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I nod. “Only—only a paper gown.”

His scent grows more intense as his dominance starts leaking into the room. He’s angry.

My only hope is that anger is directed at other people and not me.

He pulls out his phone and starts furiously shooting off a few texts.

“I’m going to carry you now.”

I open my mouth to protest, but the hard, angry set of his jaw and his narrowed eyes, combined with his dominance, have me shutting my mouth. I’m not going to fight this alpha.

My head falls to my chest. The only thing I can do is clutch the thin sheet to myself as he scoops me into his arms. My body is as stiff as a board, completely different from when any of theguys carry me. Things are so different with this alpha, and it’s not just because he’s Archer’s father.

His scent isn’t offensive, and it doesn’t burn like Alpha Niall’s did, but it doesn’t feel… right. It’s similar to how I felt with Officer Stone’s scent. Not like my guys.

He carries me into the hall where an older, middle-aged woman, another omega, according to her scent, comes rushing up to me.

“Oh dear!” She says when her eyes land on me. I guess I must look like a mess after the breakdown I had in that room.

“What room is prepared for an omega right now? Because that one was far from it,” The director says, nodding to the room he just carried me out of.

“I—I don’t know off the top of my head, sir, but I’ll find one,” she says, smoothing the front of her blazer as she pulls out her phone.

“And once you’re done, try and find who was running the front desk three hours ago. Fire them.”

“Yes, sir,” The omega nods.

Everything is moving so quickly, I can barely keep up. I’m shocked that the Director would so easily jump to firing someone.

I would imagine that an omega working for this center would be much more valuable than an omega like me.

Fear claws at my chest. Unless it’s because I am more valuable to him and the center. That omega from the front desk did say something about an auction.

“Room 217 is available and ready, sir,” The omega receptionist says.

“Thank you, Rosemary.” The director offers her a nod and starts heading down the hall to what I presume to be room 217.

It’s far warmer than the other room I was kept in. It also looks a bit cozier with actual pillows and comforters on the bed and furniture in the corner. The Director sets me down on the sofa and turns to the wall where he adjusts a thermostat.

“I’m turning the temperature up, but feel free to change it to whatever you’d like later,” he says. He moves to the closet by the attached bathroom door and pulls out a bathrobe. “Would you like to put this on? I assume it’d be more comfortable than that sheet.”

I eye the bathrobe warily. I don’t know whether he wants me to change into it in front of him, but if that’s the case, I’d much rather just stay in this sheet.

He seems to sense my hesitancy because he nods towards the bathroom door. “In there, of course.”

I nod. Standing and reaching to grab the bathrobe from him. It’s soft. High quality, too. The same quality as all the clothes the Ward Pack got me. Which is surprising considering this room doesn’t belong to anyone in particular.

I guess it’s just a Northside thing, to have expensive, luxurious bathrobes unused in vacant rooms.

I close the bathroom door behind me, my shoulders sinking in relief when there’s a lock. I drop the sheet onto the floor, tearing off the paper gown I was given in the doctor’s lab and throwing it into the trash can. If burning it were an option, I’d do that in a heartbeat.

I hate how much my body relaxes the moment I slide the bathrobe on. It’s like the omega part of my brain instantly feels safer now that I’m surrounded by softness and warmth.

It didn’t seem to get the memo that there’s an unfamiliar alpha outside or the fact that I have no clue what’s going to happen to me, now that I’m here and registered.

I bite the inside of my cheek. I guess the first thing I have to do if I want answers is ask questions, and the person to ask is right outside.

I take a deep breath and unlock the bathroom door.