Page 36 of Broken Alpha (Unwanted #1)

Luke

I couldn’t breathe. The scent of a burning forest reached me from inside the classroom, and I instantly knew Aidyn was in distress and angry at something.

I exited my classroom just in time to watch Forester push him.

I watched as Aidyn lost his balance on the flight of stairs behind him and fell backwards before landing on the small landing, his arm around his stomach, pain etched into his face.

My tunnel vision narrowed on Forester, a deep, angry growl emitting from my chest, and the next thing I knew, I was across the hall, Forester pinned against the wall by my arm across his neck.

I had clearly punched him, not that I remember doing so, but his eyes were bloodshot, with a bruise forming on his cheek, blood spurting down his face from a broken nose.

I released a pool of pheromones, my anger evident at the Alpha who dared to hurt my mate.

I growled at him as the color drained from his face, his fingernails clawing at my arm in a desperate attempt to release himself from my grasp, scratching until he drew blood.

My face twisted in a snarl as I let out an inhumane sound.

“LUKE! Stop!”

I turned to my left and found Aidyn struggling to get off the floor.

Reaching for the handrails to pull himself up, he limped up the stairs, his eyes wide.

But there was fear in his expression. He clutched one wrist close against his body, the other around his stomach.

Instantly, my Alpha took over, desperate to check on our mate.

His scent was drenched in fear and distress.

I moved to his side, my face nuzzling into his hair as I scented him, ignoring the students in the hall.

I could still smell the scent of burning forest, but the light floral scent of our pup was there.

I couldn’t tell anything more than that, and the way Aidyn clutched at his stomach, I could tell he was concerned the fall hurt the pup.

“I think…I think I hurt my wrist. Can you drive me to the clinic?” he asked softly. He moved his arm away from his belly to wrap the fingers of his good hand around my wrist.

I nodded, my arm around Aidyn’s lower back, cautiously watching him as we descended the stairs.

I stopped for a brief moment to grab his backpack that lay on the landing before I guided him into the parking lot.

I opened the car door for him and eased him into the passenger seat, my Alpha growling at the hiss of pain that Aidyn exuded.

I wasn’t mad at him; I was pissed at Forester, who decided to push Aidyn, and I would bring this before the board for harassment, but for now, my focus was on Aidyn.

I handed him his backpack, and he struggled to take the otter out, clutching it close against him as I made my way to the driver's side, starting the car. I drove past the clinic, and Aidyn watched it go with a curious expression on his face. His scent spiked in mild fear, but it didn’t last long.

He trusted me to know what to do and where to take him.

Ryan didn’t work at the clinic on Tuesdays unless he had something scheduled, so taking Aidyn to the hospital was the better option. I needed the best to help my mate.

Pulling into the hospital parking structure, I stuffed the parking ticket into my pocket before exiting the car and helped Aidyn remove his seat belt.

He left the otter on the floorboards of the passenger seat, but I grabbed it before locking the car, and I could see the relief on Aidyn’s face when he saw it.

It pained me that he felt so insecure to leave the stuffie behind, but I knew he needed it at that moment.

We checked in at the front desk, and after providing my name and requesting Ryan, we were immediately put into a private room to wait for my best friend.

“I thought you didn’t want Dr. Easton to know about us,” Aidyn mumbled, trying to get onto the exam chair but struggling without using his injured wrist.

Without seeking permission, I moved over to him, effortlessly lifting him up and placing him on the table, the sanitary tissue paper crinkling under him. I offered him the otter, and he placed it on his lap as I moved awkwardly to stand beside him.

“You’re injured, and I’m taking you to the best of the best. I just didn’t want him to know who I was seeing, he knows far too much about my life as it is.”

A knock interrupted us, and Ryan walked in, his eyes wide in surprise as he looked at both of us. He looked down at the chart in his hand, then up at us both before sighing.

“The Omega you’ve been seeing is my patient?” He turned his gaze toward Aidyn. “And your Alpha is my best friend? This is a huge conflict of interest, you know that, right?”

“So is being best friends with the family that has been our primary care physician for years,” I observed, eyebrow raised.

