51. Ben

BEN

The room they put her in was everything Hazel hated.

Dr. Marshall told us it was one of their specially designed omega suites. Maybe for another omega, but not ours. So much white. The sheets were too thick, with weird little fibres sticking up that would irritate her sensitive skin. The mattress didn't have enough support, its springs weak and sunken. Hazel liked hers firmer, and she needed fewer pillows but thicker ones.

But I didn't feel like we were allowed to be picky at a time like this.

I handed the vials to Dr. Marshall. "She was dosed with this, about an hour ago," I said gravely, pointing to the empty one. "I think she fought them off in the brief period of lucidity she had remaining and damaged the syringe. They couldn't follow through with the second shot."

She tried so hard to save herself.

The guilt crumpled my chest, a bitter heat creeping up my throat.

We should've gotten there sooner.

Dr. Marshall adjusted her glasses and checked the label. "Heat inducers." She shook her head disbelievingly. "How did they get hold of this?"

I couldn't focus on that right now. "She only got the first part that placed her in a feral state. Once it wears off, she'll be ok, right?"

My heart sank when I saw the look on Dr. Marshall's face. She knew more than she let on but didn't know how to tell me. "I need to speak to my colleague. Dr. Baird has more experience with chemical heats and will be able to assist me."

Juno arrived soon after and immediately authorised us all. I asked her not to hug me, just in case her scent bothered Hazel when she woke up. She gave me a heartbroken but understanding nod.

Two of her packmates, Isaac and Julian, were with her. We're here for you if you need anything, they told me. I know they didn't mean it that way but it reminded me of what people said at funerals when they didn't know how else to give their condolences.

It was all so grim.

I immediately hated Dr. Baird. He struck me as someone who got into medicine because he liked to tell people he was a doctor, and chalked his abrasiveness up to being "old school".

"Are you aware this is Hazel's second feral episode?" Dr. Baird informed us.

Second?

I closed my eyes. Of course.

"It was when her breakthrough heat went untended wasn't it?" I said quietly. I knew there had to be a reason why her health deteriorated so fast that she had to go through bond dissolution. Being in a constant state of fight-or-flight was incredibly hard on the body.

I hadn't pressed at the time. She had already been so unbelievably brave to tell us what she had been through with Adrian. I understood why she had kept it to herself. Omegas were already seen as the weaker, more volatile designation. The fact that they could go feral, seemingly losing their humanity entirely and reduced to their baser instincts? All the more reason they were not suitable for leadership, for work or to make decisions about their own bodies.

It was a slippery slope that omega advocacy groups fought against daily.

Dr. Marshall nodded. "She was sedated for the rest of it. Omegas tend to enter a feral-adjacent state during their heats, which is what the first dosage of heat inducers mimics to some degree. When her heat had passed, she came back to herself as well."

"So it should pass by itself as well this time?" Remy asked hopefully.

The sinking feeling in my gut felt never-ending. "You said ‘mimics to some degree'." I narrowed my eyes. "What are your concerns?"

"The dose would've put Hazel in a somewhat feral state, but not to this extent," Dr. Baird cut in. "She is exhibiting all the signs of an omega in distress, not a heat-related delirium."

"An omega going feral is their most primitive defence mechanism. Most go through their lives without ever experiencing it. But when an omega falls into this state more than once, especially if it's related to trauma, the chance of them coming out of it decreases exponentially," Dr. Marshall explained, her voice reserved. "They…seem to perceive the world as unsafe."

"Even if it was partially induced?" Aleks asked, horrified.

"The drugs are still in her system. We will monitor her and reassess once her levels drop, which it should in the next 24 hours. This is…an unprecedented situation, you understand," Dr. Marshall said with as much kindness as possible.

"So now we just wait," I said flatly.

I recognised their twin looks of sympathy and resented it immensely.

"Why can't we treat her in the meantime? Nest with her, make her feel safe. Isn't that the usual course of action with feral omegas?" I pushed.

"Bonded omegas, yes. When they have been separated from their mates. Usually that's what triggers most feral cases. A combination of nesting and their alphas reaching them through the bond has the highest chance of success," Dr. Baird replied smoothly. "You are not bonded."

"We are her pack."

"Then we can finish inducing her heat so the bond will take."

All three of us exploded.

"Fuck no."

"Did you not listen when we told you why she's here in the first place?"

"You expect us to bond her and tend to a chemical heat she didn't consent to?" It took everything to keep my alpha bark from taking over. "We are never fucking doing that."

"Don, that's out of line." Even Dr. Marshall was disturbed by his suggestion.

Dr. Baird bulldozed on and I imagined wrapping his mouth up with duct tape. "If she still isn't herself after 24 hours, we can look at administering some antipsychotic drugs to give her periods of lucidity to try and coax her back in addition to nesting. That's the treatment plan for unbonded omegas."

It suddenly felt wrong having her here. I'd made the decision in a split second and it made sense at the time. But Hazel should've been home with us, not in a strange room with strange smells. Strange people who did not understand her and did not understand us.

"I assume you will not discharge her and let us leave with her?" I asked coolly.

Dr. Marshall shook her head. "Unfortunately no. She could hurt others in this state."

I made a fist and held it low, trying to discreetly squeeze out some of the mounting belligerence. It would serve no one, least of all Hazel, if I lost it now. "Can you please give us a moment alone?"

