Why can’t I be the omega who whines and is rescued by a big, strong alpha? Who’s soothed by a scent and rumbling purr? Fuck, the only alpha I’ve ever heard purr is the one who just broke my heart and betrayed my trust. He’s a danger to me, but that I consider picking up my phone and texting him is even more treacherous.
Dangerous alphas all around, and the only one I can trust to protect me, the one my inner omega instincts are so irrevocably drawn to, is the one who will never want me.
* * *
Despite Trinity’swarnings that I wouldn’t find anything, I do search for more information on what happened to Heather. I find nothing but lies, lies about how the freshman omega with such a promising future succumbed to the weakness of will our designation so often faces. That tragedy struck Fairhaven Academy. How Heather would be missed.
But she’s been forgotten. An omega meeting a tragic, but not unexpected, end, a few articles in the Fairhaven Herald, an obituary that makes me weep.
Nothing about the alpha that terrorized her. Nothing about the inconclusive investigation that finally ruled her death a suicide.
I can’t believe that Pack Radcliffe was able to bury the story completely. Saints, there has to besomethingout there. And if there is, I know just the magical hacker to find it.
>I ask Simon.
His response is practically immediate.>
I order as Marcus and I set off across campus, and we beat the pizza there by a few minutes.
Simon meets us outside the doors, sweeping me off my feet in a hug. “You okay, Junes?”
I shrug into his embrace and give him a long squeeze. “Not really?” Saints, I wish I could stay like this forever, his arms wrapped around me. But we’re not alone and anyone could see us. Anything more than a friendly hug is out of the question.
When we finally part, he passes me a new candy with a crooked smile. “Cope with me? These arenotbetter than Coffee Crisp, but they’re just as good. In a different way.”
I turn the small hard candy over in my hand, reading the label. “Kopiko Coffee Candy?”
“Yeah, coffeeandcandy. Two of your favorites.”
I unwrap it and pop it in my mouth and immediately decide I adore it—and Simon Monroe for knowing me so well. “Given to me by my third.” I bump him lightly with my shoulder, the backs of our hands brushing.
In the warm light of the lamps outside the residence hall, I catch the light blush that blooms beneath his smattering of freckles.
“What’d you need help with?”
“Looking into something pretty serious,” I say and blow out a ragged breath. I look out across the gardens in front of the dorm, catching a shadow of a figure in the distance, just at the tree line. Long, curved black leather horns catch the pale moonlight. Simon follows my gaze and frowns. Does he not see the figure in the distance? Saints, am I losing my mind? I shake my head to clear it. “I’ll tell you when we get inside.”
* * *
When we getup to his dorm room, there’s a brand new blanket fort and a fresh trace of sea salt and sunshine in the air. Cassian’s words from our Peer Advising session echo in my mind.
You should be scared. Juniper, you should be fucking terrified.
I am. More than ever after Trinity’s admission.
After a questioning look at Simon and his nod, I pull Marcus into Simon’s room and shut the door behind us. We sit in a small circle on the soft floor of the nest Simon’s made me, the pizza between me and Simon and a salad balanced on Marcus’ knee.
I shred a paper napkin between my fingers as I try to find the words. I settle on the most direct. “I’m in danger.”
Simon pauses and sets his slice back down. “Your father?”
I grimace. “Him too. But in this case, I learned something about Andrew Radcliffe today. I promised I wouldn’t say who told me but suffice it to say: I believe them.” I sigh and look down, fiddling with the scraps of the napkin. “Rad killed an omega his freshman year. I don’t know if he set out to or if it was an argument that grew violent, but she died. Honestly, I don’t know ifanyonebut Rad knows what really happened. And it all got buried.”
Simon shoves his glasses up and studies me for a moment, hazel eyes soft. “Are you sure you want to go digging into this, kit-kat? There’s no way anything we find will bring you comfort. Either way, he killed her. Either way, he’s dangerous.”
“He coveted her.”
Simon cringes at the word.
