by J. L. Wilder
“Of course she is,” Aubrey said. “If she’s ever not last, it’s only because the professors feel sorry for her. Which really isn’t fair to those of us who work hard for our places.”
“Oh, yeah,” Skye said. “You work almost as hard as daddy’s money, don’t you, Aubrey?”
Aubrey fixed her gaze on Skye. “Who are you again?”
A wave of anger boiled up beneath the crushing shame Grace was feeling. Aubrey knew who Skye was. They might not have been friends, and Skye might not have been at the top of their class. But Omega University wasn’t a big place, and they had all been there for three years. Everybody knew who everybody was.”
“Skye Morales,” someone said.
“She’s fifty-fourth,” another voice chimed in.
Aubrey smirked. “Not exactly blowing away the competition, are you, Morales?”
“I do fine,” Skye said hotly. “And I don’t know what your problem is, Aubrey. If you’re happy with your rank, then you might as well leave other people alone.”
“Coming in fifty-fourth in our class is one thing,” Aubrey said. “Someone has to be in the lower ranks. But her...” She jerked a thumb toward Grace. “She’s making us all look bad. Having her in our graduating class is an embarrassment. You should have to be at a certain standard in order to graduate from Omega U, and she’s not good enough.”
Grace stood very still, trying to disguise the fact that she was trembling. The things Aubrey was saying were the worst things she said to herself at night when she felt as if she didn’t belong and should never have come to school here.
Skye grabbed her by the arm. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get out of here. Unlike some people, we have more interesting things to do than worrying about other people’s class rank.”
Aubrey barked out a laugh. “That’s right,” she agreed. “The two of you had better get back to studying so that you can scrape passing grades on your midterms. If you work hard, you might be able to raise your scores from D minuses to flat D’s.”
Skye pulled Grace out of the building and across the lawn, back toward the dorm. She didn’t stop until they were back in their room with the door shut firmly behind them.
Then she turned to face Grace. “Fucking hell,” she said. “I’m so sorry I made you go down there. I had no idea it was going to be like that.”
“That’s why I didn’t want to go,” Grace said. She felt near tears.
“If I had known—”
“You had to have known,” Grace protested. “How could you not have? Aubrey has taken every opportunity she could find to be horrible to me since freshman year. You’ve seen her do it.”
“That was worse, though,” Skye said. “She’s never been that bad before. Has she?”
“No,” Grace conceded. Usually, Aubrey’s attacks came in the form of little passive-aggressive barbs. She had never been so direct about her insults before.
“What do you suppose is different?” Skye asked.
“Maybe it’s just what she said,” Grace said. “Maybe it embarrasses her to have me in her graduating class. Maybe she’s thinking about that more now that we’re seniors.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Skye said. “It doesn’t make her look bad to have someone below her in the class ranking. If anything, it makes her look better.”
“That’s true about normal people,” Grace said. “Normal shifters. Like you. You make her look good by being ranked below her, like she said. But me...I’m an embarrassment to the whole school. I shouldn’t be allowed to graduate. She’s right.”
“Of course you should,” Skye argued. “You’ve passed all your classes so far, haven’t you?”
“Barely. By the skin of my teeth. But that isn’t even the point,” Grace said. “I don’t have any of the skills shifters need to have. I can’t hunt. I can’t run fast. When we go out on camping trips, I can’t start fires or gather the right kind of foods you’d need to stay alive in the wild.” She sighed. “I can’t even shift at will, Skye. I’ve been here for three whole years, and I still can’t control my shifting.”
Skye was quiet for a long moment.
“Most people learn that before they ever get to Omega U,” she said.
“I know that,” Grace said. “You think I don’t know that?”
“What I’m saying is, the school isn’t really equipped to teach people how to control their shifting,” Skye said. “It isn’t your fault you haven’t been able to learn it, because no one has been teaching you.”
“That’s just an excuse,” Grace said. “I’m not the only person who’s ever come to Omega U without knowing anything about her true nature beforehand. And other people seem to do all right.”
“Yeah,” Skye agreed. “But didn’t you spend a long time repressing your animal side? You told me you were afraid of it.”
“I was afraid of my father’s reaction to it,” Grace said. “He used to act like I was doing it on purpose. Like there was something weird and wrong about me when I would wake up in the middle of the woods.”
“Your father was human, right?” Skye asked.
“Is human,” Grace said. “Yes.”
“Well, it probably scared him,” Skye said. “He probably didn’t know what to make of you.”
“He knew what I was,” Grace said. “He knew what my mother was. He was told about it after she died. But he still kept it a secret from me. He didn’t want me to know.”
“That’s pretty messed up,” Skye said. “If you ask me, it’s no surprise that you don’t have a healthy relationship with your true nature.”
“I just thought that...” Grace trailed off.
“Thought what?” Skye encouraged.
“I don’t know,” Grace said. “I thought things would be different once I came to school. I thought that I would learn how to be the person I was always meant to be, and that I’d finally stop feeling like there was something wrong with me. I thought I would belong somewhere at last. But it hasn’t been like that at all. When I lived in the human world, I was a freak. And now that I’m here, I’m still a freak.”
