by Viola Grace
Argus nodded and muttered. “Peaches.”
“What?”
He looked the man in the eye. “She smells like fresh peaches, and my cats like her.”
Dexter touched his arm. “Let’s go.”
Ambrose looked at them. “My car?”
Argus shook his head. “My truck. We would be cramped, and she will be in a vehicle with three alphas. She’s going to be disoriented, and we don’t want to accelerate her heat.”
They continued to make plans as they left the party, ignoring the stares as they left.
“So, you didn’t notice anything when you met her?” Ambrose asked the logical question.
Argus shook his head. “No, but if she was conditioned to stop her responses or minimize them, and she was in early stages, it might have been subtle.” He had another thought. “She also had cold hands. I think she was refrigerating herself before she came out to meet me and mowing the lawn. Damn, I am amazed that I smelled peaches at all.”
Dexter grinned. “Peaches, really?”
Ambrose muttered, “I love peaches.”
Dexter chuckled. “Me, too. This I have to see... smell... whatever.”
The drive was mercifully short. They got out, and Argus ran inside to check for her in his room. The boys were in distress, and the moment the door opened, they bolted. Argus knew a giant neon sign when he saw one and whistled sharply for his pride mates to follow him.
They crossed the property and found their target being nudged by the big cats; her hands clawed and dug into the wood of a shed that smelled like fish.
Argus walked up to her and still didn’t smell what was setting his buddies off. “Hey, Olivia. We are going to take you someplace safe.”
She glanced over her shoulder, her pupils wide and breathing shallow but still no scent. She took in Argus, Ambrose, and Dexter. Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened on a silent scream. Slick coursed down her thighs, and Argus had one thought. “How the fuck could I have missed that?”
He carefully unhooked her bloody fingers from the wood of the shed and picked her up. He wanted to rub against her, stroke her, and let her get used to his scent. She needed the Omega Centre so they could find out why it hurt so bad. Producing slick wasn’t supposed to hurt.
“Hey, kitten. Up for a road trip?”
She looked at him in a pain-filled daze. “Where?”
“The Omega Centre. You have been, right? Your dad took you when you were young?”
She shook her head slowly. “No. I was just told to tell people that he did.”
One of the men cursed, and she flinched.
“Oh, that’s just Dexter. He is normally fun.”
One of the men growled. “That is Ambrose, he is not normally fun, but he likes to think he’s in charge.”
She blinked and looked to Argus as he walked with her. “I fed the boys.”
He smiled. “Thank you. That must have been hard, considering.”
“It was fine until I let them back into your room and was tidying up.” She put her chin on her chest and mumbled something.
“What was that, kitten?”
She whispered as if it was the most shameful thing in the world. “I sniffed your shirt.”
He blinked. “And it set you off?”
She nodded and swallowed. “I tried to get into the shed, but she changed the lock.”
Ambrose asked, “What’s in the shed, baby?”
She blinked. “It’s soundproofed. It stops guests from hearing if I am screaming.”
The youngest one asked, “Why do you scream?”
“I have to hold the slick in so there isn’t a scent; it hurts after a while, and when the pressure forces it out...”
Argus kept his voice conversational while he seethed with rage. “And you scream.”
She nodded. “I am sorry that I am dripping on you.”
If she had said it in a teasing way, he would have described in detail how he wanted to make it worse, but she was genuinely contrite. This omega was in desperate need of therapy.
He opened the back of the king cab and settled her with a blanket around her. He was shocked when the boys bounded in and pressed next to her, purring. They were doing what he couldn’t.
The other two piled into the truck. “We’ll take turns driving,” Ambrose commented.
They buckled up; he put the truck into gear while he went as fast as the law allowed and a little bit more.
The boys took good care of Olivia, purring and nudging her to keep her awake. Dexter called the centre and explained the situation, handing the phone over to Olivia when she needed to talk. She answered all the questions frankly, and Argus really wanted to kill a dead man. Every omega instinct had been quashed or turned into pain. Beatings stalled her sex drive and any emission of scent. They knew how he dealt with her heats.
She spoke in low tones and said, “Three of them. No. Nothing. No touch aside for carrying me to the truck. Mean? I mean... some country music, but they changed the station.”
Argus grinned at that.
“Uh. Two big cats. Yeah. They are purring and in contact. It’s nice. I am not supposed to touch people.”
Argus’s grin died. Omegas were incredibly tactile. They loved to touch things, people. They liked soft things, warm things, fuzzy things... geez. The boys were a walking nest for her.
She handed the phone back to Dexter. “They want to talk to you.”
“No, we don’t have a pack alpha. We have the feline aspect. Right. Miracle we all get along.” Dexter chuckled. “Uh, I don’t know. We just found her. She has a bit of work ahead of her.”
Ambrose held his hand out. “This is Ambrose Wells. Yes, that is understood. We would like to be presented when it comes time to choose. Yes, we are registered. Can she be transferred to a centre closer to us? We would like to visit.”
Argus heard her voice, thin and sleepy. “Can the boys visit?”
