Forbidden: Part One – Chapter 19

Holding Josie in my arms as I headed back to the car felt like heaven, but her suffering felt like hell. I was still kicking myself for growling at her back in her room. I was stressed as fuck that our mate was in pain. I had the overwhelming urge to comfort her, protect her, fuck her. You are not fucking her. At least not yet.

I carefully maneuvered us into the backseat of the car, keeping her held tight to my chest.

“How’re you feeling, baby girl?”

“It’s hurting again,” she whimpered.

“You’re breaking my heart,” I murmured, wishing I could draw her pain into my body.

I barely looked up from her as my brothers joined us in the car.

“Josie, gorgeous, how’re you feeling?” Ben asked as Theo peeled out from the curb faster than usual.

Josie was beyond speaking. Her breaths were getting more labored, and her whimpers intensified.

“I knew she shouldn’t have left the house. It’s too much exertion,” Theo growled, his knuckles turning white on the wheel as he drove faster. “She should be in a nest for her heat. She needs the suppressants now.”

The panic and despair running through the bond overwhelmed me as Josie choked out, “It hurts, it hurts,” tears streaming down her face. I held her tighter, gently stroking her hair, and shot a panicked look at Ben, who was turned around in the passenger seat, his eyes glued on our omega.

“What do I do?” I mouthed to him. I was failing her. She was in my arms, crying in pain, and there was nothing I could do to help. Ben shook his head, looking helpless.

“You two need to get a grip,” Theo hissed out. “Calm down and focus. We’re almost home, and then we’ll get her more comfortable.”

The last five minutes of the drive were unbearable. By the time we pulled into the driveway, Josie was screaming from the pain.

The second he parked the car, Theo opened my door and reached in to grab Josie, but I growled at him, refusing to let her go. Theo clenched his fists but backed off.

“Get a bath started with hot water,” he said to Ben, who took off in a sprint towards the front door. Theo grabbed Josie’s things out of the car and I carried her in, hoping that a hot bath would work some sort of miracle.

A shrill ring cut through the air as we walked up the stairs.

“Thank fuck. It’s her phone,” Theo said, pulling it out of his pocket. “Wait, don’t hang up,” he said quickly to the person on the other line. “This is Josie’s phone.”

There was silence for a moment. “Josie, love, did Sam give you a code word to identify yourself to the doctor?”

Josie’s eyes fluttered open. “Um, yeah, it was…” she moaned and clenched her hand to her stomach. “God, I can’t think clearly. The codeword is cupcake.”

I left Theo to manage the phone conversation and rushed Josie into the bathroom. Ben was lighting candles to line the tub so we could keep the lights off.

“Let’s get you in the bath,” I said after testing the temperature of the water. Ben and I gently stripped off her clothes, leaving her bra and underwear on. Josie seemed to have left lucidity behind, and I was worried she wouldn’t be able to stay safe in the tub. I stripped down to my underwear and got in, sitting behind her to hold her up.

“The doctor’s coming now. She’s an omega,” Theo said, keeping his voice low as he entered the room.

“How is that possible?” Ben asked, moving to the side of the tub so he could stroke Josie’s face.

“She’s from Sol, apparently, and did her training there. She and her pack live just down the road and should be here in a few minutes.”