Page 130 of Pretty When She Breaks

I doubted Finch and Kaos would be happy to find out that I was needed to help Ocean.

“In theory,” she said, chewing her lip. “None of them are proven. But if you want, I can send you those as well. Maybe you could look them over and decide if it’s worth it? But really, a scent-compatible omega is the best option.”

I chewed my lip.

“I have another question. But it’s an omega thing. If we could—” I glanced at the alphas, and Shatter tried to shoo them out.

They compromised with two of them leaving and Dusk standing in the corner, glowering at me. I fiddled with my sweats again, wondering how to breach this topic.

“I, um…have you ever heard of an omega getting aura sickness?”

She looked at me with concern. “I mean, I’ve only heard of alphas getting it, but there’s something happening to me. My bond keeps getting weaker and then stronger, and my bond mark feels like it’s burning.”

“I’ve never heard of it, no,” she says, and my shoulders droop.

“Oh, that’s okay,” I said, “Don’t worry about it.”

She still looked thoughtful. “Does anything seem to make it better or worse?”

I swallowed, thinking of Ocean in the pits, of Kaos holding me coldly. I glanced at Dusk in the corner before lowering my voice.

“I, um, I think it gets worse when I know my alphas are in trouble. But I can’t help them.”

Or when I can feel their hatred.

“It’s possible,” she mused. “My own working theory is that alpha aura sickness occurs when intrinsic nurturing and protective instincts are chronically suppressed or disregarded, leading to a disruption in the individual—or pack’s—psychophysiological equilibrium…”

She continued on, her rumination becoming so thick with Arkology terms that I couldn’t make heads or tails of what she was saying.

“So, in short, I don’t know right now, but how about I see what I can find!” she finished, smiling at me.

I smiled back and scrawled my email onto a piece of paper. “Thanks so much,” I told her, and she nodded happily.

“Of course,” she replied, as if helping me was something anyone would do.

Not anyone I knew.

But perhaps I knew the wrong kind of people.

I bounced on my feet, nervously awaiting the rideshare I’d arranged to get here. It wasn’t ideal, but Jade had a job now, so I’d had to make do.

A car pulled up on the pavement next to me, and I walked toward it.

Was this my ride? I pulled up my app, but it had frozen. The car door opened, and I stared as a familiar skeletal alpha stepped out, a smug grin on his face.

“Kaos?” I asked, aghast. “You can drive?”

“Not legally, no,” he said mildly, scratching his chest. “Shall we?”

“I’m waiting for a proper ride,” I told him.

He sauntered around the side of the car, and I frowned at him as he approached. He ignored that and, to my shock, wrapped his arms around me. As I floundered, he pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

A purr started up in him as he held me, and I felt my cheeks reddening. My face was smushed into his chest, and his sharp static and absinthe scent flooded my nose, instinctively making me relax.

“Finally. You were gone when I woke up,” he said, his arms squeezing tighter around me. It felt nice, in his arms, and he was so warm.

I came to my senses and struggled to get away from him. I couldn’t move much with the wound on my shoulder.