Broken Dreams (Unhingedverse)
Broken Dreams: Chapter 27

QUINN

Days of the week haven’t mattered to me in a long time. It has always been just another day to slog through. Now, it’s Monday morning, and I’m struggling to wake up as I stretch sleepily on the beautiful wooden floor of the sunroom.

The windows let in a lot of light, but I prefer the natural light to florescent. I’ll let my eyes acclimate for the privilege of gazing out at the garden in the backyard as I move through my morning routine. I’ve gone too many years without being able to see the sun.

I’ll happily bathe in its warmth now.

“I’m back,” Linus says breathlessly, sliding across the floor to drop next to me. My lips split into a smile, amused because we got halfway through stretching together when he had to pee.

Based on how puffy his lips are, I’m sure he got sidetracked on the way back.

“Yes, Duncan pinned me against the wall to make out,” he admits, enjoying my tinkling laugh. “He said he spoke to a doctor who works at the hospital.”

Inclining my head to show I’m listening, I move into a deeper stretch as I walk my hands forward, my legs open on either side of me. Linus follows suit, trying to talk at the same time.

Silly man, you’re not supposed to do both.

“We have an appointment this afternoon for blood tests to see what the effects of Bret’s injections are,” he says.

I nod, because it’s been on both of our minds. I won’t dare hope for things I can’t have. I need to know if they’re possible first.

Linus also needs to have a heat soon, I’ve noticed there are moments where his anxiety seems out of control. That’s his body trying to regulate itself, do what biology wants him to, but something is blocking it. His hormone levels will be able to tell us if he’ll be able to work through it naturally with time, or if he’ll need medical intervention.

So many of our questions will be answered in one fell swoop. It’s both exciting and terrifying.

Linus breathes through the next stretch, quiet as we move. As we sit up, he glances at me.

“What?” I ask. Just that one word says so much, and thankfully, he can hear it.

“Do you want to have the doctor run any tests on your vocal chords to make sure there’s nothing else going on?” he finally asks in a rush.

My voice box has never been crushed, despite being strangled or choked over the years. I still sound the same to myself, though my voice has slowly matured. Alpha Miles trained my words away, and they never really came back.

I suppose it doesn’t hurt to make sure there’s not any scar tissue, so I nod to Linus, and that’s the end of the conversation. We have a routine to work on.

One of the dancers recorded it for us, so Linus and I watch it a few times before we begin to practice. Over and over we dance, showing we know exactly how important muscle memory is. When your brain tries to hesitate or second guess your movements, your body overrides it sternly.

We’re both sweating when we take a water break, breathing hard as we lean against each other on the floor. Duncan opens the door, his eyes widening as he sees us sucking in both water and air.

“Is dancing the art of seeing if you can pass out or not afterward?” he asks. “You both look so flushed.”

The air conditioning in this room is controlled separately from the rest of the house with a wall control since the Kelly’s grandmother was very particular about how she liked the room’s temperature.

We just recently turned it on once it became too warm.

“Quinn and I have been making sure we have this group routine down,” Linus explains. “We can get a little obsessive.”

“As long as you’re prepared to be spoiled afterward,” Duncan grumbles. “Lunch is ready, and then you can catch showers before we head to the hospital. I’m running you a bath when we get back, for your muscles. No complaints.”

Linus and I blink after him as he lumbers out. Oh no, mandatory baths? Whatever will we do?

It’s over when our gazes meet, and we begin to laugh. It’s so difficult to believe some days that this is our life. Alphas who worry when we push too hard, take care of us, and ensure we’re happy.

“How is this real life?” Linus breathes, helping me off the ground. My muscles are sore, and I wince slightly.

The hike definitely worked muscles I don’t usually use. I took a hot bath with Linus last night and he massaged my body until I fell asleep in his arms. I don’t think I can take a bath alone, because I always seem to fall asleep.

Hugging Linus hard, I squeak when his fingers push through my sweaty hair to angle my head so he can kiss me. His lips, tongue, and mouth devour me, setting my body on fire as I whimper. God, how am I supposed to go eat lunch now, when all I want to do is climb him like a tree and fuck him?

My chest heaves for an entirely different reason as I scowl at him, but he merely looks sheepish.

“You looked so pretty, I couldn’t help it,” he says. “I get to kiss you whenever I want, show you how much I love you, and that’s all I want to do now.”

Fuck lunch.

I’m just about to launch myself at him, when Callum peeks his head into the room. Dance practice tends to devolve into fucking, which is probably why they check on us now.

“Guys,” he says, chuckling. “Out, seriously. If we didn’t have an appointment at the hospital to get to, I would be all about fucking all day.”

Pouting, I turn to look at him while he shakes his head. Linus’ hand on the small of my back guides me out of the room, while Callum says, “Grandma Diedre will be happy to know this room is still getting some action.”

