Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

brANSON

Jackson and I joke as we sit in the ambulance, waiting for another call before the shift is over. Normally, I don't mind these moments with my friend, but now that I'm married, I want nothing more than to go home to Emmeline. I long to eat whatever disaster she made and show her just how proud I am of her trying to be a perfect little homemaker when she had no training, no model, to show her how it's done.

Perhaps we'll luck out and get to leave our shift early. She made such a pretty picture sprawled out in the bed with my cum dripping from her pretty pussy. I can't wait to give her an encore.

"Dispatch to Ambulance 205."

Well, there goes that idea. A soft groan flits through my lips as they rattle off basic information, but I soon stop cold when my brain registers our new address.

"Hey, isn't that where-" Jackson starts, his fingers inching toward the siren button.

"Yes," I growl out. "Drive."

Traffic conspires against us, slowing us down at every turn. At first, I wonder if she's playing a game, trying to relive our first meeting. But when call after call goes to her voicemail, my heart seizes in my chest. Something is wrong. I can feel it.

When we turn into our driveway, I motion for Jackson to stay put. Whatever is happening, I want to be the first one to find out. I unlock the door and slip inside, my eyes darting back and forth as I try to find my wife. Smoke comes from the kitchen, but no fire alarms sound off.

As I make my way inside, I see a package of noodles and a pot of boiling water, but no Emmeline. I turn off the stove and continue to make my way through the house. Damn it. If this was my old apartment, I'd find her right away. As it is, I have to go down a hallway and look inside various rooms before I make it to my bedroom.

My heart stutters as I stare down at her limp form lying next to the bed. "Emmeline," I shout, falling to my knees as I scoop her into my arms.

She's burning up. Pulling my scanner out of my bag, I press her thumb onto the plate, my pulse skyrocketing as I wait for the results. Nothing. No viruses. No illnesses. Nothing.

The only thing showing as elevated is her estrogen. Turning her in my arms, I lightly tap her cheeks, doing my best to wake her up. When her lashes flutter up at me, revealing her dull emerald eyes, I take in a full breath as everything relaxes.

"What- Is your shift over already?"

"No, Princess," I murmur, holding her close for a moment. "You called EMS. I found you like this on the floor. Talk to me. What's going on?"

"I- Oh. Oh, God," she exclaims, drawing her knees into her chest. "It... it hurts. Please. Please make the hurt go away."

"I will, honey, just as soon as you tell me where it is." Red rushes over her face as her fingers drift down toward her pussy. "You called me away from work because you're horny? Color me flattered."

"No. I. Well. Yes. But no. It's not like that. It's something else. Something different. It's wrong. Everything is wrong."

Her body shakes in my arms as she gestures to the room. I follow her gaze, unsure of what she's talking about. Sure, things are a bit messy, but nothing just so out of the ordinary. It's not as if I have a maid to keep things straight. All I have is her.

Any attempt she's made at being domestic, I've applauded, praised, and helped where needed. I don't need fancy or pristine. I'm perfectly fine with lived-in. Is Emmeline perhaps regretting marrying someone laid back like me? Someone without the fortune she's used to?

When she doubles over again, I frown, staring down at her writhing body. No. This is something else. I take her scent deep into my lungs and freeze. No. No, it can't be.

"Listen to me, sweet girl. If I'm not mistaken, you're going into heat."

She stops, lying ramrod in my arms. "You are mistaken. You have to be. I'm on suppressants. I've been on them since I was thirteen. There's no way I can go into heat. It has to be something else. Scan me again."

Easing her back onto the floor, I stride over into the adjoining bathroom and rummage through the medicine cabinet. There, just like they are every day, are her pills. I've seen her take them. I've watched her be almost militant about taking them.

As I roll a few onto my palm, however, a niggling suspicion clenches my gut. I've seen my fair share of pills, and these don't look like any form of suppressants I've seen. The differences are minuscule, so minute that most wouldn't even notice or even care.

Fakes. And good ones. Only the type someone with a lot of money can get. Someone like her bitch of a mother.

What is the hag playing at? On the one hand, she basically berates us for a marriage neither of us can control, and on the other, she tampers with her daughter's suppressants. It's as if she wants her to fail.

Unless I put in my nose suppressors, I won't be able to resist Emmeline when she goes into heat. If I hadn't fucked her already on our wedding night, I will certainly be fucking her now. Shaking my head, I grip the bottle in my hand and walk out to the bedroom where my omega fusses about, trying her best to fix the sheets.

"Where did you get your suppressants?"

She pauses her actions and stares up at me, narrowing her eyes for a moment. "Mother? I think? Doctor Jamie always does my examinations then writes up a prescription."

