Forbidden by Liliana Carlisle

CHAPTER 9

AMELIA

“Blood scans are normal, Miss Walker,” the doctor says as he enters the room. “Again.”

I frown. “There has to be something wrong. The headaches are getting worse.”

The doctor looks down at me through his glasses, unbothered. “I suggest you get more sleep.”

I scoff, but Lucy interrupts before I can retort.

“She does sleep,” she insists. “She can barely stay awake half the time. The other day, she fainted.”

Yet, the physician regards her with an annoyed look.

“We’ve done the brain scans,” he says. “They’re normal.”

“Then do another one,” Lucy snaps, her dark brown eyes fiery. I bite back a smirk as the man startles. “Or send her to a neurologist. There are new laser treatments available, why haven’t you explored that?”

I wish Lucy could be my doctor. But as an Omega, she’s only allowed to practice medicine for other Omegas. Even if she could help me, she could never write referrals or a prescription. And I won’t let her risk losing her license, no matter how much she insists on pulling strings.

“She’s not a candidate.” He says, “but I can refer both of you to support groups.”

I put my head in my hands and groan. “You can’t be serious,” I mumble. “There has to be something else.”

“There’s not. I’m sorry, Miss Walker.” Doctor Davis sounds anything but apologetic. “I can send you home with a list of supplements to take. I could write you pain medication, but we don’t want to start a dependency. I suggest you find activities that alleviate some of your worst symptoms and continue to do those.”

“She doesn’t have any,” Lucy growls, and I don’t have the strength to tell her she’s wrong.

There was an activity, recently, where I felt like a normal person.

Unfortunately, said activity involves an Alpha who lives outside the law and is a colossal dick.

I want nothing to do with him.

But I can’t stop his face from appearing in my mind.

His light blonde hair, the deep blue of his eyes, and how they saw right through me.

And his stupid, handsome smirk.

Damn him.

There’s one thing I do agree with my physician about, though.

I need to do activities that make me feel alive.

* * *

I go back to the dive bar.

I purposely pick here, because he told me not to.

I go by myself, not wanting to deal with Lucy’s resignations about coming back here.

And honestly, I’ve had enough restrictions in my life. I don’t need an arrogant Alpha-hole to tell me what to do.

Should I be afraid of another incident?

Possibly.

Maybe.

But the adrenaline felt incredible. It flooded through me, lifting the pressure in my head and the fatigue in my heart.

How clear headed was I at that moment, my body nothing but a vessel of pleasure with Jakob?

Stop thinking about him!

I sip my drink, the vodka and cranberry burning in my throat. I accepted the drink from the Beta man without thinking, flattery outshining rational thought. Ignoring the warning bells in the back of my mind, I allow myself to just enjoy the gesture.

It’s nice to take my mind off things. To feel normal.

Within minutes I’m lightheaded, floating on the precipice of tipsy and drunk. He’s walking over to me before I even have the chance to thank him, giving me a soft smile before sitting on the stool next to mine.

He tries to have a conversation with me, but his words are one long, unintelligible sentence.

I smile and nod at what I think are the appropriate times, but something is incredibly wrong.

I just want to lie down. There’s a heaviness in my bones, and a rainbow of colors dance behind my eyes.

Why on earth would you take a drink from a stranger?

The bar turns into a blur. The music is a distorted song in the background, and I melt into my seat.

Suddenly, I’m hoisted out of my barstool, slumping against a warm body that keeps me upright.

“Taking her to her car,” I hear him say.

But I used a rideshare app to get here…

“Wait,” I mumble.

But his hand in mine feels nice, warm against my clammy palm.

“Shh,” he hushes me, and I nearly lose my balance as I stumble outside. I trip on the gravel and dirt, but his painful grip keeps me on my feet.

“No,” I murmur as he pulls me behind the back wall. I just want to sleep…

My back hits the scratchy stucco, and I have a moment of clarity.

I don’t want this man.

I especially don’t want the malice in his eyes and the gleaming of his yellowed teeth, fanglike and deadly.

Something is very wrong.

His mouth is hot against my neck, and I tilt my head away.

“I said no,” I slur, but his body covers mine. He murmurs something I can’t make out, and I slide to the ground, his hands struggling to keep me upright.

“NO!” a voice screams. I think it’s mine, but I can’t be sure.

No, this is definitely not the adrenaline I was looking for.

But he’s still on me. I kick wildly, chanting, no, no, no, until his weight is flung off me.

My eyes struggle to focus.

There are two men, unless I’m imagining it.

One is attacking the other, the sound of a fist smashing into flesh, followed by grunts.

Oh.

The man looks like…

“Jakob?” I whisper, slumping down to the ground. My limbs are lead, my mind made of jelly as I watch him pummel the Beta until he’s no longer making noise.

What a wild night,I think to myself, completely numb to the situation.

Jakob gently grabs my arms and brings me back to my feet, his eyes wild and frantic. His blonde hair is mussed and there’s blood on his face as he shakes me, but he’s still devastatingly handsome. “What are you doing here?” he hisses. “I told you not to come back here, Amelia.”

I snort at him. “What are you doing here?” I slur back, my eyes struggling to stay open.

His gaze narrows. “We’re getting you out of here,” he says as I push my face against his chest and inhale.

“Oh no,” I mumble. “You smell so good. This really sucks.”

He huffs, annoyed, but wraps his arms around me, pulling me closer. “That was really fucking stupid of you,” he growls.

“Well, what do you care?” I grumble, inhaling his scent once more. “Take me home, Collector. I need a nap.”

He curses under his breath then hoists me up, carrying me to his car.