Chapter Five

Olivia knocked and said, "Haravin, it's Olly."

There was a sound from inside. "I will be there in a minute."

Haravin opened the door and said, "Hey, Olly, come on in."

Olivia was shocked. Haravin was white with grey around her lips and eyes. The pain in her expression was one that Olivia was familiar with.

"Oh, honey, sit down. What happened?"

Haravin sat, her sundress bagging around her, and a pillow pulled onto her lap. Haravin told her what had transpired.

Olivia covered her mouth. "Oh, no. Honey, what do you need?"

"I just need to lie down for twenty hours and keep cold compresses on my junk."

Olivia said, "You have to come home."

"No. Not my home. This is my home."

Olivia looked around and finally took in the giant wall case full of trophies and ribbons. "Wow. You got all these?"

"Yes. With my dance partner. We were good."

"Really good. Astonishingly good. Is this a national?"

"Yeah. I appreciate you coming down, Olly, but I will recover. I guess it had to happen eventually, but I always thought there would be another body involved." She chuckled weakly.

Olly knelt in front of her. "Please. Please come home. It is no trouble. You have done so much for our family in the last few months. You even taught Dexter to dance. That must have been difficult."

"He already had basics. He really wanted to learn to dance with Ambrose."

Olly smiled. "He told me."

"Of course."

"Now, I am going to nag you again. Come home."

Haravin looked mortified. "I can't walk that far."

"Oh. Too easy. Ambrose can carry you." Olly grinned and went to the bedroom, gathering dresses and underwear with a few pairs of sandals. She grabbed Haravin's purse and verified that the passport was inside along with identification and her cards.

"Okay, Haravin, as your employer, more or less, I am ordering you to come to our place to be set up in the guestroom and to remain there until your body doesn't feel like raw meat."

"I don't want to be fussed over."

"Well, I have already called Nora, and she's willing to do a shift with you, helping you navigate to the bathroom when I have to do stuff with the publicist."

There was a soft knock, and Ambrose opened the door, smiling, "Hey, Haravin. I am going to pick you up very carefully."

She nodded, and he followed up with very carefully picking her up, and when she whimpered, he paused. He set her down carefully and pulled Olly aside for a rapid conversation.

Olly swallowed. "Okay. Right. Haravin, do you remember which doctor you saw this morning?"

"Dr. Oriel. She was very nice."

Ambrose nodded and walked into the bedroom, closing the door.

Olly took her hand and said, "Haravin, how long were you dancing?"

"Since I was a kid."

"Have you ever gone in for any kind of surgery?"

Haravin frowned. "Yeah. I had my appendix out when I was thirteen. Why?"

"You had abdominal stitches?"

"No. But I had to move carefully for a while. I was back to normal dancing in two weeks." Haravin asked, "Why?"

"Because Ambrose was there when they picked me up, and I had been sewn shut. I don't think you were pulled all the way shut, but I think they narrowed you to stop you from doing anything with any of the alphas around at the dance competitions."

"Wait. How did he know?"

"He remembers the sounds I made. Apparently, they haunt him."

Ambrose came back in. "The doctor is waiting at her office for us."

Olly watched him carefully lift Haravin. "I will let Ford know."

Haravin was blind with pain, and she tried to hold the sounds in. Instead of getting better, as soon as she had left the ice bath and cold compresses, the pain was so much worse.

Olly held her hand and stroked her head, nuzzling her cheek like she did at home. Haravin chuckled, and soon, they were at the centre. Ambrose picked her out of the car like she was made of glass, and he and Olivia escorted her to the building. They went up to the eighth floor. Even the pressure of the elevator hurt.

The doctor and a nurse were waiting. They sedated her, strapped her down, and then went looking.

Haravin sighed and pressed her thighs together with only a burning twinge. No more pain.

She sat up and looked around. "How did I get to the hotel?"

Olivia rushed in and crouched over her, stroking her hair back with tears in her eyes. She swallowed and smiled. "You owe Ambrose a pavlova. Ten stitches torn loose and hanging. Dr. Oriel had no reason to think they were there, so she wasn't looking for them."

"Well, three cheers for PTSD, I guess?"

"With me, they tried to sew me shut; with you, they were aiming to narrow you, so the damage was all the way up to your cervix." Olly held her hand. "Well, at least it heals fast."

"Oh. Hooray. So, why am I at the hotel?"

Alohi came in. "Because if you need help, we want to be the ones providing it."

She smiled. "Oh, hey, Alohi. I think I am stoned."

He smiled and crawled onto the bed, moving over her until he was on the other side of her, curled up against her shoulder. "Yes, you are, and it couldn't happen to a more deserving lady."

She ran her fingers through his hair. "Pretty hair."

He chuckled.

Olly smiled. "Anyway, we thought you would be better in the arms of your alpha and omega."

Alohi wrapped his arms around her and held her carefully. "I will be careful and take care of you, I promise."

Ambrose poked his head in. "They arrived at the clinic shortly after we did. The second the doctor put through a charge for the surgical room, he was on his way."

