If this didn’t get him an A, he would write a strongly worded letter of complaint to the teaching board.
* * * *
Ford
He left his truck and headed for the alley shown on the map linked to the tracker he’d put on Lincoln’s watch.He followed the signal until he heard voices, then switched his phone to video.Ross could enhance the audio if it was sketchy.
Ford crouched low and manoeuvred behind four parked cars to get closer.Peering through a window, he spotted Lincoln with three others, bouncing on his feet like he was cold or nervous, while the other three smoked.Ford raised his phone to get a clearer shot and waited.
“This guy wants three hundred for one dose of OX?”One of the guys scoffed and handed Lincoln the cigarette.
He took it and hissed after the first smoke, which hinted to Ford that it wasn’t any ordinary cigarette.Joints were illegal for good reason.Omegas could lose control of their slick production, even their heats, while alphas lost their inhibitions.He’d seen the damage they caused firsthand.
“What’s with that omega you’ve got your eye on?Lucky?”
Lincoln took a second hit of the joint.“I’m picking him up tonight, to take him to a club with his friends.”
“Gotta keep an eye on the prize, right?”
They laughed again, no doubt aware of how shameless and pathetic Lincoln was.He was so low on their radar that they wouldn’t care if it hurt his feelings.The fact they talked about Lucky and Lincoln’s infatuation was interesting.Lincoln even openly admitted to having a problem with his recent debt.Had he come to these assholes for the missing fifty Omhns?
Ford didn’t recognise them, but he couldn’t get a good look at their faces.If they were meeting Lincoln here, he might find their names on Lincoln’s phone records.
The OX interested him more.The drug was known as Omega Xposure, or Exposure, and it did only one thing—forcing a contact heat.Whatever poor omega was given the drug, there was a one thousand to one guarantee they’d go into a contact heat with the first alpha who touched them.
Ford gritted his teeth, realising what Lincoln had been trying to buy from him.Was he a big enough asshole to use it on Lucky?He’d have to warn Lucky, even though he was already cautious of Lincoln.Caution wouldn’t be enough to protect him if Lincoln continued to act as his chaperone.One moment of lax attention, one distraction or sip of an unsealed bottle, and Lucky would be more vulnerable than any omega wanted to be.
With proof of Lincoln attempting to buy the drug, he could arrest him.Except, Lincoln had waited years for Lucky.Rumours hinted that he was waiting for the true mate bond to spark, which meant he wouldn’t riskusingthe OX until Lucky had found his true mate or reached his first heat.
He had less than three months to use Lincoln to get the dealer, find out who these jokers were, and get enough evidence against them to get them off the streets forever.First, he’d warn Lucky, then he’d catch the rest of these fuckers.
* * * *
Lucky
Professor Flanagan paced the front of the room, set out in a horseshoe of tables and chairs for the students so the omega professor could stand in the middle.“Your first heat will hit you hard.While some narrow-minded professors believe that a heat is the alphas’ responsibility, we omegas know better.
“The number one priority for an omega’s first heat is to be prepared.Without preparation, when your heat hits you will run the risk of being a mindless sex toy,” the professor continued, with a wry smile that acknowledged how often that happened.“We are better than that.We deservemorethan that.This room is where you’ll arm yourself with knowledge, power and focus that will help you get through your first heat successfully.”
As she walked?a tall woman with beautiful auburn skin and raven hair?she tucked her hands into the pockets of her sleek cream jumpsuit, looking elegant and in command.“The first rule of a heat is to prepare for your needs in advance.How can we do this?”She glanced around the room.“Hank?”
“Make sure the kitchen is fully stocked with non-perishables, lay out snacks, water and wipes in the bedroom,” he said, though Lucky felt that was just general preparedness for sex, never mind a heat.
Professor Flanagan nodded.“Una, give us another option.”
“Inform your work that you won’t be available, arrange time off and prepare them in advance for covering your leave of absence,” she replied, which was another decent answer but basic good sense.
When Lucky raised his hand, Professor Flanagan practically rolled her eyes.“Go ahead, Lucky.”
“Form a plan with your mate.”
The general murmur stopped.People looked at him like he’d lost his mind, and the professor raised an eyebrow.Lucky had never been cowed by others’ opinions, but this was a new level of intensity.“You should prepare for your first heat, if you can, months in advance.Sit with your alpha, make a plan of who needs to be told, when and how to cover for your work or family commitments.You should discuss consent and boundaries.If the first heat is the most intense, they need to know.Some alphas are taught that it’s the most tempered, because it’s spread over two weeks instead of four days.”
Professor Flanagan cocked her head.“Who told you that?”
“Chase Walker.”At the noodle café, Chase had made an offhand comment about how Lucky shouldn’t be afraid of his first heat, since it would be the easiest of his life.He’d laughed until he realised Chase was serious.“He said they were told by Professor Juniper.He admitted that it was the one thing his mother wouldn’t talk to him about, because she insisted that times had changed since her first heat and she hoped things had become better for omegas.”
“That’s an interesting insight.”Professor Flanagan pursed her lips.“I’ll bring this up with Professor Juniper the next time I see her.As you say, that’s wildly inaccurate and potentially harmful to the omega who ends up with an alpha taught such false information.”
