I don’t talk to anyone. Not even to Veronica. Even if I wanted to speak to the gardener, I couldn’t; he’s gone. He was probably fired for having a five-minute conversation with me.
It’s been a year.
A year of silence and neglect, and of spending my birthday on my own.
A year of learning to protect my heart from scent matches who have proven they don’t want to take care of it or me.
A year when sometimes the pain is so bad, all I want to do is destroy. So, I take the pair of scissors from a drawer in my bedroom, set a timer on my phone for five minutes, and I destroy.
I couldn’t stand the humiliation of being driven to another free heat clinic, so I asked Veronica to get me heat suppressants when my heat was coming. I don’t know if she told my scent matches, but a few days later, she knocked on my door holding a handful of small white pills and a glass of water.
I spent a week in my room, just in case they didn’t work, and only Veronica thought to check on me.
Over the holidays, I spent a few days with my parents and River, who had a break from Haven Academy. My scent matches didn’t come with me. River was so worried about how quiet I was and how much weight I’d lost that I don’t think I’ll spend Christmas with them again. I miss my sister, but I don’t want her to worry that something is wrong with me.
I pull open my bedroom door. “Yes, Veronica?”
She shifts from foot to foot, visibly uncomfortable. “There are men who want to talk to you, Miss.”
I raise my eyebrow. “Men?”
“It’s best you come down. They’ll explain it themselves.”
Eyeing her curiously, I motion for her to lead the way. “After you.”
I smooth down my skirt and hair as I trail her down the stairs, curious about what this is about, but eager to return to the only place in the house where I can pretend I don’t have scent matches. In my room, I don’t smell them or see them, and I can spend my days reading or sleeping.
In the library, three men I don’t recognize are talking among themselves, their voices low. Callum, Archer, and Torin stand farther away, watching them. Two of the men are alphas; the third, older with graying blond hair, is a beta.
All eyes turn to me as I step into the room.
I focus on the unfamiliar men. I try never to look at my scent matches if I pass a room that they’re in. They no longer exist to me, and they never will again. “Can I help you?”
I use my most formal voice. The grace and elegant tone I learned at Haven Academy. Everything I do now is about protecting my heart from more pain.
“My name is Garrison Brewer. This is Kylian Sutton, and that is Roman.” The largest man, a dark-haired alpha, smells of wood smoke and cedar, points to each man as he tells me their names, then gives me a small, reassuring smile. "We have the task of interviewing all omegas matched by Haven Academy."
Alarm races down my spine. “Is there something wrong with the school? With my sister?” I ask, frowning.
He shakes his dark head. “Nothing like that.” He glances at my scent matches. “Maybe we can discuss this in private.”
“You can discuss it with her here,” Callum says coolly.
Not withmyomega orouromega. Withher.
Garrison glances at him and says to me. “I’ve come to find out if you’re happy here. If this match is one you wanted, or if it's one you wish to break.”
My confusion grows.
Kylian Sutton, the alpha who smells of whiskey and bergamot, has gray eyes that scare me. I avoid his gaze and keep my focus on Garrison. He’s the biggest guy in the room, but there’s something so calming about his voice that I instantly want to trust him.
Roman, the beta, is quiet, but alert. As if he expects trouble and is ready for it.
“There’s no breaking the bond between an alpha and an omega. Only an alpha can do it if he wants to,” I tell Garrison.
My alphas don’t seem to want to let me go. Sometimes, when I’ve been out shopping with Veronica, I’ve considered running, but the question of where I would run to has always stopped me.
If I left, Pack Wells could have someone bring me back. If I argued, they could order me to shut up. The bites on my neck have bound us together, and there’s no walking away from them unless they want to let me go. I am Pack Wells’ omega, even if they don’t want me.
