AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shrug. “It’s just a hunch, but I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I suspect that whatever you’ve been taking hasn’t been suppressants.”
“But how?” She frowns again as she rises and heads over to her bags. She rummages through her purse and comes back with the package, handing it over as she shakes her head. “That’s not possible. If they weren’t suppressants, wouldn’t I have gone into heat, like, a week into this thing?”
“Not necessarily,” I muse as I inspect the little plastic container she gave me. “You’ve been drinking a lot of my tea, right?”
“Yeah, so?”
“Well, the herbs in the tea act as a naturally occurring suppressant. It’s one of the reasons why all the Omegas’ chambers were stocked with it as well. It’s not strong enough to keep you from going into heat at all, obviously, but it would’ve been enough to stave it off. It was an added safety measure.”
“Plus, Antonio mentioned he gave you some of his suppressants,” Kaz says thoughtfully. “That would’ve helped as well. What’s the verdict?”
He glances at me as I break open one of the tablets and then bring it to my lips. Tasting it with the tip of my tongue, I roll it around my mouth before I sigh. “This is sugar, Mads. There’s absolutely nothing else in there. Like, I don’t even get a hit of anything bitter or even vaguely chemical.”
Her jaw drops open. “How? I got them from the same store I’ve been getting my suppressants from for years. If they got a dud batch, why wouldn’t they have contacted me?”
“I don’t think it’s a dud batch.” I grimace as I look back up at her. “The legal liability alone would’ve been staggering if they’d knowingly let a bunch of Omegas walk around with suppressants that are nothing more than placebos. The regulation of this stuff is also serious business. It’s unlikely the problem lies with the batch. Has anyone ever had unfettered access to your things?”
“No.” She starts shaking her head but suddenly stops, her eyes going round as she nods instead. “Clara.”
Kaz’s jaw grinds. “The Omega from Cambridge Academy, that Clara?”
Maddie’s brow furrows as she glances at him. “Yes, but how do you know her?”
“I don’t, but I’ve heard of her.” He brings those dark eyes to mine and then to Wolf’s. “She’s the Omega my mother mentioned, the one who was supposed to have been chosen.”
“She was supposed to have been chosen?” Maddie asks, but then she shrugs after thinking it over. “That makes perfect sense, actually. We all thought it would be her. Were you ever going to tell me about it, though?”
He shrugs. “Perhaps eventually. If she’s responsible for this, I’m assuming you two aren’t friends. How did she gain access to your bags?”
“We’re definitely not friends. It was hate at first sight, if I’m being honest. She thinks scholarship students like me sully the name of the institution and I think she’s a pompous, entitled brat who lets her privilege hang out much too often.”
“Your bags, Maddie?” I prompt as anger sparks in her eyes while she talks about this…Clara. “How could she have managed to swap out your pills?”
“I knew there was a reason she agreed to watch my stuff so easily,” Maddie mutters darkly. “Before I came here, I was called into the headmistress’s office. She wanted a word, and they asked Clara to guard my bags while I was lectured about not embarrassing the school. I wouldn’t be surprised if the old witch was in it with her. She certainly didn’t seem to expect me to make it this far.”
“I’ll be paying them both a visit as soon as this is over,” Kaz says with malice glittering in those eyes. “What Clara attempted to do is unacceptable. You could have been hurt if you’d gone into heat without us around to help you through it. She’ll answer for this, I promise you.”
I sigh. “Before we start planning our revenge, perhaps we should talk about the Final Ceremony?” I suggest, but Maddie’s still looking at Kaz.
“Wait, if she was supposed to have been selected, then how am I here?”
“Fate intervened and saved us from eternal disappointment and unhappiness,” he replies without skipping a beat. “In other words, there was a mix-up within the selection committee. Apparently, they were meant to review one of Clara’s essays in her nomination package but somehow ended up with your essay instead.”
Maddie looks like she might know something about how that happened but says nothing, smirking quietly to herself.
“What do we need to talk about for the Ceremony?”
He turns back to me, and I hold his gaze, hoping this won’t lead to another argument between the two of us. “Are we going to do it, or are we just going to say to hell with it all?”
A knock interrupts us. We all stiffen until a voice calls out from the other side. “It’s Antonio. I know you’re in there. Is it over yet?”
“Get dressed,” I tell the others as I grab the nearest pair of trousers and pull them on. They’re not mine. I think they’re Kaz’s, but they’ll do for now. “Give us a minute!”
Laughter rings out from the other side of the door. “I’m assuming it’s not over yet, then.”
“No, it’s basically over,” Maddie responds as she jumps a little to get into her jeans faster, then shoves a sweater over her head. “Are you alone?”
He pauses for a beat, the laughter long gone. “No, Francis is with me.”
