Linked By Fate

Chapter 6

Beep....Beep....Beep!

Why can't I move? What is going on with my body? I feel as if someone has submerged me in a bath of extremely hot water and is trying to boil my skin off. What is that dang beeping? Where is Riley?

Fighting with all my might, I managed to finally open my eyes only to be blinded by bright light. "Riley? Riiley?" I moaned. A shuffling sound comes from the right side of my body. Soon, the bright light is blocked by the distressed face of my best friend, my mate.

Dark eyebags, light hair growing along his jawline, disheveled hair, and teary eyes, Riley looks like a hot mess. "What happened? Where am I?"

At first he doesn't say a word, can't say a word because he is silently crying. His shoulders were shaking from the sorrow he was releasing through his tears. My own eyes began to burn with tears watching him like this. I'd never seen him cry like this except for the time my parents died.

"Hey baby, what's wrong?" I asked him with a raspy voice. Laying his head on my stomach, he continued to cry.

Lifting my left hand to rub his head, I saw the tape that held down the iv there. I'm in the hospital? Racking my brain, I tried to think of the last thing I had done.

In slow motion, it all came back to me. My first heat came before the game started. I took an injection that began to wear off at the end of the game. I drove home, ran a cold bath, and went inside. The pain grew so bad that I could not handle it. Warm hands on my face, Riley's voice sounded like it was miles away. Then, nothing. Complete blackness.

"I blacked out in the bathtub yesterday, didn't I?" I asked when he finally raised his head to look at me. With my left hand, I wiped away his tears as gently as I could so I wouldn't pull too much on the IV.

"Sweetheart, that was five days ago. You've been unconscious in this hospital since Friday night." Wiping the rest of his tears away, he rose up from the chair he was sitting in. I need to let them know that you are awake, then I'll be right back. Mom and dad are down in the cafeteria getting coffee and a bite to eat. They will want to know that you have woken up as well. I will let the doctor explain what happened to you."

Grabbing his hand, I was afraid to let him go. Something bad had to have happened for me to be in the hospital, considering I don't like hospitals or doctors for that matter. Knowing me the way he does, he leans down, kissing me softly on my forehead. "It will not take long, and I'll be right back, honey, I promise." After another soft kiss, he pulls from my grasp, heading towards the door.

I watched him step through the door, where I continued to stare until he walked back inside the room. A need rose from deep inside of me to be held by him. To have his body, his scent, surrounding me. An aching swelled in my chest as tears began to leak from my eyes. "Riley", I called out to him as he crossed the room. Not saying a word, he kicked off his shoes to climb into bed next to me. Turning on my side a little to give him room, I snuggled into his chest. He released some pheromones that settled me instantly. My tail trembled with excitement just being in his arms. My ears dropped in relaxation as he rubbed my hip with one hand and used the other hand to caress the back of my head. This may be too intimate of a scene for a hospital room, but I didn't give a crap. Being in Riley's arms felt like a cool drink of lemonade in a hot desert.

"Oh, what a sight the two of you make together. It causes this mama bear's heart to melt from all the cuteness," Rita said as she and Braxton entered the room. "How are you feeling love? I saw the doctor on our way in, so he will arrive shortly.

Pulling back enough to where I could see their faces, I responded to her question. "My body hurts like I got in a fight with an orangutan. My heat coming in full force and the unbearable pain is the last thing I remember from Friday. It shocked me when Ri said that I had been unconscious since then. Sorry to have scared you all like that. I can only imagine what you guys went through because of me."

Using his hand to cup my face, I lifted my eyes to Ri's face. He had this hard look in his eyes that made my already warm blood a little warmer. "Don't do that," he said just loud enough for me to hear him. "You're my mate, my best friend, family. Caring about you, being here for you, is not a put-off in any way. Do you hear me?" I could do nothing but nod my head.

My throat clogged with so many emotions that I couldn't speak. The dominant alpha in him is new to me. Suddenly, images of him holding me down while making love to me flashed through my head. I know that my omega pheromones have to be overwhelmingly strong right now. Burying my face in his chest again, I let the tears flow again. My heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest. When did I become weak like this? That is the thought that popped up just as the doctor knocked on the door while opening it at the same time.

"Ms.Sinclair, I'm Dr. Kai. I've been taking care of you since your arrival a few days ago. Waking up in a hospital has to be quite a shock for you. I'm sure you're anxious to know what's going on. First, we need to do something about the phermones you're giving off right now. Though I've been giving you mate inhibator injections daily, you're his fated mate, so it can still drive his alpha traits into overdrive."

Looking up at Riley, I see that he is biting the inside of his cheek in order to control himself. Closing my eyes, I remembered what the book said about learning to control the release of my pheromones with medicine. Trying the technique I read about that had me focusing on dulling my desire for my mate, the air in the room began to clear, and Riley was able to relax. When I opened my eyes, everyone was looking at me in awe, all except for Dr. Kai, who was wearing a small smile.

"Ms. Sinclair, I have to say that this is the first time I've witnessed a newly transitioned omega-beast-human who could control their pheromones at will. It's good to know that you've read up on your species in order to understand who and what you are. Being an omega myself, it took me until the rip age of thirty-five before I was able to conquer such a task. My hat goes off to you. It's good that you have a strong alpha and support group around you, because until you are fully mated with Riley, your heat cycles will continue to be dangerous. Having read up on beast-humans, I'm sure you understand what I mean." Dr. Kai held my gaze as I nodded my head.