"Of course." Dr. Marshall inclined her head. "Hazel will wake up in about an hour. She will likely be upset. Confused by her surroundings. I suggest one of you remain with her at all times. Use the call button if she gets out of hand."

I had a vision of Hazel being strapped down because she was too out of hand and was surprised I did not breathe fire and immolate the entire hospital wing.

Remy and Aleks looked defeated, shell-shocked.

On the contrary, I felt alive with purpose.

"Aleks, I need you to go back to the apartment and get her nesting materials. Not all of them. Make sure she has some left for when we go home. Then gather what clothes you can find with our scents. Go through the laundry basket, whatever shit we've left on the floor. Bag it up in garbage bags and seal it tight before bringing it here." I snapped my fingers. "Oh and a few of her plants too. Arbok, Fluffy and Dennis I think. They should survive the trip."

Aleks stared at me dumbfoundedly. I turned to Remy. "Remy, I need you to go to Haven + Nest. Get blackout blinds. Dim portable lights. Battery powered would be best, like those little fake candles. If anything else catches your eye that you think she might like, buy it. Especially if it's green."

"What…what are you going to do?" Remy asked me slowly.

"Stay with her until she wakes up." I frowned. "No, I need to talk to Isaac first. Aleks, wait here until I get back. It won't take long."

I strode out of Hazel's suite and found Isaac in the waiting room with my sniffling, red-nosed sister in his lap. Julian was with them as well, holding Juno's hand in both of his.

Juno straightened as soon as she saw me, wiping her eyes quickly. "Ben, what did they say?"

I didn't want to give them false hope. "It's not good. Doesn't seem as simple as waiting out the drugs in her system," I said heavily before my lip curled in disgust. "They wanted to induce a heat so we could bond her and use the bond to try and coax her back out."

Juno opened her mouth to protest and I cut in before she could say anything. "We won't be doing that, obviously. We're going to try and bring her back ourselves."

"How?" she whispered.

"Nesting, scents. Reminders of who she was and who we are." It sounded stupid when I said it, but I had to believe it would work. My voice dropped to a whisper. "Anything that makes her feel loved and safe."

Juno teared up all over again and squeezed Julian's hand so hard he yelped. "I can't hug you and I won't hug you," she said fiercely. "But I am hugging you. So hard."

"Thanks, twatwaffle."

"Always, you baboon's ass."

I extricated the suspicious USB from my pocket. "Julian, we think this might be a tracker. Is there any way you can check?" It was probably a long shot, but he was the most tech-savvy of all of us so I had to ask.

Julian examined it, his brows knitting together. "It does look kinda…" He wedged a fingernail in the recessed seam along the edge, cautiously trying to crack it open.

"Careful, you don't want to—"

"It'll be ok, Ben," he assured me in that gentle voice of his. "I won't damage it. Almost there."

It opened with a hushed crack moments later. I couldn't tell if the components were normal or not but Julian inhaled sharply. "See this bit?" He outlined the green computer chip with his finger. It barely took up the shell. "That's all it would be if it was just a USB. The rest is…"

Julian caught my furious expression. "Leave it with me. If I can't figure it out, Isaac will help me find someone who can."

My mind was a cacophony of noise and chaos, being tugged in all different directions. This was yet another one, confirmation that this had been a premeditated crime. One of several crimes committed. God, I didn't even have the capacity to handle it but it was important too. The thought of the wreckage of the house being quietly cleaned up and the pair of them getting away with it while the trail went cold was unacceptable. I could only hope the police had attended the scene.

Compartmentalise. Delegate. Focus.

What was important here? The answer was obvious.

Let others handle what I couldn't.

I turned to Isaac. "May I speak to you?" A glance at Juno. "Alone?"

Isaac nodded, extricating himself from Juno's embrace.

"He's going to tell me regardless, you know!" Juno called after us and I had to stop myself from mimicking her in front of her alpha.

Isaac kept his cards close to his chest. But I had seen how quickly he had mobilised everything at his disposal to keep Juno safe when Pack Zhao were threatening her last year. He had a lot more resources than I did.

I wondered how far he could make it go.

It struck me when we stood in the corridor together that Isaac did not seem frightening anymore. Nor did he seem to be bothered that we were…equal.

"I don't know how to make her mum pay for what she's done," I said plainly.

Isaac did not miss a beat. "How nuclear do you want to go?"

I thought for a moment. "Complete social ostracisation sounds pretty good to me. But don't do anything until Hazel's back and she can pull the trigger."

"Done," Isaac said immediately. "The tracker changes things as I'm sure you're aware. I assume you haven't had time to speak to the police since your initial call?"

The memory of the alpha's bones crunching under my hands played on a loop in my head. Remy's bloody knuckles and the black and blue he'd dealt. I searched for an ounce of regret and found absolutely none.

"No, but…there may have been some physical altercations in the process of getting Hazel back," I said vaguely.

Isaac was unphased. "Protecting your endangered omega constitutes self-defence. I'll take care of it. You do the important thing — look after Hazel."

"Thank you," I said gratefully.

"Juno loves Hazel too. I would have done it regardless," he said, a ghost of a smile on his face. "I had doubts about you at first, but you're a good prime for them. You get it, don't you?"

I frowned. "Get what?"

"Never mind." Isaac shook his head. "Go back to your pack."