Jade had a problem, and her name was Victoria Vega.
The new girl had stormed into her life without so much as an apology and stolen her friends, her roles and to some extent her boyfriend.
But that wasn't the worst part.
That first day when Jade saw the fumbling awkwardness that was Victoria she'd had to stifle an indecent moan as her body flooded with arousal. All she felt was the need to claim as she was sent spiraling into her first rut.
But that was impossible. Because Tori was human.
She'd done everything to try and prove that it wasn't so, that there was something more beneath that perfect princess exterior. She'd picked fights with her, searched her house, hugged her to get close enough to smell her (which made her want to grab the girl's hips and just thrust). She'd even gone so far as to sniff Trina for traces of musk, hoping that maybe she was a half-breed.
It was no use. Tori was absolutely, unquestionably, 100% human.
So how does she keep doing this to me?
Her mother had explained to her that Alphas went into rut in response to their Omega mate's heat. It was an intense feeling, almost as intense as heat except that it didn't last while she was away from the Omega's pheromones.
But her freaking body must be confused. There was no way that Vega could be her mate. And she wasn't an Omega. She wasn't even a werewolf.
That's how she found herself here, at a special doctor's office that catered to her very particular needs.
"So you need rut suppressants? I can give you an 'as needed' prescription so you can take them whenever."
The doctor was obviously not in the mood for her today. He had taken one whiff of her and sneered as his natural instinct to defend territory had kicked in.
It wasn't common for Alphas to visit the clinic. Usually Omegas came in for heat suppressants or to birth their pups. Werewolves delivering often half shifted to deal with the pain and were highly aggressive, both dangerous things when it came to the outside world.
"You don't understand. The girl that's triggering my rut constantly... she's human. There has to be something wrong with me."
That caught his attention.
"It's medically impossible for that to happen. She must be one of us."
"I checked everything. I smelled her whole family, checked her house for wolf's bane to see if she's stopping herself from turning. I even challenged her to see if her teeth would sharpen or something but there's just... nothing."
The doctor cupped his chin as he thought, territorial dispute temporarily forgotten.
"I've been a medical doctor for many years, and I've studied lycanthropy extensively. Even in this "mythical" world I am a man of science.
Normally I would never suggest this, but... There's a woman that lives down on Skid Row who has copies of all the old histories. There's a story that my grandfather used to tell me... it might be another dead end but I suggest you go see her."
Jade crossed her arms, somewhere between frustrated and relieved.
"So there's nothing wrong with me?"
"We'll see about that, but even if there is I don't have anything to help you."
Jade huffed, hopping off the examination table and landing solidly on her heavy combat boots.
"Do you want those rut suppressants?" he called after her.
"Keep your damn meds, jackass."