Page 7
Story: Ravaged Bond
Josef's hand shot out and grabbed Bryan by the throat. He gasped and grabbed the man's wrist in surprise. "Stop," he coughed. He couldn't breathe. Josef was killing him.
"I've warned you not to be late." He finally released him, and Bryan sank to his knees gasping for breath. "Ugh. Don't be so dramatic," Josef muttered, opening the box of food. "I hardly touched you."
Bryan clutched his throat with a shaking hand. His skin felt hot where Josef's fingers had been. He slowly got back to his feet. "I'm going to return home," he said.
Josef waved his hand dismissively as he tore off a chunk of lamb from the bone with his teeth. "I expect you to be ready for me when I return."
Bryan hurried out of the temple. He was unable to bring himself to utter a single prayer. The gods he'd once trusted in his youth no longer held much precedence in his life. They'd all forsaken him.
What would life be like if he were to get pregnant? Would things change for the better? It frightened him to think that Josef would treat a child the way he treated him. He was so obsessed with receiving an heir that Bryan had to believe he would be a better father than a mate. Josef had always been very good with children. He was always so kind with them at the temple. But the man was obviously a skilled fraud. Bryan hadn't known his nature until he'd been mated to him.
He did what he could to steady his mind. It was during these long stretches of empty time, alone with only his thoughts, that his strength began to waver. He reminded himself why he was here and who he was fighting for. He would endure anything and everything to make sure that Lukas was safe, even face the Hounds of Hell themselves.
For the sake of his little brother, no pain was too great.
But he didn't know if he could continue to protect him. He was running out of time. He needed answers.
On the way home, Bryan stopped at the healing clinic and asked to speak with Lulu Fielding, the head healer who had run the tests on him several days back.
"Bryan," she said, welcoming him into the examination room. "How's your father?"
His father's strange and disturbing episode flashed through his mind.
"He's fine," he replied. "The wheelchair is helping, I think."
"Good. And the strength tonics?"
He smiled and shrugged. "I think they're doing something."
"Excellent." She gestured to the table in the center of the room. "Take a seat. I'm glad you stopped by.”
"I'm sorry for interrupting your schedule, Healer Fielding," Bryan said. "I was eager to know if the results had been completed."
"As a matter of fact, they have. I was going to call for you today, actually. It's a fortune that you've come by."
"Oh, good," he said, trying to subdue his nerves.
"It's, um... Well, Bryan, I'm afraid the results have shown that you cannot bear children."
He froze. It felt like the world had ground to a halt, leaving him spiraling endlessly. Everything was whirling around him. He grabbed the side of the examination table to keep himself from falling over.
"W-what?"
"Some Omegas simply lack the potential to become pregnant. It appears this may be the case for you."
"So it isn't a certainty?”
"The healing arts are never exact. But with the tests available to me here, I'm almost certain that this is true. I'm sorry, Bryan. I wish I had better news to give you, and—"
"No!" he shouted. "Don't tell me that. There must be something that can be done. Is there a healer in one of the other colonies that can do something? Or from Xyletia? I'm sure Josef would pay to have a healer sent from the capital..."
"Bryan," she said gently, "You know what's happening back in Xyletia. The country is in turmoil. We have no access to the healers from the capital. But even if we did, even if I could call the grandmaster healer himself, he wouldn't be able to do anything more than I can for you."
"Well, whatcanyou do?" he demanded desperately. "What can be done?"
"Short of magic, nothing can be done, Bryan. I understand that having a child is important for you. But... you should know that the inability to doesn't have to hamper your life."
"You don't understand," he said angrily. "You don't." He moved to leave.