by J. L. Wilder
“I think it takes a hell of an alpha to invest himself that deeply in the wellbeing of his packmates,” Alex said. “I doubt someone like Gabe would be capable of it. He’ll always keep his distance, always keep himself separate from the rest of his pack, because he doesn’t want to let himself be vulnerable like that. And his pack will be weaker because of it.”
Jonah nodded. “I don’t give you orders in part because I don’t need to give you orders,” he said. “I trust you to do what’s right for me, and for the pack as a whole. But you’re a little too cavalier with your own wellbeing. I had to give you an order today because you weren’t adequately looking after yourself.”
“I get that,” Alex said. “Doesn’t make it less annoying, though.”
Jonah took a bite of his pancakes. “Deal with it,” he said.
“As long as you don’t order me home from the claiming ceremony when things start to get heated,” Alex said. “You’re going to need me there.”
Jonah cut his pancakes into small bites and said nothing. Alex was right that he would need backup at the ceremony, of course, but the idea of bringing his friend into a dangerous situation really didn’t feel right. Alex wasn’t a fighter, and everyone who would be standing up against Jonah when he claimed Grace instead of Aubrey would be ready for a fight. He knew Alex would involve himself, and it was almost certain that Alex would get himself hurt as a consequence.
If something happens to him, I’m going to lose it.
But what could he do? Alex was right. If he went in alone, he would probably be killed. Aubrey’s brothers weren’t going to take this insult lying down.
For a moment, he considered not claiming anyone at all.
He could go over to Omega U tonight and get Grace. The three of them could take off together. There was no need to declare his feelings for her in front of the entire school. It would be so dangerous. They could be together without going through the ceremony.
But every time he thought of explaining that to Grace, his mind recoiled from the idea.
She would accept it. He knew that. If there was one thing he had come to understand about Grace Foster, it was how willing she was to accept whatever he wanted, to do whatever he thought was best. She had submitted to him more fully than he would have believed was possible.
But Grace had spent her entire life believing that she wasn’t good enough. She’d been told over and over again, for years, by everyone with whom she came into contact, that she was a disappointment. A failure. An embarrassment.
And the last thing Jonah intended to do was to reinforce to his omega the idea that she was unworthy of love.
Too many people had given her that message. Too many people had made her feel as though she belonged on the fringes of both the shifter world and the human world. She had all but accepted that there was no place, and no person, that truly wanted her.
No, on the day of the claiming ceremony, Jonah intended to stand up in front of all the alphas and omegas, all the professors, and every beta who had made the decision to come and be a part of the ceremony, and declare that Grace Foster was his choice. That she belonged to him, and that they were mates.
For once in her life, she would be the first one chosen. The top of the list. And she deserved to be.
He wouldn’t take that moment away from her, not even if it meant putting himself and Alex in danger.
It won’t be too bad, he thought to himself. After all, we’ll be surrounded by professors. They’re not going to let things get out of hand. Aubrey’s brothers will definitely get a few hits in, but nobody’s going to get killed or anything.
Still, he couldn’t shake a feeling of anxiety and concern. It hung over him like a dark cloud as he finished his breakfast, and it followed him around as he went about his day, attending his classes.
Every time one of his fellow students looked at him, he felt sure they knew.
Every time someone leaned over to whisper to someone else in his presence, he wondered whether Gabe had told them what he planned to do. That he wouldn’t be claiming Aubrey.
Were her brothers glaring at him across the lunch table?
Were they planning, even now, how they would get their revenge?
Well, if they were, there was nothing he could do about it. He was committed to claiming Grace at the ceremony this weekend. Whatever happened after that would happen, and he would just have to deal with it when it did.
He did his best to turn his thoughts away from the people around him, to ignore the whispering and the sideways glances. But as the ceremony drew closer, Jonah felt more and more certain that someone knew what he was planning to do, and that a reaction was being prepared.
Chapter Fifteen
GRACE
The eve of the claiming ceremony came quickly.
There were parties around campus, Grace knew. The night before the claiming was the last time in the lives of most of the omegas that they would belong fully to themselves. And even though it was a privilege to be claimed by an alpha, it felt important to a lot of them to let go of their independence with a bit of revelry.
Grace couldn’t have gone to Aubrey’s party, of course. But there were other parties. There were groups on campus that would have allowed her among them, looking at her with pity, if nothing else.
But she didn’t want to be with her fellow omegas tonight.
She didn’t want to listen to everyone talking about who they thought they would be claimed by, and she certainly didn’t want to deal with being asked what she thought her fate would be. She had no idea what answer she would give.
She still hadn’t managed to tell Skye the truth.
But she wanted to do it tonight. She didn’t want her friend to be taken by surprise tomorrow when she saw what happened. Skye deserved better from her than that.
And she also deserved the chance to get away. Grace couldn’t shake the feeling that there would be violence when Jonah chose her instead of Aubrey. She had to hope that Skye would distance herself and not get caught up in it.
Skye had decided to make the rounds that evening, dropping by a couple of parties but not staying long at any of them, and Grace couldn’t begrudge her that. She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling and waiting for her friend to come home.
