I shake my head, because she’s given me another idea. “It’s fine, but can you point me towards the nearest pharmacy?”
“Two blocks down, on your left.”
I nod, but as I push away from the counter, my stomach gives an alarming lurch. “Can I use your bathroom before I go?”
The woman pauses, taking in my sticky pallor, but then gives me a sympathetic nod. “Just down the hall.”
I make it just in time to empty the remains of my fancy breakfast into the toilet. My head throbs so hard I feel faint, and I stagger to the sink, grabbing a washcloth to wipe my face. When I’m able to breathe without gagging, I use one of the mouthwash samples on the counter to freshen up, but still groan as I take in my appearance. There are dark smudges under my bloodshot eyes and the tendrils Grace loosened around my face are now sticking to my clammy cheeks.
How is this the same person who rose from Dash Devereux’s bed like a glowing goddess?
Running on empty – even if that includes mind-melting orgasms – has clearly taken a toll, and I think about calling Hector to pick me up. It’s tempting, but the weary voiceof reason tells me I have to start being proactive about my condition. No more avoidance and distractions. I need to fill my prescription, and I need to decide on a plan.
The fresh air goes a little way to perking me up, and when I find the drugstore, I’m relieved the medication is cheaper than I feared. I use the extra cash to splurge on a bottle of water and an energy bar, washing down the pills as I search my phone for an address.
It’s a ten-minute walk to Safe Haven, and I spend the time taking deep breaths and concocting a list of questions for Lachlan. There’s so much I don’t know about my last heat, including my state of mind - and body - by the time it arrives. If I go down the auction route, will I even be able to give the pack the ‘bonding experience’ they’ve paid for? What if I arrive at the heat suite, and my haywire hormones immediately reject their alpha scents, just like they did back at the clinic? Do we agree on a backup plan before we start? Or do I just have to grit my teeth through my heat alone while the disappointed guys deflate their knots and leave?
Ugh.
The fact that I have to consider any of this makes my blood pound in my veins. It’s not heartbreak or nausea I’m feeling now, but a deep, burning rage at Lee, and every person who abandons their bonded mate to this nightmare.
“Katie?”
I’ve been charging along the sidewalk, but I stop abruptly as Lachlan steps out of a coffee shop with a bagel in hand. “Hey, Lachlan.”
He drops his snack back in the paper bag, his face lighting up like Christmas. And like every other girl on campus, I suddenly realize why it’s like the sun just came out from behind a storm cloud. Of course, when he gets a good look at me, the happy glowimmediately fades from his face. “Are you okay? Has Lee been harassing you again?”
“No. Why?”
“Because you look rough.” He clicks his tongue, quickly trying to backtrack on what we both know is a fair assessment of my appearance. “I mean, you have your sad face on. I just assumed he’d got in touch and fucked up again.”
I shrug. “No doubt he’s fucking up somewhere, but not in my vicinity.”
“Good.” He nods behind him at the Safe Haven building. “You want to come in and look around?”
“Not right now.” Just the thought of doing a tour of their heat suites causes a fresh wave of sweat to dampen my spine. “I just came to see you.”
“Really?” He looks surprised, but he steps closer, his hand on my elbow bearing some of my weight. “What can I do to help?”
I give a strangled laugh. “I don’t know what anyone can do. It’s inevitable, right? My last heat is coming, and I have to be ready for it.” I take a shaky breath and lean back against the coffee shop wall. “Do you know anything about them? Last heats, I mean.”
“It’s part of our training. The lead up can be hard, especially since unbonded omegas often don’t have access to the support services they need.” He bites his lip, like there’s more he wants to say, then drags his fingers through his golden hair. “Katie, I’m just going to be real with you, okay?”
“Please.” I nod to show him I want it all, no matter how hard it is to swallow. “I’ve heard enough lies to last a lifetime.”
He sighs, leaning his shoulder against the wall beside me. “More than ever, you’re going to need people you can trust. Everything you felt in your normal heats - hormones, need, slick, all the emotional highs and lows – you should magnify that by ten. Your need to connect will be stronger than ever, andyour drive to mate will be so overpowering, you’ll be begging for bonding bites. Under the Safe Haven contract, they’re not allowed to give them to you, which means you’ll have to prepare yourself for feelings of loss and rejection-.”
“Stop.” I press a hand to my hammering heart. “Okay, maybe a little ignorance is bliss.”
“No.” He grabs my wrist, soothing my wild pulse with his circling thumb. “This isn’t something you can just leave to chance, Katie. I just wish -.”
He grits his teeth like he’s physically biting back his words, and I stare up at him, confused. His jaw is white with tension and there’s no sign of the easy-going guy I knew in college. “What, Lachlan? Do you have another plan? Because I’m all ears.”
Wild blue eyes rake over my face. “I just…Fuck. I wish I had a pack to offer you. If I was an alpha, I’d take care of you in a heartbeat.”
“Lachlan…”
“I told Lee he was screwing up. I laid it out plain for him.” He shuffles his feet; frustration carved into his face. “Remember that night he came home to you with a torn shirt and busted knuckles?”
