Chapter Four

Eric

I can feel the intensity of the wind blowing ferociously against my face as I speed up on my motorcycle. The engine is roaring loudly, a testament to my expert grinding of the throttle.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

This is bad.

While I stood by the fountain waiting for Cassie, I spotted her in the midst of the crowd. I was smiling when she waved at me, but the moment she stopped at the top of the steps, I knew that something was wrong.

I had noticed her unfocused eyes and pale skin… an indication that she was in pain and needed her pills. Standing there at the top of those steps was a terrible idea because of the students rushing out of class.

I hadn't even finished thinking that something was wrong, when someone bumped into her from behind, forcing the bottle in her hand to fall to the ground. It felt like slow motion to me as the open bottle hit the stairs and her pills scattered across the ground. I felt my heart skip a beat.

I could feel her pain. I know how much she needs those pills. They've been a part of her existence for as long as I've known her. One of the core memories of our friendship is the day she explained to me that she would die without them.

They also cost a fortune, according to her. We met fourteen years ago when I was ten and she was eight. We were both loners at school and always sat at the same lunch table with all the rejects. I saw how little she always had to eat and shared my meals with her. She admitted that things were hard because her mom had to buy her pills, and her need for refills had only been getting more frequent. I helped out however I could. Well… my brother helped out. He gave her mom grocery baskets every week so that she could at least eat well.

If she knew we did this, she would have tried to make us stop… just like she tried to reject my help.

There are only two pills left. I've given one to her and I have the other. I really hope right now that the one she has with her will suffice until I'm able to get a refill for her. She gets so sickly and is usually unable to walk long distances when she doesn't take her dosage, hence the reason I gave her some cash to take a cab.

A part of me is angry for leaving her like that, knowing how difficult it can be for her. I'm cursing myself for choosing this over being with her, but it was necessary. I can't stand the fact that her life is on the line. Although I don't know the name of the pill, I am willing to search high and low until I find more like it. And I won't do it alone.

I'm in a hurry to get to my brother's shop so we can both figure this out. Two heads, as they say, are better than one.

My mind is fixed on Cassie and helping her get those pills. I will not stop, and I will not slow down until my mission is accomplished.

As I speed through the streets, I hear people yelling at me to slow down. Some people even curse at me for the high speed I'm traveling at, but I don't give a fuck. They don't know what's going on. Their thoughts don't really matter to me right now.

I squint at the harshness of the wind against my eyes as I accelerate onward, weaving through a string of vehicles. I know it won't do her any good if I crash and something bad happens to me, but I really do not care. Her life is more important than mine. She's an Omega and I am a Beta. Of course her life is more important.

She has always told me to stop thinking so little about myself, saying that the fact that I am a Beta isn't my fault.

"The only difference between you and me is that I can smell pheromones."

She once said that to me with a smile after a couple of Omegas looked down on me at a diner here in Silverwood. They'd made fun of me and called me human. Cassie, despite her condition, had stood up for me, defending me vehemently against those Omegas. I could stand up for myself even though I didn't have a chance of winning against them in a fight. I simply chose to ignore them. I'd been treated like that for almost my entire life.

The tires of my bike screech against the tar, smoking as I bring the motorcycle to a halt outside Jeremiah's bookstore. I kill the engine and hop off, hurrying to get inside.

"Oh my God, his pheromones are so nice," one of the two ladies coming out of the shop says to the other, and they both giggle, blushing.

From their small statures, I can tell that they are most likely Omegas, and they are obviously talking about my brother, Jeremiah.

Pheromones.

I don't have pheromones, nor can I smell any. I've lost count of the number of times I've been intimidated by people with their pheromones. Most of the time though, I'll just stand there and watch them stare menacingly at me without feeling anything. Nothing at all. Even when everyone around me seems to react to whatever those guys are doing, I just stand there, clueless, because I am a Beta.

Growing up, blending in with my peers wasn't really easy for me because I hadn't yet come to terms with my reality. Therefore, I always felt left out, like I didn't belong… like I was an outcast or something. I had spent nights asking, why me? However, as time went on and the bullying started, I gradually began to understand myself and appreciate myself more. Slowly, the feeling of hurt that came with being a Beta was buried deep down inside me.

"Is that his brother?" the other girl asks the first with a stolen glance in my direction.

"Yeah, it is," the first responds in the same hushed tone.

"Oh, my! He is cute too."

"Yeah…but he's a Beta."

