by River Ramsey
And why would Tessa have any reason to lie?
How in the world had that even come up? She wasn’t surprised that Emily’s response had been so cruel and emphatic, but rather that it had ever even been a question to begin with.
She knew Axel wasn’t the one who would’ve broached the idea. It was common for toms of particularly high breeding to take a second, which was more like a human mistress than anything, should his first mate allow it. It was especially true of the queens who had a large number of mates at their disposal, and couldn’t give them all the time and attention they demanded.
A male of Axel’s breeding might easily have had several seconds, but Ella knew full well he never would’ve considered her as a possibility.
Tessa must have asked Emily. It was the only explanation that made any sense. After all, she had expressed her disapproval with Emily’s lack of a plan for Ella after her graduation. Ella could see the well-intentioned woman thinking that would be a more suitable position to her than her previous role of live-in maid, but she had no idea.
The only thing more torturous than knowing Axel would never care for her the way she had always cared for him was the idea of him being forced to pretend that he did.
He would only hate her even more, if that were possible.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Emily said, clearly lying through her teeth. Ella knew her well enough to be able to tell from a mile away. The fact that she was even bothering to lie was proof the dynamic really had shifted between them, but it was far from a genuine improvement.
“That is Ella’s decision to make,” Natalia said, calm and composed as ever. Ella marveled at the way she could make her opinions known so plainly and unquestionably while still seeming so regal and demure. She could spend an entire lifetime in the woman’s tutelage, and she still wouldn’t feel ready to become the Empress. The very idea seemed more and more absurd the more time that had elapsed since the Unveiling.
Then again, maybe the shock had simply taken that long to wear off.
“Please,” Emily scoffed. “You’re just hoping that cozying up to her will make her pick Bishop.”
A flash of irritation lit up Natalia’s eyes.
It was unsettling that two of the names that had come to mind immediately were being discussed before her, as if they were the obvious choices they were. Ella knew that her third, but by no means last-place choice, would’ve been even more controversial had they known.
“Not everyone is an opportunistic social climber who uses other people like currency,” Natalia quipped. It was the closest Ella had ever seen her to losing her cool. As impossible as it seemed, she was starting to think the two queens were about to get into a physical altercation to match their verbal sparring when Tessa spoke up.
“That’s enough,” the priestess sighed. Usually Natalia was the one playing referee, but it was clear she saw the need to step in. Ella was just relieved it didn’t have to be her. “The choice is Ella’s, and by tradition, it is one to be made in confidentiality.”
“In any case, I don’t think that you need to worry about being turned down,” Natalia said in a gently knowing tone. Ella wished she had half as much confidence in herself as the other woman seemed to.
“How am I supposed to choose anyone when I can’t even go to class like this?” Ella asked.
“With these,” Tessa said, handing her a foil wrapped packet of what looked like chewing gum.
No… On closer inspection, she realized the tiny pills more resembled birth control. Not that she had ever had any use for it. Even if such a thing would work on shifters, she never imagined she would be in this position.
There were twelve small pink tablets arranged in a circle around the packet, and while there was no label, Ella had a vague idea of what they were for. “Heat suppressants?” she asked warily.
Shifter biology was too unique to be properly studied in most universities without courting the risk of exposure to the humans. The existing birth control methods were of questionable efficacy at best. “I didn’t even think those worked.”
“They’ve made some considerable strides in pharmacology since I was a girl,” Emily said, her arms folded indignantly. She was obviously still sore, but at least things no longer seemed ready to come to blows between her and her rival at any moment. “This is far from a long-term solution, but it should hold your heat off for a few days to a week. Enough time for you to make a decision and attend your classes regularly without being hounded by boorish toms.”
She spoke with such derision that Ella wondered what she would think if she knew her son was the most boorish of them all.
“Just remember, there’s still the possibility of you becoming pregnant, even if it is diminished,” Natalia warned.
“In other words, save the fun stuff for when you’ve made your final decision,” said Tessa.
Ella’s blush worsened at the older female’s remark.
Natalia gave her a look. “I think the poor girl’s been through enough for one day without us teasing her even more.”
Tessa just gave an unapologetic chuckle. “It’s not like she’s going to the gallows. I may have taken a vow of celibacy to serve the goddess, but even I can see this is an enviable position to be in.”
Ella felt like she was going to melt onto the tile. She tucked the pills into her pocket along with the rings for safekeeping and tried not to give into the impending panic attack that rose up whenever she thought about returning to class. Thanks to Brad and Axel, it was all but a guarantee that word of her predicament would’ve spread across the school well before the first bell even rang.
Chapter 13
Ella
After a fitful night’s sleep, Ella had woken up early in order to give her second dose of suppressants as much time to kick in as possible before class. She had taken the first right before bed the night before, and she’d woken up considerably less restless and desperate than she had been before.
At least it was possible to think clearly now, without having her judgment clouded by her infatuation with toms she had no business wanting.
