Page 38 of Plug and Drain

“Chin up, Susie,” she told her reflection. “Today is a new day.”

Her smile slipped as she noticed the bite marks on her neck—two red pinpricks beneath her jaw. It was stark evidence that the headmaster’s visit hadn’t simply been a bad dream.

She brushed her damp hair across to cover it, but she was now keenly aware of the way the marks stung.

Hopefully, she would not see Arken again for a while. She needed time to forget that he’d been here, in her room. In her bed. Inside her.

Susie shuddered.

Don’t think about it.

Don’t think about him.

She batted the thought away, but it was difficult not to think about Arken when his scent still filled the room. The musty smell of sex, which hung in the air, was laced with citrus, and though it was not an unpleasant smell, she had never wished for a window more than she did right now so she could air out the room.

She froze in the middle of brushing her hair when a knock sounded on her door.

No, don’t tell me he’s back, she groaned internally.

The knock came again.

“Susie?”

Susie frowned and opened the door. “Molly?”

The slight, mousy-haired woman stared at her with large, fearful eyes. She was wearing trousers, boots, and a thin woollen jumper, the sleeves of which she was fidgeting with. Her hair was pulled above her head in a neat bun, and a few delicate hairs had escaped, grazing her thin brows and amber eyes. A hint of pink tinged her pale cheeks, as if she’d been exercising, and Susie could smell fresh dirt on her boots, revealing that the wolf had just been outside.

It was strange to think that Molly had been outdoors whilst Susie was lying in bed having sex with Arken…Especially as looking out for Molly was why Susie had invited Arken inside in the first place. She pushed the nagging thought aside and scanned the wolf for injuries, taking in her worried expression. “Molly, what’s wrong?”

“I need your help,” Molly replied breathlessly. “I went for a walk in the grounds to clear my head, and as I was coming back downstairs, I…” she faltered, wringing her hands and looking agitated.

Susie grabbed the doorframe and leant past Molly to peer out into the empty corridor, her mind racing with worst-case scenarios. Had Molly been attacked again? “What happened? Are you hurt?”

And what were you doing wandering around the school grounds so early in the morning?

“No, I’m not hurt. But as I was coming back downstairs…I saw…”

Molly looked troubled as her voice faded.

Susie tightened the sash of her bathrobe as she followed Molly into the corridor. “Was it the omegas? Did they bother you—?”

Molly shook her head. “No, it’s Headmaster Arken.”

“The headmaster…?” Her stomach dropped. “Did he touch you?”

It was a worst-case scenario that eclipsed all the others, somehow worse than the omegas striking again. The thought of Arken preying on Molly immediately after having sex with Susie was abhorrent.

Even if I didn’t technically fulfil my part of our agreement. But that’s not my fault. He shouldn’t have bitten me like that.

“No, he didn’t do anything,” Molly said hurriedly. “Thanks to you. And thank you, by the way, for taking my place earlier.”

Susie’s lips parted, but she didn’t know how to respond.

You’re welcome?

“What happened?” she asked instead, a note of impatience entering her voice.

“I—I found Headmaster Arken unconscious on the steps as I was coming back down,” Molly explained. “It looks like he fell—”