The Goddess's Omega

Jaxton - What Just Happened?

André and I made our way back to the pack house. I was still a bit dizzy, so I was grateful that André kept a hand on my elbow, a gentle guide to keep me from face-planting on the sidewalk. I reached for Nox again, but he was oddly silent. This didn't concern me too much, mainly because I was still recovering from...from whatever that was. Lexia walked slightly behind us, limping more than usual. Damn. I realized that I hadn't been able to give her any more of my blood since the day of the Mates' Gathering.

"Jax, I've been so worried about you. You've never been sick before," Lexia said between hiccups. I could see the streaks where tears had run down her cheeks.

"I...I'm sorry, Lex. And to you as well, my friend. I didn't mean to scare either of you. I..." I stumbled, but thankfully André was there to catch me. Something about the motion of the stumble caused a wave of nausea and dizziness to roll through me. I held onto André as though my life depended on it. I heard someone call out to us, and I turned to look at them, which was a mistake. The motion caused the dizziness and nausea to intensify, and I began to dry heave. I hadn't eaten or had solid food in a week, so there was nothing to come up, although the bile that came up left a sour taste in my mouth.

"Perhaps you should let André carry you," I thought I heard the deep voice of Alpha Mosley say. I was trying to focus on not being sick to really pay attention.

"I think the motion of carrying him would make things worse, Alpha. But I think if someone were to support him on one side, and I the other, then we can make it back up to our room."

"Yes, that is a better idea. Also, I've taken the liberty to move you three into a different room. It's designed for a family, so there are three rooms and two bathrooms," he responded. I felt him move to my side and slide my arm around his shoulder. André gripped my other arm and draped it around his own shoulder, then I felt my weight being supported between the two of them. There was a small part of my brain that registered how awkward it was to be assisted by someone like Alpha Mosley, but the rest of me couldn't care less because I was still trying not to be sick. I heard yelps of surprise as we entered the pack house. I was glad that I was not the only one who thought this was weird as well. We entered the elevator and the Alpha pressed the button to go up. My vision was blurry, and I was starting to see spots. The door opened just as my vision started fading entirely.

"Alpha, perhaps we can hurry. I think Jaxton is about to pass out again." André's voice sounded far away. I reached out for Nox a second time, but he whimpered that he was feeling weird and couldn't help me.

"Can you hold him while I open the door?" I felt my weight shift as André wrapped his arms around my waist.

Lexia gasped as we entered our new room. I didn't have the strength to look around. Alpha Mosley took my arm again and led me to a room. I was laid down on a bed. I felt a sigh escape my lips. I couldn't remember the last time I felt something so comfortable. I was vaguely aware of Lexia sobbing somewhere in the background while André removed the clothes that I had just put on. There was some commotion as the door was flung open. I hadn't realized that the Alpha had summoned the pack doctor. I snuggled under the blanket. Being in bed and under the blanket seemed to cause some normalcy to return. My hearing got a bit better, and I was no longer chasing the black spots dancing in my vision.

"Doctor, care to tell me why you discharged him? He clearly wasn't ready," I heard the Alpha say very quietly. Even as muddled as I was, I could hear the anger in his voice. It was nearly palpable; I could almost taste it.

"All of his tests came back within normal limits, Alpha. And he seemed fine," the doctor hastily replied.

"Al...Al...Alpha," I squeaked. I could feel four pairs of eyes on me. "Pl...please. Ju...just gi...give me some ti...time..." I stuttered. What the hell. I never stuttered before. What the actual hell had Selene done to me? I summoned what little strength I had and continued. "I think I need to sleep. Real sleep. Not unconscious. And when I wake up, maybe some soup or oatmeal to eat. I already feel somewhat better just laying down. Please." Again, what the hell. When did I ever beg? He narrowed his eyes but nodded slowly.

"The good doctor here," he pointed his finger at the doctor fidgeting next to him, " will come and check on you twice a day. You will not leave this room until I personally clear you, understand?" I nodded, too frightened to speak. He turned on his heel and stormed out of my room.

"Well, then, aren't we all drama today? I'm Mark Henkle, by the way," he said as he inspected me. He was apparently satisfied with whatever he heard or saw. "I'll be back around 7 tonight. I'm also going to draw some labs when I return. Now, get some rest. You were right about the food. Soup or oatmeal. Soft foods. Nothing heavy, greasy, or spicy. I'll have the kitchen bring something in a few hours." Then he left the room. I sighed as I felt my eyes close.

"Jax! Jax! JAX!" Lexia screamed.

"Huh? What?" I flailed as I came out of the deep sleep I had been in.

"You were glowing!" Lexia exclaimed, once she realized that I was awake.

"Huh?" I asked again. I sounded so intelligent I scoffed at myself.

"She speaks the truth. You were glowing. Silver and gold. It was the strangest thing," André piped up.

"I don't know," I said as I sat up. The dizziness was mostly gone. My stomach rumbled, reminding me that it had been a very long time since I had actually eaten anything. Lexia brought me a tray with a bowl of what appeared to be chicken noodle soup. "The night that this all started, Selene brought me to the Moon Garden. We had tea, and then she touched my head. I felt this intense pain, and then I woke up. You know the rest." I said around mouthfuls of soup.

"Hmm. That is interesting," André rumbled.

"What are..." I began. I screamed in pain. My body felt like it was on fire, and then I felt myself shift into my wolf form. Nox was whimpering at the forced shift. It reminded me of my first shift.

"OH! MY! GODDESS!" Lexia breathed.

Umm. What the hell! I responded via mind-link.

"Jaxton, Nox, you two need to come over here and look at yourself," André said from the bathroom. We padded over to the mirror, and yelped in surprise. Nox was already an unusual color. Silver wolves just didn't exist in our world. But now, we were speckled with black spots. We looked like an inverted night sky. I sat there admiring my unique fur before I began another uncontrolled shift. André grabbed my blanket and wrapped it around me. I exchanged looks with the two of them; their thoughts mirroring my own. What the hell had just happened?