"They're fake."

Her body freezes as she looks deep into my eyes, her body shaking as the enormity of my words sinks in. "Goddammit," she roars, her expletive taking me by surprise. "Why the fuck would she do that to me?"

Dropping the bottle onto the floor, I make my way over to her and gather her into my arms. "I don't know, but we can get you through this heat. I just need to grab my nasal suppressors and some condoms. Let me tell Jackson it's okay for him to go home, and we'll figure this out."

"No." Her voice is deadly serious, rumbling over my skin in a way that makes my balls clench and my cock pulse.

It's her impending heat, calling me to go into a rut. I don't have much time. "Whether you like it or not, there's no stopping this. I can bring you to a clinic and have them stop it with medicine, but they only do that on rare occasions. We're married. They're not going to give two shits that your pills were fake."

"That's not what I mean. I want you to claim me."

I turn to look at her, precum welling up my shaft until it smears across my underwear. "I don't think I heard you correctly."

"That's what happens in a heat. Yes? You claim the other person?"

"If I put my suppressors in, I won't go into a rut. I don't have to claim you."

"But I want you to. I'm so sick of this game where I'm half in and half out. Fuck my mother. Fuck all the bullshit she's put me through. I want you. You are my family."

"Are you sure?" I murmur, sliding in close. "Once I do this, there's no going back. I can't unclaim you. You're mine forever, as I will be yours. This is far more binding than marriage will ever be."

"I know you said love will come, but-"

I drag her into my arms and slant my mouth over hers, cutting off her words with a passionate kiss. "God, Emmeline, I'm already obsessed with you. I want nothing more than to claim you and keep you as mine. You own my heart. You have my soul."

"And love?" she whimpers, wedging her arms between us to wrap them around her stomach.

"I love you already, sweet girl. I'm sure I did the moment I first saw you. I just couldn't let myself fall."

She collapses against me, her small frame quivering in my arms as soft sobs flit from her lips. "I- I think I love you too."

A light chuckle drifts from my lips as I pull her back to kiss her on the forehead. "You think?"

"I've never known what love is. How will I know if I'm doing it right?"

"Oh, my sweet, sweet girl. Let me show you. Let me give you all the love I have. Let me shower you with everything in me. There's no right or wrong. Through the bond, I'll know exactly how you feel. You don't need to find the right words or actions. I'll know. I'll always know. Just like you will."

I hold her close, rocking us together as my mind races. She'll find out about me sooner or later. Maybe if she sees it through the bond, she'll understand. I won't have to explain. Who am I kidding? She'll blame me, hate me, despise me for what I've put her through.

"Just promise me, no matter what, you know I love you. I will never intentionally hurt you."

"I- I promise."

Nodding, I carry her over to the bed and set her in the middle. Already, her fingers fly over the sheets as her frown drags down her brow. She should be in a celestial room with silks and furs, building a nest fit for the daughter of the five families. And I can't give her that.

Because of who I am and what I've chosen to become, I can't give her that. For the first time since I've left the house and chosen my own path, I have a niggle of regret. It's because of my love for her I'm even willing to consider turning the clock back.

Sorrow leeches from my body as I gather up blankets and clothes, giving them to her so she can build her nest. At this point in her heat, she doesn't care. She's just happy to have something soft to build with. But I know she deserves so much better.

With her fully occupied, I slip out of the house and jog over to the ambulance. Jackson leans his head out the window, unease dripping off of him. "Is she okay?"

"Surprise heat. Her mother gave her fake suppressants."

"That bitch," he grumbles under his breath. "Do you need nasal suppressors? I think we have some in the back."

"No. Emmeline wants me to claim her."

"Oh." Jackson sits back in his seat and stares out the front window. "But then she'll know-"

"I know. I don't know what this is going to do to our marriage."

"She loves you, right?"

"I think she does. I know I'm batshit crazy for her."

"Then I think she'll understand."

"One can only hope." Pulling my car key off of my ring, I hand it to him. "If either you or Mikey can bring my car home, I'd be grateful. Make sure they know what's going on. I'm not sure how long I'll be since this is her first heat after being on suppressants for years."

"I understand. We still have your spare key, so we'll leave some water and non-perishable food in your kitchen."

"I'd appreciate that. I just wish I had time to plan, to prepare, to-"

"Give her a nest fitting an omega of her wealth?"

My shoulders slump forward. "Exactly."

"Hey, the few times I've been around her, I get the distinct impression she's the complete opposite of her mother. I don't think she cares about money as much as you're worried she is. It will be okay. Just see her through this heat, claim her, and the rest can be worked on. Trust me, a lot can happen in a bond. Things have a way of working out."

"God, I hope you're right."