The previous girl makes the statement with a touch of pity and disdain as they both walk past me. Not like it matters. They both look like they're still in high school, meaning I wouldn't look twice at them. Jeremiah wouldn't either. He's thirty-two. Technically, what they think about either of us is of no consequence.

Their words do remind me of my fate with Cassie, though. You see, as a Beta, I'm at a disadvantage when it comes to mating and love… unless I only date Betas. Cassie is an Omega, and as such, she is much better off with an Alpha, like Jeremiah.

Even if I eventually end up with an Omega, she will have to be on blockers all the time because, as nature would have it, an Omega will always need an Alpha. When an Omega goes into heat, the only thing that can satisfy them is an Alpha's knot. It's the only thing that can give them a fulfilled heat. I don't have a knot.

I ignore the two ladies and walk into the bookstore.

Jeremiah is scribbling something down on a notepad on the countertop when I approach him. He jerks his head up, and his green eyes shimmer behind those horn-rimmed glasses as they settle on me.

"Hey, buddy!" he says with a smile and shakes my hand. Jeremiah squints, looking behind me. "Where's Cassie?"

I go quiet, fixing my gaze on him. I can tell that he can smell the worry and fear emanating from me.

"Eric…where is she?" His tone is a lot more serious at this point.

I take out the pill and drop it before him on the countertop.

"What's this?" He picks it up, curious as to how it relates to his question.

"One of Cassie's pills," I reply.

"Okay…" he drawls lazily. "And what exactly are you doing with one of them, Eric? You know how she gets when she doesn't have her meds." He seems pissed, but demeanor is still calm.

"She's running out of them as we speak, brother," I reply.

"What?" His brows knit in shock and concern.

"That's why I'm here," I say to him. "Someone bumped into her at school, and unfortunately, her pill bottle fell out of her hand."

"Shit!" he exclaims softly, massaging his eyeballs.

"They were all trampled, and now she has one, and I have one. That's it."

I haven't finished talking yet, and my brother is already packing up the books on the counter and tossing them into the drawer. He walks over to a clothing hanger on the wall and picks up his black coat.

"I took this one so we can get a refill for her before it's too late." I pick it up from the counter.

He slips into the coat and walks over to me.

"Let's go," he declares and leads the way.

This is one of the many reasons I adore this man. He's swift to action whenever he cares about someone, and he doesn't mind the lengths he'll have to go for them. He's always willing to help and somehow, he always figures stuff out so effortlessly. I know that he's my best shot at finding a replacement for this drug.

We leave the store, and he locks it up before we head to his car.

"Where are we going exactly?" I ask as I slide into the passenger seat.

"I know a guy who might be able to help us with this situation," he replies.

"I'd be a little more confident in your words if you hadn't said ‘might'," I say to him, looking out the window for a minute. "She's worried, you know."

"What?" His eyes are still fixed on the road.

"Cassie." I turn to face him. "She's worried that we're doing this for her."

He sighs and takes a turn down a side street.

"She should have known by now that we can and will do anything for her."

I press my lips together and return my gaze to the horizon.

Right.

Jeremiah and I are both in love with Cassie, and we are both aware of our mutual feelings for her, but she isn't. Maybe she can tell by the way we care for her all the time, but we haven't really told her yet.

I have been in love with her for as long as I can remember, and, well, I can say the same thing for Jeremiah.

He has the upper hand here, not because he's eight years older than me, but simply because he's an Alpha and she is an Omega. She's a recessive Omega and he's a recessive Alpha. There won't be any sort of power imbalance when they tie the knot. This means that the two of them are a great match, leaving me once again in the shadows.

However, there's only one problem: Cassie's condition. Since she's always so sickly, most people—especially other female Omegas—don't really believe that she's good enough to be Jeremiah's mate. They always say this out of jealousy. Oftentimes, it's when they notice my brother looking lovingly at her. That's when they whisper to themselves about how she's barely an Omega and how they can barely smell her.

Of course, I rebuked a lot of those girls for speaking ill of Cassie, and some of them picked on me for being a Beta, telling me sarcastically that they understood why I'd stand up for her— that we're basically the same.

Since I've known her, Cassie has never had a heat period. So, should I end up with her, there won't necessarily be any trouble, and she won't really need an Alpha's knot. It's both comforting and concerning at the same time. It's comforting, because it gives me a chance at happiness with her, but it's also concerning, because as an Omega, she's supposed to have a heat period.