It was just past eleven o’clock when the door finally opened and Skye came inside. She was grinning from ear to ear. “I’ve never seen everyone on campus so happy at the same time,” she announced, flopping down on her bed. “It’s really amazing, Grace. Are you sure you don’t want to come out with me? Just to be a part of it all for a while?”
“No,” Grace said. She was too caught up in her worries to feel much like celebrating.
Skye looked over at her. “Listen, Grace...don’t give up hope yet, okay? There’s still a chance you’ll get claimed tomorrow. There are a lot of alphas. And I know you’re at the bottom of our class, but you’re really nice and really cute. Sometimes the guys pick girls who are lower down the list because they like other things about them.”
“I know that,” Grace said.
“Is it Jonah Jackson?” Skye said. “Are you upset because of your feelings for him?”
Grace sighed. She sat up and propped her elbows on her knees. “I need to talk to you about something, Skye,” she said.
Skye sat up too. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Kind of. Not exactly.” Grace steeled herself. “I haven’t been entirely honest with you about some things, and I really need to come clean before the ceremony tomorrow.”
“What things?” Skye asked.
“Things about Jonah Jackson,” Grace admitted.
Skye clapped her hand over her mouth. “You did sleep with him?”
“I—what?”
“That’s what Aubrey is telling people,” Skye said. “She was talking about it at one of the parties tonight. How you’d been trying to seduce Jonah, and how it was taking all his strength to resist you...I told her she was full of shit.”
She looked horrified. “Was she telling the truth?”
“She’s lying,” Grace said, and to her horror, she felt her eyes fill with tears. “I never tried to seduce him, Skye. I swear it. You have to believe me.”
“Hey, whoa, of course, I believe you,” Skye said. “If you say you didn’t, then you didn’t.”
“But...but we did sleep together,” Grace admitted quietly.
Skye’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
“It wasn’t like what Aubrey’s saying,” Grace said. “It was different than that. Better. It was real. He imprinted on me, Skye. He’s going to claim me at the ceremony tomorrow. We’re in love.”
“Grace...” Skye said.
Grace felt sick. “You don’t believe me,” she said. “You think I’m making it up.”
“I believe that you believe it,” Skye said. “But Grace...that’s not going to happen. You can’t fool yourself into thinking that. You’re going to get your heart broken.”
“It is going to happen,” Grace said stubbornly. “Why don’t you believe anyone could love me, Skye?”
“I do believe someone could,” she protested.
“But not him, right? Not someone that good.”
“I don’t...” Skye threw up her hands. “Grace, I don’t think Jonah Jackson would ever choose me either. I’m not saying anything about you or about what you deserve. I’m just saying...he’s the top alpha in our class. He’s going to claim Aubrey. Everyone knows this.”
“Everyone’s wrong,” Grace said. “I’m telling you, he and I have been meeting up for weeks. We have plans for what we’re going to do after graduation.”
“And he actually said he was going to claim you?” Skye asked. She still looked doubtful.
“Yes,” Grace said firmly. “We worried about it together. About how Aubrey might react. We know she’s expecting him to choose her. It’s going to enrage her when he picks me instead.”
“You’re really stressed out about this,” Skye realized.
“Well, yeah,” Grace said. “Wouldn’t you be?”
“Yes,” Skye said. “But that makes me think...”
“Think what?”
“That you’re right,” Skye said. “That it’s real. It doesn’t sound like a fantasy when you talk about it.”
Grace couldn’t help smiling. It was such a relief to be believed. “It’s not a fantasy,” she said. “It’s kind of a disaster. But it’s been amazing, too. In my wildest dreams, maybe I hoped someone would claim me, and that I would be able to start a life as part of a pack. I never imagined it would be someone I really loved.”
Skye jumped up from her bed, crossed the room in two quick strides, and flung her arms around Grace. “I’m so happy for you,” she said. “I always hoped it would happen for you.”
Grace leaned her head against her best friend’s shoulder. “What about you?” she asked.
“What about me?” Skye asked.
“Are you going to be claimed tomorrow?” Grace asked. She would have been devastated if, after everything, no one had called Skye’s name.
“I’m sure I will be,” Skye said. “My rank is good. My reputation is good. And I’m not too bad to look at, right?”
“Are you kidding?” Grace asked. “You’re the hottest omega in our class.”
Skye rolled her eyes. “Pure flattery,” she said. “But yes, I think someone’s probably going to choose me. I don’t know who it will be, but for me, that’s part of the adventure.”
“Sometimes I wish I could be more like you,” Grace admitted. “Excited to see what the future brings, no matter what it is.”
“You don’t need to be like that now that you have Jonah,” Skye said. “You know what your future’s going to look like, right?”
“Assuming we get through tomorrow,” Grace said. “You said yourself that Aubrey already suspects something’s up, even if she doesn’t know what it is. She’s probably told her brothers to be on the alert.”
“Have you warned Jonah about that?” Skye asked.
Grace nodded. “We’ve talked about it,” she said. “But there isn’t much we can do. I’m so afraid...” She swallowed hard, struggling to compose herself. “I’m afraid they’re going to attack him when he claims me.”
