Chapter Six

Ymer led her through the house and stopped in front of a security door with a biometric scanner. She watched as he showed her the scanner at her height and then the one that was considerably taller.

He typed on the lower plate and said, "Look into the scanner."

She lined her head up and looked into the scanner. The light flared and beeped. She blinked and lifted her head.

Ymer smiled and put his hands on her waist, lifting her for an intense kiss as he pressed her to the wall.

She tasted heat and arousal, and he growled softly at her as she gripped his shoulders. She gasped against his mouth and felt his lips curl. When he pressed his thigh between hers and used a hand to rock her hips on him, it took a few strokes, and her squirming hips got her clit aligned with his thigh, and then she shuddered as he moved her on him.

Her breathing was ragged against his mouth as she started soft moans and whimpers when, suddenly, he set her down.

She blinked and tried to get control of her senses, but he tapped on the security system again. "Look again, Iris."

She glared at him and then stared into the camera. There was another scan and another beep, and that was the point she understood. "Asshole."

He chuckled and eased her aside to do his own scan. "Arousal has an effect on the eyes. It is best to have both options taken care of."

She snorted. "You could have mentioned it before I wrecked your trousers."

Oren was leaning against the wall and smiling. "Go ahead. Open the door."

She blinked and looked into the scanner. It chirped and clicked, and the door opened. She looked inside, and it was empty.

Ymer said, "The furnishings are coming this afternoon. This is the outer space, like a private office. The bedroom and bathroom are through here." He walked in and opened the door. "This room will primarily be for your heats or anytime you want to let loose without alarming the teens."

She blushed a little and walked over to the pool. It was designed for six or more. "I know what happened to the omega who was here... she died of exhaustion."

Oren snorted. "This house hasn't been used. It was for a pack that never manifested. No scent."

Ymer nodded. "The pack that was supposed to grow lost their omega and closed up the house. They have dispersed to other groupings."

She nodded. "Right. Well, there's a shower, so I will just avoid the tub."

He chuckled. "At first. Once we are used to each other, things will relax."

"You mean me. You mean I will relax. You guys are all pretty chill about this whole thing."

He shrugged. "Alphas yearn for an omega."

"A very old-fashioned term." She walked to the area where the bed would be placed.

"We are old-fashioned men." He smiled and looked at her. "I am surprised you couldn't tell, living in proximity to Brexel for two years with nothing happening."

"Hm. So, when are you planning the move-in?"

"I think tomorrow while the boys are at school." Ymer nodded.

"Won't your partners miss you being at work?"

"I go in because my home is silent. I can attend work once or twice a week when Grigory needs someone to take a shift as management."

She frowned. "Your office is silent."

"And yet, at one in the morning, a coffee pixie comes in and brightens my day." He chuckled. "So I started working from the office instead of home just for the endorphin rush."

She opened and then closed her mouth with a snap.

Oren walked up to her and murmured, "I was hooked when I saw the way the dogs responded to you."

Iris looked up at him, and he smiled. She muttered, "I am not a fan of leashes on me if that is in your head."

"Naw. I leave that kind of stuff to Ymer. I just like the generous kindness in your face when you talk to the dogs and that they understand you. Did you know you could talk to beasts?"

She stared. "What?"

"Let's go for a walk and find a squirrel for you to chat with."

She chuckled. "It doesn't work that way. Animals just want me to be happy. Even fish. It's weird, and if there had been any dogs off-leash in the few blocks I ran, I wouldn't have needed to jump Brexel's fence. There weren't any. The guys shook off the stray cats."

Oren blinked. "Well, that is making things much clearer."

Ymer laughed. "Not flattering, but understandable. Mind you, she did work at a strip club."

Iris frowned. "What does that have to do with it?"

"Affinity for animals is a rare skill."

She looked from one to the other and blinked. "Oh. Right. Got it. Well, that does explain why Tonlya's snakes liked me."

Oren asked, "What did you think of her appearance?"

She looked from one of her males to the other and burst into tears. It was all the answer she could give.

* * * *

Tamara held her hand while the techs looked for a usable vein. Tonlya looked at the doctor who was looking up her records and frowning.

Nohehl looked over the doctor's shoulder and frowned. "When did you last have a checkup?"

"Fourteen years ago. Money has been tight."

The alpha beckoned to the doctor, and they left the room.

Tonlya's heart sank. Venka was working on her phone, and Tonlya looked at Tamara. "No matter what you hear, I love you more than anything, okay?"

Tamara squeezed her hand. "It's okay, Lya. I know."

"No, you don't, but they are going to tell you soon."

"What? What are they going to tell me?"

