Back and Safe

~

JeonJa

~

When I woke up again, I found myself in a luxury room. The design was elaborate and the antiques made of solid wood. The bed was soft and so bouncy, I felt a hidden urge to childishly jump on it.

What was stopping me from doing so was the scorching heat in my belly, warming my whole body to a level unbearable. I felt my temperature from the back of my hand and wasn't let down when I sensed just how warm to touch I was. Literally.

Groaning, I sat up on the bed, musing when I had reached such a place or who had brought me here. Well the lack of weira and wolfsbane told me I was in a friendly neighborhood.

I sniffed the air, the scent making me dizzy.

It was very similar to the healing herb found only in ancient forests, I knew because I had used it before. And it was a very rare herb, increasing its trade price.

I reached for my abdomen to see the damage, and to my surprise there was none, I had completely healed, at least on the outside.

As if warning me, my stomach growled loudly, urging me to eat something, anything.

"But first where am I, were we rescued?" I mumbled to myself, recalling the last memory I had of awareness, but came up short, I could only remember vaguely a silhouette or two and familiar scents… maybe there was also a wagon somewhere in there.

"Right, then I thought I saw Michi." I chuckled to myself, rubbing my eyes sleepily, my body was healed but was still very sore and I could feel my bones aching, I was in an enfeebled state. "...who knows, my mind often plays tricks on me."

I sighed, looking out the window, watching the dusky sky and the vast meadows with spots of small settlements and housing villas. As far as eyes could see, I saw nothing disturbing. Actually, it was beautiful, the whole place, full of countryside green fields surrounding the area where I currently was. I thought maybe I was in some mansion… the heavy interior work and good ceiling height gave me that hint.

However I couldn't stay calm.

My stomach growled again, very persistent in gaining my attention, so I patted it with a grimace, not feeling up to admiring the view just yet. I had no time to explore, I needed urgent nourishment.

Searching the room I found no food or plate, it was all furniture and herbal scents. A combo of lavish lifestyle.

A knock on my door startled me and I shifted to see who it was, since the door was pushed open without my consent.

The head that peaked in was Jackson, his grin telling me all I needed to know. We were safe and I wasn't going to question it now.

"You finally are awake, it has been three days now, we were starting to think you were brain dead."

I huffed, "As you can see, I am still alive and kicking."

"Yeah I can see that, so... what do you need for now. I know you are not feeling well, you had taken the most damage, 'internal' damage. Overuse of powers strained your body."

I took in the hidden worry on Jackson's face, he was not kidding.

"I thought so," I murmured, "I don't even know how I was able to use my powers for so long, I-"

"Not for now, we will discuss later."

I nodded and watched him linger by the door halfway, as if something was stopping him from coming inside.

"You can come in you know, I won't bite."

He frowned at my humor, "Not unless you want me to bite you instead."

I raised my eyebrow and he fidgeted, saying, "You are still in heat, and I think it's going to end soon, since a week's time will be over by tomorrow."

…I had known, but I forgot he was an alpha sort.

Awkward, I coughed, "Oh, just drop by with the food then, and some..." I wondered how to tell him there were suppressant pills for my problem, "herbs... um," it was embarrassing to say.

"Pills?" he asked with an uncomfortable grimace. And I knew he hadn't ever dealt with an omega before, of course such stuffs weren't a hobby of his.

"...yes." I stated. Watching as he immediately took his leave, avoiding me awkwardly.

I sat back on my fluffy bed, playing with the edge of my white shirt. I hadn't dressed myself after my transformation, so it was glaringly obvious someone else had dressed me. The silk pant in pink I currently wore wasn't my style, nor was the color.

And if we were at Min's place, I prayed he wasn't the one who had dressed me up, it would be flustering to meet his eyes for a while if that was the case.

"Min seems rich," I pondered, looking at the room I occupied, "...lucky."

--

When the knock came in again, I was ready to receive, although the heat in my body was almost unbearable now, and like Jackson had told me, the end of the week must be tomorrow, thus the heat was seriously hurting me, physically.

A maid in white frilly apron came in, a small silver cart in front of her. She parked it besides my bed and bowed with curtsy. "Your herbal bath will be prepared shortly, please have a meal first and enjoy the wine. I have also kept the pills aside on the tray, the dosage is strong though, so mind the intake please."

"Okay," I grimaced slightly, as a pang of pain shot through my spine.

The maid gasped, "It must be painful, I will bring in the pain reliever immediately! I know the bones weaken at times like these."

The maid was talkative, however it was not annoying to hear.

I ate heartily whatever was prepared and also drank in the wine as if it was water. By the end of it, I was finally full and needed to rest.

The maid got the hint when I nodded at her at a later hour, and she got busy, preparing the bath again to a warmer degree, even the pain relieving balms were given to me before she left the room. I concurred she was a theta, her presence was calming.

Looking at the closed door, I looked towards the bathroom, I knew it was important to wash myself of all the scents, sweat, and pollutant off of my skin, but I wasn't feeling up to it. Still...

Curse the heat. Why was I born an omega.

Wincing slightly, I went to take the bath reluctantly, disrobing myself and immersing in the water with a deep sigh.

It was smelling nice, the herbal scent smooth flowery, with a slight musky tang to it. It reminded me of aphrodisiac, a lot of black market dealers sold it and one or two had approached me once, mistaking me for an alpha, it was an experience I still couldn't forget.

I played with the water, watching the droplets run down along my veins, as I raised my hands to observe the nails. It was strange how there was no blood on me, but just heat sweat... had someone washed me?

The tips of my nails were scrapped and uneven, reminding me of my struggles with the captors, and now I was free, as I observed the washroom, it looked more pricey than a middle class home. Only nobles and aristocrats had such decorative facilities.

Taking my time I washed myself and stepped out of the tub splashing water around, it actually made me feel guilty, even though I knew a maid would swipe it clean afterwards.

So, I wrapped myself up in a bathrobe kept on the marbled deck and walked out of the humid space to my room. Picking up a small towel by my bedside, I rubbed my hair dry, feeling refreshed yet very exhausted and wounded.

Exhaling I wrapped the towel around my neck, preparing to jump on the bed and take a much needed rest, but stopped, as fresh air hit my bare legs. And I remembered the window had been closed earlier, so how...?

Whirling to look at the window side, I paused still, noticing a person standing by the curtains. His hair combed back, showing his pale forehead and bangs of dark hair falling over his eyes at the corner, a small percent of strands highlighted with gold.

He was the same person, but he had a different grace today, his hair was black and gold, his eyes dark, but I knew him. His gaze was fixed on mine with an intensity I was well aware of. A mix of knowledge and some other emotions shimmered in the depths, all consuming.

"Michi?" I heard myself ask. My mouth dry, as the heat in my belly skyrocketed just from being in his presence.