2. Jade

two

The pain has eased this morning, but perhaps that's because of the drugs the doctor gave me. I have this memory of him, a sturdy wall of safety and warmth. He had kind eyes. He was so big and gentle. Everything I'd dreamed my alpha would be.

Fran had helped me sit up and sip some water not long ago, but now she looks at me with pity. I"m used to people looking at me like that. As soon as they meet my parents, they normally look at me like that. I shift uncomfortably. My parents aren't here, which I"m grateful for, but I wish she'd look somewhere else.

"So, you were saying the doctor is coming back?" I manage to get out with just a dozen or so winces.

"Yes, he's bringing Detective Montford and Hazel with him."

I hesitate, trying to think of who Detective Montford is, but my brain is still muddled and confused.

"Okay," I whisper under my breath.

"We need to get you down to the other room. I don"t allow men back here, typically, but Doctor Shultz is the exception."

I try to sit up, but after thirty seconds, I lay back, panting. Fran nods to herself as if she expected it.

"Just as I thought," she mutters. "Wait for a moment. I"ll get some help."

The world spins a bit, and I have to fight the urge to vomit. The door opens a while later and two women come in.

"Hi, Jo. This is my boss Julia Lathem. She runs the Omega Refuge. And this is one of our long-term residents, Silver Davies."

Julia is a beta, I think, but Silver is an omega, and when she gets close, she smiles softly.

"Hey, I've got a wheelchair just outside the door. If you'll allow us to, we can get you in it in a jiffy and wheel you down for your meeting."

She brushes her long black hair behind her ears and smiles with gentle enthusiasm. I don't think she remembers me.

I don't want to remind her.

"Thanks," I mutter.

She gets an arm around me and hoists me up. Pain lances through me, turning the world white. My knees buckle, but Julia gets in on the other side, and the two of them drag me to the wheelchair and get me settled in it before I can even groan.

Sweat runs down the side of my face, but Fran gets a wet cloth and dabs at it.

"You'll be okay. Just a quick meeting, some x-rays, and you can sleep," she says in a tone that reminds me of how cold and lonely my life has been. I want to lean into her safety. My mother never was this kind.

I force a smile and whisper my thanks.

After a dozen or so short turns in a maze-like corridor, I find myself sitting alone in the empty room. There aren't even any chairs. Nothing about this square box encourages conversation. Ten minutes pass before there's a knock on the door. The man I have vague memories of last night comes in. He looks tired, but more than that, his face is just as handsome as I dreamed. His eyes are deep blue, his hair is jet black and sits back in a slight wave. He's tall and handsome, and my heart thuds hard.

Why does he have to come into my life now? Where was he before? I lift a hand self-consciously to my jaw and wince at the pain. My stomach flutters and then drops out because he's perfect, and I"m this swollen, suffering mess. It's enough to make a girl bawl.

He, of course, notices my wince and comes straight to my side.

"Hey, Jo. How are you this morning?"

I peer at him stupidly. His voice is deep and growly, and it's, like, the most attractive sound I've ever heard. It takes a moment to realise I can't tear my eyes off him, and he's barely even looking at me.

There are more people filing into the room, and when I look up, my breath catches again. The man in front of me is as stunningly attractive as the doctor, but he appears far more dangerous.

Except, as my shock fades, he's still staring at me like I"m the threat. I glance at the doctor in concern. He mutters something and peeks under a bandage.

"I"m not happy with this one. We'll get the x-rays done after this meeting."

I shake my head, trying to focus on his words, but I"m just dazzled by the light that is this man. I can't focus on anything when he's touching me, running his fingers along the inside of my wrist.

"I"ll come with you. I"m going to get them to check this rib, too. Hmm, yes, I don"t like the colour I saw last night, and it doesn't look much better."

I didn't even notice him pulling up my top to check my ribs. I was too busy memorizing the shape of his jaw and the colour of his hair.

I glance back at the other man. His hair is shaved off, he's got stubble on his jaw, and stunning hazel eyes that look straight through me. He's tall, with muscles on muscles. He's everything my mother would hate.

