"Darren," Jax says, his voice gentler now. "Breathe. We're going to figure this out."
But how? How do you figure out that your teammate just outed himself as an omega in heat on national television? How do you figure out that everything I've worked for just went up in flames?
The door bursts open, and suddenly she's there. Lexie, still wearing my jersey, her face flushed from running, Dmitri right behind her. I expect her to stop at the door, to look at me with disgust or pity or disappointment.
Instead, she flies across the room and drops to her knees beside me.
As soon as she reaches me, it hits me. Her scent.
Oh, God, her scent.
It's… perfect.
Pumpkin spice, like Aidan originally pointed out, but also… everything. Warmth and sex and the gentle brush of her skin against mine when we're curled up in bed together. Every good thing in this world, all blended into one scent.
And I know from the moment her eyes lock on mine, she feels it, too. My scent and hers, mingling, meant for each other.
She was always meant for me. For us.
"Are you okay?" Her hands are on my face, checking me over like I might be physically hurt. "Darren, talk to me. Are you hurt?"
I stare at her, unable to process. "You're still here. You still want to…?"
"Want to what? Be here? Of course I'm here." Her brown eyes flash with ferocity. "Did you think I'd run because of this?"
Yes. That's exactly what I thought. What I've been thinking since the moment I presented. That if I let the omega show, if I couldn't maintain the beta mask, everything would crumble. That she'd see me as less than, as weak, as not worth the trouble. That my team would start treating me like a liability.
"I'm in heat," I say stupidly, like she might not have noticed.
"I know," she says, her lips twitching in a smile. "You smell… fuck, Darren. You smell amazing. I didn't know an omega could affect me like that."
Her words strum something deep within me, but it can't fully replace the embarrassment. "So do you, but I… Lexie, I went into heat in public. Everyone knows.”
"I don't give a fuck what everyone knows,” she says, and the vehemence in her voice makes me blink. "I care about you. Are you okay?"
The question breaks what's left of my composure. Because no, I'm not okay. I'm burning up from the inside out, my skin too tight, my head spinning, every alpha scent in the room making it worse and better at the same time. But she's here. She's touching my face with gentle hands, looking at me like I'm still worth it.
"We need to get him out of here," Jax says, all business now. "The press is going to be swarming. We need a plan."
"Fire exit," Dmitri suggests. "I'm sure building security can help. We could create a distraction at the main entrance."
"I'll do it," Aidan says immediately, guilt still written all over his face. "I'll go out front, give them something else to focus on. After what I did, they'll want to talk to me."
"I'll go with him," Lexie says, and my hand shoots out to grab her wrist.
"No. Don't leave." I hate how desperate I sound, how needy, but I can't help it. The omega in me is screaming at the thought of her walking away. I need her here, with me, where I know she's safe.
"I'm not leaving you," she says firmly, covering my hand with hers. "But if Aidan and I go out front together, it'll be a bigger story. The pack's new girlfriend and the alpha who just beat someone half to death? They won't be able to resist."
Aidan looks like he wants to stuff himself into a locker, but he doesn't argue.
She's right. Iknowshe's right. But every instinct is screaming at me to keep her close, to not let her out of my sight.
"I'll go with them," Jax says, clearly picking up on my hesitation. Probably sharing it. "Make sure nothing happens. You three get Darren to the car and back to the rental."
The rental. Right. We'd arranged a house outside the city since it's less conspicuous than the close quarters of a hotel. Just in case I needed somewhere private to ride out a heat. I'd thought they were being paranoid.
"Can you walk?" Zayn asks me, and I want to say yes, want to pretend I have any control left. But when I try to stand, my legs shake like a newborn colt's.
