Shannon had never gone through the heat without some type of buffer. She didn't know how. Only mated females did it without taking anything. Wouldn't Rory get a kick out of this? “Alex, if I can't control this thing, I could end up mated to any wolf that was cunning enough to get to me, whether I want to be or not."
"I know the risk, Shannon, but would you prefer losing your life? This is serious business. I don't want your choices taken away from you any more than you do. Look, here's the problem. The increased blood production thickens the blood in your veins, increasing the potential of blood clots forming in your body. Because of the hormones in your birth control pills, they also dramatically increase the blood's likelihood of clotting. The hormones produced by your body which is throwing you into another heat, also increase your risk factor. I can't control the blood production because there is no treatment or cure. All we can do is monitor it and take measures as needed. I can't stop the heat because I don't know what's causing it. The only factor in this equation that is in our control is the birth control. Anything that we can do to decrease the potential for blood clotting needs to be done."
Shannon didn't want to give up her pills, but she could see that she had no choice. Still trying to gain some control over her circumstances, she tried to find another way out. “Is there anything you can do about the pack? Make the unmated males leave me alone or something?"
He looked at her sorrowfully and shook his head. “Under normal circumstances I could try, but your season is scheduled to hit its peak right during the week of the full moon—a blue moon."
She stared at him in horror as the implications of what he was saying set in. A blue moon was a second full moon falling within the same month. It only happened about once every two years. Weaker shifters had little to no control over their beast during a regular full moon. Blue moons were worse because they triggered a sexual frenzy. Unmated males secretly referred to the week of the blue moon as the “FuckFest.” The urge to mate became all-consuming and everyone was effected, even the alphas. There were always more pregnancies after a blue moon phase. Oh, shit! Her heat was hitting its peak during a blue moon. There wasn't a worse time for this to happen.
"It will be alright, Shannon. We'll figure something out, okay? I promise. In the meantime, let me give you something to help you sleep at night.” He reached into his coat pocket and handed her some pills.
"Thanks, Alex. I appreciate your help. At least now I know what's going on. Do me a favor. Don't say anything to anyone about this, please?"
"I couldn't. It would violate doctor-patient confidentiality. Try not to worry. The last thing you need right now is stress. Relax, at least now you know you're not going crazy.” He tried smiling at her, but it wasn't much of a smile.
"I think I would have preferred going crazy. I'd probably handle it better. I'll see you later, Alex. Thanks for the sleeping pills."
She got up and left, leaving a very worried alpha behind.
Shannon sat in the truck, trying to get herself together. Think, Shannon, think. This was no time to panic. She was an intelligent woman. There had to be something she could do.
Okay, let's look at this logically. What was that serendipity prayer? Something about not worrying about the things she can't change. To focus on changing what she could. All right, what about this messed up situation did she have the power to change?
She couldn't do anything about what was going on with her blood. Ditto, the heat. The PV whatever took away whatever control she might have had over that. Okay, get over it already and move on. If she didn't want to fall on the first exposed penis she saw, then she was going to have to make it difficult for the penises to get to her.
Leaving was out of the question. Shape-shifters were everywhere and the last thing she wanted to do was be surprised by some out of area wolf-shifter. Right now the advantage was on the side of the male. Once her heat was at its peak, all a male had to do was show up and she would do the rest. What she needed was a way to keep the males from getting to her. She might not be able to control them but she just might be able to limit or prevent them access to her body.
Realizing she was on to something, she let that thought play out in her mind. If she could make it difficult enough to get to her, she might just make it out of this heat unmated and in one piece. What she need was somewhere secure where she could lock herself in and everyone else out. She needed a panic room, ‘cause Lord knew she was going to be in a panic when the blue moon rose.
That's it. That's what she'd do. She'd create a safe room in her house. She was sure Alex wouldn't mind. He'd probably help if she told him what she was about to do. She backed out of the parking lot and drove to the home. She needed to find a room suitable for her purpose. She was so grateful that she'd spent time helping Rory with his construction business. Every bit of knowledge she'd gained was going to come in handy now.
Chapter Nine
Mary Elizabeth's nose twitched, and she inhaled deeply. What was that smell? Its divine aroma lured her out of sleep. She forced her eyes open, and waited for them to focus. They were dry and gritty, her vision cloudy and blurry. She lay on the very edge of the bed, with one arm and leg dangling off. She followed her nose to the nightstand, on which her sense of smell told her the coffee lay.
Carefully so that she didn't fall off the bed, she propped up on one elbow, and groaned inwardly when an evil drummer started a vicious beat inside of her head. She closed her eyes and prayed that her head would fall off. She could live without a head, couldn't she? And if not, well, right now, death didn't sound like a bad thing.
She desperately needed that coffee. She couldn't see it, so she felt for it, being careful not to knock the cup over. She burnt her hand when one of her fingers slid inside of the cup, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her head. She brought it to her mouth. Ahh! She closed her eyes and savored the flavor. It wasn't how she liked it, but it was strong and hot, just what she needed.
Half of the cup was gone before her vision improved enough for her to see. As the caffeine worked it's magic, she slowly alerted to the fact that she was naked. Hmmm, when did that happen? She didn't normally sleep in the buff. It wasn't until she was placing the cup back on the nightstand that she noticed the glass of water and the bottle of pain reliever sitting there.
Just what she needed. She opened bottle and took two. She was about to close it when that villainous drummer played a particularly painful combination. She tossed another two pills into her mouth and chased them with water. Too weak to get up, she lay down wondering if she'd ever feel human again.
She must have dozed off for it was the intense pressure on her bladder that woke her the next time. Her eyes still felt like sand paper, but she was more alert. The evil drummer had given up his wicked ways and was silent for now, for which she was extremely grateful.
She crawled out of bed and stumbled to her feet. She hoped someone got the tag number of the truck that hit her. If she hadn't been in an accident, then she was mugged. There was no other explanation for the way that she felt.
She relieved her bladder and climbed into the shower, standing under the hot stream, letting it run over her head and down her body while still half asleep. After awhile, she roused herself enough to wash her hair. Becoming more alert, moment by moment, she finished washing and stepped out of the shower.