By some miracle, I was able to get breakfast without being bothered. Maybe it was because I went to breakfast right as the dining hall opened, but Knox was nowhere to be seen, and I wanted to keep it that way.
"What are your plans for the day?" Rinley asked as we left the dining hall. I glanced over to the library for a moment and let out a sigh. I really wanted to get books and hide away in my dorm for the weekend, but… I probably should go into town since I didn't yesterday. Besides, my dorm could use a few things that weren't so damn feminine.
"I think getting out of here sounds nice. I could use a change of scenery." Just seeing the dining hall this morning made me blush. That damn jackass. Yeah, he's definitely getting a swift kick when I next see him. Right in the gonads.
Rinley must have noticed me grumbling under my breath as we headed back to the omega campus. "Is everything okay? We don't have to go into town today if you don't want to."
"That's not the problem," I said with a heavy sigh. "I'm just annoyed with Knox. I wish he would leave me alone. The last thing I need is the crown prince following me around."
"Ah," Rinley fell silent after hearing my answer. He seemed like he was going to ask me something, but didn't. Whatever, it's not like there was anything to say.
Our walk into town was rather quiet. I didn't really have anything to say, and I was glad that Rinley wasn't being chatty. "Hey, what cafe did you get my dinner from last night-"
I froze with wide eyes and took a nervous step back. The fucking hell?! Why was he here?! From beside a building popped none other than Knox. It didn't seem to be a coincidence either because his eyes instantly darted over to me. "Fancy meeting you here- Arden?"
I whipped around and started storming down the path that led back to campus. "Fancy my ass! I'll just become a damn hermit! Then I won't have to fucking see him or anyone for that matter-"
"Where exactly do you think you're going?" I jolted as Knox managed to get in front of me and hold out his arms. The hell did he come from?! I know he's fast, but holy shit!
"Leave me alone!" I snapped as I stepped out into the cobblestone street to get away from him. Rinley defensively stepped between the two of us, making Knox's expression sour.
"Can't we just talk?"
"No, I don't want to talk to you!"
"Don't be like that. I don't mean any harm. Is it so wrong of me to know how my friend is doing?"
"Shitty!" I snapped.
Knox seemed a bit thrown off by my response because he stood there with a dumb look on his face as Rinley and I passed him. He didn't remain there long because he quickly sprang to life and caught up to me. "Come on, it can't be that bad."
I came to a halt and whipped around to glare daggers at Knox. "Not that bad?! Don't tell me what is and isn't bad! Not only am I a damn omega, but I got dragged to this stupid academy against my will and was almost attacked. Now, I have you stalking me!" My voice rose to the point that I was shouting at Knox. He looked hurt by my words, but it's not like I cared. It wasn't him who had to deal with the constant staring and judgment!
"Calling it stalking is a bit harsh…" Knox looked away and scratched the back of his neck. "I've helped you out twice now…"
"Helped?! You call that helping?!" My face started to warm, so I turned away from him. "All you've done is draw more attention to me. You're an alpha and I'm a dumb omega. We can't be friends anymore, Knox. Get it through your head." I started to walk away again with Rinley, and this time Knox didn't follow after me. Good. He needs to leave me alone-
"You're not wrong that being friends would be hard…" I let out an aggravated sigh and looked over my shoulder to see Knox quickly catching up to us. "But I'm unwilling to just ignore the fact that we're close. Besides… it seems like you could really use someone right now." If it weren't for the clear blue sky, I would have thought it was lightly raining.
Rinley defensively pulled me against him and glared over at the prince. "What are you trying to pull?" Oh… I was starting to feel… a lot less tense…
"How can a beta sense pheromones?" Knox asked as his head tilted to the side.
"That hardly matters right now," Rinley responded.
"I'm just trying to calm Arden down, so he'll talk to me… He clearly needs someone to talk to."
"He has me." Rinley snapped. He tried to force me further away from Knox, but my body was feeling rather heavy, and I couldn't get my feet to move. Ugh, I just felt sluggish.
"It's not the same, and you know it. Don't act like the relationship between a servant and their charge is the same as two friends."
Rinley made a rather loud 'tsk' sound that made me flinch. The two continued to bicker, but… I just felt so tired. I…
"Arden!" A strong set of arms caught me as my knees gave out. The sensation made me jolt, but my eyelids still felt extremely heavy. "Are you okay, Arden?"
"Yuu're too loooud." I grumbled as my head pressed against what I assumed was Knox's chest. Ugh, I was so tired. Couldn't these two shut up? I think Knox was trying to lift me to stand on my own legs, but my sleepy body wasn't interested in the slightest.
"I told you to stop wafting your pheromones around!" Rinley must have attempted to abduct me from Knox's arms because I was jostled around for a moment, but Knox managed to keep me in his.
"They're not dangerous! You're acting like he's dying; he's just asleep." I'd be more asleep if you two would shut up. Their arguing was making it hard to fall fully asleep, though.
"Arden, can you hold onto my back-"
"I'll just carry him back to the palace to rest-"
"No, you're not, Prince Knox. I will not be letting my charge out of my sight, let alone go off with an alpha somewhere!"
Knox let out a heavy sigh that made me slightly shiver in his arms. "Fine, then I'll carry him back to his dorm."
"You are not permitted on the omega grounds!"
The duo kept bickering as I teetered on the cusp of consciousness. I guess I was pretty tired after all the stressful shit I've been through. I wanted to succumb to the strong desire to sleep, but something kept bothering me. Like I had forgotten something… Oh.
"What?" Knox's voice called to me as I mumbled something incoherent into his chest.
"Lyyyyrrrrrr." I managed to say a bit less mumbly.
"Huh?" Knox's cool finger poked my cheek a few times, but it was too late. The comforting scent swallowed me whole, and I was finally able to get some much-needed sleep.
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I awoke to my horrible pink comforter tickling my face. I sat up and stared around my dorm for a moment. Huh, I feel so refreshed. I don't think I've slept so well in months-
The memories of what had happened prior to me falling asleep returned, and my face went the same shade of pink as the ugly bedding. Fucking hell! "Ah, the sleeping beauty rises," Rinly said in a dry tone, as he put away some clean clothes. He wandered over to me and offered me the cup of water that was on the nightstand.
As I took a drink of water, I took stock of the situation. "How long have I been asleep?" The sun was too low in the sky for it to be the afternoon, and Rinley wasn't the type to come barging into my room early in the morning.
"Mmm, well… You've been asleep since yesterday, around nine, so… about twenty-six hours. I was about to haul your unconscious body to the infirmary if you didn't wake up soon." My eyes went wide, and I blankly stared at Rinley while I processed what he said.
"I've been asleep for an entire day?!?"
"Yes, sleepyhead. I have some breakfast for you on the coffee table if you want it. You're going to wither away with how little you've been eating."
I stared down at my pink bedding, and my face went warm. "Knox didn't like… carry me into this horrid room… did he?" I think I would die if he saw the room I was living in. Not that I decorated it, but being associated with something so hideous made me want to shrivel up like a prune.
Rinley let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "So, you heard us arguing?"
