The smell of antiseptic filled the entire examination room. Levi sat on the paper covered table, a tray of medical instruments sat nearby containing needles, vials and swabs.
Dr. Elias entered with a nurse, both wearing that practiced expression of professional competence that medical staff perfected. The nurse was older, with kind eyes that reminded Levi uncomfortably of someone who might actually care about his wellbeing.
"We'll start with blood work," Dr. Elias said, pulling on latex gloves with practiced movements.
"Multiple panels to check hormone levels, compatibility markers, any residual stress indicators from the mating."
The procedures began with blood work, as they efficiently drew samples.
Levi watched the needle approach his arm and felt something cold settle in his chest. He focused on breathing, refusing to allow his internal chaos to show on his face. He maintained his neutral expression.
This is why he hated hospitals. He was fully aware that the blood work was crucial but he couldn't shake off the discomfort of having someone hold something that could be a weapon.
Heck, he even died that way. He just sat there seemingly relaxed while he secretly catalogued the technician's movements.
It was stupid. It was just a hospital, a tired doctor, an older nurse. No one here wanted to hurt him.
Still, his skin felt too tight for his body. He gritted his teeth as the nurse swabbed the inside of his elbow, and the cool alcohol and sharp sting rushed him back to a place he hadn't asked to return to…..
A light flashed across his eyes, cutting through the fuzziness. Everything in the room dropped away. Levi stiffened. He caught himself waiting for the cold bite of a knife that wasn't there, for the pressure at his throat, even though all he felt was the gentle touch of the nurse pressing a cotton swab to his arm.
He was back there. Bodies tangled, legs locked around that waist, the awful weight pinning him down. Levi saw the reflected light from the blade, tiny and cold in Winston's hand.
Muscle memory screamed at him to twist away, but his limbs wouldn't move, too spent and too heavy.
His hand clenched involuntarily while he was blinking the memory away.
Dr. Elias glanced at him, "You alright? Some people get queasy with blood draws."
"I'm fine," Levi said through gritted teeth, forcing his breathing to remain steady. It came out more clipped than he meant, but he held onto his composure like a lifeline, refusing to let the chaos inside leak out.
The blood filled vial after vial – more than seemed reasonable for any normal test. "Comprehensive panel," Dr. Elias explained, as if reading his thoughts. "We need to establish baselines for everything."
When the blood draw finished, the physical examination began. Dr. Elias was professional, clinical, but every touch felt like an invasion. Examining the bite mark on his neck that had already begun to fade, pressing gently against his abdomen to check for internal tenderness.
"Any pain here? Discomfort?"
"No." Levi's answers were mechanical. He focused on cataloging details about the room instead, its exit locations, potential weapons, the nurse's positioning. Anything to avoid thinking about the hands mapping his borrowed body's responses.
The scent gland analysis was worse. Dr. Elias used some kind of electronic device that hummed against the glands at Levi's neck, taking readings that appeared as complex waveforms on a small screen.
The nurse and doctor both turned to glance at each other.
"Fascinating," the doctor murmured, studying the display. "Your pheromone signature is... layered. Multiple harmonics that I've never seen before."
"Is that bad?" Levi asked, hating how the question revealed his uncertainty.
"Not bad. Just unprecedented." Dr. Elias made notes on his tablet. "It might explain the compatibility factor."
"I need to step out for a moment," Dr. Elias said. "The nurse will prep you for the next phase."
Through the examination room's window, Levi could see into the waiting area where Noah paced around with his weight. Ethan sat reading something on his phone with the focused intensity of someone trying to ignore his surroundings, while the junior fidgeted with what looked like a small stress ball, squeezing it in rhythm with some internal beat.
After the nurse left the room, Noah had finished talking to Dr. Elias and quickly walked in.
The moment the door closed, Noah was there, filling the doorframe with his presence. "How are you feeling?"
"Like a lab rat," Levi replied honestly. "Aren't you supposed to be waiting outside?"
Noah stepped into the room, his scent immediately making the space feel smaller. "You looked..."
"Looked what?"
"Distressed." The word came out carefully, as if Noah wasn't sure he had the right to notice.
Levi laughed, a sound with sharp edges. "I'm being medically dissected to figure out why I'm not dead. Distressed seems reasonable."
Noah moved closer, his movements careful and deliberate. "If this is too much—"
"It's necessary," Levi cut him off, using Noah's own words from earlier. "Isn't that what you said? That you won't have me joining a statistic?"
The ball hit home. Noah's jaw tightened, but he didn't retreat. "I meant it."
Before Levi could respond, the door opened again. Dr. Elias returned with a small device that looked like a high-tech inhaler.
"Time for pheromone tolerance testing," he announced.
"This contains a controlled sample of Type A alpha pheromones – much milder than Type B. We'll monitor your biological responses while you're exposed to gradually increasing concentrations."
Levi stared at the device. "And if my body decides it doesn't like being pheromone-bombed?"
"That's why we start small and work up slowly. Your heart rate, blood pressure, hormone levels – everything will be monitored." Dr. Elias gestured to the various sensors the nurse was attaching to Levi's chest and arms. "If there's any concerning reaction, we stop immediately."
The first exposure was barely noticeable – just a slight change in the air that made Levi's omega instincts perk up slightly. The monitoring equipment beeped softly, displaying readings that Dr. Elias studied intently.
"Interesting. Your cortisol levels actually decreased. Most omegas show stress spikes with unfamiliar alpha pheromones."
The second dose was stronger, carrying the artificial dominance of a manufactured alpha scent. Levi's body responded with a slight flush of heat, but nothing unmanageable. The third dose, however, triggered something unexpected.
Instead of submission or distress, Levi felt a surge of aggressive irritation. His instincts sharpened, reading the artificial dominance as a challenge rather than a comfort. The monitoring equipment began beeping more rapidly.