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He sat back and steepled his fingers on his desk. “Really? What happened?”
There were things a woman did that she didn’t necessarily like to speak about with anyone. This was that kind of thing. The hard part.
I reminded myself that he was a doctor, and this was a safe place to open up about my experience. “I walked into a coffee shop and my scent caused every man in the room to turn their attention toward me. As a matter of fact, if it wasn’t for Ty, I’m not sure how that would’ve turned out.”
“Ah, yes. Tyson Keller.” Dr. Reynolds smiled like he was taking some credit for my having snagged a Keller. “I heard about the two of you being matched. How is that working out, with the pheromones?”
“Well, like I said, he saved me from the coffee shop before anything bad happened … but he had to roll the window down and get some fresh air before he could think straight.” I pushed a strand of hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. “I don’t like that my scent makes him feel out of control.”
“I see.” Dr. Reynolds typed some notes in what I presumed was my chart. He did the hunt-and-peck method of typing, so I waited patiently for him to look back at me. “And what about the heat? How did you handle that?”
The blood rushed from every cell in my body and pooled in my cheeks. My face flamed. “Ty and I shifted together. I assumed the pills would stop my heat cycle, but that wasn’t the case.” I shook my head. Someone should have warned me the heat was this potent. “I felt out of control in my desire for Ty. Ultimately, he…” I cleared my throat and look down at my feet. “Took care of things for me until the sensation passed.”
I didn’t dare look Dr. Reynolds in the eye.
He must’ve picked up on my discomfort because he simply continued to speak as if I’d just recited a nursery rhyme. He was completely unfazed. At least as far as I could tell.
“Liza, these feelings you’ve been experiencing, they’re completely normal, so let me get that out of the way first. No need to feel ashamed or embarrassed in the slightest.” He pushed his chair back and crossed his legs, looking at the screen for a moment before glancing at me. “Have you told your parents about these experiences?”
Hell no, I hadn’t! I was a thirty-year-old woman. My days of sharing things like that with them were long past.
I frowned. “Doc, I love my parents, and I appreciate all the years of care they’ve provided, but I don’t think I need or want to consult with my parents about my sexual health.”
He chuckled. “Of course.” He blushed slightly, and I doubted it was from the subject matter as much as the faux pas about my age. “You’re right. However, your pheromones tend to be on the very high-end of the spectrum, and from what you’ve been telling me, they continue to rise and emit at a level that renders men helpless. That’s certainly not to say it’s your fault.”
I nodded. I did tell my parents that I’d upped my dosage, but I didn’t see why changing medications had anything to do with them. The problem with having the same doctor since childhood was that in his eyes, I still hadn’t grown up. “Fair enough, I see what you’re saying. They’ve been made aware.”
“Good.” Dr. Reynolds picked up a long, silver pen from the holder attached to the blotter on his desk. “I’m going to prescribe you a different medication with a higher dosage. Please keep in mind how important it is to take these every day. Don’t think you can skip a day and not be affected in some way. Try to take them at the same time every day, too. Even the difference of a few hours can have an effect on your pheromone levels.”
My heart thumped loudly as I tried to muster up the courage to ask the question that had been weighing on me since this whole thing with Ty started. “What will I tell Ty if he wants to have kids? I understand that the pills I’ve taken for years stop me from having a heat cycle—I’m assuming these will do the same—but if I stop taking them long enough to conceive, I’ll be putting myself at risk. Correct?” Obviously, he knew about my condition. He was the one who diagnosed it.
Dr. Reynolds was silent, no doubt choosing his words carefully. He was a good man and often had to walk a fine line with me as doctor and mentor. “Honestly, Liza, I’m not sure. I know the risk you’d be taking if you’re honest with Ty about what you are. That is something the two of you, as mates, will have to overcome together. You shouldn’t have to do this alone. Isn’t that the whole point of having a fated mate?”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
He continued. “Do you trust Ty enough to tell him?”
I opened my mouth to answer but hesitated. Did I trust Ty? I’d certainly trusted him enough to let him put his head between my legs and keep it there for what had seemed like hours. But just because we’d been intimate, that didn’t mean Ty had truly earned my trust. On the other hand… “Yes, I believe I do trust Ty.”
“You know I’ve always leveled with you… told you the truth because it’s your body and you’re the one who has to deal with it.” Doc leaned forward. “It’s a risk for you to stop taking your medication because we don’t know what will happen now that you’re an adult and the pheromones are at adult strength.” That wasn’t quite the reassurance I was hoping for. “The incident at the coffee shop is concerning, to be sure, and I think you have to be very careful in whatever you decide.”
I nodded. He was right.
“The way you described those men turning their full attention on you reminds me of when you were much younger and your brothers almost beat the neighbor kid half to death.” He raised an eyebrow. “Do you remember that incident? How quickly the boy reacted?”
Of course I remembered it. That wasn’t the kind of thing a girl forgot. I’d just started my period for the first time and was riding my bike. I’d stopped in front of my neighbor’s house to drink some water, and before I knew what was happening, Tommy, a fifteen-year-old, had run out of his house and tackled me off my bike. If not for my brothers tossing a football back and forth in the front yard and witnessing the whole thing, there was no telling what Tommy would’ve done.
Tommy told his parents he had no idea why he’d had such a strong reaction toward me. He wasn’t the kind of boy who would do that. His black eyes and busted lip, however, said otherwise.But he’d sworn to my father and his that he’d been watching TV innocently when he’d scented me, and his desire to mate with me had been way too strong for him to control. He’d been fifteen, and I was only twelve. I’d sworn never to mate—with a boy, ew—ever.
I’d never been more grateful to my brothers for pulling him off me and beating him to a pulp. My parents had called the police and filed a report.
I met Dr. Reynolds’ gaze. “Not one of my fondest memories, Doc.”
“I would certainly think not.” He tapped the pen against the side of his leg. “I’m not saying something similar would happen, but based on what you’ve told me, your pheromones are now attracting multiple men at once. It’s simply too dangerous, Liza.” Too dangerous sounded so ominous.
I studied the floor again, my body deflating.
“Liza, look at me.” Dr. Reynolds’ voice softened. “None of this is your fault. Tommy and the men at the coffee shop were just reacting to the scent of an omega.”