"Not… all of it… Just bits and pieces." Why? Was Rinley embarrassed about something? I don't think he said anything weird…
"He carried you to the omega gates, but obviously, the guards wouldn't let him pass." I let out a relieved sigh, which made Rinley raise an eyebrow. "What is it you truly want from the prince?"
Huh? That was an odd question. "To be left alone," I grumbled. What else would I want from him?
"You don't want to be his friend?"
My gaze dropped to the bedding, and I fiddled with the edge of the blanket. "While Knox and I used to be friends, I don't see that being an option anymore. He shouldn't be hanging out with a freaky, reject omega like me. It makes him look bad as a prince." It hurt to say it, but it was reality. An alpha shouldn't have an omega friend, especially the prince of our empire. It's too dangerous, and it sends the wrong message. I now understand why my mother nagged me so much before coming to the academy. Hell, the last few times I've been around Knox have been disastrous anyway. He didn't need me in his life.
"I see… Come along. Your breakfast is getting colder by the minute." Rinley said as he ushered me out of bed and into the sitting room.
"Huh?" Instead of wandering over to breakfast, I instantly gravitated towards the rather pretty lyre sitting on a stand in the corner. Next to it was a case and what seemed to be a music stand, and books. "Did you buy this?"
"No. I was just about to tell you that the prince had that sent over. There's a letter on the coffee table." I brushed my fingers over the strings and listened to the delicate sound it made. The one in the music room wasn't this pretty. This one had carvings of vines all up and down it. Too bad I had no idea how to play it…
I turned my attention to my breakfast and sat down on the sofa while Rinley wandered in to make my bed. I guess… I'll open his letter… It can't be that bad… right?
Arden,
I can't apologize enough. I'm sorry I upset you and accidentally lulled you to sleep. I was simply trying to calm you down and calmed you down a bit too much… You were right that it wasn't a coincidence. I intentionally ran into you, in hopes that we could chat. Though… that went poorly, didn't it?
I'm also sorry I assumed that becoming an omega wasn't that bad. That was horribly insensitive of me. I put my own feelings before yours, and didn't stop to consider how life had been for you. If you're willing, I'd like to be someone you can still rely on. Even if it's just lending an ear or a set of eyes, if you want to write me a letter. While it is hard for an alpha and omega to be friends, I… don't want to give up.
I hope that you like the lyre I picked out for you. If you don't like it, feel free to swap it for something you do like. It just reminded me of the tree we used to play in, here at the palace, that gets covered in ivy. I made sure there were lots of beginner music books and supplies to keep your lyre well taken care of. If you need anything else, let me know. I'd be happy to get it for you, as compensation for ruining your shopping trip.
Please give me a chance to make it up to you, and I'd like to properly talk sometime, if you're open to it. Just let me know.
Knox
I let out an annoyed sigh and stabbed the egg on my plate. Can't say I'm too surprised. Knox has never been one to give up. That's why he's the perfect crown prince. Wasting time on me wasn't going to pay off. I'm not sure what he was up to, but I needed to put an end to it.
My gaze wandered over to the lyre again, and another sigh escaped me. "Is everything okay?" Rinley asked, as he walked past with a now-empty hamper.
"No. Nothing's been okay ever since I became an omega." I grumbled as I stabbed some more food from my plate. Rinley had a furrowed brow as he left my room with his basket. Have as many opinions as you want. I don't care. I was never going to view becoming an omega as a positive thing. It was a curse and nothing more.
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Knox
There was a soft knock on my door, but there wasn't a chance I was going to get up and answer it. Eventually, my door opened, and my mother walked in. I heard her snicker softly as she came over to where I was, lifelessly draped across the bed. "Why have I been told that the life has left my son's eyes?" All I could do was lifelessly grumble in response. Mother sat down on the bed and reached a hand over to run her fingers through my hair. "What's wrong, sweety?" I mumbled into the bed until my mother pinched my ear. "How am I supposed to understand what's wrong if you talk into the pillow?"
I let out a loud whine until my mother stopped pinching my ear. I glared at her, but her expectant eyes waited patiently for my response. "An omega is mad at me." I vaguely complained before flopping back down into the pillows.
"Oh? Just an omega, huh? Since when have you ever cared about an omega? Last I was aware, none had caught your eye." My face felt rather warm as I peeked up at my mother. Her face almost instantly broke out into a sly smile as she looked at me. "Who is it?"
"I'm not telling! Besides, they'll probably never talk to me again! I screwed up big time!" I smashed my face into the pillow repeatedly until my mother's hand gently touched my shoulders.
"Surely all hope is not lost. Can you at least tell me what happened?"
I didn't really want her to know all the details because I didn't want anyone passing judgment on Arden. He was already upset with me. He didn't need my family bothering him either. "They were upset and I thought I was being supportive, but I made them more upset… Worst of all, I was trying to calm them down, and I accidentally made them fall asleep." I buried my face back down into the pillow and let out a frustrated scream. I'm such an idiot!
When I finally calmed down, I couldn't help but notice my mother chuckling in the background. "My son's already trying to produce calming pheromones for a certain omega, huh? You must be rather smitten."
I turned my head to the side so my mother couldn't see my pink face. "I really, really like this omega, but I screwed everything up. I doubt they'll talk to me again."
My mother's warm hand rubbed along the base of my neck for a moment before teasingly pulling on my hair. "I'm sure if you keep trying, they'll see that what happened was an accident."
"I hope so…" Keep trying, huh? I guess I have no other choice but to keep trying to reach out to Arden… Seeing him suffering alone absolutely kills me…
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Arden
Praise the heavens. Finally, something in my life worked out, because the rest of my weekend was actually quiet. I didn't dare leave my dorm, though. Instead, I sent Rinley to pick out a few books for me. I didn't even leave to get food. Instead, Rinley grabbed me some stuff I could snack on from the nobles' district. Too bad life couldn't remain quiet like this.
My stomach churned as I approached the dining hall. Please don't have another repeat situation. Please don't have another repeat situation. Huh? Oh… despite a few glances, Rinley and I made it to the dining hall without being bothered. Maybe it was because we went early in the morning to get breakfast, but I was grateful nonetheless.
I let out a relieved sigh as I slid into my usual breakfast nook. Rinley glanced around to make sure we were alone before nodding and heading off to get me breakfast. Guess I wasn't the only one feeling a little paranoid this morning-
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a figure darting around the privacy wall. Does he think he's being fucking sneaky? He didn't approach me, though, and instead took a seat four booths down from mine. As Rinley rounded the corner to bring my breakfast, even he paused, and a scowl formed on his face.
"Do you want me to tell him to go away?" Rinley quietly asked me as he set my food down.
I let out an annoyed sigh and picked up my silverware. "No. Just ignore the big idiot." He'd get the picture eventually.
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This has got to be a joke. I munched angrily on the lunch Rinley had brought me while glaring at the big dummy who was now three booths away from me. Did he honestly not get the picture at breakfast time? He's persistent, alright, persistently annoying.
Knox wasn't even trying to be sneaky, either. He'd stare at me with a big smug smile while he ate and would intentionally draw my attention when I attempted to ignore him. Did he want me to talk to him that badly? He also must have been putting up a barrier of pheromones because people would turn the corner like they were going to sit back here and then instantly high-tail it in the opposite direction.
