Page 47 of Want It All
Rose was still frowning at her phone, so I clicked to view her grades.
Fifty-two.
I frowned at my screen.There’s no way.
‘You okay?’ Byron murmured to her.
I looked up in time to catch Rose forcing a smile. ‘All good,’ she said with false cheeriness. ‘It isn’t what I wanted, but it’s not too bad.’
Curiosity got the better of me. I clicked into the learning system, then brought up Rose’s essay and comments.
Weak argument. Awkward phrasing. Poorly supported. Needs fleshing out. Citation?
I read her essay. I picked up my coffee cup, drained it, then read it again.
It was no different to mine. We’d used the same sources and had similar arguments. I’d used one extra source to support oneof my points, but her writing was stronger. She didn’tneedthe extra source to demonstrate her hypothesis.
In no world was it an essay that deserved a barely-pass mark.
Anger simmered low in my stomach. I checked James’ essay, then Alessia’s. Their marks were undeservedly low, too, though not as low as Rose’s.
Heathcote was still targeting them. Sebastian had escaped because Heathcote knew I’d speak up if I noticed anything unfair about his grades.
But the others didn’t have the benefit of an alpha’s public protection.
I was so angry my vision blurred, wisps of white creeping into the edges of my perception as a rut threatened to break through my suppressants. I inhaled and exhaled slowly, forcing myself to be calm. When I could blink away the white, I clicked back into Rose’s essay and re-read Heathcote’s parting shot.
You should seriously consider whether you deserve your place here.
I should have been celebrating. That mark would knock Rose out of consideration for any award; the threat to Sebastian would be gone.
This was what I’dwanted.
Wasn’t it?
IwantedSebastian to get whathewanted. I wanted him to get the prize he coveted. But I’d imagined him getting it through well-deserved marks and my own influence, not because a bigoted professor committed academic misconduct.
This could lead to the result I’d wanted, but it wasn’tright.
I caught Byron’s eye and stood. ‘There’s something I need to do.’
He glanced at Sebastian and nodded. He might have hated me, but he knew what I was asking. He’d stay close to Sebastian until I got back.
I kissed the top of my omega’s head. ‘I just remembered something. Stay with Rose, handsome,’ I murmured, too softly for her to hear. ‘Get her a hot drink, yeah? Something sweet.’
Sebastian frowned at me, but nodded. I pressed one last kiss to his hair and strode from the dining hall, my hands curled into fists at my side.
Banksia’s administration office was on the ground floor in the south wing, next to a cavernous room that held two grand pianos. The office was much smaller, with a window at the front for students.
The woman working closest to the window looked to be in her mid-thirties, blonde-haired and blue-eyed with curls even wilder than my own escaping her bun. She was wearing so much scent canceller that my nose prickled, and she had a quiet command that screamedalpha. When she caught my eye, she gave me a warm smile. ‘Hi there. What can we do for you?’
‘I need some advice.’
‘Of course.’
I lowered my voice. ‘Anonymous marking is SECU policy, right? And it’s not any different at Banksia? I need to know what to do if I suspect a teacher isn’t doing it.’
Her smile dropped. She studied my face, her expression serious. ‘Do you have evidence to support your suspicion?’
