Page 1 of Brave New Omega, Part 2

Chapter 1

KATIE

T he examination room smells of antiseptic and sadness. It's my own fault that I am in here, trembling on the cold table as the Beta doctor and three Beta nurses fuss over my hand. I’ve already had two different shots injected into my shoulder and thigh. The wound has been swabbed with a battery of disinfectants, antifungals, and whatever other cleansing solutions that an Omega would need to stop the spread of an Alpha’s bite.

Idiot .

My body aches, my knee a constant stab of pain all the way up to my hip, even spidering out into my lower back. But that pain is nothing to the thrumming ache in my chest.

Callum’s face, the anger and fear there as he saw my cut hand. Loren and Max, jumping out of a car as Callum carried me into the lobby of the Conservatory, my body trembling with the pain of my fucked knee and the shock of what had just happened. Their panic and confusion, all because of me.

I suck in a breath as the doctor squeezes the heel of my palm to flush out the wound a third time.

“We have to ensure none of his salvia remains. We’ve got you pumped with enough serum blockers to stop any spread, but the last thing we want is for an infection to set in.” The doctor steps back, wiping her hands on a towel. She frowns at me, her thick brows a disapproving V.

“This shouldn’t be causing that much pain. Really, Omega, you need to buck up. It’s a shallow wound. And the serum blockers will likely curb any complications. Your Alpha brought you in just in time.” Her voice is stern, as though I am a petulant child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

I grit my teeth, holding back a hiss of pain and frustration. My lower back aches from at least one of the falls, and my knee throbs in cadence with my pulse. Heat rushes through me one moment, followed by a nipple-puckering cold. I might be in shock.

Instead of saying a word of this, I straighten my back and swallow down the discomfort, splintering my focus to put my pain into a corner at the farthest reaches of my mind. I've done it before; in those first few hours after the explosion, when the flying shards of humvee and glass had torn apart my left knee, embedding in the soft flesh of my thigh. I had swallowed back the pain to call out commands, fighting it down until the edge of my vision blacked out.

This is nothing compared to that.

But at least then I held a command, and I knew my words would be heard and obeyed. This doctor, Dr. Ambrose, has made it clear she sees me as a foolish Omega squandering the attentions of a good Pack. Her scent, under the antiseptic, is tart, like lemonade without quite enough sugar.

She's not wholly wrong.

That's what makes the second pain, the one in my chest, so intolerable.

Aurelia, my Omega caseworker, taps out something on her phone. "You're confident the serum blockers will be enough?"

Her tone is smooth, but I notice a slight flex of her jaw. Her usually alarmingly bright pantsuits have been replaced with more demure mauve loungewear— because it's the middle of the night and she should be home with her pack.

Damn. This mission was poorly thought out, and I'm not the only one paying for it now.

"Of course. You said you hit the attacking Alpha in the mouth, yes?" The doctor looks at me dubiously. I give a tight nod. The pain is slowly closing in, but I will not give this smug woman the satisfaction of seeing me ask for pain medication. I can take care of it myself.

"Then he likely hadn't started producing enough of the bonding hormones in his saliva to really trigger a bond. And your body clearly wasn't prepared to receive it. There is a reason most bonds happen in the postcoital haze. Your body has to receive the bond for it to fully take effect. This is a good precaution, of course. But I would not be overly concerned."

Aurelia looks at me. I swallow, bile creeping up my throat. The pain makes me want to wretch. My eyes water, and I close them against the over-bright examination lights.

"Seems like you have a bit of a diva," Dr. Ambrose says to Aurelia.

I clamp my lips into a thin line. I will not snap at this woman. Not tonight, when I've been foolish enough.

"Did she have any other injuries?" Aurelia asks, ignoring the comment.

The doctor shrugs. "I took care of the immediate concern; should I perform a full exam? She didn't report any other assault." She waves a hand up and down at me dismissively. "The Omega isn't running a fever, but she has slightly elevated blood pressure—that's to be expected after such an encounter ."

I cross my arms in front of me, scowling. I have a fucking name, and this doctor is refusing to use it. Is it her way of digging at all Omegas? Or just me? Whatever the case, I will refuse any more examination from her. I narrow my eyes and level my most fierce commanding officer stare at her. When she catches it, I watch her recoil.

That's right, this Omega can bite.

"She has a history of medical injury that predates her… arrival with her pack. You should absolutely ensure that none of those old injuries were aggravated. Dr. Ambrose, that is common procedure with any emergency visit!" Aurelia's voice raises at the end, clearly frustrated. She stands, pointing to her tablet, where I notice my name and what must be a medical chart. Great , everyone has access to my private medical information.

I open my mouth to protest, when raised voices filter in from the hallway. The door of the exam room nearly explodes off its hinges.

"Where the fuck is she?"