Page 103 of Traded

“Understood.” I shove them into my pocket, resisting the urge to flip the lid and swallow one now. Mina would lose her shit. “What about cortisone?”

“No more. You’ve had three in twelve months.” She sighs, her voice gentling. “We’re running out of options. You should prepare yourself for that possibility. Have you spoken to Rosie?”

“Now isn’t a great time.” I brush off the question. “A lot is going on at home. I will.”

Martin hacks a cough into his fist and claps my shoulder. “Not at the end of the road yet, though. What about oxy?”

My body grows tight. Mina’s words are careful. “That’s not an option here. Unless anything has changed, Carter?”

I shake my head silently.

“Regardless, I’m not comfortable prescribing at this stage.” Mina turns over the chart, blocking it from our view.

I can sense my coach’s eyeroll. “We done here, Mina? Bus is waiting.”

I manage to hold off until I’m in my seat before shaking a little white pill into my palm. Swallowing it dry, I will the pain to dull a fucking inch so I can think clearly.

Something’s wrong with my omega.

With my Rosie, and I can’t fix it. Because I don’t know what the fuck is going on.

When Liam slides into the seat opposite an hour later, my jaw is tight. He takes me in with assessing eyes. “You called?”

“Yeah.” I tap my fingers on the table between us, waiting for Dylan and Ethan to pass us. “We need to talk. What’s going on with Rosie?”

He huffs a laugh. But I’m watching him. I see the way his eyes slide away from me. “Only the usual. She’s still acting out about Lau—about the thing. She’s settling, Carter. It just takes a bit of time.”

I’m not sure I like his version ofsettling. “I’m worried about her. Aren’t you?”

“No.” He leans his head back against the headrest. “Because I’m always with her. If you were, you’d see she’s coping. Swear down. This season’s making you crazy. Hell, it’s making all of us crazy.”

I look at him long enough that he shifts in his seat, his eyes dropping. His throat flushes red. “What, you don’t fucking trust me now? She’s my omega too.”

Shit. Exhaling, I drag my hand over my face. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I do. It’s just…”

“The season making you crazy,” he finishes dryly. “Honestly, she’s doing well. I wouldn’t say she’s perfect, but she’s not going to be for a while. But she’s adjusting.”

She shouldn’t have to adjust when she should be thriving. I promised her I’d build her a pack, and I have. A pack, a home, and a future. And now she has to fuckingshareit. It feels like all the building blocks in my life are crumbling, and the only reason I built them in the first place was for her.

Not for the first time, I wonder if I’m doing the right thing. But I can’t pull her from a pack she’s settled with on a whim. I made a promise to all of them. And to my team.

I tear my pack apart, I tear the team apart. There’s more than us to consider.

Liam’s like a brother. I let him in because he was solid. Unbending. A safe pair of hands. Jonas was always the one who was gonna make her laugh. Make her smile.

But Liam is the one I picked because he could take care of her if I couldn’t.

Another face slips into my mind, and I shove that thoughtwayfucking down to the depths of hell where it belongs before I look over at Jonas. “You need to have a word with him. He couldn’t make it much more obvious.”

I wonder if he realizes that Lauren is uncomfortable. He offers her another chip from his bag, but she shakes her head, glancing around. When our eyes meet, I incline my head in question.

She looks away from me, and I find myself frowning. I try not to get too close to their scent match. Easier that way. My voice drops to avoid being overheard. “How are things going?”

“Fucking slowly,” Liam mutters. “She’s skittish. I don’t blame her though. Not with everything going on.”

“Best not to push it.” My eyes drift to the time on my watch. “Why the hell did we leave so early?”

“Some of the boys wanted a night in Montreal.” Liam crosses his arms. “Family visits, you know.”