AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Antonio stares at the floor now, shuffling on his feet and biting his lip like he’s about to start crying. I don’t know if what she’s saying is true, but it doesn’t matter.
“Actually,” I cut her off as I step farther into the room and march to his side. “Why don’t you do us all a favor and stop trying to intimidate your way to the top? It’s not going to work, you know. They’re smarter than that and none of them will choose a vapid bitch to bond with.”
Her eyes flash with the challenge as she turns to me. “Aren’t you the Darling girl?” She smiles. “My pen pal, Clara, sent me a message about you. I wonder if the Royals know there’s a commoner in our midst.”
My eyes roll so hard, I catch sight of the memories of my first birthday buried deep inside my brain. “Of course, they know. I’m not the one who seems to think they’re stupid. The real question here is whether they know they have a bully as a selected candidate. They don’t care so much about me being a commoner, but from what I’ve seen of them so far, they won’t take so kindly to the quintessential mean girl trying to scare off her competition.”
Rachel huffs out a breath, but one of her friends drags her away before she can say another word. Once they’re gone, Antonio finally looks up, surprise written in his wide, teary eyes as he shakes his head at me. “Thanks, but you’ve really done it now. She won’t forget that.”
“Nor should she,” I say honestly. “I meant what I said, and I stand by it. If the pack finds out about this, I’m sure they’ll send her home.”
He arches an eyebrow at me. “You have no idea who she is, do you?”
“Nope, and I don’t care.” I incline my head toward the corridor where the bedrooms are. “Want me to walk you to your door?”
“No, thank you. You’ve effectively transferred the target from my back to yours. I’ll walk you instead.”
I smile, deciding I may as well get some intel for Kaz now that I seem to have made an unexpected friend. “How have you found the Trials so far?”
“Good, I guess.” He shrugs as he follows me out into the hall. “My dates have been fine. The Royals seem okay.”
“Okay?” I echo disbelievingly. “Jeez. You’re lucky. Have you not, you know…”
I trail off but he isn’t picking up what I’m putting down.
“I mean, their scents are just—I don’t know—maybe it’s just me, but every time I’m around them I feel like my suppressants aren’t working. I guess I thought it would be that way for everyone.”
He frowns, obvious confusion etched into the furrow of his brow. “Well, their scents are really nice—”
I give him a look and he chuckles, amending his statement. “Okay, they are more thana little nice. But the suppressants are doing their job. I don’t feel any indicators of an oncoming heat.”
Well, shit.
“This has got to be extra stressful for you. I saw your selection on TV. And your—um—little trip during the scenting ceremony. I take it this sort of thing isn’t your strong suit. It’s probably the anxiety. Either that or if you aren’t used to being around Alphas in your life outside of OA then your body could just be having a strong reaction.”
My head drops back, and I groan when I realize he’s got a point I haven’t considered yet. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Stress might be the most obvious answer.”
“Not that you asked for it, but my advice would be to increase the dosage of your suppressants to one and a half. It should sort you right out. My brother went through something similar when he first left the Academy. He upped his suppressants, and everything went back to normal.”
“I’ll do that. Thanks.”
When we stop at my door, he gives me a strange look. “If you ever need any, I brought a huge stash of suppressants. Because it happened to my brother, I couldn’t rule out that it might happen to me. Just let me know, okay?”
“Okay.”
He scratches his jaw, his eyes taking on a faraway quality. “The expiry date on yours might also be off or something. Either way, if it doesn’t work, talk to me. I owe you one.”
“You don’t owe me anything, but I’ll let you know.”
He smiles as I reach for my door. “See you at dinner, Antonio.”
“Sure thing. See you, Maddie. Watch out for any meerkats.”
“Meerkats?”
He winks as he starts walking backward away from my room. “It’s a nasty little mongoose-type creature that has a pointy snout and a pretty nasty bite. They’re especially aggressive to people they don’t know, and they work in groups.”
I think of Rachel’s pointy nose, her sneer, and the group of minions she’s already gathered here. “Oh, right. I’ll be careful. Thanks for the warning.”