"A bit about your genetic makeup. Let them take blood if they ask. Someone needs to know if my condition can't change direction."

The tech looked at her. "You look like you have been living on the street for years."

"Gee, thanks."

Tamara was overcome with a rush of energy, and Tonlya murmured, "Calm. He's not wrong."

Tamara held her hand. "Why did you hide it from me?"

"You are a child so far. You didn't need to know that I was having an issue. Frankly, we were doing okay until I broke my arm. The medical bill nearly killed me."

"Why didn't you use my college fund?"

"It is a guardian's duty to provide for the future of the children in their care. It was what I could do, so I did."

"Lya?"

"Yeah?" She watched the doctor and the scary alpha come in with stunned expressions.

"They don't have to swab my cheek. We were genotyped last year."

"Tamara, you can be as mad as you want for this next moment, but I will be here to answer questions when your fury fades."

Tamara frowned when the doctor cleared his throat. "I found your files, Ms. Harwell. The name on record is Lemara."

"Well, what are the odds of that?" Tonlya relaxed as vial after vial was pulled for the battery of tests.

The doctor cleared his throat. "What kind of post-partum care did you get after your child was born?"

"Just what I could find on the internet. She was alive and healthy and the end to a long journey."

Venka came and stood next to Tamara, putting an arm around her shoulders. "So, what have you determined so far?"

"Her arm is broken and needs to be reset. She has malnutrition and needs some rest, but there is no reason that she won't make a complete recovery with careful handling."

Tamara frowned. "You are talking about her like she is a pet."

"Your mother is in need of care. Even betas get to this point sometimes, let alone omegas of her particular focus."

Venka asked, "What is her focus?"

"She's geared to the Elite. I am guessing the imprinting happened during her daughter's conception."

Tonlya muttered, "Read my fucking file."

The doctor looked down and went, "Oh. Oh, god. I... didn't read that part."

"That was an easy guess."

Tamara looked at her and muttered, "Mother?"

"Yes. Genetically, I am your mother. I was the business end when you were born, but Mom caught you, registered you, and wrapped me up so that no one guessed I was carrying."

Venka looked between them and obviously took in the resemblance between mother and daughter. "Oh, wow. You survived bearing for an Elite?"

"Yeah. It was a whole event. It is a very long story, and Tamara won't need the details for a while. I was three years older than she is now, and I had no idea what was happening until I ended up in hospital. Then, fast forward thirty-eight weeks, and she was here. Fortunately, I had a growth spurt that took most of the danger out of the delivery." She looked at Venka. "Can you take her to get her a sandwich or something? I get the feeling that the discussion is going to get graphic."

Tamara hung onto her hand. "I took sex ed in school."

"This wasn't sex. This was an attack, and I had the claw and bite marks to prove it. I was bleeding out of everywhere, he broke two of my teeth, and then he dumped me on the beach where he found me."

"Didn't anyone see him?" Tamara blinked.

"Sure, but they laughed when he carried me off, and I was screaming bloody murder."

Tamara's eyes filled with tears. "I am sorry."

"I had a choice. I made a choice. Mom agreed to raise you as hers so I could finish school. Then, she got sick, and you have been here for the rest."

"Oh. So, Mom was Grandma?"

"Yeah. So, how pissed are you on a scale from one to ten?"

"Let me think about it. Ms. Venka, can you take me for a snack?"

"Of course. Nohehl can take notes on what is necessary for your sister's return to health." She looked at Tonlya. "Would you prefer Tonlya or Lemara?"

"Lya or Lemara. I won't even tell you how much I have missed my name."

Venka nodded and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "If I need to take her to work out some frustration, you are okay with it?"

"Yes. Whatever it takes to make her feel grounded." Lya smiled. "Thank you."

"It will work itself out, sweet." Venka smiled. "I know how to handle a frustrated young alpha, and so does my family."

Lya was fading fast but squeezed Tamara's hand. "Feel what you need to feel, but come back to me."

Tamara swallowed and nodded, leaving Lya with the tech who was tidying up, the doctor, and Nohehl.

Lya settled back on the exam table and closed her eyes. "So, what is the general prognosis?"

The doctor cleared his throat. "We need to get that arm reset today. I am just waiting for an anesthetist to work with us."

Lya chuckled. "Five more minutes, and I will be out."

"Try to stay awake. I need to ask a few questions. Were there stitches after the assault?"

"Yes. Front to back."

There was an angry hiss.

"Have you exerted yourself recently?"

"Yes. I was on a survival show. Alphas versus Betas. I think the ads start this week."