When I turned eighteen, Jeremiah and I had come to terms with the fact that we were both in love with Cassie, and he told me that it was okay. We just had to keep our fingers crossed and wait for her to choose. And regardless of who she chose, it wouldn't change anything between us. However, if she couldn't choose, then we'd all be a family unit together.

As an Omega, Cassie can have multiple Alphas, and Jeremiah, as an Alpha, can have multiple Omegas. Basically, Alphas and Omegas can have multiple partners, and that could be our case if she was unable to choose between us.

"I don't think she knows how we feel about her," I say to my brother. "She might suspect it, but that's all I know."

"Yeah." He glances at me. "We already agreed that we're going to wait until she graduates college. Let's stick to the plan."

I exhale sharply.

"She says that she's going to find a way to pay us back," I snicker, explaining to my brother what Cassie had said.

He laughs lightly.

"She doesn't have to do that," he says and starts to slow the car down.

"That's what I told her. But you know Cassie. She doesn't like it much when people do her a solid," I reply.

The car comes to a halt outside a pharmacy.

"So, I told her that she could work at the store as a way of paying you back."

"Fantastic." He kills the engine and unstraps his seatbelt.

I do the same.

"I know how much she loves to read and spend time in the bookstore. It'll be good for her. Besides, we both like having her around, so we can make this a thing where she feels like she's working to pay off the pills," Jeremiah says and opens his door.

We step out of the car and head into the pharmacy.

"Jeremiah Jackson," the man behind the counter calls out with a welcoming smile as we approach him. "My man!"

They shake hands with warm grins on their faces.

"Good to see you, Phillip," Jeremiah says to him.

"Hey, Phil," I chip in.

"Eric," he gives me a slight nod.

I wonder why Jeremiah didn't tell me at first that it was Phil's place we were coming to. Phillip is an Omega and also one of Jeremiah's friends.

Not all Omegas are female. There also are male Omegas. They're just a little smaller and less powerful than the regular males. Because of this, they can be with Alpha women or Alpha men. Phillip is paired already. He has a mate. The mark on his neck clearly indicates that he's taken. However, I don't know who his mate is.

"What brings you two Jackson brothers around these parts?" he asks.

"I'm glad you asked." Jeremiah steps forward. "We have a situation on our hands, and we need your help." He stretches out his hand, and I place the pill in his palm. Jeremiah sets the pill on the countertop. "We need a refill on this. I don't have the prescription or anything, but the person who this is for really can't live without it."

I watch Phil's countenance change to alarm within seconds as he sees the pill. It's almost like he recognizes it.

Instantly, Phil grabs the pill and hides it in his hand, fear palpable in his gaze.

"Are you crazy?" he whispers through gritted teeth and shoves the pill into a drawer, looking around as if he's hoping no one saw it.

"What're you doing, man?" Jeremiah asks, shocked by this behavior.

"What am I doing?" Phil frowns at him. "Do you not know what this is?"

Jeremiah and I exchange confused glances.

"Who else knows that you brought this pill here?" he inquires.

"No one," Jeremiah replies.

"Good," he says and heads toward the back office. "Come with me."

Again, we look at each other and follow him.

"Phil, what's going on?" Jeremiah asks him. "Your behavior is starting to concern me."

"You should be concerned," he says to him, "because if you get caught in possession of that pill, you could end up in jail."

"Jail?" my brother and I chorus in bewilderment.

"Okay, first things first; where the fuck did you get that pill?" he asks, displaying his discomfort.

"I told you a friend of ours takes them all the time," Jeremiah answers. "What the hell is the big deal about the medication anyway?"

"The big deal is that it is fucking TX-Max!" he hushes his voice as he speaks.

"What?" Jeremiah's jaw drops.

Fuck, that can't be good.

TX-Max is a blocker, a very dangerous type of blocker, and although no one really knows what it looks like, everyone knows there's a penalty attached to being in possession of it.

Now, why the hell is Cassie taking TX-Max on a regular basis? It's a blocker. Why would she need it? She's not a shifter, doesn't have a wolf, and doesn't have a heat period. What is going on?

"This pill," Phil continues, "it was banned for a reason… a couple of reasons, actually. The pill was designed to affect a shifter's wolf, to make them weak and sickly all the time. Basically, the pill suppresses who they are…"

Holy shit!

As he speaks, I realize that everything he mentioned is a symptom Cassie is experiencing and what this means, is that trouble isn't far behind.

"Oh my God," I say softly. "Cassie's in danger."