Fine. He wants to talk, I'll talk. "What do you want?" I didn't want anyone on the other side of the privacy wall to hear us, so I only slightly elevated my voice.
Knox instantly whipped towards me and lit up like an excited child. "I'm simply trying to be supportive!" He proudly said, like the idiot he was.
"Support me by leaving me alone," I grumbled while glaring at him.
"Nope!" Grah! I wanted to stomp over to him and grab his annoying, smiling cheeks. Knox leaned forward onto his elbows and pressed his fists into his cheeks as if he was trying to make them more noticeable. "I'm not going to let my only friend be grumpy and lonely all the time." Only? I was hardly his only friend. He was constantly swarmed by other people.
"The only one making me grumpy is you." I snapped.
"Oh, that's quite the contrary. Not only do I have eyes, but I've also heard plenty of omegas saying that your pheromones were rather oppressive today during classes."
Irritation bubbled up inside me like a monsoon. People should keep their mouths shut, that's what- "You need to calm down." Rinley said as he stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Ah, sorry. I won't mention other omegas. I wasn't trying to upset you." Knox waved his hands in front of him apologetically.
I took a long inhale and glared over at Knox. "The only thing upsetting me is you," I repeated. Maybe reiterating it will help him get the picture. I rose from my seat and got ready to leave the dining room. However, I paused next to Knox's booth so I could glare down at him. "A talk isn't going to magically fix anything, so just give up."
As I rounded the corner to the main dining hall, I heard Knox call after me, "No, Arden. I'm not giving up on you!"
Rinley picked up the pace as he hauled me back to the omega campus, but I don't think he needed to worry too much. People were quickly getting out of our way as I wafted pissed-off pheromones all over the place. Too bad they didn't make Knox go away. That big idiot!
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My irritation lasted through my classes. It didn't help that household management and personal finance were incredibly boring topics. Yeah, I had never learned about them before, but it wasn't a hard concept to pick up.
Ballroom dance soured my mood even further. The professor told me that while my dancing wasn't bad, I'd have to learn the female role if I wanted to pass her class. Last I fucking checked, I wasn't a female! Why the hell would I want to learn to dance like a girl?!
By the time I got done stepping on toes, my arm was sore, and I was tired of hearing the professor's voice. I wanted to return to my dorm, but my day was not over. I still had two fucking classes left.
Social etiquette went similarly to ballroom dance. The professor told me that while my etiquette was fine for a man, it wouldn't be enough to pass her class. I'd have to tear down what I knew and start afresh, as she put it. Fuck. Someone kill me. I don't stand a chance of getting a decent grade in any of these stupid classes.
I wandered into art, my last class, and let out an annoyed huff. "Oh, settle down. Your day is almost over." Rinley said as he passed me my notebook and quill from my bag.
"I've just been having such a blast," I grumbled. I wasn't excited about this class either. I guess I could look past music, but art? There was no reason to make us take an art class. It was dumb!
"It's as fun as you make it." Rinley let out a little sigh and went to wait in the hall. Ugh, what did he know?
"It's as fun as you make it," I mocked under my breath. Fun my ass.
The professor entered the room, and when she noticed me, her eyes lit up excitedly. Ugh, they really hire some annoying women to teach these classes. "Alright, settle down, class." The few girls who were milling around took their seats, and a quietness fell over the classroom as the professor took a second to glance around the room. "As I told you on the first day of class, art isn't simply about painting and creating sculptures. While we will be dipping our toes into both forms of art, today we're going to be doing something that I know some of you have been looking forward to." Some of the girls excitedly leaned over to whisper to their neighbors, but all I did was let out a sigh. "You and a partner need to work together to design and craft your floral arrangements. While you and your partner will be creating the same bouquets, it will give me an idea of where your baseline skill is. Remember, just try your best and have fun. I'm not looking for perfection."
Girls started instantly pairing up and heading over to the secondary classroom that was attached to this one. Yeah, I had my suspicions that we were going to be arranging flowers. The flowers were visible across the hall when I entered the classroom. Instead of finding a partner, I slumped halfheartedly on the desk. It's not like anyone will want to be my partner.
"I'm so glad to have you in my class, Arden. My name is Professor Antasia." I glanced up to see the professor standing beside my desk. She was by far the youngest-looking professor I had. If I had to take a random guess, I would assume that she was only ten or fifteen years older than me. "I'm sad you weren't here last week. I gave the notes you'll want to copy over to your attendant." I glanced over to the door where Rinley was standing before returning my attention to the professor. Gosh, her pink eyes were going to bore holes into me at this rate.
"Yeah, well, I wasn't feeling well."
"So I heard," Huh? She heard about what had happened?! How?! "Anyways, I was just going to tell you about the class. For women, well, for omegas," A little smile formed on her face as she corrected herself. "The arts include even simple things like embroidering and baking. By the end of my class, you should be able to have the basics of each art form down. That way, next year, when the classes are split into their respective categories, you'll know which ones you want to take."
"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled while burrowing my head back into my arms. Sounded like more shit to me. Like I needed any of these skills.
"Don't act so down, these are important skills you'll want to acquire. You might find yourself a handsome alpha to make cookies for, or you could embroider them a-"
My head instantly whipped up, and I glared at Professor Antasia with all the annoyance I could muster. "Don't say gross stuff like that! I'm not going to be anyone's anything!" I snapped.
She looked a bit startled for a second, but to my surprise, instead of getting mad at me, she snickered. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you wouldn't like me to say that. I'll remember that going forward." Fuck, now I feel bad about snapping at her.
"It's fine," I mumbled.
A soft voice cleared their throat, and the two of us looked over at one of my classmates who had approached. She was about the same height as me, with curly black hair and deep pink colored eyes. When she finally spoke, her voice was incredibly soft. "Excuse me. I don't mean to interrupt, but… I don't have a partner…"
"Oh! You're not interrupting at all!" The professor gave me a warm smile as she looked over at me. "Actually, Arden doesn't have a partner either. Would you be willing to be his partner?"
Ugh, why even ask? It's not like she was going to- "I'm fine with that." She was? Why the hell would she be fine being my partner?
"Perfect!" Professor Antasia clapped her hands together and smiled at us. "Then you two go get started, and I'll check on you in a little bit." She headed over to the secondary classroom to monitor the other students, leaving me and the girl to awkwardly stare at each other.
Despite looking a bit intimidated, the girl extended her hand to me. "My name is Rosia, it's a pleasure to meet you."
I felt a little weirded out, but extended my own hand to shake hers. "Arden." I highly doubt it was a pleasure. "Sorry that you got stuck with me," I grumbled, as I rose to my feet.
"I don't see a problem with it. I don't really know anyone else, and it's not like you're an alpha." Oh… so she felt more comfortable around me because I was an omega. It was still fucking weird though… "Shall we go pick out our supplies?"
"Yeah." I followed her as we headed off to the other classroom. Damn, did they cut every blossom in the capital for this class? Hundreds of blooms were laid out on a long table that sat adjacent to all the tall tables that were crowded with omegas working on their flower arrangements. Huh, the tables seemed to have wheels for feet so they could be moved around. That's interesting. We walked along the long, probably around twenty-foot table, looking at all the supplies available to us. I didn't even know what any of this shit was besides the fact that there were flowers and vases. What would I need wire and moss for?
