Resuming her pacing, the professor continued her lecture.“Taking control of your heat means communicating with your alpha.Without effective, honest communication, you leave the door wide open for misunderstandings.”She gestured to Lucky to remind them of his point.“The last thing you want is to be locked inside your head, consumed by your heat, and unable to properly verbalise your needs.Especially when your alpha will be feeding from your heat hormones.
“Logical thought goes out of the window during the first heat, unless your alpha has experience of being around omegas in heat before.Since that is unlikely for most of you,youneed to take responsibility.Which means being open, honest, and discussing all eventualities beforehand.”
Lucky took notes on her suggestions for things to discuss.The general mood of the room lifted with her continued lecture, but what had made them stop and stare at him like he was losing his mind?Did they not realise how badly alphas were being taught?Or was it because he’d mentioned consent during a discussion on omega heats, which generally wasn’t a word that came to mind?
Maybe it should be.Maybe it was the constant threat Lincoln posed, but Lucky had never been more acutely aware that, if Lincoln had his way and forced Lucky to be his mate, there would be no such thing as consent, implied or otherwise.
* * * *
After class, Lucky packed his books and was three steps from the classroom when his phone buzzed.He pulled it from his trouser pocket, confused by the unknown number.
Meet me at the east gate.There’s something I need to tell you.Chase.
That was strange.How did Chase get his number?
Intrigued, he sent a reply, eager to find out what Chase wanted to talk about when they’d seen each other just two hours ago in the library.
Be right there.
He didn’t want to text Lincoln, to ask him to be his escort to the east gate.He’d go alone, hoping to use the privacy to have an honest talk with Chase.Maybe he’d had second thoughts about meeting at the club tonight.That would be a shame, but Lucky was excited for a night out with friends so he’d go anyway.Or was this about the kiss?Would Chase ask him not to tell anyone, or did he want to try dating, even if that would only complicate things later, if either of them felt a bond with someone else?
It only took five minutes for Lucky to walk around the side of the main building towards the east gate.He couldn’t see anything from this angle, but the quad was pretty busy with people coming and going, gathering for a last chat before they headed home.Lucky would normally be amongst them saying goodbye to Caroline and Kain, but he’d see them tonight at the club.Realising that he might be late if Chase wanted to talk, he stopped before he reached the gates to send a message to their last group text.
I might be late to the club.Go in without me.I’ll catch up.CU tonight!
He waited until the message had sent, then tucked his phone into the side pocket of his bag.Lucky braced for whatever Chase might want to discuss and crossed the boundary into the lane at the east gate.
Jack stood six feet beyond the gate and Lucky stopped, confused.Jack was Lincoln’s friend, but barely knew Chase.Lucky moved closer, only steps away when he realised Jack was crying.His brown hair was in disarray, which wasn’t like him.He was usually attentive about his looks.His blue eyes were watery, the left one swollen and purple.Lucky opened his mouth to speak, to ask if he was okay, but a trickle of blood at the side of Jack’s mouth made him hesitate.
“I’m so sorry.”A fist landed in Jack’s kidney and he crumpled to the ground, crying out in pain, while Lucky took an instinctive step back as three things became clear.
Chase wasn’t here.
That text had never been from Chase.
Lucky had just walked into a trap.
His instinct to flee hit hard as a hand clamped over Lucky’s mouth, yanking him off his feet, his screams muffled and ineffective.He didn’t know what would happen next, but it couldn’t be good.There was no way he’d get to the club tonight.
He might never see his family or friends, or Chase, ever again.
Chapter Six
Present: Thursday, 5pm
Lucky
“It’s been an hour.”
Lucky lay on the sofa, trying his best to stem the pain coursing through his stomach with the threat of an oncoming heat.He’d always heard that a forced heat was a rush of hormones that would turn an omega into a sex-mad animal, but Lucky thanked Omha for the ability to think clearly.
Ford’s jaw tightened as Scout approached with obvious concern.They’d hovered in the room for an hour, keeping their distance as though he was contaminated.
Lucky was grateful, afraid that if they came any closer, he’d lose control and prove the rumours about forced heats true.
Ford reached for his belt.The moment he gripped the buckle Lucky shut his eyes, not wanting to accept his fate.It would be awful, but he would fight with everything he had to get through it in the hope that he could just keep living.If he was lucky, these alphas would feel so guilty they’d get him out of the Market, because it was already obvious that they didn’t want this.
The OX had taken away all other options and Lucky couldn’t understand why everything inside him said that if it was Ford, he would be okay with whatever came next.It didn’t matterwhodid it—he still had no choice.
