Chapter 328

Dr. Wang

"...come back to the family. Haven’t you had enough of playing doctor? Your grandfather is willing to overlook your little rebellion if you just—"

I cut the call.

My mother’s voice still echoes in my ear, pleading and demanding in equal measure. Playing doctor. As if running one of the most successful Omega clinics in the city is some childish hobby. As if the years of medical training, the sleepless nights, the patients whose lives I’ve saved—as if all of it means nothing compared to their precious dynasty.

I’m thirty years old. Not a teenager having a tantrum.

I’m not going back to that suffocating family. Never again.

"Dr. Wang?" The nurse appears in my doorway, clipboard in hand.

I smooth my expression into something warm and professional. The mask slides on effortlessly,it’s second nature now.

"Of course. The next patient can come in now."

She nods and disappears. Moments later, the door opens.

A man walks in. Tall. Bulky. Broad shoulders, thick arms, the kind of build that screams Alpha at first glance.

But he’s not an Alpha.

I glance at his chart. Omega. Recessive presentation—rare, but not unheard of. His body developed along Alpha lines before the designation manifested. Unfortunate. With his build, his average features, his complete lack of Omega softness... life won’t be kind to him.

"Sit down, please." I gesture to the examination table.

He does, perching awkwardly on the edge. His hands are large, calloused—worker’s hands. He keeps them folded in his lap, trying to make himself smaller.

I go through the standard questions. Symptoms. History. Discomforts. He answers in short, rumbling sentences, avoiding eye contact.

Then, as I’m checking his vitals, pressing the stethoscope to his broad chest—

He blushes.

Actually blushes, a deep red creeping up his neck, his cheeks, the tips of his ears.

How ridiculous.

I hide my irritation behind a clinical smile. "Everything seems normal. We’ll run some tests to check your hormone levels, but I suspect your suppressants just need adjustment."

He nods, still flushed, still not meeting my eyes.

I finish the exam quickly, eager to be rid of him.

Running this clinic, I’ve seen it before—Omegas who develop little crushes, who blush at my touch, who read kindness into clinical efficiency. It’s tiresome. Predictable.

But with his build... it’s different.

Not soft and delicate and certainly not appealing. He’s solid. Broad. The kind of body that could take things the pretty ones couldn’t.

I’m about to dismiss him, to send him on his way with a prescription and a bland smile.

But I pause.

I haven’t seen Elliot in a while. Days now.

And I’m pent up.

This omega isn’t very pretty. His face is too rough, his jaw too square, his body all wrong for someone of his designation. But with his size... with those shoulders, those hands, that solid frame...

I’m sure he can handle a little rough treatment.

"Everything is fine." I keep my voice professional, calm. "But you can’t have a normal treatment regime since you’re a recessive. Your body doesn’t produce enough hormones on its own." I pick up my pen, scribbling on a pad. "We’ll need to add supplements. Adjust your dosage. It’s a bit more involved than the standard protocol."

He nods, still not meeting my eyes. "Whatever you think is best, Doctor."

Whatever I think is best.

The words settle in my chest, warm and satisfying.

"Yes." I set down the pen. "We’ll need to do a more thorough examination first. To establish baselines. If you’ll just..." I gesture to the examination table. "Lie down. This will take a few minutes."

He lies back, trustingly, those broad shoulders pressing into the paper-covered table.

I lock the door.

The click is soft, but in the quiet of the exam room, it echoes.

His breathing increases. Quickens. I can see his chest rising and falling beneath the thin fabric of his hospital gown. Anticipation. Nerves. Perhaps both.

I suppose he is excited. It’s not every day an Alpha like me gives him the attention of the day.

"Relax," I murmur, placing a hand on his shoulder. The muscle beneath is solid, dense. Nothing like Elliot’s softness. "I’m just going to run some tests. Deeper than the usual exam."

He nods, swallowing hard.

I let my hand trail down his arm, feeling the strength there. He shivers.

Yes.

This will do nicely.

*

Elliot gets off the bed as I come out of the shower.

He really is beautiful. All lean lines and perfect proportions, golden hair still damp from earlier, green eyes heavy-lidded with satisfaction. Everything a proper Omega should be.

I watch his naked form disappear into the bathroom, then turn to the bed. I drag the rumpled sheets aside—they’re thoroughly wrecked now, evidence of a productive evening—and lie back against the cool mattress.

When he emerges, wrapped in a towel, I ask: "Have you heard from him?"

Elliot pauses, toweling his hair. "Vincent? No. Maybe he’s finally left me alone." He bends to retrieve his clothes, the movement graceful, practiced.

I’m glad. Vincent was always the most volatile of them. "Why are you putting your clothes on? Spend the night."

"I can’t." He steps into his underwear. "I have to attend my brother’s parent-teacher conference tomorrow."

"I could come too." The offer slips out before I can stop it. "I’d like to meet him."

Elliot’s hands still on his shirt. "No."

The word hangs in the air.

"No?" My voice drops. I keep it even, controlled but it’s a warning.

He hears it. His shoulders tense.

"It’s too soon." He won’t look at me. "He’s not ready. He’s still adjusting to... everything."

"Yet the Mayor spends nights at your apartment." I keep my voice calm, but something cold coils in my chest. "With your brother there."

I try not to think about the other Alphas in his life. I really do. But sometimes the thoughts come anyway—images of them touching him, taking him, having what should be mine.

"That’s different." Elliot pulls on his shirt, still not meeting my eyes. "Damien bought us that apartment. He helped us when we had nothing. Gary’s used to him."

"You can move out." I sit up, letting the sheet fall. "I’m not short of money. I could get you something better. Safer. Ours."

"Dr. Wang." He finally looks at me, and there’s something in his eyes I don’t like. Wariness? Fear? "It’s not like that. I’ll introduce you guys. Eventually. When the time is right."

Eventually.

When the time is right.

The words echo in my mind long after Elliot leaves.I waited. I positioned myself as the safe one, the kind one, the different one.

But patience has limits.

And Elliot seems to have forgotten that I’m not just another Alpha desperate for his attention.

I’m the one who cares about him.

Seems like I need to remind the Omega who truly cares about him.