"Do you have any preferences?" Rosia asked.
I paused and stared at the flowers. "Not really. I don't know anything about arranging flowers."
"Oh, um, are there any flowers you like?"
"No." I could tell that Rosia was trying her best to include me, but my answers only seemed to frazzle her. "Just pick things out that you think will work. I'll hold the supplies."
"Okay." Roisa must have had a preference because she turned and walked over to an orange flower. It was rather interesting looking with many petals. When Rosia handed me six of them, they were rather hefty. "Are these okay?"
"Sure." I already told her that I didn't care. If it were up to me, I'd probably shove some flowers in a vase and call it good. She seemed to know what she was doing because she kept gathering things.
She added some tiny white flower sprigs to my free arm, then some strange twigs that had only leaves on them. She turned to hand me some wire and paused. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't realize your arms were getting so full. Why don't you go set them down, and I'll bring over the vases."
"Okay." Fuck, she probably noticed me pathetically struggling to hold all the supplies in my arms. This dumb cast wasn't helping either. Trying to hold shit with one arm was impossible! I let out a sigh and wandered over to the only free tall table. While I waited for Rosia, I organized the flowers into the types they were. Huh, she got quite the array of stuff…
"Okay, I'm here!" Rosia handed me a rather simple-looking white vase, and I was rather surprised at how much the vase weighed. I glanced down at the vase to investigate and paused. Oh.. It wasn't the vase that was heavy… She put stuff inside it to carry more back.
"What's all this?" There was a weird disk of nails, wire, three types of cutters, and a strange waxy ribbon.
"You really haven't arranged flowers before, have you?" Rosia giggled.
Is that not what I literally just told you? "No…"
Rosia giggled again as if it were the funniest thing. "I'll do my best to teach you then." She leaned over and started telling me about all the strange supplies in front of me. As she started making her arrangement, I basically copied what she was doing.
"You sure know a lot," I mumbled as I tried to get my dumb flowers to look like hers.
"My mother enjoys making flower arrangements around our estate. Does… your mother arrange flowers?"
I paused and glanced out the window while I thought. "She mostly is a fan of the flowers in our garden. Occasionally, she'll pick some, but she never makes arrangements like this."
"Ah, my mother buys a lot of flowers from a local grower." Rosia picked up one of the large orange-blossomed flowers and started fiddling with it. I tried to mimic what she was doing, but it was hard when I didn't know what I was trying to achieve. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah," I mumbled while struggling to get the flower to look like hers.
"Are… you and the crown prince dating?"
My hand instantly clenched closed, squishing the flower and making it drop a few petals in the process. "No!" I snapped. "Why the hell would you think that?!" My irritation was palpable as my pheromones swirled around us.
"I-I'm sorry! I've just seen you two together a lot!" Rosia held her hands up defensively as she cowered before me. It wasn't just her, either, but all the girls in the room looked freaked out, even the professor.
I let out a loud, annoyed huff as I noticed Rinley out of the corner of my eye, lurking in the classroom doorway. Yeah, yeah. I can hear you nagging me now about calming down, but how the hell was I supposed to be calm after getting asked that? I swear these omegas had a few loose nails. "We're just friends… or at least we were, but we're not anymore." I snapped as I unclenched my hands and watched as the petals slowly drifted down to the floor. I glared at the floor of petals for a moment before grumbling, "He just hasn't gotten the picture."
"I see…" Rosia brushed her hair back behind her ear with a hand, and I could see her flushed face trying to focus on the flowers in front of her. Her hands shook a bit as she picked up the sprig of little white flowers. "Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed…"
My pheromones must have calmed down because all the girls in the room settled down and resumed working on their projects, but the scared glances they shot me were annoying. "Nothing is going on." My face grew warm as I thought about the kiss I shared with Knox, and my gaze drifted back down to the petals on the ground. Fuck, people… don't know, do they? "I'll go get a replacement flower."
I took my sweet time getting a replacement so that Rosia could calm down. I can't believe she would ask me such a damn annoying question. She seemed normal enough, but then she had to go and say such shit. She's damn lucky that I need her to teach me how to make this arrangement; otherwise, I would have gathered my stuff and gone to the other classroom to work.
When I returned to our table, she gave me a nervous sideways glance. "Everything… must be pretty hard for you… I didn't stop to consider what you would think. I'm genuinely sorry…" I grunted in response and grabbed my shears so I could trim my flower like hers. "Those… are the wrong shears. You want these." She picked up the ones with a curved blade and offered them to me.
"Thanks," I grumbled as I swapped to the correct ones. I went about cutting the flower correctly and quietly mumbled. "It sucks."
"I… can't even begin to fathom," Rosia responded.
Silence fell between us as we worked. Occasionally, Rosia would lean over and give me pointers, but other than that, she didn't comment on anything else. My arrangement was looking… sad. Can't say I'm too surprised. Rosia even had to teach me how to correctly hold the shears. I didn't even realize you could hold the damn things the wrong way. By the time we turned them in to the professor, I was ready to be done with the class.
"This is absolutely wonderful for your first time, Arden!" Professor Antasia chirped as she held up my mutilated flowers. I gave her a dull look, but her smile didn't falter as she passed my ugly arrangement back to me.
"I don't want it," I grumbled while holding the arrangement out and away from myself.
"Why not? It's your first time arranging flowers, you should be proud!"
"They look like crap." Just having them in the vicinity of Rosias made them look even worse. Despite copying her, mine looked like a toddler got hold of their mother's flower-arranging tools.
Professor Antasia let out a little sigh and gave me a warm look. "I can't force you to keep them, but I think one day you'll think back about your first flower arrangement fondly. I'd hate to think that the memory would be tarnished by you tossing them in the trash."
I let out a loud, aggravated sigh as I pulled the dumb vase to my chest and spun on my heel. Fine! I'll take the shit with me and throw it away in my dorm! Then I won't have to hear your insufferable nagging about this ugly thing!
"I'll see you tomorrow, Arden!" Professor Antasia called over to me.
I rolled my eyes as I exited the classroom, but a voice beside me made me flinch. "I think you're being rather hard on yourself." Wouldn't she want to run for the hills after class? Why was Rosia following after me? She must have realized that I didn't feel like responding, so she kept talking. "I remember my first flower arrangement. It was far worse than that." Rosia giggled, and a warm smile formed on her face. "I accidentally butchered the main flower of the arrangement so badly that I couldn't even bring myself to show my mother. I was so appalled that I threw it away before anyone could see."
"That's what I plan to do with these." See? I wasn't the only one who wanted to throw ugly flowers away.
"Mmm, I probably could have learned more from my mother had I actually shown her the flowers instead of throwing them away…" I gave Rosia an annoyed sideways glance as we walked across campus to the first-year dorms. Ugh, why was everyone so obsessed with me throwing away the flowers?! Just let me get rid of the ugly things. "So… are you headed to dinner?"
I paused and gave Rosia a confused look. "Why?"
She paused too and looked over her shoulder at me. "I just thought that we could go together…"
"Why?" We just spent our entire art class together in awkward silence. I don't want to go to dinner with her.
