The Sacred Omegas: Book One - December

by Merel Pierce

  When it was established that she was in stable enough condition, Nikolai demanded that the beta sedate her. December pleaded and cried for him not to, but he told her it was best and assured her he would be by her side until she woke again. He’d done his best to comfort her as the beta administered the medication, lowering her head to the gurney gently once she’d fallen unconscious.

  The EMT made a quick assessment of her injuries, as much as he dared with the protective alpha snarling and hissing any time his hands lingered on the girl longer than the larger male deemed necessary. Thankfully for all of them, the ride to the hospital was a short one.

  Chapter 18

  Nikolai stood in stony silence, his eyes focused with hawk-like intensity on what was happening on the other side of the glass. For the past hour and a half, the omega had been under anesthesia. A team of doctors and nurses scurried back and forth in the surgical suite, taking blood samples, bathing, and treating the little female's various injuries. The alpha didn’t need to be able to scent the room to know that the mood was tense. The staff was nervous.

  They knew who was watching through the surgical suite viewing window. Not a single person in that room needed to be told who he was, or what would happen to them if there were complications with the omega’s treatment.

  Several times during the procedure, his phone buzzed in his pocket, alerting him of the numerous incoming texts and calls. There were only a few he bothered to answer, one of which was a call from Donovan. The men in the warehouse had been identified. The two gunshot victims were fairly low-level criminals with no standing in any organization that they could find. The third with the bashed-in face was Riktor.

  The initial assessment was that the men had been using the location to meet and make use of the kidnapped female. They had been keeping the omega captive in a filthy little bathroom with no lights or water. As for what they were doing to her when she wasn’t confined, Donovan knew no elaboration was needed.

  From what they could tell, Riktor seemed to have died first. The gun and phone that were missing off his body were found elsewhere in the building. His clip was empty, and she’d used his phone to call Nikolai.

  The small bloody handprints on the ceramic toilet top suggested the omega herself had been the one to bash in the alpha’s face. Since the first man in the door had been shot in the back, the assumption was that she had caught them by surprise with Riktor’s weapon. The other man had been shot several times as well, and due to the large number of bullets lodged in the wall behind his body and the bloody smears on the floor, it seemed she’d emptied one weapon and they’d fought over the second before she managed to kill him as well.

  Donovan seemed confident they would get a jump on the other conspirators from the information found in the men’s phones. Sadly, there was nothing of evidentiary value in the building other than the myriad of fingerprints, and it would take the team time to process those. He assured Nikolai that his men were giving the situation top priority, complimented him on his taste in women, and wished the little female a speedy recovery before he and Nikolai said their farewells.

  A nurse came to the operating table seeking the attention of a female beta. The doctor stopped what she was doing, her expression sobering as she shot a fleeting glance in Nikolai’s direction. The women conversed a few more moments before the doctor stepped away and removed her gloves.

  He tracked her movements as she followed the nurse to a machine in the corner, lifting a piece of paper from the printer and giving him her back while they continued their discussion. He folded his arms over his chest impatiently, drumming his fingers against his bicep as he waited. Finally, the women dispersed, and the doctor made her way out of the surgery room.

  He angled himself towards the door of the observation area, the omega’s surgical team still visible in the corner of his eye as he turned his attention to the wary female that was now approaching. She paused some feet away, the paperwork held close to her chest as she squared her shoulders.

  “Doctor.”

  “Hello, Mr. Petrovski.” The female greeted him nervously. “I’m sorry we’ve kept you waiting so long for an update, but we wanted to be sure we had a full assessment of December’s condition before we spoke to you.”

  “And you have one?”

  “Yes. But if you please, just to verify, I was informed that December is your mate?”

  “Is it relevant?”

  The doctor frowned softly. “It may be, yes.”

  “I fail to see how. I am responsible for the medical costs she incurs. Do you mean to refuse to update me on her status?”

  “No. No, Mr. Petrovski, it’s just…” The woman seemed flustered, shifting her weight uneasily as her eyes flickered back towards the surgical suite. “Thanks to her dynamic, the prognosis is good, for the most part.” When Nikolai raised a brow in question, the doctor cleared her throat. “Evolution has gifted omegas with a heartiness that the other dynamics don’t share,” she explained. “Due to the brutal treatment they are often forced to endure, they have adapted quite well over the centuries. They can survive more grueling circumstances than most.” The meaningful look she’d given him when speaking about the treatment of omegas didn’t escape him, but Nikolai let the insult slide.

  “There were no life-threatening injuries. The gunshot was through and through, which has been repaired. There was some vaginal tearing and trauma, which we’ve also addressed. She is dehydrated, but remarkably her condition isn’t as poor as we first expected. She has plenty of bumps and bruises, but most will heal without any complications. In fact, they aren’t too far from being done treating her.” She cleared her throat again. “However, there are a few issues that I wanted to address before we allow her to wake up.”

  Nikolai dipped his head. “By all means, speak freely.” He continued to drum his fingers against the material covering his arm, restless. The sourness of his mood only made the smaller female more nervous.