"Hey, hold up! Silver, wait."

I peer at the door as the female voice calls out, stealing my attention. After a second, three more people enter the room. One's an omega that I recognise instantly and wish I didn't.

Hazel Waters. Younger sister of Grayson Waters and the omega of Pack Montford, or so I hear. She still is as beautiful and delicate as ever, and the man at her back is as handsome as she is beautiful. He has dark hair and a scary gaze. Hazel glances around, and just that movement looks effortless and full of grace. Her brown hair catches the light and turns it into a golden halo around her.

I start to sweat. Why did I tell them I knew her? She's freaking insanely beautiful, and I"m just me, except pulverized. Worst day ever. I feel myself starting to crumble.

Are these men part of her pack? My hand trembles at the icy feeling inside me. The doctor reaches out and takes hold of my fingers, drawing my gaze back to his face. My panic eases, and I focus completely on him.

He is the one steady constant in this wobbly world.

"You'll be fine," he whispers. He turns slightly. "You remember Hazel. The man beside her is Detective Angel Montford. He's going to ask you some questions."

I blanch. "No, I don't think so. I don't know…" I trial off because I've just remembered that if Hazel knows who I am, she can contact my family. I panic and tug hard on his fingers.

"Hey, hey, now. You're going to be fine, Jade." Even his voice is soothing. Wait!

I stiffen, turning towards him with a trembling lip. "You know my name?"

"You're an omega, too, aren't you? You were at the Omega Meet?" His voice is low and kind. Too kind.

He turns and touches his thumb to the inside of my wrist and strokes. And it's like a caress straight to my soul. I finally catch his scent. Rivers, forests, and rain. He smells like all the times I would run away from home and hide up in the hills, dreaming and exploring. I reach out with my free hand, grabbing hold of his shirt, refusing to let him move away.

"The woman who is standing against the wall is Kandi. She's a security expert that I've asked to help you out for a while. And that man there with the scary upside down smile is Sven. He's her boss. Everyone in this room is here to keep you safe."

I gasp, and it sends lightning through my ribs, but when I tremble, he shifts closer to me. I can't tell him the man doesn't scare me, that his scowl is comforting, or that the licorice scent that's invading the space makes my mouth water.

"Addy," Sven murmurs in warning.

The doctor stiffens and glances back towards the big, muscled man. "What, Sven?" His tone is professional, not cold, exactly, but distant and with a tension that makes me clutch his shirt tighter.

"Jade, my name's Angel." The man in front of me crouches and draws my attention away from Sven and his strange nickname for my doctor. He's scary, and I don't like his scent. I lean back in the wheelchair as far as I can without letting go of Adrian, is that his name? I feel like he told me in a dream.

My head is still reeling, and I"m confused, scared, and I don't know who, other than the doctor, to trust.

"Do you know who did this to you?" The bland way he delivers the question makes me think he's going to call my mom.

I tighten my fingers in the doctor's shirt. My tongue feels thick. I remember his violent hiss. If you tell anyone… "Don"t know."

Angel glances back at Hazel.

"What happened?"

"I don"t remember," I whisper and curl my fingers tighter, casting a hopeful, desperate look at the doctor.

"Do you remember your name?"

I shake my head quickly. "Just Jade."

"Just Jade." Angel rubs his hand across his mouth, obviously irritated. "We won't call your family, Jade."

My mother laughs in my memory as she pushes me towards the alpha. I blink, and I"m breathing hard, too hard, my lungs are getting stabbed with lightning bolts of pain. Sweat runs down my temple. He grips my throat and squeezes. I"m going to die. I scratch at his hands, but I can't stop him. He's so big. A whimper escapes.

"I don"t think-"

"We can arrest him and put him away," Angel says.

His boots slam into my stomach once, twice. He kicks my ribs, and I choke on a scream. The sickening crunch is a sound I"ll never forget. I see a man in the alley, but he stops and, at the alpha's growl, he turns and walks away. No! No!

"NO!" I throw myself out of the chair and find myself swung up into my doctor's arms. He's gentle but firm when he moves me into the corner of the room, whispering softly. I look up and find the other one there, too.

