Page 9 of Broken Alpha
When I finally came out of my heat Monday morning, my bedroom smelled of sweat and slick, and my body felt sticky, clammy, and sore. Once I had the strength to pull myself out of bed, I immediately opened the bedroom windows, turned on the air purifiers, and stripped the sheets and blankets off my bed. My body was sluggish and heavy, as if recovering from a horrid flu, and I had to fight through the fog to start the laundry and step into the shower to scrub my body until it was pink under the hot spray. I needed to call Doctor Easton as soon as possible; this never should’ve happened in the first place, and we needed to figure something out immediately. I cannot go into heat again. God, how would I explain a week's worth of absences?
Upon returning to my room, I noticed a faint scent of citrus and honey, almost like lemon tea. Looking around for my glasses, I found them on the floor by the nightstand. Placing them on my face, I began searching for the source of the scent, finding a crumpled leather jacket on the floor, its owner's scent growing stronger as I picked it up.
“That belongs to Mr. Ellis.”
I turned around to see Erik leaning against the bedroom door frame, arms crossed over his chest. He looked exhausted, but his face and body language were emotionless.
“Mr. Ellis’?” But how did it get here, and why? I turned back to the jacket, holding it up and blinking at it as if it held the answers.
I struggled to sort through the fog of my memories. I had gotten into a debate with another Alpha in class and was instructed to go to Mr. Ellis’ office, where I assume I went intoheat. He must’ve taken me to the nurse's office, and they called Erik since he was my emergency contact before my parents. I must’ve gotten his jacket then.
“Did…did he do anything?” I tried to take an assessment of my body, anything that could give an indication of having done anything of a sexual nature. All I could feel was the ache in my muscles from an aggressive heat.
“He fucking better not have, or I will fucking kill him,” Eric replied, anger lacing his words. “All he said was that the jacket might help. You were really out of it, Ade. You were refusing substances, and you were running a really high fever. Once I gave you the jacket, you clung to it like a lifeline, and 24 hours later, the worst of your symptoms stopped.”
I said nothing as I sat on the edge of my bed, still staring at the jacket. I vaguely remember when my heat became less painful, cuddling against something. Was it this? I knew my Omega liked Mr. Ellis, but liking someone and calling out for them while clinging to an article of their clothing was something else entirely. I knew Erik’s gaze was on me, preventing me from giving in to my desire to bury my nose in the fabric. There was a moment in our history, after one too many drinks, when Erik asked what my ideal Alpha scent was. I told him the scent of fall. Pumpkins, cinnamon, sandalwood, oak, nutmeg, and cardamom.
Fall was my favorite season, so I always pictured my Alpha would smell like my version of it. It didn’t go unnoticed that a week later Erik started smelling like sandalwood and cinnamon. I had told him a few times that I wasn’t interested, though I couldn’t tell him that sleeping with him during a heat was a colossal mistake. He still tried in little ways, but he hadn’t moved on from the week we shared my heat nearly two years ago, hoping I would come around on my own. I never expected anAlpha that scented like a cozy cup of tea on a cold day would be so… alluring to me.
“How are you feeling?” Erik asked, interrupting the tense silence.
“Like I’ve been hit by a semi-truck that knocked me into an oncoming train.”
“Well, you don’t look too bad for surviving two accidents.”
I huffed out a laugh and laid down on the bed, my arm over my eyes and the jacket across my lap. Eric sat beside me before lying down too, moving the jacket. My Omega protested at having the pleasant Alpha scent removed, and I fought the urge to snatch it against me. I could feel Erik brush my hair back, a comforting action that normally pleased me, but today, something felt off and different. But I couldn’t tell him to stop; I couldn’t tell him that something had changed. Mr. Ellis was an Alpha that I couldn’t pursue. He was my teacher, for one thing, and relationships were messy and complicated, especially between an Alpha and Omega. But I also knew nothing about him. He could be part of a pack, he could already have an Omega, hell, he could have pups on the way if he didn’t have any already, and here I was, trying to figure out if I could make him my Alpha. I sighed and tilted my face, raising my arm a little to look at Erik, his gaze fixated on me. When our eyes met, he smiled softly, leaning forward and kissing my forehead.
