Chapter 141 CHAPTER 141

Chapter 141 CHAPTER 141
The moment Soren arrives at the university campus, he hates it instantly. He can’t believe he actually agreed to this abruptly.

The moment he steps out of the car, with his backpack hanging over his shoulder, he immediately wants to get back into the car and leave, but then Monroe speeds out through the gate as if he read Soren’s mind.

In other words, Soren is stuck here.

He sits at the center of the large lecture hall, tapping his pen aggressively against his notebook. It has only been four hours since Monroe dropped him off at the front gates, and Soren is already mentally drafting his resignation letter.

He feels like an alien.

Every single student in the room looks like they belong there, whispering and laughing among themselves, and Soren, the only one sitting in a whole row of chairs, feels the heavy weight of their judgmental stares burning right through his skin.

They know he doesn't belong here. They know he is a transfer student, older than most of them, dropped into the middle of the semester with zero explanation.

He should just drop out, Soren thinks bitterly, dragging a hand down his face. He could just walk out right now, go back home, and bake cookies with Iris. Reign wouldn't even be mad. He should applaud Soren for even trying in the first place.

Soren swallows a sigh and forces his attention back to the professor teaching at the front of the class, but everything he says goes in one ear and out the other.

Soren suddenly recalls why he always hated school and dropped out the moment he had the chance.

He can survive a few hours and a few years of this torture. He chants the words over and over again in his head until they’re the only thing stuck in his head, and hours later, he manages to pull through the rest of the lectures, keeping his head completely down and aggressively ignoring the weird, lingering looks from every part of the room.

The final bell finally rings, signaling the end of the excruciating day.

Soren practically sprints out of the double doors, pulling his backpack over his shoulder, and races to the student parking lot where Monroe or a guard is waiting for him, but Soren doesn't get far when he hears the sound of his name from a voice he hasn't heard in a while.

"Soren."

It makes the hair on the back of Soren's neck stand on end. He stops dead in his tracks and turns around slowly.

Standing a few feet away is Sylvester, dressed in a suit and his hands shoved in his pockets. The alpha looks thinner than the last time Soren saw him.

Instantly, Soren’s jaw clenches, recollecting everything this bastard has done to him. "How did you know I'm here?" he snarls, his voice dripping with venom.

Sylvester smiles. “Is that how you greet an old friend, Soren?” He teases and then slowly reaches out to Soren's face, but he smacks it away and steps away from him. Sylvester's hand slips back into his pocket. “I've missed you.”

Soren hates him, but suddenly, he recalls Theo's words, and slowly, he stalks towards the alpha. “Tell me, Sylvester, why are you going around bribing people for my blood? What the fuck are you planning to do with it?"

Sylvester’s brow twitches at the unexpected question. “I see your alpha friend told you I approached him for your blood.”

“Why do you need my blood?” Soren says, placing emphasis on each word to let it sink into the man's skull while his gaze bores a deep hole through his face.

Sylvester stands tall and his chin high. “I was hoping you'd considered my offer, but since we're on this topic, I'll tell you the truth. Yes, I do want your blood for a cause. A very, very important cause, and I am entirely willing to pay you handsomely for your service."

"My service?" Soren scoffs loudly. He honestly can't believe he ever trusted the bastard. "Are you out of your mind? You're a complete psycho."

"I am trying to create a better world." Sylvester continues; this time he's the one taking a step forward. "A world for Omegas. Look at you, Soren. Look at the misery you have to live in. Suppressing your scent, hiding your true nature, and living in constant, agonizing fear that you will be discovered. It's my dream to build a better world for Omegas."

Soren’s heart skips a beat, but he keeps his face entirely made of stone.

"You shouldn't have to be ashamed of what you are," Sylvester proceeds to say with a glimmer in his eyes.

Soren's jaw ticks. “And what does my blood have to do with you for your fucking dream?”

"The serum I am developing... it will change everything. But I need the blood of an Omega who has successfully bypassed an Enigma's senses. I need your biology, Soren. Do you really want to continue living your entire life hiding?"

Soren stares at the manipulative alpha with a churning sickness in his stomach. “My life is none of your business, and if you ever come near me or try to pay someone for my blood, trust me, Sylvester, I won't be this nice. Now, fuck off and don't ever show your face in front of me,” he says with venom while taking steps back, and without another word, he wants to walk away without looking back.

Sylvester remains standing there with his hand still in his pocket and a clenched jaw. He will get what he wants. It's only a matter of time and patience.

~~~~

The next day at school does not go any better.

The cafeteria is a chaotic room filled with the deafening chatter of hundreds of students. Soren grabs a simple tray of food and finds a small, empty table entirely in the corner, far away from the center where the other kids sit. He honestly doesn't care about making friends.

He just takes his first bite of a sandwich when a shadow falls over his table. Soren whips his head up.

Standing in front of him is a group of four students dressed like they're on some fashion parade: two alpha females, one male, and one male beta.

"Hey, there," one of the girls starts, leaning forward with a charming smile on her face and resting her palm on the table. She tilts her head. "Soren, right? The new transfer? Everyone's been talking about you since you arrived yesterday."

Soren chews his sandwich slowly, his eyes narrowing. "Yeah. What do you want?"

Her eyes glimmer, and she leans even closer. "We just wanted to officially welcome you to our university. And hope you're comfortable since you look like you're way older than most of us here, especially for a first year.”

Soren instantly catches the mockery behind her words, and her friends catch it too as they break into annoying chuckles.

“My name is Sandra, and we're throwing a party this weekend at my mansion. Everyone who is anyone is going to be there. We’d love for you to come." The blonde continues, holding her hand out to receive an envelope, and then she slides it towards Soren. “Invites only, but if you have a friend, you can bring him along; we'll make an exception just for one night.”

Soren stares at the envelope and looks back up at their fake, entirely unconvincing smiles. "Sure," he says flatly, pocketing the envelope without a second glance. "Thanks."

“See you there,” Sandra beams and pushes herself off the table, and the group snickers among themselves, failing to hide their amusement, before turning around and walking back to their table.

Soren rolls his eyes and goes back to the sandwich, but just then, he hears a meek voice from his side.

"You shouldn't go."

Soren turns his head to the side to the next table, to a skinny Beta with messy brown hair and glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"And why is that?" Soren asks, leaning back in his chair. Looks like things in the godforsaken school are starting to get interesting.

"I'm Liam," the boy introduces himself quickly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "And they don't actually want you at that party. They do this every year. They invite the new kid, or the scholarship kids, or someone they don't like, just to pull a humiliating prank on them in front of everyone. Everyone knows they do that.”

Soren stares at Liam for a second, processing the word, and then a slow smirk spreads across his face as a completely different thought crosses his mind. "A prank?" He chuckles darkly, his eyes flashing with mischief. "Well, that sounds like a lot of fun. You should come with me, Liam."

Liam’s eyes go wide in panic. He violently shakes his head. "No! Absolutely not! They hate people like me. If I show up there, they will literally throw me into a burning fire!"

Soren smirks one more time. “Sounds like fun,” he says, and Liam looks at him like he's insane.

Well, Soren is already stuck in this ridiculous school. He might as well try to blend in, right?

He's going to that party, and he would love to see exactly what kind of game they want to play.

Unfortunately for them, Soren is a prankster himself… a crazy one.