Sven.

He's blocking the others from getting to me, almost like he's protecting me.

"No, Angel, she's not ready," Sven growls.

"She needs to talk to someone."

"Not today," he says coldly. "She's had enough."

"All right, we're going to go. Perhaps we're a bit too much," Hazel says in her melodic voice.

I duck my head, avoiding Hazel's searching gaze. I can't explain, I can't talk, it's easier not to right now. With a sob, I lean forward, pressing my face into the vast chest of the alpha in front of me.

I trust him. He won't hurt me. My doctor.

I hear footsteps retreat, and then the doctor lifts me higher into his arms and turns.

"Let"s go get your x-rays and get you back to bed," he murmurs.

Sven comes close, standing on the other side of me. The two men exchange a silent conversation that I am not privy to.

Finally, Sven looks down at me. "I won't let anything happen to you, Jade. I promise. It's my job to protect people."

He reaches out and takes my hand, unfurling my clenched fingers. He smooths his thumb over my knuckles, and then squeezes.

"You can trust Kandi and myself."

He doesn't include the doctor, and he doesn't dispute his words. I pull my hand free and turn my face into my doctor's shirt.

"Adrian?"

"Mmm?" he asks.

"Is that your name? You told me last night? Adrian?" I know full well that it is, I just want him to speak to me.

"Yes. Sven calls me Addy, but I"m Adrian."

"It suits you," I murmur.

I get caught staring into his eyes; he doesn't look away from me.

"Addy." Sven waits until Adrian turns us towards him. "You need to go. Kandi will drive."

"Sven, no!" Kandi protests, but he silences her with a look.

"I"m heading back alone. You're to stay with her whenever she's outside of the Omega Refuge."

"Sven-"

I finally look at the woman. She's tall with long hair that's dark brown. Her brown eyes flash as she moves fluidly after the alpha, gripping his arm with a familiarity that makes my heart rise to my throat.

I stare at them, stricken, as he leans down, whispering to her. She shakes her head three times, but he just smiles and strokes his thumb over her bottom lip. This beta, I can smell her scent and her designation everywhere, turns her head to the side, but he ducks down and smacks a kiss to the corner of her lips.

She turns with him, watching him leave.

I've got hold of my doctor again, and I think briefly that it's not just my pain that I can smell. But when I look up at him, his face is expressionless.

He is careful when he carries me out to the car. Kandi holds the door. She smells like citrus. I kind of like it, even if I"m so jealous I could burn up and die.

Adrian stays with me the whole time. He escorts me to the x-rays, and then helps me back to the car. Kandi peels away when we go into the Omega Refuge, while he carries me back to my room and carefully lays me down on the bed.

"I don"t know what happened to you, Jade. But we're going to look after you from here on out."

"Do you have to leave?"

He smiles, and I get the impression he doesn't do it often. He looks too lonely.

"I do. I have other patients I need to check on. But I"ll be back this afternoon with the results of the x-rays."

"Promise?"

"Promise," he whispers back.

I watch as he backs out of the room, switching the light off as he goes. As soon as the door shuts, I close my eyes, exhaustion dragging at me.

Their scents still play in my nose, and I sigh. I feel safe with them. Somehow, I know they won't ever hurt me. I never felt like this about Trevor's scent. His scent was mildly annoying.

But Sven"s scent, though faint, makes me want to lick him all over and do anything he says. My doctor's scent is home and love.

I lay there pondering it for a moment. My mind drifts, and I remember a particular lesson during my omega studies.

Scent matches.

Our teacher had smiled with twinkling eyes as he started the lesson. "Every omega wants a scent match. It will smell different to each of you, but you'll smell it stronger. It will remind you of good things or something exciting. The alpha's scent will call to you. Your scent match will be your perfect match. No other will measure up."

The words slam into my mind along with sudden clarity. Adrian and Sven are my scent matches? They are the alphas of my pack. The knowledge thrills me.

My excitement makes me giddy until I remember my broken body and the reason I ran. Anxiety curls in my stomach, and I feel alone and cold, so cold.