the window at the night sky, though, so I couldn’t be sure.
Liza was so brave, but the closer we became, the more I realized that her internal struggle was a constant battle I would never fully understand.
I was unsure of my next move, but one thing was becoming increasingly clear: Liza and her wolf needed to be free. She deserved it.
I pulled up to her house and put the car in park. “Do you want me to stay?” I asked gently, brushing my thumb across her cheekbone. I wanted her to say yes, but I didn’t want to pressure her.