“You’re not a freak,” Skye said firmly. “Aubrey is the freak. She’s the one who needs to put other people down just to feel like she’s worth anything. You’d think it would be enough for her to be at the top of our class, but she needs to make sure everyone around her feels like garbage too.”
Grace sighed. “I guess that’s one thing to look forward to about graduation,” she said. “We won’t have to see Aubrey anymore.”
Skye was quiet for a few minutes as if she was thinking very seriously about what Grace had said.
“You’re really not looking forward to graduation at all, are you?” she asked at length.
“Not really,” Grace admitted.
“You don’t think it will be nice to get out into the world?”
“Nobody’s going to choose me as their mate, Skye.”
“That’s not the only way to have a good future, though,” Skye said. “There are plenty of things you could do after you leave school.”
“I notice you didn’t argue, though,” Grace pointed out. “You don’t think anybody’s going to choose me either.”
Skye bit her lip. “Honestly, it probably is a long shot,” she said. “The things the alphas base their choices on...”
“I don’t have them.”
“There’s no way for them to know what you have to offer, is what I was going to say,” Skye said. “All they have to go on is the class ranking and the times they’ve gotten to see us at the socials. And you’re...quiet at the socials. I haven’t noticed you trying to make friends with anyone from across the road.”
“I wouldn’t know how to approach them,” Grace confessed. “How could I? Even if they liked me, as soon as they learned my name, they would know who I was. They would avoid me like the plague.”
“Maybe,” Skye said. “Maybe not. There might be someone over there who’s capable of seeing what I see in you
.”
“There’s nothing to see in me,” Grace said. “Nothing that would make for a good mate, anyway.”
“That isn’t true,” Skye said. “You’re a kind person. You’re generous and loving, and you're fun to be around. And if an alpha took the time to get to know you, maybe he would see that.” She hesitated. “I’m not saying you should bank on it or anything, but don’t give up just yet. There’s a social tomorrow. You should come.”
“And give Aubrey something else to laugh at?”
“Never mind Aubrey. You’re a student here, just like she is. You have every right to attend a social,” Skye said. “And who knows? Maybe it’ll be the night that will change everything for you.”
“Maybe,” Grace said. But deep down, she thought her friend was probably dreaming.
Chapter Four
JONAH
The bonfire was already blazing by the time Jonah and Alex arrived on the campus of Omega University. In the distance, Jonah could see young men and women mingling together. He heard their voices rising into the night.
“Come on,” Alex said. “Let’s go find seats by the fire before they’re all taken.”
“What about Aubrey?” Jonah said. “Shouldn’t I find her?”
“Yeah, but you don’t want to go openly hunting for her,” Alex said. “Come and sit down, and just keep your eyes open. When you see her, you can approach her.”
Jonah nodded. He was a bit anxious that someone else might set their sights on Aubrey first, making it difficult for him to approach her. But then, he supposed the ideal way to prove himself a worthy alpha would be to dominate a conversation in front of her. If he could do that, and if he could manage to capture her interest by doing so, maybe he would finally imprint on her.
A guy could dream.
He found an unoccupied stretch of log on a side of the fire that wasn’t getting too much smoke and sat down. Alex took the seat next to him, propped his knees on his elbows, and gazed around.
“You didn’t have to come,” Jonah said, feeling a little bit guilty. “I know there’s not much for you here.”
Alex shrugged. “Some of the beta girls came over,” he pointed out.
“I never get why they do that,” Jonah admitted. “What’s the point for them?”
“Every beta girl is secretly hoping she’ll be the one to snag an alpha guy,” Alex said. “They talk about it all the time. Even right in front of us, they talk about it.”
“Seems rude.”
Alex shrugged. “It is what it is. Anyway, I think some of them hope that if they can hang around here and get your attention while you’re looking for mates, they stand a better chance of being viewed that way by the alphas.”
Jonah shrugged. He scanned the assembled crowd. The beta girls were kidding themselves, he thought, if they imagined that the alphas couldn’t tell them apart from the omegas. They were pretty enough, but the scent on the Omega U campus was overpowering. It was enough to make Jonah feel as if he had taken drugs. No beta ever smelled like that.
“Look at her,” he said, pointing to a girl who stood alone by the base of a tree. She looked reluctant to approach the fire. Unlike the other girls, who all seemed to be either paired off with a mate or surrounded by a group of friends, she looked completely out of place.
Alex frowned, following Jonah’s finger. “Do you know her?”
“No,” Jonah said. “She’s not a beta, is she?”
“Don’t think so,” Alex said. “She’s not in any of my classes. Never has been. I feel like I would have seen her sometime over the past four years if she were a beta.”
Jonah nodded. “But I don’t think I’ve noticed her at any of these events before either.”
“Maybe she’s a freshman,” Alex said.
“Maybe...” Jonah trailed off. She might have been a freshman. That would explain why he didn’t recognize her. But usually, the freshmen omegas spent the first social of the year clustered together in a huge, awkward huddle, giggling together the whole time. It was very unusual to see one off on her own like that.
