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“Thank you,” Thane tells his parents, his voice thick.
I drop Thane’s hand, and he pulls me into a side-hug before following his fathers down a hallway. Nelly leads me to a private room with a chair that looks a little like a recliner, but with steel poles attached for the IVs, and one of the arms has a swinging table. She gestures at the chair. “Your throne awaits.”
I sit down in the strange chair. It’s comfortable, or it would be if I could stop shaking with nerves. Nelly gives me a sympathetic look and pulls over a chair.
“I’m going to tell you everything we’re going to do before we do it,” she says, taking my hand. “That way you aren’t surprised during the process.”
“I appreciate that.”
“First, I’m going to take a blood sample and run it down to the lab. The lab techs will run a panel on it and get a baseline for your numbers before the treatment begins. We drew enough samples while you were in the hospital that we can get a fair idea of what your ‘normal’ looks like. Then, I’ll take your vitals and insert the IV catheter into your arm.”
“This will all be you?” I ask.
She smiles at me. “All me. I made sure that I’m your main technician for all of your treatment appointments.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. I’m glad to have her by my side instead of a stranger.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She squeezes my hand and then continues. “You will receive the treatment through a slow drip in the IV. It will take approximately two hours for the bag to empty, and we will check your vitals halfway through and at the end. You’ll have Thane here as well in case you start to feel uncomfortable. However, most people don’t feel the side effects until hours after their treatment.
“So, I’ll be home when I start to feel really sick,” I say, relief washing over me. I was half worried I’d get so sick at the clinic that I wouldn’t be able to go home.
“Exactly. You’ll be in your own bed, with four doting Alphas at your beck and call.” She stands, going over to a cart with several rubber tubs and empty vials. “Which arm would you like me to draw from?”
“My left, please.”
Nelly lowers the table attached to the chair’s arm and ties a tourniquet just above my elbow. I’m not afraid of needles, but she still treats me with the utmost care, as if I will jump at any moment. “You know, Riley, you’re in a very powerful position, being the Omega to the Woods pack.”
Her frankness startles me. “I am? Really?”
“Quick pinch here.” I wince as she inserts a needle and begins to quickly fill a vial. “Yes. Besides Thane who, no matter what, will be extremely successful at whatever he does, you’ve got Fox and his success, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Miles and Levi make names for themselves too. They are all powerful in their own way. And that means they need you to keep the balance.”
“How do you mean? I’ve only ever felt like a burden to them.”
She frowns at me as she fills the last vial. “Do they make you feel like that?”
“Well… no. I guess I’ve just expected them to feel that way, what with all this happening.” I gesture at my arm, where she is now hooking up the IV drip.
“Ah, well, from what you’ve told me about your past, that’s to be expected. But I promise you, that’s not how they see you. Already, I can tell the change in them. They’re more relaxed and happier, but it’s more than that. There’s a confidence that only having an Omega around can bring. They will do great things, and you will do great things, and together, you create the perfect support system. You’ll catch each other if you fall.”
“But what if I die?” The question catches in my throat.
“What if you don’t?” she murmurs back, and I have to look away as my eyes fill with tears. She leaves the room to go get the medicine. When the door opens, Thane is there instead, holding an IV bag full of a dark burgundy chemical. It almost looks like wine and not a liquid that will make me deathly ill.
“I asked Mom if I could set up the first treatment,” he says softly. “So, it’s just you and me. She’ll be back in an hour to check your vitals.” He brushes my hair away from my face, and his scent instantly soothes me. He hangs the IV bag and starts the drip. I watch the tubing, fascinated as the clear saline gives way to the darker medicine. We both watch, tension etching deep lines around our mouths as the dark liquid swirls into my veins.
Ready or not, there’s no turning back now.
* * *
That night,it isn’t pain that wakes me up, like I thought it would be. Instead, my eyes fly open as nausea overwhelms my system, making me so dizzy that I can barely get out of bed. I dash to my en suite, making it just in time to empty the contents of my stomach into the toilet. Throwing up brings no relief like it would if this were just the flu. Instead, I feel even dizzier, my vision swimming and the back of my skull throbbing. I vomit again, but since I’ve barely eaten today, only bile comes up. I flush the toilet and leave the seat up, but going back to bed seems too daunting. I curl up on the bathmat, shivering, when the door opens.
“Oh, baby,” says Levi, kneeling beside me. He sounds heartbroken, and it makes me start to cry.
“Sorry,” I mumble. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You should have,” he chastises, standing only to wet a washcloth before joining me back on the floor. He moves me until my head is in his lap, and then he washes my face. “Do you want to take a shower? It might make you feel better.”
I try to nod, but it makes the headache worse, so I just moan and hope he understands. He helps me stand and pulls my pajama top over my head. He slides my pants off, coaching me to step out of them, followed by my panties. There’s nothing sexual in the act, only love and care. He strips out of his boxers and starts the shower, testing the temperature with his hand before guiding me inside.