Kekoa eased past Ambrose and bowed to her, taking her hand. "I am sorry that I put you through this."

"Me, too, but you were never gonna fit with that stuff in there. Like, I am talking not even a finger." She shook her head while her embarrassment screamed from the back of her mind.

He raised his brows.

Alohi snorted. "She's still sedated, Kek."

Olly said, "She's a little loopy."

"But she's not in pain?"

She shook her head. "No, just feels like... I dunno. There's a bit of a burn, but I feel better. How long do I have to lie here to be weirded out by everyone staring?"

Olly said softly, "Dr. Oriel said you are good and that you will heal naturally. She sent along some cream to help you stave off infection and is going to write you up in a medical journal."

"Did we ever find out how Mark found me? I mean, I guess that was just me wondering there."

Olly kissed her cheek and nuzzled her again. "One of the programmers working on the pixie clips put your name on the behind-the-scenes feature."

"I thought that might have been it. He would have been looking for my name and dancing. It was an easy hit." She tried to push up, but Alohi pulled her back down with careful but inexorable strength.

She looked at him from far too close. "I thought that most omegas were feeble."

Olly said, "Hey."

"You are a country girl; Ford works out like an addiction."

Alohi smiled. "Kekoa puts in the effort, so I put in the effort. You have a lot of nice muscle. All those years of dancing?"

"Yeah. I still have abs. Wanna see?"

Olly held her hand when she would have pushed the sheet down.

Alohi chuckled and put his hand over hers. "Show and tell can wait for another time, but I appreciate the enthusiasm."

She looked at what her hand was doing and said, "Ohhh."

Alohi cuddled her close and kissed her neck. She giggled.

He smiled. "This is a nice change."

Olly smoothed her fingers against Haravin's cheek. "She was constantly in pain to the point where she couldn't even register it. She doesn't know what feeling good is because it has never happened. Everything is going to be new now, and pleasure is a possibility. Also, her scent is going to come in fairly strong. I can already get notes of it. She's fruit. Pomegranate, mango, hints of pineapple, and a touch of honey."

Haravin said, "I'm dessert."

Kekoa covered his mouth, and she could see he was laughing.

Alohi had his face pressed against her neck. Haravin blinked. She frowned and looked at Kekoa. "He's licking me."

Alohi started sucking.

She grunted as her lower body tried to do something it hadn't done before.

Ambrose chuckled and went to Olivia. "Come on. She's going to be fine. If anything happens, they have Dr. Oriel's private number."

Haravin whimpered, and the feeling in her sex was confusing as hell. That just hadn't happened before.

Olly and her alpha left.

Haravin hissed, "Get him off."

Kekoa grinned. "Why? He has gone around the bruising. Olly was right. Your scent is coming in, and it is sweet and bright."

Alohi eased on his one-man hickey production and kissed the little mark he had made. "Pretty. Mine."

"I am not a pot roast or a ham. I am not yours just because you licked me."

He loomed over her and brushed his lips against hers. He murmured, "You smell so good."

She pressed against his chest and said, "I am recovering from someone pleating my vag."

Kekoa said, "We will get to the bottom of it. Someone has already been going through your medical history." He paused. "Are you feeling better?"

"Aside from the removal of certain social strictures? Yes. Olly was right. My pain was so much a part of me that now that the worst of it is gone, I feel so free."

Alohi smiled down at her and brushed soft kisses against her lips again.

"I think I need to sleep again."

Alohi chuckled. "I will watch over you."

Kekoa said, "I will be back."

She was pinned under the omega and tried a casual, "Come here often?"

He smiled. "I would like to."

Blinking rapidly, she settled with, "Oh."

She tried to stare into his eyes, but she was so tired.

Haravin woke up in the dark of the night and was warm. Really warm. She sat up and eased her way off the end of the bed. She went to the bathroom and held her breath as she peed. It wasn't as bad as she thought. There was a bit of a burn, but it faded.

She washed up, scrubbed her face, and brushed her teeth with the brush from the amenities kit. Her hair was still in a thick tail, so she didn't have to mess with it.

She headed back to the bedroom, and Alohi had scooted up against his alpha. She tiptoed to the far side of the bed, away from them, and lifted the sheet to settle under. She was asleep in minutes.

She was facing Alohi with an arm around her waist. Kekoa murmured, "I told you I was a light sleeper."

She settled back against him and returned to sleep.

Alohi woke her gently and helped her sit up. "Come on, Haravin. You have to have breakfast and some medication. You can't take it on an empty stomach."

She felt a light ache and moved carefully to swing her legs out of bed. She was wearing one of her nighties, and it covered her to her knees.

She got up, swayed, and steadied. "Okay, where is my phone? I have to send Ambrose some flowers."

Alohi hovered around her as she walked slowly and then with more confidence.

Kekoa was sitting at the table, and he smiled when she came in. "Good morning, Haravin."

"Good morning. I formally apologize for anything I said last night, but I react that way to sedation or alcohol."

Alohi snaked an arm around her waist. "You were adorable. Very proud of your body."

She froze in place. "Oh. I am sorry."