“Oh, shit, look,” Alex said, interrupting Jonah’s thoughts. “There’s Aubrey.”
Sure enough, there she was, strutting her way across the lawn as if the whole bonfire had been a preamble to her arrival. Heads turned to watch as she made her way over to a stump and took a seat, clearly waiting to be approached.
Jonah got to his feet and brushed the palms of his hands off against his jeans. “All right,” he said. “Wish me luck.”
Alex nodded. “You got this.”
Jonah strode across the lawn toward her, reminding himself with every step that he was an alpha. It was his nature, his right, to control every situation. Aubrey ought to be flattered that he was going out of his way to talk to her.
She ought to be. But knowing her, she won’t be.
He stopped before her. “Hey, Aubrey.”
“Hey.” She frowned. “Jason?”
“Jonah,” he corrected. He narrowed his eyes. “You knew that, I think.”
She giggled. “Well, maybe I did.”
She’ll take some firm controlling if she becomes my mate, he thought to himself. She had been given too much power over men in her life. Suddenly, it annoyed him that she had been so standoffish toward every alpha who had approached her for three whole years. She had jerked them around, he now realized, making everyone wait to see who she would submit to.
The joke’s on her. In the end, it’s going to come down to which alpha has the power and the authority to bring her to heel. And Jonah knew that that would be him. There wasn’t any doubt in his mind.
Alex had been right to push him to do this today. He needed to show Aubrey that he was done being led around by the nose. She would give him her attention today, or else she would lose the opportunity.
He wondered if he would have the strength, the resolve, to stand by that pledge.
All these thoughts flashed through his head in the space of a moment. Aubrey sat watching him, clearly waiting to see what he had come over to say.
“Can I get you a drink?” he asked, feeling a little foolish.
“Sure,” she said. “A beer, please.”
Was she testing him? “Omegas aren’t allowed to drink alcohol,” he pointed out.
“Nobody’s looking,” she said. “Are you scared or something?”
He folded his arms across his chest. “No,” he said. “I just understand that rules apply to everybody.”
Aubrey frowned. “You realize that there are plenty of men here who would be happy to get me a beer, don’t you?”
“Then I suppose maybe you’d better ask them for one,” Jonah said.
They had reached a standoff. They stared at each other for several long moments, during which Jonah couldn’t help wondering whether he had just completely blown his chance with her.
Then she burst out laughing. “Damn,” she said. “All right. Fair enough. I’ll have a soda.”
Feeling a little shaky, Jonah turned toward the cooler and retrieved a soda. He handed it to her. She cracked it open and took a long drink, and he watched her throat work as she swallowed.
“All right, Jonah,” she said. “What can I do for you?”
“Do for me?” he asked dumbly.
“I’m guessing you didn’t just come over here to see whether or not I was thirsty,” she prompted.
“Oh.” He was making a mess of this. Why did being around Aubrey make him feel so stupid? “I came over because...well, because I don’t know you very well, I guess. We’ve met a few times, but it’s our senior year and—”
“And you’re trying to see if you’ll imprint on me,” Aubrey said.
He was at a loss for words.
“Don’t get freaked out,” Aubrey said. “I get it. You’re not exactly the only one, you know. I’ve been at the top of our class since I was a freshman. Guys are always trying to imprint on me. It’s been going on for years.”
“Why hasn’t it
happened yet, do you think?” he asked her.
She shrugged. “An imprint is a two-way street, right? If I don’t feel anything for a guy, he can’t imprint on me. There has to be some kind of emotion on my end for him to work with.”
“And you feel nothing? For anyone? I find that hard to believe.”
“I’m waiting to see who I like before I allow myself to fall for anyone,” she said. “Seems like good common sense to me.”
“If you care about class rank, I’m sure you know who I am,” Jonah said.
“Sure, I know who you are,” she said. “Jonah Jackson. Top-ranked alpha at Shifter U.”
“So why did you pretend you thought my name was Jason?” Jonah demanded.
She smirked. “I have to make you work for it. I want to make sure you don’t think I’m going to throw myself at your feet. You may be the top-ranked alpha in your class, but I could still get any guy at this party.”
He frowned, irritated. “You don’t think I could get any girl at this party?”
“You seem to be striking out so far.”
“I haven’t approached anybody but you,” he said. “And you’re not taking this seriously. You’re playing some game with me.”
“I’m not going to be with a guy who pushes me around,” Aubrey said. “You may be an alpha, and I may be an omega, but any guy I wind up with is going to understand just how lucky he is to have me.”
“If you don’t watch the attitude, you might end up with no guy at all,” he said. “This is cute, up to a point, but you have to know that alphas want omegas who are going to respect authority.”
“If you don’t want me, move along,” she said.
“I didn’t say that,” he said. “I’m just saying, if you’re not careful, you might end up like that girl.”
He pointed again to the girl who was standing alone by the tree. She was looking around now, as though there was someone she was hoping to see, but there was a desperate quality to her expression. Jonah had a feeling that whoever she was waiting for wasn’t a mate.