"I… just thought we could get to know each other…"
"You shouldn't associate with me," I grumbled as I sped past her.
Like an annoying gnat, Rosia caught up to me. "Why not?"
"Because I'm a guy."
"Mmm, but you're an omega."
"That doesn't matter."
"Sure it does. Omegas should stick together."
I opened my mouth to respond, but Rinley jabbed me in the side as I went to speak. He blinked and tilted his head towards Rosia, who was giving me her best side eye stare. He's joking, right? He thinks I should spend my dinner with her? My brow furrowed, and I scowled at the duo. "You're probably just trying to get close to Knox," I grumbled as I entered the first-year dorms.
Rosia gasped, and her cheeks turned flush. "I wouldn't dare go after someone so high-ranking. I'm hardly worthy of something like that!" She turned to me with a sad look in her eyes. "I guess if you really don't want me bothering you, I won't… I just thought we could get to know one another… You don't have friends… I don't have friends… It sounded nice-"
I let out a loud, annoyed, grumbling sigh as I paused at my isolated staircase. She didn't need to follow me all the way here. "Fiiiiiine. You can sit with me at dinner." Fuck, can't I have one peaceful meal around here?
"Okay! I'll put these away and meet you back here!" Before I could even respond, Rosia turned on her heel and she went speeding off. I glared at her as she left until her black hair whipped around the corner.
"You should try being a bit nicer. She seems like a very nice girl." I turned so my glare could be directed at Rinley.
"I'm not a little child that needs to be sent on play dates. Knock it off." I grumbled as I started my ascent up the never-ending stairs that led to my dorm.
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Rosia sat across from me, absolutely beaming. She seemed rather happy about getting to sit with me, but I couldn't fathom why. It's not like there was a line of people wanting to sit with me. The only benefit to having her eat with me was that when Knox whipped around the corner excitedly, he faltered and sat at the booth furthest away from us. It was rather annoying having him hover like an anxious dog in the background, though.
I quietly poked at my food, but apparently, Rosia was done being quiet. "So, how do you like the classes?"
"They're annoying."
Without even skipping a beat, Rosia kept talking. "Ah, yeah, I guess some of them are. I'm not excited about arithmetic at all." She slumped forward and complained into her bite of salad before eating it. "We're only a few days into class and it's already so hard!" Her dark pink eyes met mine, and she smiled. "I saw you zipping through your assignment. You must be pretty good at math."
"I had a tutor from a young age… The math's incredibly boring for me."
"You're so lucky! I wish my family would get me a tutor, then I wouldn't be feeling so behind." She excitedly gasped, and the new fork full of food she had plopped back down onto her plate. "Why don't you tutor me in math, and I'll help you with art and stuff!"
I blinked a few times as I stared at her. Her deal seemed like more of a hassle for me and a benefit for her. "I'll pass." Her excited face faltered for a second but remained warm.
"Fine, fine. I won't force you, but if you change your mind, let me know!" Fucking hell, she seemed rather quiet and reserved during class, but now that we were in a casual setting, she just kept talking and talking. I shouldn't have allowed her to join me. I knew it would be a bad idea. "You must be having a hard time…"
Her comment caught my attention as I poked around at my food. "Hmm?"
"I was just thinking that… I wouldn't even know how to react if I found out I was an alpha… So… I figured you're having a hard time adjusting to being an omega."
My gaze drifted out of the window, where students were happily enjoying the gardens. "Yeah… it sucks." A strange sweetness tickled my nose. Ugh, it smelled like I was back in the art room with all the flowers.
"We should be friends then!" I looked over to Rosia, who seemed all too excited.
"Huh?" What sort of deranged thought process was that?! How did we go from struggling to hold a conversation to her thinking we could be friends?! I just don't fucking understand her.
"Ah! I'm totally rushing things again, aren't I?" Rosia shrank back a little as her face turned pink. The odd sweetness I had been smelling completely disappeared as I stared at Rosia in disbelief.
My brow furrowed slightly, and I returned my attention to my food. "I can't even begin to fathom why you'd want to be my friend."
"Everyone seems to have already found their cliques to hang out with and… I just… don't really know how to fit in… You seem nice…" My eyebrow raised, and I looked back up at Rosia, who set her fork down and was fidgeting with her fingers. She thinks I'm fucking nice? Why? I haven't even been that nice to her…
"Do omegas usually make friends like this?"
Rosia almost instantly deflated, like I had asked a horrid question. "I… I don't know… People always tell me I rush things, and I didn't really have any omega friends growing up… I mostly hung out with my mean brothers." Ah… so that's why she gravitated towards me. I was something she considered familiar.
"Do whatever you want," I grumbled as I scooted my now-empty plate over to Rinley to clean up.
I flinched as Rosia popped up with a smile. "Really?!" Ugh, that weird sweetness returned… Wait… were those her pheromones?
"Yeah, just settle down. I don't need you attracting any alphas over here." I grumbled as I waved my hand in front of my face.
"Ah!" She quickly sat down, and the sweetness in the air dissipated. "Sorry! I know I stink." Huh?
"You don't stink, you're incredibly floral smelling." I wouldn't describe it as something I wanted to smell all the time, but it wasn't bad.
"I smell floral? My brothers always tell me I stink." She grumbled the second half of her comment under her breath rather dejectedly.
I couldn't help but snicker. "Yeah, my pheromones have made my brothers vomit before."
"You have brothers too?!"
"Mhm, three of them. Though one's rarely around." I doubt our parents have been able to inform him of his freaky little brother. Not that he'd care… "They say I smell like rotten garbage."
"Not at all!" Rosia gave me a wide-eyed stare before softly giggling. "You smell like oranges. The scent gets rather tart when you're upset and sweeter smelling when you're happy." Rosia quickly covered her mouth again as I gave her a weird look. "Am I saying too much again?!"
I tilted my head down and sniffed my shoulder. I… smell like oranges? Maybe a little… "No… I didn't know…"
"How did you not know?" Rosia's black brows came together like a fuzzy caterpillar.
"I guess… I never cared enough to pay attention because they're always such a bother…" I'm even surprised that I never noticed. Now that it's been pointed out, it's rather obvious that I smell like an orange.
"That's a sad way to think about them. I find yours rather…" Rosia brought her pointer finger up to her bottom lip as she thought. "Comforting. Yeah, I'd describe them as comforting when you're in a good mood." Rosia was managing to confuse me. Why the hell would she find my irritation comforting? I don't think I've been in a good mood one time since coming here.
"Are you sure you haven't hit your head or something? There's not another omega on campus that feels the same way." Their looks were too obvious. They don't find my presence comforting in the slightest.
"That's not true at all! I've heard other groups of omega mention that your pheromones smell good… I've just also heard a lot of omegas talk about how you've caught… you know whose attention. It's been causing a lot of irritation amongst certain groups." Rosia not very subtly motioned behind her, where none other than the annoying crown prince was sitting like a pleased dog. Fuck, you'd think he was able to hear us the way he looked away uncomfortably.
"Well, they need to settle down. There's nothing going on. Someone just hasn't gotten that through their thick skull." I loudly grumbled so he could hear. To my absolute irritation, he shook his head no and gave me a sly side eye. Ugh, that jackass! Rosia nervously peeked behind herself, but there wasn't anything to see. Knox had resumed casually eating like nothing was wrong in the world. "I thought you didn't have friends. How have you been hearing such things?"