Snorting in amusement I say through the bond, “Please don’t tell her that.”

“She’s going to be at the party, you know,” he says out loud. “She called me to tell me to make sure there was so much protection at the house that people complained it was absurd. She’s also very excited to see you.”

His grandmother is one of the sweetest people who has ever refused to take anyone’s bullshit in the world. Diedre doesn’t care what anyone thinks, while also speaking her mind.

The next hour is a whirlwind of eating, showering, and getting dressed in an effort to get to the hospital. I have my essentials in my crossbody bag so I can communicate, as well as nerves the size of a mountain. Hopefully, I’ll get some of the answers I’ve been waiting for today.

“Dr. Adrain is part of Pack Royal,” Duncan explains once we’re in the SUV. My mom is with us, but only because the brothers offered to take her to see their grandmother. Being shut up in the house is no way to live.

It was a last minute decision, and Mom happily jumped at the opportunity.

“They’re not necessarily part of the families outside of his father’s influence. Bryce accepts their refusal to be part of the mafia life, but somehow, Dr. Adrain still gets pulled into things,” Callum says. “He’s discreet, understands the importance of care for those who can’t leave a paper trail, and that’s why he’s such an asset to Omega’s Haven.”

“It’s nice to hear that just because his values align in a different direction that he’s still willing to help,” Linus says.

I don’t think I could have said it any better.

Their grandmother lives in a pretty gated home with beautiful gardens surrounding it. It’s not as big as the property she gave to her grandsons, but it is still large.

“She lives here with her remaining pack. They’re ridiculously happy, and Grandma Diedre reminds me to call before coming over so that I don’t catch her in a promiscuous situation,” Callum says, struggling to keep a straight face.

She’s never going to change, and I love that.

“She hasn’t slowed down one bit,” Mom says fondly. Kissing me on the cheek, she slips out of the vehicle and walks up to the front door. A butler lets her in, nodding at us before closing it behind themselves.

“This way I’ll worry less about her,” Duncan sighs, pulling away from the house. “Your mom used to be such a social butterfly before everything happened. Obviously, we need to take care of your father first, but it’s nice to see her slowly opening up again.”

“I actually have a question about that,” Linus says. “Why are you waiting for the party? Wouldn’t it be better to kill her dad sooner?”

“The mafia families told Cian that they want to know this is a clean kill,” Callum groans. “This shouldn’t even be a thing because most of us break the fucking law every day of the week.”

“However, because he’s an important member of the families, it’s unanimous that there needs to be a party to see if Quinn is truly fit to take over from her father.”

“That’s political bullshit,” Linus complains.

“I have a large backing of support, but I’ll always be looking over my shoulder if Rory Kelly chooses to go after me,” I say, using my tablet to communicate with them. “They’re best friends, it wouldn’t be a surprise to me, even though I’m bonded to his sons.”

“Dad could be a problem,” Callum sighs. “If the majority of the families are in Quinn’s corner, I doubt he will be. He does value his own life, but is easily led by Hudson.”

Weak alphas. I am replaceing that I don’t have time for those who can’t think for themselves. If I’m honest, I’m completely intolerant of it, unless it’s the poor people the ROWS leaders seem to pump full of misinformation.

I’ve found myself wanting to help push The Little Rabbit’s podcasts, but don’t have a social media following on Omega Link. All I can do is repost them and hope they land in someone’s algorithm. I fucking hate that so many people seem to follow Emilia’s podcasts.

I’m lost in my thoughts for the rest of the ride to the hospital, and then on auto pilot as I fill out the paperwork. A lot of it discusses past trauma to my body, so I write down as much as I can remember. Callum and Duncan told me that none of it would be discussed with them or anyone else who wasn’t Dr. Adrain.

They’re keeping this very quiet, with a nurse to help if needed. However, she’ll just be drawing blood, the vials will be labeled as Patients A and B, and no one will know who we are. I’m grateful for the discretion, because I’m currently fighting for a seat of power.

My medical history shouldn’t have any bearing on that, but if it comes down to a point where the senior mafia members are split in any way, I worry that they may use this against me. It’s a paranoid thought at best, but I can’t seem to keep myself from worrying.

There’s a lot that hinges on the next few weeks.

“Alright, who wants to go first?” Dr. Adrain asks, looking down at the clipboards of paperwork in front of him. There’s nothing to show disgust for what he’s reading, which is frankly what I was expecting.

“It’s up to you,” Linus says, gazing at me. I want to get it over with, so I nod and stand.

“Come with me then,” the doctor says with a small smile. Duncan and Callum cross their arms as they watch me leave, and I can feel their anxiety. Experimentally, I send soothing thoughts through the bond before their anxiety is replaced with amusement.