The doctor frowned. "Last week. They started last week for subscribers. Wait. Which one are you?"

"Beta T."

The doctor whipped out his phone, and she heard the music that heralded the show. Nohehl looked over his shoulder and then glanced at her. "You are a mechanic?"

"By training. I apprenticed out of high school. Leatherworking is a hobby."

"And you are keyed to Elite for reproduction?"

"Apparently. I used to be a perky pale blonde with bright blue eyes. Sort of like Iris but three inches shorter than she is now."

"So, he assaulted a child."

"Oh, yeah. Apparently, the Stronghold had him destroyed. Too dangerous to their young." She opened her eyes a slit, and Nohehl was sitting next to her, his hand on her arm. "They gave me meds at the hospital, but it didn't work. Tamara came into the world in a home birth so we could do the legal switch and the Stronghold wouldn't come for her."

Nohehl stroked her shoulder. "You did the best you could. You were a child yourself."

"Yeah, well, you grow up fast in that situation. I just never want Tamara to think she wasn't wanted. As soon as I healed and made my changes, she was very much wanted."

"What kind of changes?"

"Most women in my family are five-five. I knew I needed to be bigger, so I made myself bigger, wider. There was weird energy left in my body, so I used it."

He chuckled. "Very clever. Very smart for someone so young."

A soft knock at the door brought a harried-looking woman who stared at Lya in surprise. "Oh, my god. You are still alive."

Lya smiled. "Surprise."

The doctor looked up. "Please explain, Harris."

"She refused to clot."

Lya chuckled. "I wasn't in the mood. It was when I got my arm broken."

Nohehl sighed. "Do you know who did it?"

"Oh, yeah. His buddies grabbed him and turned him in to the Stronghold. Apparently, proximity to me makes Stronghold Elite a little nuts."

"That should end once you are properly mated."

"I have tried sex. There is little that is proper about it."

He grinned at her. "I love realism."

The doctor cleared his throat and said, "The bed is on the way for her, and we will get her into surgery."

She looked up, and when the bed arrived, Nohehl lifted her and set her into place. He removed her robe carefully and kissed her forehead. "I will be right outside."

"Feel free to watch. I am sure it is fascinating." Lya yawned. "Or get a coffee with Tamara or something. I just told her her world was wrong, and I was responsible for it. She has to be feeling some kind of way after that."

"Venka has her. I am here for you." He unwrapped the snug shed, and her arm was exposed. There was a strange feeling of her skin being uncovered again, and she was wheeled down the hall to the surgical suite.

Time to get her arm broken by medical professionals.

When she opened her eyes, her mouth felt weird, and she had trouble focusing. Tamara was sitting by her feet and looking worried. Venka was next to her and had her arm around Tamara's shoulders.

She didn't see Nohehl, but hands helped her sit up, and a straw was placed against her lips. The hand was dark, and when she looked toward its owner, Nohehl was next to the head of the bed. She took a few sips and then let the straw go. "Oh, hi."

He smiled. "Hi. A 3D-printed cast has been created for you and will be adjusted as you heal. It will allow your skin to recover and breathe. You can also shower with it on."

She looked around and saw her arm slightly swollen in a very pretty golden cage. The cage had a serpentine pattern, so it made Lya smile. "That's cool."

"Flex your fingers."

She nodded and slowly closed and opened her hand. "I can't feel my arm."

Tamara whispered, "They numbed the hell out of you, but the entire floor still heard your scream when they broke it again."

"Sorry."

Tamara shook her head. "Don't be. They broke your bones; you should scream."

"Thanks. So, how long am I spending here?"

Nohehl chuckled. "They used the opportunity to attach an IV. When you are done with it in twenty minutes, they will provide us with meds for you, and we will head home. As for Tamara, Venka has pulled some strings, and she is now going to the same school as Brexel's boys."

Lya smiled. "Oh, good. It always hurt that I couldn't send her there. She needs to be with other alphas."

Venka smiled. "That is easy. There is a family connection that I am exploiting. I also have a physical training program that she is already enrolled in."

"What about soccer?"

"She has to requalify, but if she focuses, she can rejoin her team."

Lya smiled. "Nice. I can die happy."

The occupants of the room stared at her.

She shrugged. "It's a figure of speech. I haven't died yet, and the ones trying to kill me were really trying. So, I have heard of these things called days off, and I am looking forward to trying a few." She smiled. "Plus, we have to watch the Alpha versus Beta show."

Tamara swallowed. "They have been calling you. I told them you were in hospital, and they said they were on their way."

Venka nodded. "They should arrive soon."

Lya groaned. "As long as it isn't... hey, Ford."