Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 130

Chapter 130: Ch 130: Depths of Dispair
“Why do you think I would be anywhere else when my child collapsed? More importantly, why did you not tell anyone about your condition until now? Were you going to hide it forever if you could? We are a family, and you should tell us these things-”

Rika’s face was blank, and Natasha suddenly felt guilty.

She knew she was complaining uselessly, but now that she had started, she did not want to stop. She wanted to air out all her grievances in front of her child.

However, Rika had her thoughts to share. And her words entice Natasha’s sense of guilt even more.

“You were always busy with Suzie and her health. I wanted to add to the burden of it only some. Besides, I am fine. This is just a false alarm. It might seem like I am turning into an omega, but I am and will remain a beta. You don’t have to feel responsible for me.”

One look at the doctor’s face was enough to tell Natasha this would not be possible.

Whatever Rika was planning in her head was not something the doctor advised.

“Rika, why don’t you think about it some more? Being an omega might seem like a bad deal from a beta’s perspective, but there are also some benefits. I think you should consider it-!”

“No thanks. I have already had this conversation with Emily and Damian, and the conclusion I reached will stay the same. I’ve lived as a beta and will continue to live as one. Nothing has to change, neither my dynamic nor our relationship.”

“Please, focus on Mark and Suzie and forget about the incident. Tell Father that he does not have to worry about me either.”

Natasha wanted to call Rika out and stop asking her to act bravely.

But when she looked into Rika’s eyes, she saw that her daughter was serious about this.

She did not expect anything from her mother or her family, not even their support in these challenging times.

“Rika, we already discussed this. Your transformation into an omega can no longer be stopped without risking your life. The sooner you accept it, the better for your health. Please cooperate with us and stop being stubborn.”

If Rika’s attitude toward her health was like a bucket of ice-cold water, the news of her life being in danger was like a seething hot lave being poured over Natasha’s senses.

Before she knew what she was doing, the alpha had her hands on Rika’s shoulder, and her eyes looked at the younger one with a heated look.

“Mother, what are you doing? Let go of me! And doctor, my answer would not change. I would rather die than turn into an omega-”

Natasha could no longer control herself.

Her alpha instincts were in control, and her hand moved before her brain could connect with Rika’s cheek and leave a red mark there.

“Stop being selfish, Rika! Please do not talk about dying so casually in front of me. I carried you inside me for nine months! You are the only child out of the three *I* birthed. Don’t make my efforts look like nothing while talking about your death!”

Natasha was seething as she leaned over Rika’s body.

Her alpha eyes looked at Rika purposefully while her pheromones ran wild and threatened to choke Rika.

The poor beta-turned-omega made a terrified expression as she felt suffocated under the weight of her mother’s pheromones.

Her body had already gone lax, and her breathing had improved significantly.

In her mind, Natasha recognised this as Rika going into pheromone shock. The alpha needed to stop, or she could risk Rika’s health.

But Natasha Goodwill could not stop now. She needed to make Rika understand that she was making a stupid decision.

“I…knew it. You never said *gasp* that out loud, but I had a feeling my father did not birth me. Is that why he always maintained his distance from me? Because you carried me instead of him?”

Rika asked in an almost hurt voice, but the alpha was too far gone in her anger to recognise her symptoms.

“Your father loves you just as much as he loves your other siblings. But that is not the point here. Your family loves you so much, so why would you ever think about dying? Just recover for now, and we will talk all about it together. Do you understand-”

Natasha reached out toward Rika, and the intensity of her pheromones spiked up.

That doctor reacted the second Rika made a sick face, and she quickly injected Natasha with pheromone suppressants that calmed her down.

When the alpha calmed down, she could think right again.

Shame filled Natasha’s face as she looked at Rika’s flushed face and heavy-breathing body.

“I am sorry! I did not mean…I mean, I don’t know what came over me. I was just so angry at you, and I-”

Natasha tried to justify her actions. But the only explanation was that she had lost control of herself and given in to her instincts.

“I know! I don’t blame you for what happened. You were never good at controlling yourself, and neither was our family. That is why I don’t want to turn into an omega. I don’t think I can handle it at this point.”

“You can call me selfish all you want. But I genuinely felt like I finally found my place in this world and made peace with my dynamic. Changing it now would make me hate my life even more than I already do.”

Rika’s guard was down.

She spoke calmly, but no hope seemed to be left in her expression.

Looking at her made Natasha nervous.

The alpha had already known that her daughter was hurting, but she never said anything to Rika or confronted her.

Since Rika had been a beta, Natasha had never grasped a sense of her despair before. But now those omega pheromones threatened to drown her in sparrow and sadness. It was just too much for the older alpha.

Now, she was beginning to feel sick as well.