Chapter 222: Chapter 222: Zoe’s Approaching Heat
At least he sounded more reliable than Samuel King.
Compared to Samuel King’s ideas, his were clearly superior.
"I’ll consider it when we get back," Director Quinn said as he led them away. "You all deserve a rest."
They had worked tirelessly for over half a year, and their efforts were genuine.
And because of the exhibition match, the academy had granted them a special exemption from this year’s school exams. That meant they wouldn’t have to return to their formal studies until September.
All things considered, it was a fairly long break for Miles and the others.
"When you get back, Director King will probably try to find you," Director Quinn added.
Unless Miles and the others stayed at the academy, Director Quinn’s reach wouldn’t extend far enough to protect them.
But that was clearly unrealistic.
He glanced at Zoe and the others. It was obvious who Samuel King would most likely target: Zoe Pierce.
The others had influential parents, which afforded them some protection, but he was somewhat aware of Zoe’s family situation.
She was supporting everything on her own.
Her foundations were shallow.
"Zoe Pierce, you should consider staying at the academy over the break," Jasper Quinn suggested after a moment of thought.
Nathan Lockwood chuckled. "Don’t worry, Director Quinn. Zoe can just stay with one of us."
That was one solution.
However, Jasper looked at the Alphas and recalled hearing other teachers ’shipping’ the kids. He paused, then cleared his throat, the gesture only making his thoughts more obvious.
’He’d heard too much of that nonsense. It was rotting his brain.’
’It wasn’t his business. He should stop worrying about it.’
Once they boarded the Starship, Director Quinn took his leave.
The journey back was uneventful and smooth.
But just two days later, Zoe Pierce came down with a low-grade fever.
At first, no one noticed.
It wasn’t until Miles Sherman visited Zoe’s home and noticed her unusual lethargy that he realized she had a persistent low-grade fever.
"Zoe." The thermometer read 37.8. Miles called out to Zoe Pierce, who was still lying in bed, reluctant to wake.
Zoe Pierce opened her eyes, rubbing them as she sat up. "What’s wrong, Miles?"
"You have a fever," Miles said, his brow furrowed.
Zoe was now living completely on her own. Instead of returning to her family’s old house after the match, she had chosen a new apartment in a complex with extremely high security.
Her service robots and other systems hadn’t been fully set up yet, which was why no one had immediately noticed she was sick.
Hearing Miles say she was sick, Zoe touched her own forehead. Her palm was warm too, so she couldn’t tell the difference.
"I’m sick?" It was hard to imagine. She was usually as strong as an ox.
But Zoe didn’t feel unwell at all. No stuffy nose, no sore throat. Aside from feeling sleepy, nothing felt out of place.
"I just contacted Nathan. He’ll be here soon." A doctor would be coming with him.
Less than half an hour later, Nathan Lockwood arrived with a doctor in tow.
Zoe watched as Nathan and Miles stood off to the side. After a thorough examination, the Beta Doctor announced, "This is a normal phenomenon."
"Miss Pierce’s pheromone levels have returned to normal. Her internal hormone levels are currently elevated, which indicates she is about to go into heat. This is her body’s reaction."
Heat.
A word that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
Technically, Zoe had learned about the term long ago from the Intelligent Brain, but she had never once experienced it in real life.
"But... I took an inhibitor right before the exhibition match... and I had a temporary mark because of my pheromone issues before that..."
’With all those factors in play, she could still go into heat?’
The Beta Doctor explained to Zoe, "Miss Pierce, your physical condition is rather unique. In the past, Omegas like you who were completely unable to secrete pheromones were practically unheard of."
"Therefore, your treatment has been a process of trial and error, tailored to your body’s condition at each stage."
"Inhibitors are meant to be administered on a case-by-case basis. You likely took one to prevent any issues during the exhibition match, so it would have been a specially formulated dose that wouldn’t harm your body."
"Once the exhibition match was over, your hormone levels would naturally begin to rise."
She paused, then continued her explanation. "As for the temporary mark, it’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? I can no longer detect any Alpha pheromones in your system."
Zoe was left speechless. Strictly speaking, it had been a long time since Erin Xavier had marked her.
It was perfectly normal for a temporary mark to fade as the pheromones were metabolized. The timing was even close to what she had estimated back in Miles’s mecha.
Zoe had just assumed it would take longer. She never expected this to happen after just over two weeks.
"This will likely be your first truly normal heat. I would advise against using an inhibitor this time. It would be better to save it for the next one."
"However, I do recommend waiting until the heat fully sets in before you get another temporary mark. It will be more beneficial for your glands."
Zoe’s pheromone production had always felt like it lacked momentum. Although it was steadily increasing, it had yet to break through to a normal level.
The doctor reviewed her records and concluded that it would be best for her pheromone levels to reach a peak before being suppressed.
Understanding the doctor’s implication, Zoe asked, "So you’re saying I’m not actually in heat yet?"
"That’s correct. A normal heat lasts three to four days. But there’s a period of discomfort leading up to it as well."
Zoe was currently in that pre-heat stage. Her body was reacting, causing a low-grade fever, but it wasn’t severe enough to affect her daily activities.
"Furthermore, you’re still wearing a suppression patch, which makes it even harder to notice the changes in your pheromones. Your pheromone concentration will now begin to increase gradually."
"But we can’t give you a precise timeline. We can only say that it should be within the next few days." Given Zoe’s current condition, the signs were already quite clear.
Zoe’s gaze drifted unconsciously to Nathan Lockwood and Miles Sherman.
’So, when her real heat arrived, she’d be caught between Miles and Nathan, wouldn’t she?’
After the diagnosis was complete, Nathan Lockwood had the doctor leave.
He and Miles stood in the living room. "When Zoe’s heat fully hits, I’ll call you," Miles said.
Nathan Lockwood looked up at him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Miles asked.
Nathan let out a laugh. "It’s nothing. I was just thinking that if I were in your shoes, I probably would’ve waited until the last possible second to tell you."
He wouldn’t have been able to make the decision that quickly and just tell another Alpha outright.