“Why don’t we order Chinese for dinner later tonight, and I’ll give you the notes on Mr. Ellis’ lecture? I tried to make excuses to your other teachers about you catching a nasty flu, but I doubt they will let you make up any quizzes, so you’ll have to study hard for the tests and focus on the classwork. See if you can borrow notes from anyone else.”
“Sounds good, thanks, Erik.”
Erik got off the bed and left my room, and almost immediately, I grabbed the jacket, curling into a ball on my side and inhalingthe scent, committing it to memory. I couldn’t keep this item; I knew that, so the next best thing was to try to drown myself in it before I had to give it back in the morning. I really don’t want to give it back.
When I left the house on Tuesday for Mr. Ellis’ lecture, I was armed with an appointment booked with Dr. Easton for Friday, a full document of notes from Erik, and Mr. Ellis’ jacket in a Starbucks paper bag we had lying around. When we arrived on campus, Erik and I went our separate ways as he left to attend morning classes, and I made my way to Mr. Ellis’ office. My body shook from the adrenaline caused by anxiety coursing through my bloodstream. I always shook when I got nervous, and I had to assess my body to ensure it wasn’t emanating pheromones. When I was satisfied that everything was good, I sighed deeply before knocking lightly on the door.
“Come in,” I heard the gruff voice from beyond the wood, and my Omega reacted instantly, happy at the sound of the Alpha it wanted. I thumped my forehead against the door before turning the handle and stepping into his office.
“Mr. Keller!” The surprise was evident on his face as he saw me. He stood up and moved around his desk, his gaze roaming over my body, and my Omega shuddered at this Alpha's acknowledgment. His gaze lingered on the bag in my hand before it flicked to my face, his blue eyes watching me carefully.
“How are you feeling? Mr. Harllow told me you were ill. You can shut the door if you’d like.”
I nodded, closing the door behind me.
“We both know it wasn’t a real illness, Mr. Ellis, but I appreciate the deception nonetheless.”
“Well. Technically, it was. A heat can present symptoms of an illness with fever and a rise in body temperature.”
He continued to watch me when I didn’t respond, sitting on the edge of his desk. I felt this mysteriously powerful tug in my body to greet him like an Omega should greet their Alpha. Wrapping my arms around his waist and scent-marking him, letting others know he belonged to someone. I have heard it is both pleasing for the Omega and the Alpha when they scent mark, and all I wanted was to be wrapped up in his embrace, held tightly in his arms against his broad chest. Maybe he’d kiss me, and maybe we’d — NOPE, nope, stop right now. That is a fantasy, one that I’m not going to entertain at all!
My pheromonal scent began to leak into the room, mixing with the Alpha’s scent, combining citrus and pine into a pleasing mixture, my body growing warm with my thoughts. Immediately shaking them from my head and dampening my pheromones, I cut off any interest I may have in Mr. Ellis as I set the Starbucks bag on the stack of filing cabinets beside the door. His eyes darkened, but he watched the movement, lingering on the bag before returning to my face. There was an emotion there that I couldn’t quite read. I readjusted my backpack and looked at him, trying to focus on his eyes as they stared through me.
“Erik told me about the jacket and how you’re the one that took me to the nurse's office. I’m sorry to have put you through such a hassle.”
“Why are you not on any suppressants, Mr. Keller? The university requires them.”
“It’s…it’s not that I’m not on them.” I glanced at the floor. Having to explain why was such a struggle, and I hated it. Either I was believed or I wasn’t, and there was no way of knowingwho would accept what I told them. “I’m a dominant Omega, sir. I’m on them. The current one is technically my sixth; however, it’s just an injectable form of the oral one I was taking. They don’t work like they’re supposed to. I have documentation that shows that I’m on them and that I’m registered as a dominant and being treated by a physician, but for some reason, the suppressants aren’t doing their job. I’m working with my doctor to find a solution that works. It’s just taking longer than I want it to, and the option he’s suggesting isn’t viable right now, not until break or graduation, at least. I have two more semesters, and I’m done in the spring. I just need to make it through and hope to find something that will act as a band-aid until then. I have an appointment with him on Friday, and we’ll see what can be done. I still need to find something long-term for when I enter the workforce.”
“A dominant Omega…but that’s—”
