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His stomach flipped.
He has to come back.
12
Avery’s eyes popped open. Incessant banging woke him. Frowning, he rose and checked the time. The banging continued, so he jogged down the stairs and whisked open the front door.“What is it?”
His uncle, Gray, and his brother, Lake, stood at the entrance, their expressions haggard.
“Didn’t you get my texts? Any of my phone calls?” Gray demanded as he barged inside and dragged Lake behind him.
“No,” Avery replied, shutting the door behind them. “I’ve been resting. I turned my phone off.”
“Rohan said you went home early. Are you ill?” Gray asked, spinning. Flustered, his hair spiked in several directions. “I donothave time for you to be ill.”
Wow, niiiice.“I’ll be fine. What’s wrong?”
“Lake’s first heat has arrived,” Gray said.
Avery’s stare flipped to Lake—who looked like he had felt hours earlier in the restaurant, waiting for that void to open and swallow him whole. His brother’s arms crossed over his body, his head hung low. Sweat beaded his forehead.
First heats were a terrible experience for an omega. Luckily, they were wonky, starting a few days before the full moon when every other omega would be suffering. Perhaps that was a blessing of nature—if a papa was dealing with his own heat, how could he ever help his omega son through that first one? They also tended to be weaker and shorter, but for someone unaccustomed to them, they were still an enormous change.
It hadn’t been so long ago that he’d endured his first.
“Oh, Lake…” Avery said, rubbing his brother’s shoulder.
“Don’t pity me,” Lake blasted, pulling away.
“I gave him one of myHeat Represspills, but it was my last one. I haven’t needed pills for a while, so I neglected to refill it. I should’ve been better prepared for this.”
As a nursing papa, Gray couldn’t be on the pills. Which was also the reason he’d gotten pregnant one after the other.
“Can’t you give me some ofyourpills?” Lake asked. “You said it takes your heat away, right?”
“Not completely… butHeatexis a lot stronger thanHeat Repress.”
“I don’t think you should give your brother illegal heat meds,” Gray hissed. “I put a call into my pharmacist to refill my bottle until we can get him to see a doctor. I can’t pick them up until the morning.”
“Idon’twant to have a heat. IwantAvery’s meds.”
“And you know what happens if you’re found out!” Gray cried. “No!”
“You’re not my father,”Lake spat.“You can’t tell me what to do!”
“Lake!” Avery cried. “He’s given you a home… returned you to your friends… allowed you to be a part of his family. Howdareyou?”
Tears burned in Lake’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Uncle Gray. I didn’t mean it.” He scrubbed his arm, clutching himself tighter. He looked as if he was sinking in on himself. “I just don’t feel… myself.”
Gray rubbed Lake’s back. “I know, honey. Let’s get you up to bed so you can rest, okay?” Gray eyed Avery over Lake’s back as they passed.
In the meantime, Avery searched for hisHeatexbottle. Gray soon found him in his bathroom.
“I mean what I said. Donotgive him those.”
“And what are we supposed to do until you get your refill? Let him suffer withnothing?”
Gray was silent for a moment. “Fine… until I can pick up the refill, you use yours. But just until then. Make sure you impress upon him hecannotuse them for long. It’s too dangerous.”