"Oh, girls gossip a lot. In the bath, on their walk to classes, and during meals. They don't even pay me any attention. I'm like a fly on the wall in their eyes." Hmm, that's rather odd. Besides being a bit too forward, Rosia seemed like your average omega. I was still a little hesitant about her, but she was turning out to be not that bad. I don't see why other girls won't accept her as their friend.
"Would you two like some dessert?" Rinley asked, as I sat lost in thought.
"No," I grumbled before Rosia could respond. She instantly seemed disappointed, like saying no to dessert was the most offensive thing in the world. "I don't particularly enjoy sweets."
"It's not a big deal," Rosia said as she played off her disappointment. "If I eat too many sweets, my uniform won't fit." I wouldn't have thought the girls cared about that the way they got riled up over puddings the other day. Guess I don't know much about true omegas after all.
I guess I can make it up to her. "I'm headed to the library… Do you want to come?" Rosia instantly lit up with excitement. I guess I could tolerate her presence a bit longer. She wasn't that bad.
"Yes! I'd love that!"
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I didn't mind going to the library with Rosia. She seemed rather startled when she saw the types of books I read. She even became rather flustered when I just kept handing them over to Rinley, too. Guess our reading habits were rather different from one another. She did, however, convince me to borrow her favorite book. It looked like some romance novel, which I wasn't thrilled about, but I said I would give it a read for her sake.
What I did mind was the stalker who followed us around. Rosia was completely oblivious, but I wasn't. I was all too aware of the gaze I was receiving from a few shelves away or the faint scent of rain I would catch as we moved shelves. What did he think he was trying to achieve? All that he was doing was irritating me further. I didn't need to be babysat by him all the time. Was he really that butthurt about me accepting a fellow omega and not him? He could get over himself if that was the case.
We had made it back to the dorms, and I was about to head to my isolated staircase, but Rosia stopped me. "So… can I sit next to you tomorrow in class?"
"I guess if you want."
Rosia bounced up and down on her heels with a big smile. "Okay! I'll see you tomorrow!" With that, she whipped on her heel and sped off down the hall. I watched her go for a minute before turning and heading towards the stairs.
"And you didn't want to talk to her." Rinley smugly said behind me.
"I'll make you carry double the books next time if you don't shut it," I grumbled.
"Pft, I don't know what she supposedly sees in you."
"Me either." She's gotta be crazy.
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Knox
"The twins tell me that you're moping around again." Mother teased as she walked outside to where I sat lifelessly against a tree. "What happened now?"
I slowly tilted my head back and let out a sigh. "He's got a friend now and doesn't need me," I whined.
"He? Who's he?"
I bit my tongue and quickly looked away from my mother. Shit! I wasn't supposed to let Arden's gender slip like that! "Nothing! Don't worry about it!" I rose to my feet and went to dart off, but my mother's hand grabbed mine.
"Be honest with me." Her gaze was rather intense, and nervousness started to bubble in my stomach. "The omega you like is Arden Rainaldus, isn't it?" I couldn't bring myself to look at my mother as my face started to turn pink. "He's new to the academy this year and is a dominant omega, to boot." My mother let out a short little chuckle as she continued to cling to my arm. "I always thought you two were cute together." I peeked over at my mother to see her grinning ear to ear. "I'm right, aren't I?"
"Let me gooooo!" I whined as I tried to pull away. It was embarrassing enough that she was right. She didn't need to cling to me like this.
"Not until you admit the truth. Arden is the omega you like, isn't he?"
"Maybe." I quietly muttered to myself.
My mother released my arm and giggled to herself for a moment. "I had a feeling that was the case when you weren't using feminine pronouns earlier. So, he's made himself an omega friend and you're upset by that?"
"Yeah," I grumbled as I flopped back against the tree. I wouldn't be feeling so embarrassed if you'd stop laughing at me. This wasn't even a laughing matter!
"Why are you upset? It's normal for omegas to make omega friends."
I stared up at my mother with wide eyes. "Because obviously I want to be his friend!"
"Is that what you really want?" She said with a sly smile. "The relationship between an alpha and omega can be friendly, but it's usually more than that." More than that? "I thought you said you liked Arden. Surely you don't just want to be friends with him."
I looked away as my face became even warmer. She wasn't wrong. Just kissing Arden made me want to lose all my senses and… I definitely wanted to kiss him more. But… "I'm the crown prince. People wouldn't approve…"
"Since when has our family ever worried about such a thing? People will always have opinions. It's important as the royal family to listen, but not be controlled by the opinions of others. Would you rather be a happy king or a miserable puppet?"
I didn't even need to think about the answer. It was obvious that I was being an idiot. "A happy king."
"Exactly." My mother giggled. "Now stop worrying about Arden and his friends. You should be celebrating the fact that he's found people to be close to."
"Right." Gods, I was being an idiot.
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Arden
I didn't even know how many classes Rosia and I shared. I didn't expect to see her in history, but she excitedly bounded over to me and plopped down in the seat beside me. We did get a few strange glances, but it wasn't anything I wasn't already used to. Don't get me wrong, I hated the staring, but I was learning to ignore it.
Having Rosia in my classes wasn't too bad. We'd chat before class started and focus on the lesson when the professors started teaching. She'd even reach over and help me when I was struggling to do something with my dumb cast. I guess befriending her was turning out to be a positive thing… Maybe I should have agreed to help her with her arithmetic. I looked over at her paper during that class and was genuinely horrified at how bad she was at it. Holy shit, this girl needs more than a tutor…
We were walking back from lunch when Rosia paused. "Oh yeah!" She turned to me with an excited look in her eyes.
"What?" I was a little hesitant to know what she was thinking, but I guess I could listen.
"My roommate is in our household management and personal finance class. Can I introduce you to her? She seems a bit cold, but she's not that bad once you get to know her." Right, the normal omegas have to share rooms… I wonder how that works when their heat cycle occurs? Surely, they don't kick their roommate out for days…
I was a bit hesitant about Rosia introducing me to others, but I doubt I could stop her, and besides, it's not like she really knew many people. "I guess you can."
"Yay! Okay! You can go sit, and I'll go find her!" Without me even being able to respond, Rosia zipped off in search of her roommate.
"She's definitely full of energy." Rinley snickered behind me.
"You got that right," I grumbled. I didn't hate Rosia's energy, but it was a lot to keep up with. Guess I was too used to loafing around.
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Rosia excitedly wandered over to where I was sitting in the class with her hands clasped around her unwilling victim's arm. She didn't need to force the girl… Wait a fucking second.
I stared at Rosia's roommate for a second, and she stared back at me. Well, I'll be damned. I didn't know she was the same age as me… "Arden, this is my roommate, Marina. Marina, this is my new friend, Arden!" Rosia was completely oblivious to the stare-down Marina and I were having.
"Introductions are not in order." Marina snapped. Ah, as frigid as always. Gosh, she's as cold as her icy blue hair and eyes. Even Rosia picked up on it, which says something.
"They're not?" Rosia looked between us with wide, confused eyes.