“We forgot that you can feel our worry,” Callum says through the bond. “I’m sorry. We’ll try to get our shit together, Quinn.”

“Such big, strong alphas,” I tease them.

There’s a smile on my lips as I walk into the room with the doctor and nurse. Time to get this over with, I guess.

“We’ll make this quick,” Dr. Adrain says. “Caitlyn is one of our best nurses for blood draws.”

She nods as I sit down and roll up my sleeve, and the doctor sits across from me as well.

“I’m your distraction,” he says ruefully. “I’m looking through your history, and it states that you’re mute. Do you know sign language?”

I shake my head in denial as the nurse cleans the area before wrapping a tourniquet around my arm to ensure she can replace a vein. Focusing on the doctor, I take a breath as she pushes the needle in and attaches a tube to begin filling it.

I tried not to pay attention, but there are like four more tubes on the tray next to her. Wonderful.

“How do you communicate?” Dr. Adrain asks.

Unzipping my bag, I pull out the tablet to show him.

“Let’s set you up then,” he mutters. Dragging a rolling table over to where I’m sitting, he takes his time to stabilize it so it won’t move while I write.

I make sure to turn on the verbal component to the tablet, and lift my stylus to show him I’m ready.

“Alright, so is this selective or complete inability to speak?” he asks.

“Not to be difficult, but it’s both,” I say.

The nurse jumps slightly, though her hands continue to hold steady as she changes out vials as she fills them.

“Well I’ll be damned,” the doctor mutters. “Sorry, tell me about that.”

“Well, when I’m relaxed I can get a word out, but not much more. If I’m anxious, there’s nothing. It’s like my tongue swells,” I explain. “I’ve spent so much time not saying anything, I think I’m stuck.”

“While you’re here, do you want to do a scan to see if there’s any damage to your vocal chords or any neurological reasons for it?” Dr. Adrain asks.

He looks as if he’s trying to cover all of his bases while figuring me out. Good luck, I don’t even really understand myself.

“It appears as if you have a good ability to make yourself understood when needed,” he adds, motioning toward the tablet. “My father has always spoken highly of the Kellys and their resourcefulness.”

My cheeks heat as I smile, because they definitely have the ability to make things happen.

The nurse finishes up, covering the puncture site with gauze before wrapping it so the pressure will help stop the bleeding.

“Caitlyn, please take these straight to the lab. I’d like the results as soon as possible,” Dr. Adrain says.

The nurse hurries to do what she’s asked, and then it’s just the doctor and I. I don’t feel threatened because my alphas are just outside, I’m armed, and he doesn’t give me any kind of bad vibes.

I’ve been around enough bad men to last a lifetime. I know when people have ill intentions after my time around so many evil people.

Keeping my gaze on him, I wait for him to tell me to leave or speak. I don’t need to break this silence. That’s for him to do.

“Right,” he mutters. “I can bring one of your alphas in if it’ll make you feel more comfortable, but I don’t want any of the nurses to have access to this information. The blood tests will be able to tell me what your hormones look like. This will give me an idea of what your reproductive health needs are, if your heats will be affected due to what this club worker has been pumping into your system, and if children will be possible, if that’s what you want. Children are a choice, not every pack has them, which means you hold all the cards regarding that.”

Dr. Adrain takes a giant breath at the end, and I clap gently. He appears embarrassed, but that’s not what I meant to do.

“You got through that well,” I tell him. “Those were things I was worried about. I don’t know if I want kids yet because I’m scared to have any feelings about them. My life is very up in the air.”

“I don’t understand what you mean,” he says. “I know there’s a level of danger which is why we’re being so careful about the flow of information. This alpha, Bret. Is he still a threat?”

I nod because that’s enough of an answer when dealing with Bret.

“So there are outside influences here, and there is no suicidal ideation, correct? I just need to be sure,” the doctor adds.

“No, I don’t want to die. I can’t say that if it came between returning to the club and killing myself, I wouldn’t choose the latter,” I say. “After being able to be free, breathe fresh air, and live, I can’t go back. I won’t.”

“I don’t think that’s quitting, then. I think it’s a choice to decide how your end will be,” Dr. Adrain rasps. “I believe you met my father, correct?”

As I nod, he crosses his arms as he leans back into his seat.

“Dad called me and told me I needed to take you as a patient a few minutes before Duncan called me. I would have done it either way, but it showed me he’s invested. If he’s already committed, he’ll rally the support of others as well,” he says. “Are there any other health concerns you may have before I take you down for X-rays?”

I shake my head, wincing I feel the room begin to spin.

“On second thought, standing may suck right now. I feel really lightheaded,” I explain.

“I have juice for you. I should have already given you some,” he mutters, annoyed at himself as he opens a mini fridge and opens a small bottle of orange juice. “I didn’t see any allergies written down, any chance you forgot you were allergic to oranges?”

