She looks at me.
“But you have to promise me you’ll stay in the bunkhouse. Alone. Or with Clara. If you feel the urge to seek out…”
She trails off. She doesn’t need to say it.
Alphas.
“I understand,” I say.
“I’ll go make the call.” Maggie picks up her bag. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
She heads for the door, pausing with her hand on the knob.
“Drink water,” she instructs. “Cool cloths. And try not to stress. Stress accelerates the process.”
She leaves.
The door clicks shut.
The silence in the room is heavy. I sit up slowly. My body aches. But underneath the ache, the feeling is growing. A restless, hollow feeling in my pelvis. An awareness of my own skin.
Clara sits on the edge of the bed. She looks terrified.
“Sedona,” she whispers. “Are you okay?”
I let out a laugh. It sounds brittle.
“No,” I say. “I’m not okay. I’m trapped in a tin can with my ex-boyfriend, his brothers, and a government agency. And I’m about to go into heat.”
I put my head in my hands.
“This is a nightmare.”
Clara rubs my back. Her touch is soothing.
“We’ll figure it out,” she says. “Maggie will get the meds. It’ll be fine.”
“What if she doesn’t?” I lift my head. “What if the CDC won’t release them? Or what if it’s too late?”
“You can’t think like that.”
“I’m scared, Clara.” The admission comes out small. “My heats are… they’re not normal. They’re brutal. I can’t think. I can’t function. I lose myself.”
I look at her.
“And Billy is right there. Across the yard. I can smell him in the air. Even now. Even sick.”
Clara’s face softens. “Speaking of Billy,” she says carefully. “Does he know?”
I shake my head. “No. And he can’t.”
“Sedona…”
“Clara, no.” I grab her hand. “You didn’t see his face this morning. You didn’t see the way he looked at me. He’s trying so hard to be the strong one. The cold one. If he finds out I’m going into heat…”
“He’s an Alpha,” Clara says. “He would want to help.”
“That’s the problem,” I say. “Hewouldhelp. Because his instincts would demand it. Not because he wants me. Not because he forgives me.”