“In public?” Skye asked. “In front of all the professors? Do you really think they would?”
“I think that family will be furious about this,” Grace said. “They take their reputation so seriously. You know that. They’ll do anything to protect it. When they see their sister rejected in favor of me, they’re going to want to punish someone for it.”
“Jonah’s strong, isn’t he?” Skye asked. “A fighter?”
“Yes,” Grace said. “If it was a fair fight, one on one, I wouldn’t worry too much about his ability to defend himself. But it won’t be fair. Aubrey has a lot of brothers, and they’ll all come at him at once. And I’m sure the professors will get involved, break things up, but who knows what kind of damage they’ll have done by then? Jonah could be seriously hurt...” She trailed off, not daring to put her true fear into words. He could be killed.
It would destroy her if she lost him before they’d even had a chance to really be together.
Skye went to the little dorm refrigerator and pulled out a couple of beers.
Grace stared. “Where did you get those?” she asked. “We’re not supposed to drink beer.”
“I know that,” Skye said. “But it’s a special occasion. I’ve been saving them for a while. I snuck them home from the bonfire.” She handed one of the cans to Grace. “Come on. It’s our last night as unclaimed women. We need to commemorate it. And you need to let off a little steam. You’re going to give yourself a stroke if you don’t relax.”
Grace sighed. She accepted the beer Skye had taken out for her and cracked it open.
“Not too much,” Skye warned her. “You don’t usually drink—”
“I don’t ever drink.”
“And I don’t want you to be in bad shape for the ceremony tomorrow.”
Grace nodded. She took a slow sip of the beer. It was more bitter than she had expected, but after a few moments, the weight of her worries began to feel ever so slightly lessened.
Skye got up and went to the closet. “Let’s focus on the things we can control,” she said. “What are you going to wear tomorrow?”
“What am I going to wear?” Grace hadn’t even thought about it. Her concerns about Aubrey’s family had dominated her thoughts completely.
“This is your claiming ceremony,” Skye pointed out. “It’s one of the biggest days in an omega’s life. You’re going to want to remember what you were wearing for it.”
“I don’t know,” Grace admitted. “I guess I thought I’d just wear my yoga pants and a tank top.”
“Are you kidding?” Skye demanded. “You’re not going to dress up at all?”
“You know I don’t really have any nice clothes,” Grace pointed out. “I could wear a sundress, I suppose, but it would just be obvious how much less fancy I looked than the other girls. It’s probably better than I don’t try too hard.”
Skye shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “Come over here. We’ll find you something.”
Grace’s heart warmed. “Really? You’d loan me something?”
“For the claiming ceremony?” Skye shook her head. “Definitely not. The mating ceremony is right after the claiming, remember? Whatever I give you, there’s a decent chance you’ll still be wearing it for the mating. I don’t want it back after that. No, this is no loan. You’re keeping what I give you.”
“I can’t,” Grace said. “I can’t accept that.”
“Of course you can.” Skye turned away from her closet and looked Grace in the eye. “I know Aubrey’s been giving you hell. But I don’t want you to forget that you have people in your corner. And it’s not just Jonah. I support you too. I want you to go to the ceremony tomorrow knowing that someone cares about you.�
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She reached into her closet and pulled out a purple cocktail dress with the tags still on. Grace gasped.
“This would look amazing with your coloring,” Skye said.
“I can’t take that,” Grace protested. “You’ve never even worn it.”
“It’ll look much better on you than it would on me,” Skye said. “Besides...Aubrey is going to be saying and doing whatever she can to make you feel bad about yourself. You deserve to have something to wear that’s going to make you feel good.” She pressed the dress into Grace’s arms. “Please take it. I want you to.”
Grace accepted the dress. She held it up against herself and looked down, swallowing hard.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“Don’t thank me,” Skye said. “I should have been a better friend to you.”
“What are you talking about?” Grace was surprised. “You’ve been the best friend I could have asked for from the moment we got to school.”
“No, I haven’t,” Skye said. “I should have been better. I saw what you were going through—the others giving you a hard time—and I never put a stop to it.”
“You defended me,” Grace said. “There was only so much you could do.”
“And when I saw you falling in with Jonah Jackson, I just let it happen,” Skye said. “It turned out to be for the best, I guess, but it could have been something much worse than it was. And I didn’t try to put a stop to it.”
“You did try,” Grace said. “You advised me to stop seeing him. It’s not your fault I didn’t listen.” She smiled. “Besides, if I had, I’d never have found my mate. I wouldn’t be getting claimed tomorrow.”
“I promise I won’t let you down again,” Skye said. “Whatever happens tomorrow, I’m going to be right by your side. You can count on me.”
“No, Skye.” The smile vanished from Grace’s face. “You never let me down. And you can’t stay by my side tomorrow. If Aubrey’s brothers try something—”
“What? You think I’d stand back and let them attack my friend?”
“You have to,” Grace said. “You can’t get involved. I love you, and I love the fact that you’ve always stuck up for me. But there’s a big difference between defending me against Aubrey’s bullying and defending me against an actual physical attack. You could get hurt.”