“Touché. Why do you reek of pheromones? Even I can scent you.”

I glanced at Aidyn, catching his eye. The scent of burning forest spiked briefly before it lowered back down to a simmer. “We’ll discuss it later. Right now, I need you to look at Aidyn.”

Ryan looked between the two of us and nodded, setting the file down on the counter. “Hello again, Mr. Keller. And what brings you to the hospital and not the clinic?”

Aidyn’s gaze turned from me to the floor, and silence enveloped the room. I fought not to take control of the situation. I wanted to make it easier for him and less uncomfortable, but I could do nothing.

“Alpha,” he whispered softly, reaching out to grab me with his good hand. I took his hand and interlaced our fingers together.

I could finally breathe again. Simply touching Aidyn in an intimate way allowed the blockage in my lungs to pass, and I could take a full gulp of air. I still felt like shit, but less so. Aidyn took a deep breath and raised his head to look at Ryan.

“I fell down some stairs and landed on my wrist. It hurts like hell. I don’t know if it’s broken. And…” He was silent again, glancing at me as if seeking my approval or my reassurance. I nodded slowly, squeezing his hand. “And I need to make sure that the pup didn’t get hurt in the fall.”

Ryan’s head snapped to me at the news, eyes almost comically large. It took a moment before he regained cognitive function. He dug out a gown from the bottom drawer and handed it to Aidyn.

“I know the wrist hurts like hell, but hang on a little while longer. We need to ensure the pup is okay first. I need you to undress completely and put the gown on; I need access to your abdomen and, unfortunately, your womb, so there is a sheet there to cover your front with. Is it okay if Luke and I talk in the hallway while you get undressed?”

Aidyn hesitated, clutching the otter closer to his body before he nodded.

I wrapped my arm around his shoulders, pulling him against me as I kissed his temple, informing him that I would return in a moment, and stepped out with Ryan.

The door had barely closed behind him before he began laying into me.

“What the actual fucking fuck! Not only is he your fucking student, but he’s also fucking pregnant?! How do you fuck up this badly?! Is that why I can scent you? Some Alpha macho ‘must protect my delicate mate’ bullshit?”

“No,” I responded sadly, rubbing the back of my neck before looking at him. “I went into rut during his heat and accidentally started the bonding process.”

“Oh, this just gets better and better! When did this fucking happen?”

“His heat ended yesterday.” I winced at the groan that Ryan emanated, his palm slapping into his face as he glared at me.

“I just found out a few hours ago he was pregnant. I had gone out to get more protein bars because we were running low and I didn’t know how much longer his heat was going to be, and when I returned, he was gone.

I tried to talk to him and ended up fighting with his roommate. ”

“Explains the bruise.”

“Indeed. The bond is incomplete. I’m going through the stages of bonding sickness.

After everything, I don’t think Aidyn will want to bond with me.

I’ve fucked it all up. He already told me that he’s not keeping the pup.

I can’t force him to; it’s not my decision; he’s the one that will have to carry the pup for the next nine months. ”

“Nine months is for Beta parents, not Omegas and Alphas.” Ryan corrected.

“You’re looking at about a seven-month pregnancy since your bodies develop faster than Betas.

However, Aidyn is male, and there isn’t a whole lot of room for pups to grow, so you’re looking at around six to six and a half months, and it’s not going to be an easy pregnancy if he goes through with it.

His stomach can only expand so far, and you’ll actually start to see a difference in his abdomen after the first month.

Even if he doesn’t want to keep it, it’s best to make sure he’s okay so that we don’t have to worry about a miscarriage and potentially bleeding out. ”

“That’s possible?” I asked, suddenly alarmed, and I swayed slightly where I stood.

Ryan’s face softened, and he reached out to squeeze my arm in an attempt to reassure me. “Hey, he seems to be okay, just a little shaken, but we’ll know more after an examination. Bleeding out is very rare, but we have to prepare for everything. Do your parents know?”

I shook my head. “They know about him; they’re not happy. Remind me to tell you about Thanksgiving later.”

“Oh boy! Can’t wait for that drama!”

