Bird’s eyes widen. “Shit.”
“Do you feel like…?”
“I have flu?” Bird shakes off my hold on his neck, pulling away from me. He touches his forehead. Alarm sheets through his expression. “I’m burning up. Alpha, I’m going into…”
“Heat.”
I hate the way that Bird’s smile dies.
His eyes gleam with sudden tears. “What do I…? I’m not ready. I thought that I would have…I’ve only just found you.”
To my shock, Bird throws himself at me, nuzzling my neck.
He’s shaking.
I step away from the bars, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, tentatively. “I’m here. I can see you through it.”
Doesn’t he want me to?
The rejection hits me harder than I thought anything could.
I battle to keep my expression cool, but my heart is in agony.
“Please,” Bird whispers, “I’ve never spent my heat with someone I’m falling for. One last time, yeah?”
He’s falling for me…?
Warmth spreads through me. It’s unexpected.
I’m not falling for him too, right?
He’s my scent match.
My Omega.
But what we have isn’t romantic love.
I scrunch up my nose.
But then everything fits into place.
Bird thinks that he will die in this heat.
After all, he almost did last time.
Bile rushes up my throat.
What if he does die? I can’t be certain.
True terror rushes through me.
“I’ll call for a doctor,” I promise. “I’ll scream down the fucking place until they take you to a specialist and?—”
“No,” Bird pleads. “No more doctors. Whatever happens, I want to spend this heat with you. What if they take me away from you? Don’t do that to me. I have never been as happy as I’ve been this last week. Waking in your arms, Ro. Meeting someone else like me. You accept me and never treat me like I’mless than. You don’t pamper me like I’m a pretty doll, who is some beautiful but dumb elite Omega. But you also don’t treat me like a worthless whore who can be ordered out of a catalog. I’ve never been seen as just apersonby anyone but my sister, you know?”
I swallow.
My throat is thick with tears.