Page 68 of Knot Broken

Grey’s voice was like a splash of cold water to the face.

“As I said to Nadia, there’s a possibility of being stuck mid shift,” Riley informed him. He sucked in a breath to reply, but she forged on. “And we have protocols for dealing with that. There are sedatives, muscle relaxants and beta blockers to reduce the impact of adrenaline on the heart.”

“Shouldn’t that be omega blockers?” I said in a thin voice.

“All I can say is we’ve done this before,” Riley told me. “We’re ready and prepared for anything that might happen.”

“But maybe it’ll be a snap,” Tex said. “Nadia’s said she’s experienced a lot of physical changes already. She could be producing a lot of those wolf hormones herself.”

“Maybe.” Riley nodded then turned back to me. “What we’re proposing is that we’ll place a small implant under your skin. It will give us real time data about your hormone levels, heart rate, etcetera. That information will be fed back to our databases and any time you’re having the kind of dramatic spike associated with a shift, our team will mobilise, ready to assist. It’s why we need you to stay at Crowe Corp until you’ve successfully shifted for the first time.”

It was lucky there was no implant in place right now, because my heart was pounding. Was I sure about this? Last night it seemed straightforward, but right now it felt like I was laying myself on the line for the possibility of having a child I didn’t even know if I wanted. My fingers found a small hole in my yoga pants and I picked at it, making it a little bigger, right up until a hand grabbed mine. I looked up to see Grey, silver eyed and staring down at me.

“If this is what you want, then I’ll be with you every step of the way,” he told me. “If you change your mind, I’ll support that too. Potential kids don’t matter to me. You do.”

I clung to his hand like a drowning woman might a lifeline. Somehow that was enough to slow my racing heart.

“OK, so when do we start?” I asked with just a little trepidation.

“Now, if you’re up for it.” Riley got to her feet, then ushered us into the hallway. “We’ll put the implant in, then start the first dose of hormones. You’ll stay in an observation room for an hour so we can watch you closely and ensure the chip is providing accurate data. After that, you can do what you like, as long as you stay in the building.” She smiled. “But being around your potential mates helps a lot. They’re the ones that helped start you on this journey, so the more contact you have, the better.”

“Can you write that on a prescription, doc?” Tex pulled me back against him and I admit, that warm body helped settle something in me. “Knowing that touching my omega is a medical necessity would be kinda cool.”

Whatever comfort he might provide, that evaporated when we walked into the observation room. Glass walls, monitors everywhere, and yet another medical gown to put on killed the mood. I sat down on the vinyl stool provided as the guys ranged about the room. Grey watched everything with a frown, but Tex was right there beside me.

“You’ve got this, omega. We’re fated to be together, so you’ll come out the other side in one piece. I just know it.”

Which was great for him. As Riley cleaned her hands, then snapped on latex gloves, all certainty left me. My heels hit the edge of the stool and my muscles quivered, ready to run the fuck out of the room when she lifted a strange gun-like piece of equipment.

“This is the quickest and most painless way to place the chip,” she told me. “With your permission, I’ll place it against your bicep, and you’ll hear a loud click, then a small sting and then that part will be done.”

No, I wanted to say. No, I did not want that to happen, but of course, this was what I had agreed to. Unable to trust myself to speak, I nodded sharply.

“Little sting,” she said in a soft voice as the cold metal pressed against my arm.

If it did hurt, I didn’t feel it. It felt like the stool, the cool air, and the stiff cotton of the gown disappeared as my heart rate picked up again. I wasn’t here. This wasn’t happening, so when Riley pulled away, I blinked and looked down at my arm. There was a small red mark there, the only evidence that something had happened.

“Now, lets see if that’s sending a signal to our equipment.” Riley crossed the floor, staring at the row of monitors as they all lit up. Numbers, charts, diagrams all appeared. “Interesting. Your hormone levels have already spiked from yesterday, which is promising.” She glanced our way. “Must be because you’re spending a lot more time around your mates.”

“So we’ve gotta stay in close proximity?” Tex’s arms went around me, but right now, I could barely feel the weight of them. “Sounds good to me.”

“Can that be a bad thing?” Grey frowned at Tex, then turned to Riley. “What if we push Nadia too hard, too fast?”

She glanced up at the screen that showed my heart rate, then back at me.

“Your omega is the one to answer that question, not me. Be led by her.”

What a ridiculous idea, I thought. The definition of the blind leading the blind. I had no instincts… That thought trailed away as something moved inside me. The sensation was freaking weird, like a muscle spasm or something. I jumped off the stool, breaking contact with Tex as my hands slapped down over my stomach. It was like a period cramp or really bad gut pain, and yet it didn’t hurt so much as just feel odd.

“Everything OK?” Grey appeared before me, hands slapping down on my shoulders. “Nadia.”

My breath came out in a rush.

“I… yeah. That just felt really strange. Stopped as soon as you touched me though.”

I was pulled into a full-body embrace.

“Then that’s what I’ll do.” A hand slid down my back slowly, as if learning the shape of me, then moved in small circles that grew firmer and more confident with each pass.