Chapter 79: Dr. Victoria...

I pressed my eye against the security peephole, my breath hitching in my throat as I waited for the worst.

​But standing in the sleek, carpeted hallway was not a teammate, or even a man. It was a woman.

She looked to be in her late forty’s, dressed in professional medical scrubs under a tailored beige trench coat, carrying a high-end leather medical briefcase.

I didn’t recognize her at all, but the sheer lack of a team jacket or a familiar face made a fraction of the suffocating panic lift from my chest.

​I unlocked the door, cracking it open just enough to block the view of the chaotic living room behind me.

​"Can I help you?" I asked, forcing my voice into the flattest, most authoritative captain’s tone I could muster despite my heart racing like an engine.

​The woman didn’t look startled. She offered a polite, professional nod. "Hello. I’m Dr. Victoria, the McCoy family’s acting health personnel. Mr. McCoy’s agency contacted me after Jax sent over the preliminary report on his ankle. I’m here to run a proper assessment."

​As she spoke, I felt a massive wave of relief wash over me. She was a Beta. Her scent profile was completely neutral, meaning she lacked the advanced olfactory receptors of an Alpha or an Omega. My secret was safe.

​"Right. Come in," I muttered, stepping back and pulling the door open to let her through.

​The moment Dr. Victoria stepped into the foyer, she paused. Her nose wrinkled slightly, her eyes sweeping over the minimalist space.

Even without the ability to distinguish secondary genders, the sheer concentration of hormones floating in the penthouse was physically thick enough to notice.

​"My goodness," she murmured, adjusting her briefcase. "There is certainly something heavy in the air. The atmospheric pressure in here feels completely loaded." She looked over at me, giving a sympathetic smile. "I assume that’s young Reid’s pheromones acting up? Alphas of his caliber tend to broadcast quite violently when they are in severe physical pain or dealing with a spiking fever." 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

​"Yeah," I lied smoothly, keeping my face entirely deadpan while my pulse hammered against my ribs. "He’s... having a pretty rough time with the pain. His fever spiked about twenty minutes ago."

​"Understandable. High-ranking Alphas do not handle being physically incapacitated very well," she said, walking briskly toward the living room.

​I followed close behind, my eyes darting around to make sure nothing too incriminating was in plain sight. Reid was still unconscious, sprawled out against the cushions, his face flushed and his chest heaving under the lightweight blanket.

​Dr. Victoria set her briefcase on the marble coffee table, right next to the empty glass and the discarded medical supplies. She immediately noted the damp washcloth on his forehead.

"You’ve been managing his temperature, I see. Did you manage to give him anything for the pain before I arrived?"

​"I did," I said, reaching over to pick up the heavy blister pack Jax had left behind. I showed her the empty slot where the large white pill had been. "I just got him to swallow one of these anti-inflammatories with some water. He passed out right after."

​"Excellent work. That will help lay the groundwork for the fever reducer I’m about to administer," Dr. Victoria said, popping open her briefcase to reveal neatly organized rows of medical vials and syringes. She began preparing the injection with practiced, clinical efficiency. "It’s a good thing you were here to assist him, Captain Evans. A delirious Alpha in a penthouse by himself is a recipe for a secondary injury."

​"Just doing my job," I muttered, crossing my arms tightly over my chest to hide the slight tremor in my fingers.

​I stood by the edge of the sofa, watching her work while the lingering, wet sensation of Reid’s lips still burned against mine, a silent, terrifying secret hidden beneath the heavy scent of frozen pine.

I pursed my lips. Since he was so delirious, would he remember?

I hope he doesn’t, because the feeling I got from that kiss... it was just entirely too much. It was dangerous.

​I watched Dr. Victoria deftly prepare the syringe, the soft click of medical glass the only sound competing with Reid’s ragged breathing.

My mind, however, was still hopelessly trapped back in that suffocating haze. If he remembered that kiss—if he realized how completely I had melted into his mouth, how my arms had wrapped around his shoulders, and how my inner Omega had utterly dissolved—he would have a completely new leash to wrap around my neck.

The blackmail about my second gender was bad enough, but this? Giving him proof that he could make me surrender with just his lips? I’d never be able to look him in the eye on the ice again.

​"He’s running quite hot," Dr. Victoria noted, gently pulling the damp washcloth from his forehead to check his temperature with a digital scanner. It let out a sharp, clean beep. "Thirty-nine point four. No wonder he’s passing out. This ankle is a complete disaster zone. The sheer inflammation is shocking."

​"Is it... is it going to affect his season?" I asked, forcing myself to anchor back into my role as team Captain. I needed to think about the lines, the scoreboard, the playoffs. Anything but the taste of him.

​"With proper rest, targeted anti-inflammatories, and absolutely no physical exertion? He’ll make a full recovery," Dr. Victoria said, her voice dropping into a stern, classic Beta medical register as she smoothly pressed the needle into his upper arm, plunging the fever reducer into his veins. "But if the stubborn boy tries to exert himself, or if he’s been putting sudden, violent pressure on that joint today..." She glanced up at me, narrowing her eyes slightly behind her glasses. "...he could permanently compromise the ligament."

​My chest tightened. Sudden, violent pressure. The image of Reid brutally thrusting up into me, bracing his massive frame, and ignoring the agony just to force me onto his lap flashed behind my eyelids.

​"Right," I muttered, my voice barely a raspy whisper. "I’ll make sure he stays flat on his back."

​"Good. He’s lucky to have a Captain who takes such thorough care of his teammates," she said, packing her vials back into the leather briefcase with a satisfying snap. She stood up, smoothing down her beige trench coat. "The McCoy’s are worried that’s why they sent me here but there’s nothing to worry about. The fever reducer should kick in within the hour. He’ll likely sleep heavily until late night or tomorrow morning, and when he wakes, his head should be entirely clear."

​Entirely clear.

​I swallowed hard, walking Dr. Victoria back toward the door. "Thank you, Doctor. I’ll lock up behind you."

​"Of course, Captain Evans. Keep an eye on him," she offered a final, professional smile before stepping out into the carpeted corridor.

​