"Not really. I've known Marina since we were little. She lives in my family's territory." Her older brother and my older brother, Ricaud, were the same age. She and her brother would get dropped off to play with us all the time when her father came to report to my father. Her being the same age as me explains why my mother forced me to play with her all the time.
"Your… family's… territory?" Rosia quietly mumbled to herself. Her eyes went even wider, and she looked over at me. "Arden… what rank does your family hold?" She seemed rather hesitant to ask. How did she not know?
Marina beat me to it as she shot Rosia a dull glare. "Did you not know that Arden is the son of Duke Rainaldus?" Based on the look Rosia had, she totally didn't know.
"He is?!" She nervously squeaked. "I haven't been addressing you as my lord!"
"Calm down. I'm his fourth son and a reject one at that." She didn't need to give me a title I was unworthy of.
"You've got that right." Marina snapped. I glared at her, and she returned a smug look.
"At least I'm not a snake-"
"Hey! I didn't bring her over to fight!" Rosia whined.
"We're not." Marina and I said in unison. Rosia seemed completely disoriented by our response.
"He was a reject long before he became an omega. If anything, this is a major upgrade for you." Marina whipped a section of hair over her shoulder and gave me a smug smirk.
"Maybe Rosia should request a new roommate. I don't think she can handle living in an ice cave."
"Ha, ha, ha." Marina dully said. "We're just fine, thank you." The three of us glanced over to the door where the professor had just entered, and Marina forced Rosia into the chair between us. "It's about time you stop pouting." She quietly mumbled over to me. Pouting? I wouldn't describe my behavior as pouting. If she were in my shoes, I doubt she'd be running around with a smile. Ugh, I swear Marina's hobby is rubbing salt in wounds. She might have changed physically, but her personality hasn't changed in the slightest.
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Knox
I was about to turn the corner, but came to a stop when I heard the mention of my title. "I can't believe the crown prince is interested in that disgusting mutation."
"I know, right? It's just freaky. Who'd even be interested in fucking such a disgusting creature? The prince must have some weird kink." I ground my teeth together in irritation. Arden wasn't disgusting or a mutation. He was perfect the way he was. I'd be lucky if he looked my way.
"Actually, I was thinking, since Knox is so fond of the damn thing, wouldn't it be funny if the omega he was going after ended up in someone else's bed?" I knew that voice. It pissed me off hearing Kai even mention Arden in such a way. "I'd love to see that cocky shit knocked down a few pegs. He's been so arrogant ever since he won the sparring competition." No, if anything has happened since the competition, it's been you being a poor sport. I've heard many people tell me that you've been whining about losing. If you weren't so busy worrying about getting the upper hand, you would have stood a slight chance against me.
"Ha! It would be more than hilarious to see his face."
"Wait, are you telling me that you're willing to sleep with the mutation?!"
"I'll take one for the team. Besides, I'll get to brag that I was the first alpha to deflower a mutated freak." Kai chuckled, and anger surged through my body. That fucking bastard. Like I'm going to let you anywhere near Arden!
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Arden
I don't know if I would classify Marina as a friend, but she, Rosia, and I started eating meals together. We'd even occasionally hang out after classes were over. I didn't mind it; it was better than being alone all the time. If anything, I appreciated how it kept Knox away. The big idiot still didn't get it through his head to leave me alone, though. He was always just lurking somewhere in my vicinity. I'd complain to the academy, but he's the crown prince. All it would take is him saying that he's not doing that, and they'd call me crazy.
"When do you get that cast off?" Rosia asked, as she looked at my sling-free arm. She flipped through the book in her hands, but her gaze wandered back over to me.
"I actually got a new one today. The doctor said that there was still a hairline crack, so I have to wear this new cast for a few more weeks." I grumbled as I handed Rinley another book I wanted to read. Yeah, the cast was far thinner and more comfortable than the old one, but I was rather bummed. I was hoping to be cast free after all this time, but at least I don't have to wear that annoying sling. He even said I could use my arm to some extent, which I was glad about. Rinley wouldn't have to follow me to classes every day now. I'm sure standing in the hall is boring as hell.
"I think you should keep a cast on permanently." Marina teased with a grin. I rolled my eyes, but became confused as her grin disappeared and was replaced by a concerned look.
"What-"
"So this is where you've been hiding!" Strong arms wrapped around me, and my feet left the ground as I was assaulted by a hug.
A shamefully fearful cry left my lips as my whole body shivered. "Get off me!" I finally cried out. Panic coursed through my veins as my request fell on deaf ears. The only positive was that my feet finally touched the ground again.
"Release Lord Arden at once!" Rinley quickly set my book stack down and tried to approach, but a feral growl made him stop dead in his tracks. Rosia and Marina didn't stick around either. Their eyes went wide, and they bolted the moment he started to growl. Hey! Don't fucking abandon me! I want to run too!
"Holy shit. Tael said you smelled good, and he wasn't kidding." The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on who it was. I managed to squirm around in his arms enough that I was able to see who had a hold of me.
"Let me go, Kai!" Fucking hell, how have all the alphas my age become so damn big? He was the same size as me when I last saw him! I shivered head to toe as I saw his slightly blurry eyes watching my every move through his black hair. Pheromones started to assault me, and I squirmed around uncomfortably. They weren't bad, at least they didn't make me want to vomit, but that didn't mean I liked them either. They were… salty and kinda briny. Like I dipped my head into the ocean and came out with a mouth full of seaweed.
Gods, had I known that I would get assaulted by childhood friends when I got to the academy, I wouldn't have made any damn friends! Kai leaned forward, and his nose pressed against the top of my head. His sniffing made my scalp tickle, but I wasn't enjoying it one bit. "Fuck. You smell so damn good. Stop squirming around-"
Another, far more terrifying, growl rang out, and Kai's sniffing stopped. He stood upright and glared over his shoulder. "Release Arden right now." What the hell was Knox doing here?! All he was going to do was make the situation worse!
"You're not the only dominant alpha on campus, you know," Kai growled back and defensively clutched me against him. I didn't like being a ragdoll in his arms, but it's not like I had the strength to fight back. Besides, I think that would only result in me getting hurt.
"Don't compare me to you. I'm on a completely different level." Knox's eyes narrowed, and I swear his pupil elongated as he let out another bone-chilling growl. He lurched forward, but Kai didn't let Knox lay a hand on him.
Before I knew it, Kai brushed past Rinley and charged further into the library. I clung to him, simply out of fear, as he dragged me along with him. Knox kept psychotically growling as he chased after the two of us, as if that would help. I'm pretty sure that the only thing that was going to happen was my heart giving out as bookshelves zipped past us. That, or I was going to vomit on Kai.
The sound of clinking chainmail could be heard, and I saw a few knights attempting to cut us off. Kai, however, was doing his absolute best to avoid them. That was, until he made the wrong turn.
He bolted down an aisle but froze as a few guards dipped around the corner. There was nowhere to go with them in front of us and Knox behind. Kai glanced at the top of the shelves like he was going to jump up there, but I managed to free my arms and grab his face. "Let go!" He snarled as he shook his head. No, I wasn't going to let go. I did everything in my power to dig my nails into his face. Not that it would hurt him, but I hoped that it would leave a mark.
