Chapter 10 10
RANDOM FACT: Riven Draken is 19, 5’10 and 135lbs with storm grey eyes, snow white hair that falls to his jaw in waves and a slim willowy build. He looks like a fairy in a sense… until he opens his mouth, of course.
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“What are you doing?” Claire signs to me, her large brown doe eyes glistening as she stares at me.
I fight back the desire to roll my eyes as I say, “What does it look like I’m doing, darling? Reading your lovely notes. And yes, I know it’s an extremely rare sight but you don’t have to make it look like it’s that rare,”
Since I’m banned from the library after the librarian caught me… doing something that should not have been happening with Aaron, I have to read here.
In the cafeteria. Around these losers. “Why is your handwriting so terrible, sweetheart?”
Because I’m looking at the book, she can’t read my lips. She taps me, signing for me to repeat it but I just flash a smile at her and shake my head instead before signing back, “It’s nothing. Your notes are great,”
‘You think your heat is gone.’
I can already see the mockery in his eyes, like I’m a stupid person for thinking that I got fine all on my own.
Or that I’m fine at all.
I mean, in my defense, I stopped caring about anything involving wolf physiology because it clearly had no knowledge about people like me.
I literally mean zero.
People who didn’t have a scent were seen as abhorrent, and practically useless, so the classes also didn’t matter to me.
All that mattered was surviving it. Just… doing it.
And I know that it makes no sense. Why would I go to school if there was no one to enforce it?
Maybe because… because I hoped somehow that my grandfather would come visit. If I graduated. Maybe he’d come see me. Or something. I don’t know. Which is stupid to think of now because he’s here… and I don’t want to talk to him.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” I groan, looking at Claire as I sign and say at the same time, “It’s all just… anatomical talk. Why does it have to sound so serious? They could simply just say, ‘heats last three days,’ and be done with it. And maybe some little examples of variations. There’s literally nothing about other simple differences. Are all Omegas just copies of each other? No differences whatsoever?”
Claire stares at the book then back at me as she signs, “There’s really not much variation in biology. Just Alphas and Omegas. And it probably doesn’t make sense because you’ve skipped every biology class. I could teach you if you want?”
I can’t help rolling my eyes there. “Why? So you distract me with your brown eyes and I end up giving you a cookie? No thank you,”
Claire’s cheeks reddens there. It’s slight, it’s cute but the words she sighs back to me makes me stop, “Are you… are you doing all this because of the new teacher? I know his presence puts you on edge. You looked terrified when you walked out of the class. What did he say to you?”
He asked me why I had Aaron’s scent on me and it looked like he was about to make me regret having it in the first place, I almost say.
The thought should make me angry. I hate controlling freaks. I do. It’s why I’m with Aaron. Good boy. Keeps his head down. Respectful of my privacy. But now… my head flashes back to the vague memory of him in my head.
I’m not even sure if it’s real or if I’m imagining things but… but I can remember fragments of it, of me thinking things that I should not be thinking.
Desiring.
“I don’t think he’s a good teacher, do you?” I say. I know she’s upset by that response but she doesn’t try to push as I continue, “We should probably report him to the principal or something. I don’t know. Say he’s a fake. Say he shouldn’t be teaching in the first place. I don’t know,”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Claire signs, shaking her head slightly. She bites her lower lip, her eyes moving around then signs, “What if you ask other omegas about their heat? Maybe you can get some—”
I quickly reach out to hold her hands, forcing a fake smile to my face. “Darling friend, we all know how they feel about me. And I’d rather get a ten inch nail shoved into my ass than ask those self righteous prissy bitches for anything—”
I smell him before I can finish the sentence.
My heart races as my head shoots up, thinking he’s here in the cafeteria for me— but the person I see walking in is not him.
Instead, this person is drenched in his scent. Coated completely in it.
I still can’t smell other people even a little bit but this… this scent… his pheromones find me and hook themselves into my brain as one vicious thought flashes through my head.
How dare he smell like him?!
Strange emotions start swelling inside me. Jealousy. I know it’s jealousy because it’s how I feel when Claire is always with Ariadne… but worse. It consumes every inch of my being, my heart pounding so loud that all I can think of is him.
How dare he? How dare he? How dare—?!
A small squeak of pain brings me back to the present, my eyes falling on Claire who looks like she’s hurt.
I look down to our hands, quickly releasing hers as I realize that they look… bruised because of how hard I was squeezing them.
I want to mumble an apology, I probably should— but my eyes go back to him.
He looks pale like me… but there’s a grey undertone to it, like he’s waning or something. In fact, his body looks like mine. He’s tall like me. Slim as me. But with green eyes…
And Kael’s scent.
MY scent. MINE.
“The fucking bastard is messing with me,” I mutter.
Claire’s hands find mine. They’re warm and soft. Nothing like his. She looks worried… she’s looked that way for quite a while now before she signs, “I don’t understand what’s happening. You don’t look well. You haven’t looked well in days. What can I do? What can I help you with?”
I don’t know.
Because I truly don’t.
I’ve never had my Heat but suddenly I am. I’m finding myself having… thoughts I’d never say out loud. I’m smelling pheromones. I’m having… emotions over something that isn’t even… mine.
And my body… my body is reacting again.
Still, all of this feels so overwhelming because all I know deep down is meeting this… person that won’t leave me alone started all of this.
But I don’t plan on backing down.
“You know what?” She looks slightly scared which is probably because I’m smiling but I don’t care anymore. “We, my darling angel, are going for a party tonight. Yes, yes. Stop looking like you’re about to scream. It’s one of Aaron’s parties. And I’m fully aware that we never go for it buttttt how else can we meet Omegas in their natural habitat?”
Claire’s eyes go wide. “Riven, no. That’s a terrible idea. Aaron’s parties are… intense. And you’re not—”
“Not what? Stable? Sane? In my right mind?” I finish for her, the smile still plastered on my face. “Exactly. Perfect camouflage. No one will suspect a thing. I’ll just be the unhinged, scenes freak making a scene, as usual. And while everyone is busy being horrified, I can study them. Take notes. See how real, normal Omegas act when they’re… feeling frisky.”
She looks around and signs, “Why don’t we just ask here? Like normal people? Besides, after what happened in the hall, I don’t trust him,”
With that spy here? No, the fuck not. “Now, why would I do something so boring? Plus, who cares? Aaron knows no Omega would treat him the way I do. He’s a masochist. He likes the push and pull dynamic and after what happened, he’ll be on his best behavior. He’ll want to show off that he still has me. It’s the perfect cover.”
And I’m going to prove to that prick that I can beat the scent of anyone I want if he can share his so shamelessly.
She still looks scared, so I pull out the big guns. “Please, ? I… I need to know what exactly is wrong with me and I’m scared to go alone. I need my best friend.”
That is all it takes. “Okay. But… but I’ll have to be home early because I suppose you won’t want me telling Ariadne?”
“Oh, fuck no. That b— nice lady would tell you to stay away from me as punishment,” I flash a smile at her. It works. It always works. She loves me too much. “Wear something cute, but not too cute. The last thing I need is me scratching the eye out of anyone who tries to touch you, okay?”
She lets out a chuckle, and I’m sure she knows I’m serious because nothing in the world matters more to me than Claire.
And I'm gonna make sure it stays that way.
Forever.