  “The first issue, Mr. Petrovski, is that December bears two alphas’ marks. One on her neck, one on her breast.” She continued cautiously. “We can debride the dead tissue and clean up the edges of the wounds today, but they will require plastic surgery in the future when she’s stronger… My question, Mr. Petrovski, is this: before we repair the damage, I needed to ask if one of these marks was yours? I imagine you wouldn’t be interested in repairing that tissue since I am told alphas like their claiming marks to be stark and visible, so we didn’t want to proceed with treatment until we’d spoken to you. Considering what she’d been through, we weren’t certain.”

  Nikolai’s jaw clenched against the disgust and rage that filtered in with the confirmation of what he’d already suspected. Her abusers had marked her to keep him from doing so. No doubt an intentional show of disrespect. “Neither are mine, see that they are repaired as best you are able.”

  The doctor nodded anxiously. “Of course. That leaves only one issue.” she glanced down at the paper in her hands, then extended it his direction. “According to the lab work, December is pregnant.”

  Nikolai grimaced, feeling very much like he’d just been punched in the gut. With a ragged sigh, he dismissed the offered paper and lowered himself into a nearby chair, rubbing his temples as he tried to diffuse the ticking time bomb of his temper before he unloaded on the doctor responsible for his battered omega’s care.

  “How long?”

  “A week, two at most. Her values are just beginning to change.” the doctor murmured sympathetically. “We’ve submitted samples to test for any STDs she might have contracted, and we’ll administer the same drug protocol we would for any other rape victim, of course.”

  The woman’s voice faded away as an unexpected wave of guilt and disappointment washed over him, a whingeing pain in his chest nearly making him gasp for air. This was his fault.

  “Mr. Petrovski?”

  He glanced up at the woman, momentarily confused until the expression on her face made it clear she’d a
sked a question he hadn’t answered. He cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter.

  “I apologize, please repeat the question?”

  “I said, we can administer an injection that will cause her to abort the pregnancy,” the woman repeated. “Is that something you’d like us to do?”

  Nikolai stared up at her for several moments, uncertainty moving him to silence. How very disconcerting it was, to be an alpha and to feel so utterly helpless and out of his depth. It was not a conversation he could ever have imagined himself having.

  It should have been a simple choice. The omega he’d chosen to be his mate had been stolen, marked, and impregnated by another male. Not just one, but several, from the sound of it.

  It was no secret that Nikolai had wanted a child with her. But the vision he’d kept for himself -- of her belly growing round with the life he’d placed there, the future that might once again hold the warmth of loved ones -- had been shattered.

  The girl had been used as a pawn, only proving his earlier concerns about family being a weakness. He hadn’t even marked her when they’d made her a victim simply for being near him. He should have expected it, and yet he hadn’t. His immediate obsession with the little female had blinded him to the danger.

  Unwittingly, the doctor had just helped destroy the small flicker of hope he’d felt at having found his omega intact and still breathing. Though she was offering him a way to lessen the sting of the offenses leveled against him, Nikolai realized just how selfish the idea of saying yes really was. The potential repercussions of a decision like this were endless, and he needed time to decide what would be done about the omega now that it had been confirmed that she was marked and bred by another

  Strangely, he felt repentant. Taking the life of the omega’s child while she slept, without her consent, was likely to be an unforgivable sin. If she wanted to keep the baby, he couldn’t fault her for responding to the dynamic he’d awakened in her. Nor could he take the choice away from her.

  “No. I’ll not make that decision.”

  “With everything December’s been through,” the doctor supplicated softly. “She has a very long and difficult recovery ahead of her. There’s a lot of guilt and self-blame associated with being the victim of something so awful.” The woman folded the piece of paper between her fingers, fidgeting as she spoke. “I don’t think she’s going to be able to handle knowing that she’s carrying her rapist’s child and choosing to abort it may do just as much damage to her psyche as the former. Mr. Petrovski, with as much pain as she’s in, it’s unlikely she would ever know the difference.”

  He lifted a hand, silencing the woman. “I appreciate your concern, but you will discuss this with her,” he commanded soberly. “December is stronger than you give her credit for, and this decision must be her own. When she wakes, present the choice to her. Whatever she decides will be the final word on the matter.”

  “All right then.” The woman said curtly, her lips pursed in a thin line of disapproval when Nikolai spared a glance her way. “Someone will notify you when she’s in recovery. Goodnight, Mr. Petrovski.” She turned on her heel, stalking away from him stiffly. Her annoyance didn’t matter to Nikolai. She didn’t understand the situation. As a beta, she never could.

  “Doctor?”

  The woman stopped.

  “Yes?”

  “There’s no reason for December to know that you’ve told me. I imagine she’ll come to her decision more easily if she isn’t influenced by the knowledge that you discussed the abortion of her child with someone other than herself. My involvement needn’t be mentioned.” He dismissed her from his mind then, returning his attention to the small female in the room adjacent.

  Despite what the doctor said, it was nearly two hours before they finally finished with the little female. The anesthesiologist began the process of bringing her up from anesthesia as the nurses worked together to slip a hospital gown on the sleeping woman. They covered her with blankets then, the remaining members of the team checking her vitals as they waited for their patient to become responsive enough to move her to recovery.