She still didn’t feel remotely prepared to embrace the challenge of the day before her. As if struggling to catch up in class wasn’t enough, now she had to find not one but at least two males desperate enough to court her, even if it was only temporarily.
Bishop seemed like the obvious choice, and Ella had to admit, she had fantasized about it well before her heat had sprung up. They’d come close to going further than she ever expected in the woods, but she hadn’t heard from him since, and she had no idea how he would respond to such a request.
For all she knew, he expected a monogamous relationship like his mother and father shared. In fact, ever since Natalia had bucked the trend of taking more than one mate, it had become the new trend in itself.
And why should he want to share? It was unfathomable enough that he was even interested in her. As much as she wanted to ease at least some of her tension by asking him, she had no idea if she’d actually get up the courage to give him the ring anytime soon.
Hopefully she could talk to him. Assuming he had found out and still wanted anything to do with her. She was sure his mother had told him something, and the fact that she had a dozen missed calls and unread text messages from Axel was confirmation that Emily had already told him everything.
What a mess. If it weren’t for the fact that the women’s dorms were carefully segregated from the men’s, Ella had a feeling she wouldn’t have gotten a moment’s sleep.
By the time she had no choice but to head downstairs, the heat suppressants had dulled the remainder of her symptoms to a tolerable degree. Not that she had any hope of paying attention in class anyway.
The moment Ella left her room and walked into the common room that was necessary to pass through before leaving the women’s dorm, all the chatter in the room ceased immediately. If she thought it was bad to be the center of attention before, she realized now
that it was only beginning.
Ella walked past them as quickly as she could, hoping to make it to breakfast at the tail end of the morning rush to at least grab some juice and a granola bar. She was supposed to take the suppressants with food, but she’d gotten up much too early for the cafeteria to be open.
The hallways weren’t quite packed yet as it was still a bit early for class, but the few students who were gathered around stopped and stared just as the ones in the dorm had. That was to be expected, but to Ella’s relief, none of them made any comments directly to her. She saw one of the males who had been with Brad the day before, and he cast her a curious glance up and down, but he didn’t have the same predatory gaze in his eyes as he had before, reassuring her that the suppressants were doing their job.
She noticed there was a teacher posted at either end of the hallway, watching closely. They hadn’t been there during any other class period, so she knew the headmaster must’ve assigned sentinels for the purpose of making sure she got to and from class safely. She was both embarrassed and unnerved that it was necessary.
She spotted Lyra across the hall, but the other girl took one look at her and quickly disappeared into the nearest classroom. Ella couldn’t blame her. Lyra had always disliked her, but now that association with her was guaranteed social suicide, she had all the more reason to keep her distance.
If only Axel felt the same.
Kyrie had crossed her mind as a potential candidate more than once, but each time, she had dismissed the idea, if only for his sake. Just because he’d always been kind to her didn’t mean he would be willing to go that far, and even if he was, it would immediately turn Axel against him.
He might not have had any genuine interest in Ella, but he was a possessive bastard and family allegiance would do nothing to keep him from terrorizing anyone who stood between him and something he had decided was his.
Ella checked her phone and realized she was still much too early for class, and taking an early seat was a guarantee of getting harassed. She walked into the women’s room and disappeared inside an empty stall, lowering the toilet lid and sitting down to bury her head in her hands.
What a mess this day was already turning out to be. And it wasn’t like she could hide out in the bathroom forever.
At least this one wasn’t filled with the smell of cigarette smoke as the one at her human school had been.
She was enjoying the few moments of silence until the door opened and she heard the sound of familiar chatter. One of the voices was Marissa’s.
Ella immediately pulled her feet up onto the lid and hugged her knees close to her chest, hoping she could hide until they were gone.
The four cats who’d walked in with Marissa all congregated around the sink, chattering away about the next exam coming up. The conversation soon shifted to far more troubling subject matter, confirming Ella’s suspicion that the news of her near heat had spread like wildfire.
“I can’t believe they’re pulling out that antiquated old tradition,” scoffed another girl Ella recognized it as Tina from a few pride events. At one point or another, she and Marissa had been on the outs, but it seemed the queen bee was rallying all her forces now that another enemy had emerged.
“Who do you think she’ll choose?” Asked a girl whose voice Ella didn’t recognize.
“More like who’s desperate enough to say yes,” Marissa answered, her voice dripping with bitterness.
Surely word of Ella turning down Axel’s proposition in the hallway had made its rounds the same as this latest gossip, but Ella soon realized her hope that it would soften Marissa’s hatred of her was in vain. If anything, she seemed even more spiteful.
“I wouldn’t mind being in a position like that,” Tina mused.
Ella couldn’t see through the door more than just a crack, but she didn’t need to see to know Marissa was glaring daggers at her newly forgiven confidante.
“Hey,” the fourth girl said, quieting the room. “Someone’s in here.”
Ella grimaced, realizing she had no choice but to flee and pretend like she hadn’t heard anything. She opened the stall door and walked out, intent on breezing past Marissa and her crew as quickly as possible.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the school slut,” Marissa sneered.