Knox rushed forward and grabbed a fistful of Kai's hair. His teeth were bare, and he was growling like crazy as he yanked backwards on Kai's head. Knox must not have been thinking straight because it wasn't only Kai that was tipped over, but me, too. The only good thing was that Kai kept a grip on me, and he took the brunt of the impact.
Knox wasted no time peeling Kai's arms off of me and pulling me away from the jerk. Almost instantly, I was engulfed by the scent of incoming rain, and a calmness washed over me as Knox plopped down onto his butt. I thought he would have run, but I was grateful that he didn't. I nervously tucked my head into Knox's shoulder as the guards rushed forward. There was some loud thrashing, which stressed me out, but as I peeked out from Knox's arm, I saw that two guards had used their thick staffs to pin Kai to the ground while another two pointed them at Knox. "Put the omega down." One of the guards demanded.
Knox let out an angry growl and pulled me even further into his arms. "No!" He snarled. "Mine!" What…?!
"Put the omega down!" The guard demanded again.
Despite Knox's pheromones, I began shaking in fear. Knox hasn't lost control, has he? Knox tried his best to calm me down, but it wasn't helping. I'm… so pathetically weak. I can't even protect myself… Shit… this is so damn embarrassing… "Just let me go." I quietly asked.
Knox let out a rather defeated-sounding grumble, and his arms dropped to his sides. His head lingered on my shoulder, but he was no longer actively trying to stop me. "Hands in the air!" The guard demanded. Ever so slowly, Knox raised his arms into the air. The guard who was shouting at us extended his hand to me, but I didn't want to take it. The only person I trusted at the moment was Knox, despite his questionable behavior. He was damn annoying, but at least he listened to me. I bit my lip and nervously held onto Knox's shirt. No. I'm not going anywhere. Not with you people.
I thought the guard was going to yell at me, but he didn't. He only raised his voice towards the noncompliant alphas. "Stay on the floor." One of the guards snarled. I peeked over my shoulder to see Kai holding onto one of the guard's staff. Kai let out an annoyed snarl, and his gaze caught mine. I quickly looked away as a shiver ran down my spine, and I scooted even further into Knox's lap. No, no, no. You stay away from me. Don't get any strange ideas.
"Arden?" I peeked over Knox's shoulder to see Rinley approaching behind the guards.
"You are not to approach!" The main guard turned and gave Rinley a rather harsh look.
"I'm Lord Arden's butler." He said as he brought his hands up. "Is he okay-"
I quickly fled Knox's lap and pushed past the guards so I could rush over to Rinley. "I want to go back to the dorm!" My voice sounded damn pathetic and shaky, while my eyes felt like they were on the verge of tears. No. Not here, not now. Tears swelled in my eyes, and Rinley pulled my head close to him so no one would see.
"Are you okay?" He asked. I couldn't bring myself to answer, but I did nod my head. Physically, I was rattled, but fine. Mentally, I was just barely holding on. "Are we free to go?"
"For now, but Arden will have to fill out a report about the incident."
"I'll make sure he does it at a later time. Come on." Rinley did his best to help me keep my face hidden as he ushered me away. I couldn't help but glance over at Knox, who looked incredibly worried. Had there not been guards with weapons pressed against his back, he probably would have chased after me.
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"Are you okay?" Rinley asked.
"Go away!" I was too ashamed of the tears running down my face to let anyone see. It was bad enough that he knew I was crying like a baby; he didn't need to witness it. It wasn't my fault, though. Three times now I've been assaulted by people I thought of as old friends. While I wasn't as bothered by Knox, the reality was, he, too, was part of the problem. The worst part was, there wasn't anything I could do to stop them. I was utterly powerless. My body was like clay in their arms, and I stood no chance.
These damn accursed pheromones. I can't believe Rosia convinced me that they were a good thing. All they had done was bring problems into my life. I didn't even think I was spreading them about in the library, and look what happened! Absolutely pathetic!
If it weren't for Knox kinda coming to my rescue both times, who's to say what would have happened? I… I feel like a husk of my old self…
While I was wallowing under a mound of blankets, the sound of knocking on my door rang out. Who the hell would that be? "Ah, hello girls."
"Is Arden available?" Fuck, why were Rosia and Marina at my dorm?
"I'm afraid he's not in the mood to see anyone at the moment," Rinley responded to Rosia.
"That's understandable." Marina's voice was far gentler than normal. Did she actually care? She didn't seem to care when she ran off without me-
"I'm grateful that you two went to get guards. The situation would have been worse had you not." They got the guards? Oh…
"It's no problem! We might not be able to physically help, but we're not going to ignore a friend in need!" Pft, Rosia was as spunky as usual.
"He's like… okay, right?" Marina asked.
"Mmm, I think he's shocked over what happened right now, but he'll be okay in a couple of days."
"What a dumb alpha! Did he honestly think that assaulting someone was the way to gain their favor?!"
"Calm down, Rosia. We'll let Arden rest. Make sure you contact us when he wants to get food. He shouldn't be going into the common area alone."
"Yes, of course, and I'll let him know you stopped by." There was no need. I can hear everything. It's not like my bedroom had a door.
The door clicked closed, and as the closet door opened, Rinley spoke to me. "You sure have good friends," I grunted in response, and I could hear Rinley softly snicker. I… guess…
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I was hesitant to show my face after what had happened, and the idea of going back to the common area made me uncomfortable. While hiding in my room, I did receive letters from the academy. The first one was from the headmaster. He deeply apologized for what had happened and assured me that they were going to take steps to prevent such things from happening in the future. I didn't know what that entailed until I got a letter from the head of the guard. He too apologized for what happened and even apologized on behalf of his guard, who scared me. Apparently, the plan from here on out was to assign a guard to me while in the common area. It seemed like a bit much, but I wasn't going to complain after what had happened.
When I finally did show my face, Rosia and Marina were incredibly concerned about me. I guess disappearing made them worry, but I just couldn't bring myself to see them sooner. I was… mortified after what had happened.
"You don't need to feel embarrassed," Marina grumbled as she aggressively cut through a slice of thick-cut ham. "If anyone should be embarrassed, it should be Kai. I swear alphas don't have fully developed brains."
"Yeah! It's the gross alphas' fault!" Rosia chimed.
"I just feel… pathetic…" I used to be praised for my physical prowess, and now look at me. Wallowing into my salad.
"Welcome to being an omega. Instead of putting a muzzle on the disgusting, uncontrollable alphas who can't act like civilized humans, they put collars on us." Marina pulled her uniform down slightly to reveal the silver collar she was wearing. The face she made was kinda funny, like she licked a lemon. Huh, I never thought about it like that. My mother acted like it was an honor to wear a collar, but maybe not all omegas felt the same about it.
"Pft! Could you imagine how funny it would be to see alphas wearing muzzles! Ha!" Rosia burst into giggles as she shyly shot my guard a glance. Mmm, even I wasn't fully comfortable with him following me around, but he just silently stood next to Rinley, so it wasn't that bad.
"Yeah, I can definitely name a few that need a muzzle strapped onto them." I glanced over at the far booths, but they remained eerily empty. Where… did my silver-haired stalker go?