Yeah, I knew what he was talking about. As a beast-human who transitioned so late at the age of twenty instead of fifteen, my heat cycles will slowly kill me unless I'm fully mated with my fated alpha. Every heat cycle will take a dangerous toll on my body, slowly wearing out my major organs. Most fated pairs mate within the first week after finding their other half. With us moving from best friends to mates, I've been scared to cross that line even though my body has been craving Riley's touch constantly. I've been fighting myself because I'm scared of the big change that will occur between us once we become one. Riley, becoming my everything, not being able to function without him, that kind of dependency frightens me to no end. I've never seen myself relying on anyone that way. I had always pictured myself growing old alone.

Glancing back at Dr. Kai, I can see the compassion in his eyes. He knows what I'm going through, as if he can read my mind. "Yes, Dr. Kai, I fully understand what you mean and the repercussions of my actions if I keep going this way." Riley interrupts us.

"Will someone please explain to me what is going on? I'm not following." He looked between the two of us. Dr. Kai gave me the go-head nod so I could be the one to tell my mate what was happening to me.

"The fact of it is that my heat cycles will slowly kill me unless you and I fully mate. With me transitioning into a beast-human five years later than I should have, my heat cycles will affect my main organs due to their intensity. Every cycle will become more intense and unstable unless we mate. Most fate pairs mate within the first week of finding their other half, unlike us who've been together for a little over a month because of my fears." As I spoke, I could feel Riley's body stiffen beneath me as the room grew silent yet again.

Braxton is the one to break the silence. "It's natural to fear change, Cooper. We all do at some point in our lives. Be that as it may, putting your life at risk like this is unacceptable. We've told you many times that if you have any fears or concerns, to come to us or go to Riley. We are always going to be here for you. You are not alone no matter what or how you think."

Riley releases the hold he had on me. Pulling away from me, he slid off the bed. Pulling his shoes back on, he grabs his phone off the table and heads out the door. Watching him go, I could feel the distance between us with every step he took. I did this. It was my fault, there was no need to cry.

"I'm sorry. It was never my intention to hurt you guys. Yeah, I have a lot going on in my head and I don't like to be a burden. Yeah, change is a part of life and is nothing to fear. But this change is going to have me facing feelings that I suppressed many years ago." Riley has always meant more to me than I let on. Feeling that I never stood a chance, I pushed those feelings so deep inside of me, I'm afraid to dig them up even if I can.

"Honey, it's not too late to make amends. Talk to your mate, let him know how you feel. The two of you have been best friends since the day you met. Nothing you can say will ever make our son turn his back on you. The bond you guys share already runs deeper than most fated mates that have been together for forty or fifty years. It really has been a beautiful thing to witness. The mate bond between you guys has always been unbearkable. This is just a bump in the road, but the two of you can handle this." Rita's words are true. I need to apologize to him and face my fears head on, which is easier said than done.

Dr. Kai checked my vitals and my pheromone levels. "The pain will ease as long as you take the medicine I prescribe for you daily as instructed. Even if you fully mate with Riley, your heat cycles will still be intense, but no longer life threatening. I want you to change your school schedule to three days at school, and two at home for the rest of the year." His words have me snapping my head towards him. "I've been talking over your condition with the dean and he agrees with me. You are smart, the top student in your classes, so the change will not affect you much. However, your position as trainer and massage therapist for the hockey team is something of an issue. Can you continue your position as is?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine. I'm team captain, so if by chance she goes into heat during a game, I'll be there. Situations as such have been in talks between the coach, myself, and my co-captain. There is no need to worry." Riley said from the doorway. He was speaking to Dr. Kai, but his eyes were locked with mine. I can't read what he's thinking and it scares me. "If things look good, when can she be released?"

"I discussed with her about the changes that need to be made to her school schedule. Being her alpha, I'm not worried about her not following the recommendations put forward. Cooper can be released within the hour. I've been administering her medication through her IV, she has enough in her system to sustain her until she starts taking the pills tomorrow. Taking the prescription along with her other daily meds will make things easier for her system to handle, making life as an omega beast-human a lot easier. She is to return to see me in three weeks, so I can see how things are going." Dr. Kai spoke to Riley as if I were not in the room. Not gonna lie, it pissed me off a little, but I brought it on myself.

This is some of what I can expect as being his mate. He is the alpha, it's natural for him to be the one in control. The thing is, I'm not sure how to let him lead me. I've been in control of my own life since my folks died, so I'm not sure I can let go of control. What would it be like to give over control like that? From the look on his face, I'm about to find out. Our eyes are still locked on each other as the two of them talk. I can see traces of pain there. I hurt him with my actions.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I missed what was said, only catching something about a cabin. With a slight shake of my head, I looked at the four faces that were staring at me. "Sorry, I missed whatever it was you just said."

Dr. Kai excused himself to go get the discharge paperwork started, leaving the rest of us in an awkward silence. Riley never moves from the spot he's been standing in since reentering the room earlier. "I said that we are taking a trip to the cabin for the rest of the week. I cleared it with university. We can do our missed assignments online so we don't miss out on any credits. You will attend classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This will make it possible for you to be at games and not miss out much on practices, which will be recorded on the days you aren't there, so you can still keep up with the team's progress. For now, I'm in charge of our relationship, and you will do everything I say."

Riley has never spoken to me in this tone before and I don't like it at all. What have I done?