Alohi urged her to keep walking. "It was cute. We saw another side to you."

"The heavily sedated side?" She walked toward the table, where a plate was covered, and a cup of coffee and another of juice was standing by.

She eased down onto the chair, and Kekoa glanced at her before resuming whatever he was reading.

Dismissed, she lifted the lid off breakfast and found her favourites. A ton of protein and a single slice of toast. She worked her way through the eggs, bacon, and sausage.

Alohi kept rubbing her back. "I am so sorry that happened to you."

"It is what it is. I am going to be doing a video call with my family, though. All these years and no one said a thing. Even my regular GP didn't notice."

Alohi murmured, "Dr. Oriel likened it to a popped seam on your jeans."

She put her fork down and covered her face, breathing slowly.

"I have no idea how I am going to address this. I have regular medical exams that can attest to my ridiculous narrowness. A history of agonizing periods. Pain when I walked, moved, danced. Panic at the thought of sex."

Alohi said, "Olivia said that it was trendy for religious fanatics and beta purists to sew females closed. In her case, it was messy; in your case, it was so tidy that it was not visible if you didn't know what you were looking for."

"Right. I don't know what to do about this." She paused. "Actually, I know where to start. I need to find my medical records for the appendectomy." She wiggled her fingers in the air around the final word.

Kekoa nodded. "We have a cyber investigator working on it."

She frowned at him. "You do?"

"We do. We are taking you on as our beta and, hopefully, offering you an environment that is easier and less painful."

She swallowed. "I feel like I am offering you a product with a manufacturer's defect."

Alohi caressed her shoulders. "You are not a product; you are a charming woman with good taste in museum exhibits. So, can we take you home?"

Haravin cocked her head. "Home?"

Kekoa smiled. "The Wonder Islands. We are not from around here."

"Oh. Do I need a travel visa?"

"It's been granted. Indefinitely until you go for citizenship. There are a few paths to citizenship." He smiled.

Alohi snorted. "Yeah, I know what those paths look like. They all involve you riding him like a surfboard."

"Alo!" Kekoa snapped.

Haravin felt the slow creep of heat that was dying her red. She blindly reached for her juice.

Alohi kissed the mark he had made earlier. "Or me. I make an excellent boogie board."

She looked at him. "You are serious about this."

"Yeah, you smell like a harvest in the islands. You smell like home."

"How long have you been here?"

Kekoa shrugged. "Four days. We are homebodies by nature. We borrowed Syar's plane and came to see if your employer was accurate in his assessment. He has also been offering me tips that he used to get Olivia through her initial adaptation."

Alohi smiled. "And I will help."

Kekoa smiled. "Alo will keep himself near you and give you plenty of contact. The exposure to an omega will be beneficial."

"Why?"

Alohi wrinkled his nose. "I will get you used to being touched."

She blinked. "Omegas touch me all the time. So do alphas, for that matter." Haravin frowned. "Why would they do that?"

Alohi crouched next to her and stroked her skin. "I told you. You smell like home. I am guessing that each omega smells something different from you. Alphas as well. Have you noticed any other behaviours?"

"Well, I am a minor pusher. Once I make contact, I can convince most alphas around me to bend the rules."

Alohi chuckled. "The ice cream in the museum."

She wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, and other stuff. Traffic tickets, parking violations, getting folks to carry my stuff to the car."

"So, you make alphas behave like alphas." Kekoa smiled. "Or what our instincts are supposed to make us."

She finished her breakfast and put it aside on the cart. She did the same with the coffee and orange juice.

"I am just going to grab a shower and then get dressed. I think Olivia grabbed sundresses. Jeans are not my friends right now."

Alohi chuckled. "Good thing you won't have to wear a lot at home. I hope you like relaxing on the beach while Kekoa does all the hard work."

"I think I can use some relaxation. My last day off was a nightmare." She sighed. Her phone pinged, and she looked at it. "Who keeps charging my phone?"

Alohi sighed. "Dead tech is a pet peeve."

Kekoa said, "He has a complete set of charging cables. He can energize any orifice."

The words gave her pause, and she stared at him. "I beg your pardon?"

He smiled.

Alohi blinked innocently. "Well, technically, he's not wrong."

She snorted and went to shower and get dressed. She had to call the book club and tell them she was heading out of town.

The call to Ford was full of tears on his side, so she gave him a verbal hug and went on to Olivia. "Don't say goodbye here; we are meeting you at the airport."

"What?"

"Oh, yes. The whole family. We are just packing up to come and see you off. Even the littles." Olivia chuckled.

"That is so sweet. Um, when are we meeting?"

"In about an hour. You had better finish packing."

Haravin swallowed. "See you there?"

They hung up, and Haravin finished packing her few items.

She carried her pack to the living area, and Alohi and Kekoa smiled. The luggage rack was there and attended by a bellhop. She got her purse out and put the pack on her back.

Alohi sighed and came up to her, sliding the pack off her shoulders and handing it to the bemused bellhop. He kissed her neck and said, "Come on, treasure. Let's go."

She swallowed. "Okay."

He beamed. "Okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."