Page 17 of Beta Lies and Cursed Lives
Two hours. For two heart-pounding, sweat-inducing hours, I spar with the Omega. Every move she makes flings her delicious scent right up my nose, the battle to keep my dick limp just as difficult as keeping from sinking my teeth into her flesh. The beast inside me growls with approval every time she moves. When she finally sends me to the mat, it coaxes me to perform a reversal and flip us over so my body grinds hers into the mat, but I refuse to do it.
I could never.
Fighting the beast’s desires becomes more and more difficult with every reset of our stances until a wild thought races through my brain. A way to put an end to this madness, ensure this Omega stays far away from me.
As the beast inside me roars in protest, I send my fist to the Omega’s gut, knocking the wind from her before she drops to the mat in a heap.
“Modumo!” Yarr shouts, anger evident. “What the fuck are you doing? Hit the showers!”
Breath heaving, I walk to the locker room, not looking back, no matter how much I yearn to.
I can never have her. My desire puts our lives in danger.
It’s better she hates me.
Colton
“It’sbeenafewmonths since you needed to go into solitary. How have you been feeling?”
You know exactly how I’m feeling, you empath douche.
Andrew Laurant, Headmaster and academy counselor, is the bane of my existence. He makes me do things likeshare my feelingsandexpress myself.It doesn’t matter if I want to or not. I’d rather be in lockup than have to talk to someone about my life, or my curse.
But I don’t have any control over said-life, such as it is.
So here I am. Thanks a lot, Mom and Dad.
“Fine,” I say, stretching my legs out in front of me as I lean back on the couch. It’s actually comfortable. Maybe more comfortable than my mattress.
Laurant sighs. “Look, Colton, I know you don’t want to be here. I don’t need to use my curse to see that; you make it painfully obvious.”
I let out a snort.
“But you have a problem that will never go away. You’ve been in the system for eight years, and you still have instances of overload. Have you even tried the exercises I’ve suggested?”
I tried them. I’ve tried every single thing he and all the shrinks in the loony-bin told me to, and nothing has ever worked. Even now, when Laurant and I are the only ones on the entire floor his office is on, thoughts that don’t belong to me whisper in my mind.
Laurant’s: “He may never get this under control. Then where will that leave me?”
Random people in classes throughout the academy:
“Universe, her hair looks so ridiculous.”
“I miss my mom…”
“I’m gonna bash that dickhead’s teeth in.”
“It’s better she hates me.”
That last one...that was Aubrey. He and I arrived around the same time and were paired up in our dorm when we were of age to leave the juvie campus. I’d recognize his inner voice anywhere. It’s the only place I’ve ever heard his voice.
Then a voice rings clear in my mind, familiar, but I can’t place it. Male.
“If they head any further north, they’re going to find them.”
Laurant clears his throat, and I let out a frustrated sigh. “Nothing works,” I relent. “I’ve tried it all. The only time I don’t hear others’ thoughts is when I’m drugged up to sleep. I can barely concentrate in large classes—”
“Which is why we ensured you were in the smallest classes possible,” he cuts in.
