Rushing toward the door, I try to push past the counselor. All my instincts scream at me to go back to the guys. They will keep me safe. Ineedthem. “Let me say goodbye. Please!”
They’ll hate you for what you’ve become. A voice joins the back of my mind.
She places her hand on my shoulder, holding me back with little effort. Her dark eyes are cold. “You’re not going anywhere. Go sit and stay, Omega.”
Tingles spread through me as something in her voice makes every hair on the back of my neck stand on end. My feet turn against my will and I go to the chair across from the nurse’s desk and take a seat. I try hard to stand back up, but my legs won’t let me move.
Is this the Command I’ve heard that Alphas can use against Omegas to make them follow orders?
The counselor leaves, and the nurse stands with the phone to her ear.
My stomach twists and lurches as nausea rips through me. I swallow hard, trying to push the puke back down, all the while still trying to stand.
I wish the guys were here with me. They wouldn’t let them treat me like this. I would be safe with them.
The thoughts confuse me. I’ve never relied on the guys, but some part of me thinks they’re the only people on this earth that can make me feel better.
The urge to vomit grows worse along with the headache.
The nurse yanks a trashcan from under the desk and presses it against my knees. “You look like you’re going to be sick. Here.”
The nausea spikes hard and there’s no more stopping it. Grabbing the can from her, I lean over and throw up.
Time fractures after that. Minutes stretch too long. My dress clings wet and cold to my back. I sit hunched, trying to will away the cramps.
At some point, a water bottle is pressed into my palm, but I don’t drink it, it’s not going to help me. Every part of me feels wrong.
“Sweetie.”
A hand touches my shoulder sometime later and I blink, trying to focus my vision as my mom comes into view next to me. She has the expression she wore when she found out my grandpa had a week or less to live.
Tears enter my eyes. “They’re wrong, Mom, I’m not an Omega.”
She swallows hard. “I know this isn’t what you wanted, Francesca, but we’ll make it through this.”
No one but other Omegas ever wants an Omega as their kid. She and dad are going to hate me over this.
The nurse comes over as my mom stands and hands her a note. “Here’s the address for a heat clinic about twenty minutes from here. They’ll take her. Since she’s under seventeen, they’ll probably offer sedation for her first year of heats. Beyond that, I’m not sure.”
My mom says something, but her words get lost in the haze as more pain takes over. I look toward the door.
How can I get back to the guys?
The counselor is back with my luggage. Her eyes say she’s not going to let me get away from them. She comes over. “Omega, Stand and follow your mother to her car. Get in the car and don’t try to escape.”
The tingles return, and I stand. My mom grabs my luggage and I follow her out of the nurse’s cabin. A tear trickles down my cheek. No matter how hard I try, my legs won’t listen to me. She opens the back door for me, and I get in.
A moment later, she gets in the driver’s seat and we’re pulling away from the camp. I try hard to open the door and bolt, but I can’t.
It’s not until we’re almost to the highway and going over forty that my legs will work again.
Curling into a ball, I try to get the cramps to stop. I didn’t get to say goodbye.
They all thought I’d be an Alpha. I did, too.
How will I explain this?
They won’t want anything to do with me when they find out. Omegas don’t matter in this world.