“It might be too far for me to bring them to you, kitten.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Her simple acceptance at being denied something that soothed her set Argus’s teeth on edge. “I will try, but we don’t know how long you will be there.”
Olivia nodded. “Right. They have to find out what is wrong with me.”
Ambrose nodded. “Yeah, baby. When you feel better, if you want, we will come and take you home with us. You can cuddle with the boys and us.”
She perked up. “I can touch you?”
Dexter chuckled, and it was a strained sound. “Yes, please. Your scent is... very nice.”
Olivia buried her face in Remus’s neck, and she mumbled, “It isn’t disgusting?”
The entire truck groaned. Argus muttered, “No, kitten. It’s the nicest thing we have smelled in a very long time.”
Dexter nodded. “Like... ever.”
Ambrose looked back at her. “We are just trying very hard not to show you how much we like it because we don’t want to scare you.”
“Oh. Well, that’s nice then.”
They chuckled, and she buried her face in the big cats.
Chapter Three
The drive hurt. She kept her face buried against the cats, but it was self-preservation. The men smelled really good, but every time her body reacted, there was pain. She kept herself silent, and when Argus finally said, “We’re here,” she looked up.
There were people waiting for her. For them.
The alphas got out of the truck and walked around. Argus spoke to the people who were waiting. The people waiting looked nervous when he spoke to them, but the woman in the front lifted her chin and made a gesture for him to proceed.
Ambrose nodded, and he opened the door next to Olivia. He smiled. “Come on out, precious. These people are going to take care of you until we can.”
She nudged Romulus, and he huffed but got up and left the truck. Remus pressed down with his head, and he grumbled. She stroked his large head, and she pressed
her forehead to his. “I am sure it will be fine. Maybe Argus can bring you to visit me.”
Olly carefully moved out from under the grumpy cat and eased onto the cement, walking with her two buddies next to her. The woman in the centre of the waiting group had a comfortable-looking suit. She was also a solid beta.
“Miss Olivia Haven?”
Olly nodded. “That’s me.”
“I am Margot. I am here to help you. How long have you been active as an omega?”
“Uh, twelve years? The heats started seven years ago.”
“You experience pain?”
Olly didn’t know how to explain it. “Yes.”
“Can we examine you?”
She frowned. “I suppose you would have to.”
Argus chuckled, and she looked at him, catching a wave of his scent, and her body tried to respond. She fell to her knees, and the cats nuzzled her, purring hard to help her as her body spasmed and pain rolled through her in waves.
Argus was at her side, which wasn’t helping. “Olivia, what can we do to help?”
She whimpered. “You smell too good.”
He blinked. “My scent is causing you pain?”
“No, it is making my body react, and that is causing pain.”
Margot stepped toward her and said, “Olivia, please, take my hand. We will see what the problem is.”
Olly looked at her earnestly concerned face. She let go of the cats and got to her feet. She didn’t look at the men. She couldn’t.
* * * *
Ambrose watched the woman walk into the building with the phalanx of betas. “What do you want to do now?”
Argus looked toward the building. “I want to know that she’s okay.”
“Then, we will wait.”
They had turned back to the truck when a beta came out and said, “She wants you to wait.”
“Who does?”
“The omega. They are taking her in for a medical exam, and if she is defective, she wanted you to know, so you don’t waste your time waiting.”
Ambrose frowned. “She doesn’t want us to waste our time?”
Dexter blinked. “What is going through her head?”
Argus answered. “Pain.”
They took the boys and brought them inside. They were put in an alpha waiting area where those who were there for interviews could meet omegas in a safe environment.
They were there for twenty minutes when a grey Margot came into the room, and she said, “Oh my god. That poor girl.”
Argus got to his feet, and he was vibrating with tension. “What?”
Margot was shuddering with horror. “The source of the pain... they stitched her.”
Dexter frowned. “What?”
Ambrose put his hand on Dexter’s arm. “It was an anti-omega method of making them betas again. They stitch through the muscle and tissue and slick gland. When their heat hits or they scent an alpha they want, the tissue flexes and...”
Dexter paused then ran to the garbage can in the corner and vomited.
Margot nodded. “There is a lot of that going on. A med team is working on her right now, but she is fully sedated.”
Argus asked, “Will she recover?”
“We don’t know. I have never seen a case like this. There were pamphlets that the pure beta movement was circulating with photos of this procedure, and I hate to say it, but the particular stitching matches those images. I think she was the test case.” Margot asked, “So you know who did it?”
Argus growled. “Her father had it done. He told the family he was taking her to the Omega Centre and that she was returned to them as defective.”
Margot grimaced. “Where is he?”
“Dead.”
“Damnit.” Margot took out her phone. “I need every detail of her home, and I need it before they can hide the evidence.”
Argus pulled out the card for the Haven Bed and Breakfast. “This is where she lives. The family has a bungalow on the property. If you could make arrangements for the animals to be seized and given to animal rescues, that would be ideal. I can help with that a bit, but I don’t normally re-home farm animals.”
Margot paused. “Right. Are you waiting until she is out of surgery?”
Ambrose looked at Argus and Dexter. “We are.”
