Page 29 of Defiant Beta

And I know I’ve lost her.

I came here thinking if I could get even one omega to leave this gilded cage, I’d have succeeded in my mission, and I failed.

Utterly.

“Sure. I’ll be right there.”

She eyes me warily. “You won’t set anymore fires, will you?” She lowers her voice. “I won’t tell anyone, but I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

“I won’t set anymore fires,” I promise.

She enters the cottage, and I wait a couple of minutes before turning away from the entrance.

The campus is quiet this afternoon. Classes are over. We’ve all eaten our last meal of the day. Teachers had stood around the dining room watching us to ensure we came directly to thecottages. Even if I’d wanted to sneak away and set something on fire, there would be no point.

Professor Vincent was watching me as I crossed the quad to get to one of my classes. I looked into his cold steel-gray eyes and I knew he meant what he said.

If he finds me here tomorrow, hewillexpose me.

The time to go is now. The time to sneak back in again is in a couple of days. Maybe not as a student this time. I could try to get in as a gardener or a cleaner. A position that means I wouldn’t run into him.

Once I confirm the coast is clear, I circle around the cottage and dash from tree to tree along the gravel path that leads to the front gate.

Aside from a couple of gardeners in the distance busy with their work, I don’t see anyone. The weather is getting a bit cool for a short-sleeved white shirt, but my black socks are long, even if my skirt is barely knee high.

I don’t have any cash, but once I’m off campus, I’ll find a cab to take me to the Pack Ashe mansion. Everleigh might have questions about my uniform, but I’ll figure out a way of throwing her off the scent of what I’ve been up to.

The hair on the back of my neck rises as I approach the front gates, and I whip around, expecting Ms. Arkwright to tackle me. She seems the type to kick off her shoes and chase down any omega who tried to escape.

No one.

But I hesitate, sensing someoneisthere.

Seconds, then minutes, tick by. The only movement is the leaves swaying in a gentle evening wind. I tell myself to stop being paranoid andgo.

I continue creeping toward the front gate. I don’t remember seeing any cameras when I arrived, except for the one above thekeypad to call the school. It faces outward from the gate, so no one will know what I’m doing until I’ve made my escape.

I stand at the bottom of the iron gate, and I look up.

“I don’t remember it being so tall,” I mutter.

And I’m short. Five foot three.

That gate has to be eight or nine feet tall.

Everleigh got over Lawrence Wentworth's hedge when she ran from him. She had three alphas to help her, and I have no such help, nor would I want it.

It will take a lot more than an eight-foot hedge to defeat Della Jackson.

“Stop talking to yourself in third person,” I mutter to myself. “You sound insane.”

I stiffen my spine, and peer over my shoulder to make sure I truly am still alone, then I walk up to the gate.

It’s messy.

I hate to think there are any hidden cameras or people around because I sure as hell flash my panties to everyone in the vicinity. I rip my skirt, nearly skewer myself on a spike at the top of the gate, and get my leg caught on the other side of the fence when I wedge my foot in and can’t get it out.

I hang upside down, fighting to yank my trapped leg free and cursing the stupidly hot math professor for this ridiculous mess I’m in.

---