It just wasn’t her lucky morning. Then again, when was it ever?
The two young women flanking either side of her turned to face Ella, their hands planted on their hips. She could feel their judgment even though she was instinctively looking down at the floor.
It was bad enough that now she had to worry about opportunistic males taking a false interest in her, but her announced status as the moonmarked one had guaranteed that every other female in her age group absolutely despised her.
Even more than they had before.
Ella knew that defending herself was a lost cause, so she headed for the door and hoped Marissa wasn’t in a chasing mood. Before she could reach the door, a hand flew out and kept it shut.
She turned around to find herself face to face with a tall brunette named Ashley, whom she recognized immediately as one of Marissa’s favorite enforcers. Just like a mafia queen, she had her favorites and this one had built up enough muscle on the lacrosse team that she could easily snap Ella in half if she wanted to.
And judging from the look on her face, she really wanted to.
“Where do you think you’re going, whore?” Marissa demanded, slinking toward her. She looked even more like a predatory huntress in this form than when she was a lynx.
“I haven’t done anything to you,” Ella muttered, clutching her bag to her chest, as if that would somehow protect her from whatever she had coming.
She’d always had more reason to fear Marissa’s sharp tongue than her fists, but when she had her gang in such prime position, physical violence seemed equally likely.
“Is that so?” Marissa asked, her voice lilting with indignation. “And here I thought it was you who’d stolen my title as Empress and my boyfriend.”
Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and malice, and the others had closed in, forming an impenetrable arc around Ella. Even if she could’ve pushed past them, Ella knew she wouldn’t get far. Her back was against the door, and her only hope was that someone else would come in.
Of course, she could scream, but that definitely wouldn’t be doing any favors for her social status. It was bad enough that the school was flanked with glorified security guards because of her.
“I didn’t want this,” Ella protested. “Trust me, if I could take it back, I would.”
“You’re such a liar,” Marissa seethed. “I don’t buy that helpless Pollyanna act, and neither does anybody else.”
Ella frowned, tempted to defend herself when she realized Ashley was ready to spring at her leader’s command. She could feel the energy in the air that always accompanied a group shift. Were they seriously going to have a full on catfight in the middle of the women’s bathroom?
“I think we should help her,” Tina said, scruffing the back of Ella’s uniform. Ella lurched forward as the girl shoved her in Marissa’s direction, obviously looking for a way to appease her friend after her gaffe. “Remind her where filthy strays belong.”
Marissa’s eyes lit up with glee. “That’s not a bad idea. Ashley?”
The taller girl moved immediately, grabbing Ella by the arm. She dragged her into an open stall and shoved her down onto her knees. Ella tried to resist, but Ashley fisted a hand in her hair and started shoving her head down toward the toilet.
Even the bullies at her human school hadn’t been quite so cliché, but it seemed the shifters weren’t interested in abandoning a technique that worked.
Before she could think to shift into her feline form, which would’ve had drawbacks of its own, Ashley shoved her head down into the water and Ella gasped, her lungs filling up with the ice cold water.
Her mind immediately flashed back to almost drowning in the moonlit pond, and the
more she struggled, the firmer Ashley’s grip seemed to become. She was sure she was going to pass out just when the other girl pulled her back up.
Ella gasped sharply, water still rushing into her lungs along with limited air, burning them until it felt like they were on fire. She coughed and sputtered, but Marissa stepped in and pushed her back down before she could even come close to catching her breath. She wasn’t as strong as Ashley, but her hatred seemed to amplify her strength. No matter how Ella thrashed or clawed at her wrists, she couldn’t get her head above water.
She realized struggling and panicking was only making her lungs fill with water faster, but the realization came too late to be of any practical use. Her head was throbbing, and she felt like the room was spinning around her.
“Where are your markings now?” Marissa taunted. Her voice sounded echoic, and Ella could barely make out her words, but there was no denying the smug satisfaction in them.
A moment later, Ashley’s voice broke in, warier than before. “Riss, she’s gonna pass out.”
Marissa said nothing, and showed no sign of letting up. Ella was finding it hard to keep fighting, and realized this time, she really was going to pass out and Marissa had no intention of letting her up. Her stony silence and tightening grip made that clear.
“Marissa!” Tina cried nervously.
Ella felt the blackness closing in the same as it had in the pond, and this time, Bishop wasn’t there to save her.
Was this seriously it? Was she going to end up surviving early childhood on the streets, near drowning in the moon pool, and almost two decades of Axel Hill, only to end up drowning in a damn school toilet?
It seemed like she was about to get her answer when she heard the door swing open, and the other queens with Marissa’s posse cried out in alarm.
Marissa’s grip on her hair loosened slightly as the girl turned around to see who the intruder was, and it was just enough of a distraction for Ella to break away from her. This time, she couldn’t even get in a full gasp of air, and while she was already on her knees, she dropped against the stall wall, clutching her throat. Every time she coughed, another wave of water cascaded from her mouth, searing her throat and lungs even more. A hand reached into the stall and flung Ashley aside, then Tina.