“She is going to need a lot of therapy. Based on what you told me and what she confirmed, she’s been kept as a tortured servant and denied access to modern technology. She has to learn from about a six-year-old level of tech and work upward. She needs life skills, healing, and to learn what her body should actually feel like.”
Argus nodded. “You took pictures of the stitching?”
“Yeah. Every layer.”
Ambrose asked, “How many layers?”
“Eight. The entire knot band was included. Her heat would have been agony for days, and scenting an alpha would be pure torture. As she is combining both situations, I am amazed that she was conscious.”
Argus smiled. “She’s surprisingly strong, and the boys kept her calm and blocked our scents in the truck.”
The jaguars were flopped out on their sides, looking pleased with themselves.
“They probably saved her a lot of pain. Geezus. I just... fucking monsters.” Margot teared up. “That poor girl.”
Argus tightened his jaw. “We want to know how she is doing. Will you keep us updated?”
“I will need her authorization, but if she says yes, then yes.”
Ambrose asked, “Can we see her when she is out of surgery?”
“Only for a moment. No physical contact. It will be about an hour. Can we get you some water or coffee?”
They answered as one. “Coffee.”
She smiled slightly and nodded. “Coming up. Oh, and gentlemen?”
Ambrose looked at her. “Yes?”
“Thank you for bringing her in.” She smiled weakly. “As you might guess, other packs might have tried to keep her for themselves. You did the right thing.”
Argus nodded. “Thank you. Please, take care of her.”
Margot nodded. “It’s what we do.”
Dexter looked up from his seat on the floor next to the waste bin. “So... every time she scents an alpha...”
Ambrose finished. “Her body tore itself apart. The slick built up until it could open her skin enough to escape.”
“Fuck.” Dexter frowned. “How would you even begin to treat that?”
Ambrose guessed. “Let the body heal then start to stretch the tissue. She might not ever be able to take a knot, but she would be close to a beta.” He nodded. “There shouldn’t be pain. It’s soft tissue, so it has a better chance of healing without scarring and healing quickly. There could be nerve damage, but if she was still in such pain after years of it, she heals, and the nerves aren’t damaged.”
Argus ran a hand through his hair, and Romulus butted at the back of his knees. He leaned down and scratched behind his ears. “Yeah, I am worried, too.”
Their group waited until a beta male in medical garb came in, and he was shaking. “We got it all out after documenting it. She’s doing... surprisingly well. They sewed her cervix shut as well, but we managed to get an IUD into her since she was already out. She doesn’t need to end up pregnant unexpectedly. She should really have a few normal heats before a breeding is attempted.”
Ambrose smiled. They were being addressed like she was theirs already. “You might be telling us too much. She has not chosen yet.”
He snorted. “Yeah, fuck that. She has been demanding to bring in her guys and her boys. You are the guys.”
Argus pointed at the jaguars. “These are the boys.”
“Well, she is awake and in recovery. She will still need to be here for months until she can be educated for the modern age, but her pain is already dissipating. Margot will have a list of things you need to do before you can take custody of her.” He sighed. “First things first. Come this
way, keep the big cats close.”
He opened the door, and the boys shot past him. Argus chuckled. “She’s that way.”
There were startled cries from down the hall. Ambrose chuckled. “Over there.”
Dexter heard a female shout. “We should probably hurry.”
They walked quickly with the doctor through the medical area and to the clean and sanitized room that held Olivia.
Olivia was sitting up, and the boys were lying on her bed, one to each side of her.
She waved slightly. “Hi, guys. Um, thanks for bringing me here. I don’t hurt anymore. Of course, that could be the drugs.”
Argus looked at her, and Ambrose watched him lean over the bed. “How are you feeling, Olly?”
“Um, horrified with what they found, but now, the pain makes sense.” Her hands clenched, and she rubbed them on her thighs. Ambrose could see that she wanted to grab Argus.
Dexter walked toward the bed, and he sighed. “I am so sorry that was done to you.”
She nodded. “So am I. I didn’t even remember it. I just know that it hurt, and trying to touch myself got me a beating.” She smiled brightly. “He’s dead now.”
Ambrose watched her hands move. “Peaches, you can touch Argus if you want.”
She jumped, winced, and turned crimson. Her eyes turned to Argus, and he extended his hand to her. He smiled. “I am all yours, kitten.”
Chapter Four
Olly wasn’t quite sure. She was aching, but it wasn’t pain. The doctors said that the wounds were closing and time would see to the scars.
She stared at Argus’s hand, and then, she gave up the most profound statement. “Aw, fuck it.”
She put her hand in his, and his fingers closed around hers. Her skin got hot from head to toe, and she inhaled sharply, and his scent heated and filled her nostrils.
“Ohhhh.” Pine trees and cold wind. She felt the clench and the slick, but it just ached. There wasn’t any pain. She took his hand in her bandaged fingers and turned it over in her hands. She licked his palm before either of them knew what she was doing. The purr came as a shock, and for a moment, Olly thought it was her, but Argus was purring. The boys looked at him, and they joined him in the deep rumbling rattle.
