"Of course, dear.” She sits back in her seat, hands folded demurely on the blotter on her desk while she eyes me up. I’m starting to wonder if she suspects my motives for coming to her when she says, “First heats can be a little… traumatic, but I have just the thing."
She turns to a shelf behind her desk, her back to me while she measures herbs into a small cloth bag, a kettle chugging away beside her. I can't see what she's adding, but I track her movements as she tips some of the contents into a cup. My heart hammers so loud I'm sure she can hear it.
"Here. Drink this twice daily. It will help tremendously." She sets the sachet and a steaming cup on the desk between us. "Specially formulated for newly bonded omegas. I've given it to several students. They all found it helpful."
They all found it… helpful. Was that before they realized they’d been poisoned or after, Professor?
"What's in it?" I force curiosity into my voice. "I want to learn. For my own practice."
She lists ingredients that sound innocuous. Chamomile. Valerian. Lavender. There's pride in her voice. Pride in her work.
"Traditional methods are best," she continues. "New bonding practices are dangerous. Multiple alphas strain omega physiology in ways we're only beginning to understand, Elowen."
"Some omegas handle it fine."
"Some appear to." She leans forward, steepling her fingers. "But the strain builds over time, unnoticed, until eventually, it becomes too much for the omega’s body to bear. Better tohelp them transition peacefully now, before the damage becomes catastrophic."
There it is. Justification wrapped in concern. She genuinely believes she's being merciful.
"You killed them." The words escape before I can stop them. "Iris. Lydia. Shannon. Kira. Helena. You killed them."
Her expression changes. Warmth draining away, replaced by something cold and calculating.
"You're a smart girl, Elowen. Too smart for your own good, perhaps." She stands slowly, moves toward the door, and turns the key in the lock. "I don't want to force you. But I can't let you leave if you’re going to accuse me of something quite so heinous."
I hadn’t figured on her locking me in. My alphas are outside, but they can’t help me now. It’s me and Professor Robbins, and I will not be another name on her list of victims.
I stand up and face her. I think about Mira and Asha, two strong powerful women, and wonder what they would do in this situation. One thing is certain: they would fight. They would fight for their beliefs. They would fight for the people they love. And they would fight for the omegas who died because of one person’s personal vendetta.
“Why did you do it?” I’m surprised at how steady my voice is.
"Drink the tea, Elowen."
"Why are you so against multi-alpha packs?"
Her eyes narrow. “Don’t make this any more difficult than it needs to be. Drink the tea.”
“What did those omegas do to you?” I step closer.
She is standing between me and the locked door, but I want her confession before I think about how to escape.
“You weren’t worried about their well-being. Their physiology,” I continue, moving closer, sensing the weight of my phone in my pocket. “You’re stuck in the past. Stuck in the belief that old ways are the only ways.”
Her mouth stretches into a sinister smile. “While you continue to practice herbal remedies passed down to you through the generations. How dare you lecture me about being stuck in the past?”
“My great-great-grandmother contributed to the research that forms the foundations of Elderwood’s mission statement. She was ahead of her time, Professor Robbins. She was open-minded.” I take another step.
I’m so close to the professor that I don’t catch the glimmer of movement from a door on the other side of the room until it’s too late.
A uniformed officer crosses the room and grabs me from behind before I can react. Something sharp digs into the flesh beneath my jawline, and fear slides down my spine like ice.
Officer Brennan.
“We’re going to back away from the door slowly,” he says, voice low. “Then you’re going to drink the tea the professor prepared for you.”
He guides me back towards the desk, one small step at a time. Something warm and wet trickles down my neck from the tip of the blade he’s holding against me. Professor Robbins watches us, her expression unfathomable. But she doesn’t try to stop him.
I need to act before we reach the desk and he forces me to drink the tea. “Are you in this together?” I ask.
