3. Riley

Chapter 3

Riley

A day or two of this hell? I’d never experienced an actual heat before, and if this was just the early hours, I would definitely die. But how long would that take? Hours? Days? I couldn’t do it.

Tears that should have stayed behind my lids spilled out and were cold before they reached my chin. “Just let me freeze to death. I can’t deal with this for a few days. It already hurts, and it just started.” I rolled forward, pressing my face into the back of the seat. “Just go.”

The doctor who had been outside the car just a moment ago was suddenly beside me, close enough that I could smell the rich aroma of the alpha pheromones wafting off him. Damn, he smelled good. “Please come with me, Riley. I’m not leaving you here, so we’ll both freeze to death if you want to stay. Or you can come to my place, warm up and have something to eat. You’ll be safe, and we’ll figure out the rest tomorrow.”

Suddenly, the idea of letting this alpha take me home wasn’t so scary. He was actually quite handsome, and if he wanted to help me, why was I resisting? I was an omega in heat and he was an alpha. Maybe this was the solution I needed.

I turned to him, instinctively rubbing my head against his arm and chest as if trying to spread my scent on him. “Okay.”

He stilled but didn’t move away, and I was sure he pressed his face against the top of my head before inhaling deeply. “Yeah? You’ll come with me?”

I nodded, dragging my tongue across the front of his jacket, wishing it were his skin. “Yeah, let’s go.”

“Okay, then.” He pulled back and looked around. “What do you need to take with you?”

I looked around and nodded toward my backpack. “That’s it. Nothing else is important.”

Blake nodded and scooted out of the car, taking my backpack with him. As soon as he was standing, his palm appeared in front of me.

I grabbed it, giving in to my situation. There was no sense in trying to fight what was happening. For better or worse, this hot alpha was willing to help. Whatever that looked like.

I locked up my car and followed him across the parking lot to a white SUV. He put my backpack on the backseat and then opened the front door for me to climb in. “Do you have a phone?”

I shrugged. “Yeah, but it doesn’t work right now.”

“If you want to send anyone a message to let them know you’re going home with me, you can use my phone.” He reached into his coat and pulled out a fancy-looking smartphone.

My chest vibrated with a low chuckle, and then I regretted it because the aches in my body were seeping deeper, and every sudden movement was painful. “No, there’s no one. You can take me anywhere and no one will know or care.”

Blake, the doctor who seemed hell-bent on saving me, cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. “I’m not gonna hurt you, Riley. I promise.”

Without looking at him, I pulled the seatbelt over my body and clicked it into place. “Yeah, whatever. Just make it stop.”

He closed the door and went around to the driver side as I curled up in the seat, resting my heated forehead against the window. The fever was definitely setting in, and although my body was hot, I was still shivering from the cold.

It didn’t make sense, and I started to get anxious about how much worse it was gonna get. “You’re really a doctor?” I glanced at Blake as he pulled out onto the dark road.

“I am. I work at the hospital and have a private practice.” He stopped at a light and turned to me. “I’ve been here every week for the past few years. I’m surprised I haven’t seen you before.”

“Seriously? You think I’ve been living like this for years. There’s no way I’m gonna get through a single winter.” I held back a dramatic sigh, knowing it would hurt more than it was worth. “I definitely won’t be out here next year. I’m not sure if I’ll survive to next week.”

He was silent as he waited for the light to change.

After a few minutes, I cleared my throat, trying to find the words without seeming as desperate as I actually was. “You mentioned having some medication that will help with my symptoms. Do you have them now?”

“Not with me, but I have some at home.” We drove past several fast food restaurants, and my stomach growled. I didn’t think Blake heard, but he immediately slowed down.

“I haven’t had dinner yet. It’s a long drive, so we should probably get something now.”

I just shrugged. “Get whatever you want. I don’t have any money.”

“It’s my treat, Riley. Which of these places do you prefer?”

Eating was the last thing on my mind, but if I didn’t eat now, it might be a day or two before I was comfortable enough to think about it, so I couldn’t waste the opportunity to fill my belly. I just pointed to the first restaurant we would pass. “That’s fine. I’m not picky. Just a cheeseburger and a Sprite would be great.”

Blake went to the drive-through and ordered way more food than the two of us needed, including strawberry-and-cream fried hand pies. He handed me the bag once it was passed through the window, and we got back on the road. “Can you dig out the chicken sandwich and one of the fries for me?”

I did that and placed the sandwich on the center console and stood his fries up in the little phone-charger space. “I didn’t think doctors ate junk food like this.”

He chuckled and made a right turn. “Usually, I don’t, but every now and then, we all deserve to indulge.” He shrugged as he turned onto the highway. “Besides, I’ve got strong genes. I don’t worry too much about cholesterol or blood pressure, although…” He raised an eyebrow in my direction. “We probably need to get you on a good eating plan. I can’t imagine you’ve been particularly well-balanced over the recent months.”

Now it was my turn to chuckle. “Yeah, I didn’t eat that great when I had an apartment. Ramen and cereal was the majority of my diet, but at least the cereal was enriched.”

Blake nodded as he popped some fries into his mouth. “That does go a long way, but I make a pretty good omelet. Adding some protein into your diet will do you some good.”

I wanted to tell him not to bother worrying about my long-term health because I didn’t anticipate having a long-term future. But I was suddenly too hungry to think about being depressed. The only thing that mattered was the delicious aroma of the alpha to my left and fries from my lap.

And the fact that I was warm—genuinely warm for the first time in forever—superseded all other thoughts. That’s what I focused on as the discomfort was pushed to the background and I focused on my food.

Shamelessly, I inhaled my food until there were only wrappers left. We were closer to the mountains when I finally felt somewhat content. “Where do you live?”

“Up on Shadow Mountain. Near Joyville.” He tapped the steering wheel with his thumbs. “Ever been up there?”

“Naw. I grew up in Fort Morgan and just moved to Denver a few years ago. Haven’t traveled a lot since then.” I sighed and curled in on myself, this time facing Blake. “I guess I always thought I’d explore more once I got older and had some money in the bank. Obviously, that’s never gonna happen.”

“It can still happen, Riley. This moment in your life doesn’t define you. It isn’t your last chance. You’re young and have a lot of time to screw up and then start over again. Don’t give up yet.” Blake’s hand moved to my knee, and when he gripped it, my whole body lit up with need.

“Alpha…”

“Sorry.” His soft voice was strangled as he pulled his arm away, clearly as surprised and frustrated as I was. “For everything that’s going on with you, Riley. Truly.”