Smiling weakly, I carefully shake my head.

“Perfect,” the doctor says, setting the bottle in front of me. “Sip on this, and I’ll call down to get the rest of the testing scheduled.”

He doesn’t wait for me to respond before moving to the desk to make the call. I wonder if there’s going to be a long wait, but frown when I listen to him say that he’ll expect a room open for him in the next forty minutes.

“Mmhm. Is there really a long wait, or are you attempting to piss me off?” Dr. Adrain asks. He listens for a moment before rolling his eyes. “I have a patient that doesn’t have time to wait around today. Find me a time slot.”

The room stays firmly in place after I drink half the bottle of juice, and my stomach is no longer upset. I guess the nurse did take a lot of blood all at once.

“Great, I appreciate you replaceing me a spot,” Dr. Adrain says. “I’ll be down there soon.”

He hangs up the phone before turning to me. “I wouldn’t normally strong arm anyone, but there’s this new tech who gives me grief whenever I need X-rays done. It’s obnoxious. How are you feeling now, better?”

I nod carefully, breathing a sigh of relief as I replace that I’m feeling myself again.

“Caitlyn should be back in… there she is,” he says. The nurse bustles in smiling, brow raised. “We’re going to get the next patient in and get his blood drawn if you’ll wait in the waiting room. I’ll walk you out.”

I’ve noticed he’s very careful not to say Linus or my name. It’s nice to see that he’s taking the situation seriously. The doctor moves the table out of the way as I put the tablet in my bag, and I stand slowly. Finding that I really do feel better, I walk out with him to where Linus is waiting with Duncan and Callum.

“We’re ready for you,” Dr. Adrain says to Linus, and he stands to follow.

I feel sleepy as I sit next to Duncan, yawning.

“Close your eyes if you want, sweetheart,” he says. “We’ll wake you when you’re needed.”

Nodding, my eyes droop before they close completely. Just a few minutes…

LINUS

My blood draw was painless as I expected, and I was able to ask Dr. Adrain my questions about my heats as well as figuring out how to fix my nose.

“That kind of pharmaceutical tinkering is illegal,” he grunts. “It’s cruel to get in the way of biology, but since this Bret character had to ensure that he readministered the drugs often, I believe it’ll work its way out of your system. I know that’s not the kind of answer you want to hear, though. Forced heats, as you know, burn hotter and more intense. If I can spare you from that, I will.”

Nodding, I blow out a breath. “He enjoyed playing God with our lives and hormones,” I explain. “When we had heats, how aware we were of our surroundings, and he even made life or death decisions for us. I just want to know if my body will ever work the way it should.”

“The blood tests will hopefully give me more exact answers on that,” Dr. Adrain says. “Your senses are being manipulated by his drug cocktail that he’s apparently perfected for this. Did your sense of smell change after your heats at all?”

“Not that I ever noticed, but Bret was really quick to inject us hours after our heat,” I remember. The nurse is gone and it’s just us, so I continue. “Quinn was able to scent Duncan and Callum as her scent matches soon after her heat, so that’s a solid idea. It may just work itself out.”

“Waiting sucks,” the doctor admits with a wince. “I don’t want to pump something else into your system if I don’t need to.”

“I get it. I feel like I’m on the edge of something. I’m more irritable, anxious, and feel off. I don’t usually go more than three or four months without a heat and I’m nearing that threshold.”

“Which means it could happen naturally. However, all the other fun things that come with a natural heat will happen too. The need to nest, feeling overheated, or like things aren’t right will likely come with it,” he says. “Have you ever had a natural heat?”

“Never,” I deny. “Quinn hasn’t either.”

“I can’t imagine what goes through someone’s mind when they decide they’re going to systematically fuck with someone’s entire life,” Dr. Adrain says harshly. “It boggles my mind. I’ll have the results of your tests by the time I finish Quinn’s X-rays, so I’ll have some answers soon.”

“That’s so fast,” I murmur, surprised as I stand up. “I don’t know why I thought it would be longer, even with having the results rushed.”

“No reason why you should have to wait,” he says gruffly, walking across the room to open the door to escort us out.

That’s something I’ve noticed with both myself and Quinn. Dr. Adrain is careful never to leave us alone, ensures our privacy by sending out his nurse before digging into sensitive information, and is adamant about helping us however he can.

There’s a passion in his work, it’s clear this isn’t just a job. Knowing he helps omegas who need it at Omega’s Haven is even more impressive.

Quinn is just waking up as we join her and the Kelly brothers, and Dr. Adrain suggests we relocate across the hospital for her X-rays. Quinn looks a little more relaxed as we start to walk over, making me think she was a little worried about going for X-rays.

My pinky finger curls around hers as we walk over, and she leans against me a little. She’ll never have to be alone again, because we’ll always be with her.