Page 26 of Omega Ruined

She ducked her head and I heard her quietly mutter, "More like years."

The words sent rage roaring through my veins. Who had made her life hell for years? I would find them and tear them to shreds with my barehands. A rumble in my chest had Kienan giving me a sharp look and I bared my teeth, but managed to keep it together. Barely.

We finally moved to the living room to watch a movie, but that was the last thing on anyone's mind. Kienan didn't even pretend to turn on the TV. He pointed to a chair where Olivia could sit and we all sat down, watching her.

"I'm sure you have some questions," Kienan started.

"I have some fucking questions," I said, seeing Olivia's terrified look at his words. "Like, where the hell did an omega come from? Shouldn't this be something we discuss as a pack? No offense, darling. I can smell you're our mate, I'm just wondering how this happened."

She bit her lip, blue-gray eyes flicking between Kienan and me.

"Well, we have a problem in this pack," Kienan sighed. "We aren't eligible for an omega in the normal sense and we can't qualify for one through ORC either."

That wasn't news to any of us. Except maybe Olivia. She was watching our leader warily.

"Why?" her voice was soft, but her question hung in the air like poison.

"Because Vale and I are cursed," I blurted out.

Instead of being scared, she frowned, looking more curious. "Cursed how?"

"They're going feral," Zephyr said heavily. He dropped a hand on my thigh. "Have you heard of fever bloom?"

She shook her head.

"It's a virus that can cause alphas to turn feral. It's something most alphas get and our bodies fight it off in our teens. But in both their cases, they didn't get it early on and it was adult onset. The virus works differently in a fully presented alpha and can be devastating."

"So you were feral yesterday when you built me a nest?" Olivia looked at Vale.

He hung his head. "Yeah. Sorry."

"It's okay, it's not something you can help, right?"

Vale shook his head and I could have hugged the woman in that chair for making us both feel better.

"So what's the cure? Is there one?"

I spoke up this time. "They're working on a vaccine that would ensure all young alphas get exposed early on in life. And supposedly, there will be injections to suppress our feral side, but it might not come in time."

"It's progressive then?"

"It is." Kienan glanced at us. "Vale is further along than Dean, but both of them are set off by anything that triggers harsh emotions, jealousy, anger, etc."

"What happens when you go completely feral?" Olivia asked curiously. "Do they lock you up?"

"Usually. Some alphas are put into cage fights." I swallowed hard. I could imagine fighting someone to the death when I was in the depths of the fog.

"What?" Olivia looked horrified. "That's so wrong!"

"Most alphas prefer to… remove themselves from society when it gets too bad," Kienan explained.

The little omega looked absolutely shocked.

"That's where you come in," Kienan told her. "Studies show that bonding with an omega can halt or even reverse the effects of the virus. But feral alphas can't get an omega assigned to them, so we had to go about it unconventionally."

"Wait, how unconventionally?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"They bought me," Oliva spat out. "Paid for me to be kidnapped, thrown in the trunk of a car, and turned over to them like a piece of meat." She clearly wasn't over the indignation, even though she hadn't tried to run or escape once here.