I smiled sadly, and he turned to knock on the exam room door before opening it.

Aidyn sat on the exam table, his clothes lying on the spare chair in a heap, with the otter sitting on top of it.

He reached for me the second he saw me, and I instantly moved toward him, taking his hand in mine.

Ryan instructed Aidyn to lay down on the table before drawing some blood from Aidyn’s arm to run a few tests, asking Aidyn if he felt any pain anywhere besides his wrist. Aidyn shook his head, and Ryan moved the gown, exposing his chest and abdomen.

I couldn't help the growl that came from my chest.

“Chill, Alpha,” Ryan chuckled, smirking at me. “It’s so fun to see you actually act like an Alpha.”

“Fuck you,” I growled.

Ryan chuckled again before using two fingers to push around Aidyn’s abdomen, watching the Omega’s face for any sign of discomfort or pain.

He asked a few questions, inquiring if certain locations hurt or were tender.

Again, Aidyn responded no. With a loud clunk, Ryan pulled out a set of stirrups from the side of the exam table, instructing Aidyn to scooch down until his ass was toward the end of the table.

Aidyn’s cheeks were flushed a scarlet red as he did as he was instructed, wiggling his body down and putting his feet into the stirrups provided.

A low rattle started in my chest again while Aidyn squeezed my hand, looking directly at me and not at Ryan.

Ryan gave me an apologetic smile as he pulled out a set of sanitation gloves, pulling them on and applying lubrication to his forefinger and middle finger.

“Sorry, Luke, it needs to be done. This isn’t fun for me either,” Ryan said, before instructing Aidyn to take a deep breath.

Aidyn buried his face into the side of my hand as Ryan inserted his fingers into him.

It was awkward and uncomfortable for everyone, and Ryan did his best to move things along as quickly and as medically possible.

After a moment, Ryan nodded, removing his fingers and instructing Aidyn that he could sit up before tearing off the gloves

“Unfortunately, because the pregnancy is so new, we can’t do an ultrasound.

There seems to be no internal bleeding, which is good, and your womb seems to be fine, but I’ll run the blood tests.

There have been developments in medicine that if the child is in distress, it’ll show up in your blood, so I should get the results in a day or so since I’m going to order a rush to the tests.

There doesn’t seem to be any discomfort or pain as I was poking around, which is good.

If you start to feel pain or notice any bleeding, go to the ER and call me.

Luke has my personal number. Now, let’s take a look at your wrist. Can you wiggle your fingers for me?

Good, you can move them, which is a good sign.

What about moving your wrist up and down?

Okay, let’s go do a few X-rays. We have a machine down the hall, but I’m pretty sure we’re looking at a severe sprain rather than a broken wrist. Why don't you get dressed and meet me outside. Luke, I want you to stay here while I care for Aidyn.”

My Alpha growled at the idea of being separated from my wounded mate, and the look of amusement crossing Ryan’s face only pissed me off more.

I knew Ryan would tease me about finding a mate, but I wasn’t in the mood right now.

Not when my mate was not only angry at me and probably hated my guts but also injured and being taken away from me.

“Yes, yes. Rawr, big, big scary Alpha. I’ll be waiting just outside the door, Aidyn. Come out when you’re ready.”

Fortunately, the X-rays confirmed that Aidyn had nothing more than a sprained wrist, and Ryan advised him to ice the wrist when he got home and wear a brace when he wasn’t icing it.

He asked me if I wanted any medication to help with the worst of the bonding sickness, but I declined, insisting on going through the illness without assistance to atone for what I had done.

After validating our parking ticket, we left the hospital and returned to the car, sitting in silence for a moment.

“I’ll take you to get a brace, and then I’ll take you home,” I said softly.

“I don’t want to go home.”

“I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

Silence deafened the space between us. I glanced at Aidyn, who stared straight ahead, clutching the otter tightly, but I could see tears sliding down his cheeks. Part of me worried the otter's head would pop off with how tightly he held the plush.

“E-even if you cleaned it up, can I return to my nest?”

“Yea, little fawn. I’ll take you to your nest.”