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He wasn’t there. Hadn’t been to the house in days. Leaving her to rot in the ruined remains of her nest that she refused to make right for fear of dislodging his scent.
Food tasted like cardboard, dwindling her appetite to nothingness. Until she only ate when she realized she needed to, which wasn’t often enough by half. Weight melted from her small frame, leaving her gaunt and pale as she cried herself to sleep in the fluid crusted sheets that seemed flat and lifeless.
He hated her now.
She deserved it.
Not even Beau came, keeping his distance from her, the house, everything. Someone came through the house though. Items replenished in the refrigerator, the thermostat fiddled with. Whatever lingering scent might have remained was lost in the thickness of her own misery.
Devin drifted from room to room, lost and bereft as she searched for any items that she might have overlooked on her first long search through the house. Picking up anything that smelled of Rey to take back to her nest. Cold comfort, but the only one that was in supply.
The bond was dead. Lifeless. If she strained to hear it, to touch it, she felt nothing but a sickening wave that turned her stomach and made her retch. Rey’s disgust, maybe? Maybe nothing at all. Without him there to explain it to her, she couldn’t define it. Curling back up in the bed, she let loose the tears. Sobbing into his pillow as she curled around it, hugging it tight to her stomach.
“He’s not a bad man,” she said through stuttering cries, speaking to the only thing that couldn’t leave her now. “He’s not. Your father just… he just needs some time.”
She didn’t know how much time she had. Mere hours without the touch of an Alpha, and she’d been ready to fall into Max’s arms like a bitch in heat. This had been going on for days with no end in sight. If Rey didn’t return soon… Devin shuddered at the thought and hugged the pillow tighter.
She’d never wanted children. Didn’t want this at all. Now it was all she had, and it was killing her by degrees.
Waking up with a startled jolt, Devin bolted upright and viewed the shadowy darkness. Trying to discern what it was that woke her, she heard the sucking click of the fridge door opening, the clink of a bottle. Someone was taking stock, putting things in their place.
Worried it was Rey, that he wouldn’t want to look upon her with anything but revulsion but too afraid to remain abed, she crawled out from the sticky sheets and crept towards the cold light seeping through the doorframe.
“Fuck,” Beau shouted as he turned away from the counter and spotted her, dropping the armful of groceries he carried.
The shatter of glass was loud, sending Devin scurrying back several steps to recoil against the wall. Beau continued to curse up a storm, snatching up the fallen items.
He didn’t want anything to do with her either. Shoulders tipped forward, head hanging, she cowered. Slinking her way along the wall back to the bedroom so he wouldn’t have to look at her. She considered apologizing, but thought better of it, hurried steps taking her back into the safety of the darkness. Ensconced once more in the stale sheets, she burrowed deep.
“There’s stuff you should eat in there.” Beau’s gruff voice drifted into her nest, clawing along her senses. Gone was the smooth, sultry drawl and any feelings he had for her along with it. “I took out everything you shouldn’t. A list is on the fridge, says what you need to do.”
Devin gave a jerky nod, but uncertain if he could see her, she mumbled an affirmative and hugged her pillow tighter. His footsteps rang out, no longer trying to be quiet as he made his way to the front door. At least he didn’t slam it.
Crying for some time, she finally dragged herself from the bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate, but she had to. The bundle needed it. No savage urge flared, no protective rage at the thought. She was dull and listless as she shuffled into the kitchen to see what was left for her. Avoiding the eggs entirely, she picked through the other contents. Steak, fresh vegetables, fruits. All of it bearing hefty price tags and organic stamps. She sighed and tugged the gallon of milk out, settling on a bowl of wheat squares. Plucking the list from the smooth metal, she sat to read it as she scooped a spoonful of cereal to her mouth.
There was a list of foods for her to avoid, but since she didn’t control what came and went in the fridge, it seemed that wouldn’t matter much. Warnings for her to wash all the fruits and vegetables thoroughly. Another set of items that she should eat more of. Leafy greens, meat. Devin tried to dredge up a scoff at the idea of eating anything, but it died on her lips. Beneath that were several dates and times. Tomorrow, early morning, was the soonest. A doctor’s name had been scrawled beneath it.
Firm in the knowledge Rey wouldn’t want to get rid of it, she couldn’t find it in herself to care. She supposed she’d have to shower, become presentable, but that was it.
After finishing her cereal, it was the small hours of the morning, and she wasn’t tired. Looking at the ruined bed, Devin couldn’t bring herself to crawl back beneath the thick covers. Lingering there was hurting her more than it ever helped. She needed the source of that scent, her mate’s purrs and touch. He hated her and would never offer those things to her again, so why bother?
Trudging to the bathroom, she cranked on the water and climbed into the shower.
After bathing away her misery and getting dressed, Devin sat in the sitting room. Straight backed and stiff, she waited for the sun to rise. Watching the shadows lengthen and then shorten as the time for the appointment came near. She didn’t know if she was supposed to go to the doctor, or if they were coming there, but either way, it seemed the sitting room was the place for her to wait. It’d been hers once, and she supposed it still was. Everything about it was soft and pale, in the colors and textures that she preferred. Her concession to Rey’s wants had been the bright upholstery on the wide chairs opposite and throw pillows that matched.
Perhaps she should have made far more concessions. Maybe she should never have demanded he let her work, let her out of the house at all. She should have been a good little Omega and accepted her lot in life. If she had, none of it would have ever happened.
He would still love her. Still want her for more than what grew in her belly.
Devin blinked as the face appeared before her, taking a long moment to piece together what she was seeing. Jackson. Not even Beau would return to see her through this. Half listening to his mumbling, she went to the front door and gathered up her coat, kneeling awkwardly to tie her shoes. She followed him out to the car, noting it was Rey’s sedan before she crawled into the backseat.
She didn’t hear anything Jackson had to say during the long drive. Not that she ignored him, but she just couldn’t. Didn’t want to hear what put the concern in his eyes or the worry in his voice.
It was a private practice he took her to, not the hospital. Devin should be grateful for that. She wouldn’t have to slog her way through hundreds of people scurrying around. This place was sedate, calming in a way.
The receptionist took one look at Devin as they entered and rushed to pick up the phone. Telling someone that their nine o’clock was there.
An impression of a navy pantsuit so fine it’d make Beau jealous of the sleek cut and fit and thick auburn hair was all she was allowed before Devin was being rushed to a back room amid Jackson’s weak denials. It wasn’t a simple doctor’s office, but a fully stocked medical bay, complete with a railed bed and an array of confusing tubes, wires, and machines. She was hooked up to monitors within moments, efficient technicians in pale blue scrubs smiling and nodding as they explained what it was all for.