  As Nikolai watched, an older nurse leaned over her and began to stroke the girl’s hair as she talked softly to her. Another woman held her hand and patted her shoulder kindly. There was pity in their eyes, but also a sense of concern and kindness so genuine that Nikolai found himself grateful they would be there to provide something more for her in those first moments of confusion than he could have.

  There was something to be said for the instinctive solidarity that women of all dynamics exhibited when one of their own was in need. He could appreciate the significance of it, now more than ever.

  The first time Nikolai saw the girl blink, he breathed a sigh of relief. Soon, her fingers were tightening over the hand of the nurse at her side, and it became obvious she was waking. Her lips moved sluggishly as she spoke to the older woman stroking her hair, the girl’s brow furrowing with effort as she lifted a heavy hand and grabbed at the nurses’ scrub top with clumsy fingers. The woman smiled gently before pointing in his direction, apparently answering whatever question the groggy omega had asked.

  December’s head lolled towards the observation window, and Nikolai found himself standing to venture towards the glass as her bleary-eyed gaze searched him out. He made his presence known, standing at the window with hands in the pockets of his suit pants, a slight dip of his chin and a half-hearted smile the only reassurance he could offer her for now. Her response was conflicted. A myriad of emotions played across girl’s bruised face as she stared back, an unconscious pout forming on her puffed lips.

  An entire conversation transpired in silence as they continued to gaze at one another across the expanse. Her eyes shone with accusations and bitterness, but when he offered only humble submittal to her unspoken claims, the girl’s expression became wary and frightened as if she thought he was trying to trick her.

  When a nurse stepped between them and broke the exchange, Nikolai sighed. Dealing with the traumatized omega was going to be a monumental test of character and would undoubtedly try his patience. As he exited the room and trailed the nurses down the hall towards recovery, he wearily began to wonder if he were truly up to the challenge.

  ***

  By the time he was allowed in to see her, the girl had already drifted to sleep. He didn’t wake her, knowing it was likely the first time she’d felt safe enough to do so in days. Instead, he relocated an armchair from the corner of the room to her bedside. Here Nikolai sat, a silent sentinel watching over the battered female whose suffering affected him in a way he had neither expected nor was able to explain.

  In reality, he imagined the bond she’d so recklessly created between them had something to do with it. He felt her misery more keenly now, with her so near. But a good portion of the weight that had been pressing on him since she was kidnapped had started to dissipate. Was it her relief, or his own? He couldn’t say.

  The longer he studied the bruised profile of the delicate female, the more unsettled he became. For the first time in a very long while, Nikolai felt conflicted. Strategically speaking, he knew it would be wisest to cut his losses as the female had been both marked and impregnated by another man.

  He could pay for her medical care and assign protection to her until she was healthy enough to leave the hospital, perhaps even provide her with funds to start fresh. He could find and choose another to be his mate and provide him with an heir. It was the wiser choice for a man in his position. A generous one as well, considering most men would have dropped the girl like a rock once her value as a mate had been compromised.

  But the idea didn’t sit well with him. Just entertaining it made him feel ill. As he watched the steady rise and fall of the girl’s chest, the machines beeping rhythmic assurances of her strength, Nikolai was only made more resolute in the notion that she was meant to be his.

  She was a survivor. A strong, independent woman who had taken down three alphas on her ow
n to earn her freedom after suffering through a harrowing ordeal. Most women wouldn’t have made it out of that warehouse alive, let alone taken their fate in their own hands. But his little wolf had.

  He smirked as he tried to visualize the bedlam she must have released upon the unsuspecting alphas the moment they’d made the mistake of giving her enough slack to hang them with. The scene Donovan described was gruesome and violent. Warmth bloomed unexpectedly in his chest, and Nikolai realized he was proud of the little female’s viciousness and determination. Despite everything that she’d been through, she was still here, fighting. What’s more, she’d had a chance to escape, the ability to disappear, and she hadn’t. In her time of need, at her most vulnerable, she’d called for him.

  Nikolai sat back, his amusement fading as he considered the difficulties they would face if he attempted to keep her. The girl’s compromised state notwithstanding, he knew she would most certainly fight it if he expressed his intentions. That aside, they would eventually have to address what happened the day she was taken. Nikolai didn’t imagine she’d be very eager to discuss that either.

  While it was difficult to believe there was any credibility to what Ortega had told him, he couldn’t deny the fact that the girl’s well-timed distraction had quite probably saved his life. It was just one of many uncomfortable conversations they’d be forced to have in the coming days.

  He sighed wearily as he settled in, folding his arms across his lap. Nothing about the situation was ideal. Nonetheless, he felt he’d made up his mind. Bonding marks and bastard child aside, she would still be his.

  Chapter 19

  December woke with a start, confusion clouding her mind as she blinked blurry vision at the unfamiliar surroundings and struggled to sit up. Almost immediately, a familiar noise rumbled to life nearby. It took the edge off her panic and loosened the tension in her shoulders. She inhaled his scent as deeply as her bruised body would allow, sliding her eyes towards the source nearby.