Page 14 of The Omega Lesson

I’m close enough to the back door to see Jackson Lyall’s pale face peering in at me. The headmaster is still droning on about the world being like a football stadium, so no one takes any notice as I head over to him. “Jackson? Are you okay?” He’s already shaking his head, and his scent hits me like a punch to the gut. Anger, disappointment, and self-loathing are coming off him in equal measure. “What’s going on? Is Travis with you?”

“You met Travis?”

I just nod, because I don’t like the way he’s wavering on his feet. “Do you want me to find him for you?”

But he’s already backing away from the door. “I thought I could go in there, but…” He swallows hard and tucks his hands under his arms. “Can you… step outside with me for a bit?”

“Of course.” I tuck my notebook in my purse and join him, disturbed by the sheer relief I can see in his eyes. He looks amazing in a midnight blue tux, his dark hair curling over his collar, but his face is unusually pale. “Do you want to sit down somewhere?”

“Can you come back to the car with me? I left my phone, and I want to text Ben.” I wonder if I should just go inside and get him, but Jackson has already turned around and is stumbling away through the dark. I hurry after him, grateful for my sensible heels as we cross the carpark. It’s overflowing with luxury vehicles, but Jackson leads me over to a black limousine tucked away in the corner. The windows are tinted so dark I can’t see in, but he shoots me a small smile as he pulls the door open. “I promise I’m not abducting you, Lexi.”

I cock an amused brow as I climb in behind him and settle my purse on the floor. “That’s a relief. I was wondering if the blacked-out windows were a bad sign.”

He chuckles, but the sound feels forced, and as soon as the door is shut, he leans back and closes his eyes. I let my eyes drift around the car to give him a moment to compose himself. The last limo I was in was the cheap chop job Richard hired for our bonding ceremony. But this is a proper luxury stretch, with buttery leather seats and an entire bar in the corner. I glance at a bottle of champagne chilling in the ice bucket – Dom Pérignon, no less. My stomach gurgles, but Jackson gives a groan and reaches for the bottle. “Great idea. If there was ever time for a drink…”

He pops the cork after a bit of a struggle, the foamy drink dripping on the floor as he fills two glasses. I know I shouldn’t be drinking while I’m working, but his hands are trembling so badly, I’m scared to refuse. We clink them together, but he barely takes a sip before he sets it down. “I really thought I could just walk in there and gut it out. But I guess some shit is just impossible to shake.” He sighs again, his midnight eyes swirling with shadows as he leans his head back. “I was pulled out of Prendiville when I was sixteen.”

Now I’m even more confused. It must have been something big to get a student as high-profile as a Lyall kicked out. But then, wouldn’t it be common knowledge at the academy? There’s no rumour mill as vicious as a school staffroom, but I’ve been here six months, and never heard so much as a whisper of a scandal.

But then a few things suddenly come together in my mind. Jack’s sweet scent, the graceful way he moves, the undeniable allure in his dark eyes… Not to mention that strange dynamic between Ben and his brother back in the hall. “You’re not an alpha, are you?”

Jack makes a pained sound in the back of his throat. “Mmmm. The Lyall family’s big, dark secret is that I’m an omega. My dad didn’t want anyone to know, so he had me smuggled out of here in the middle of the night. It wasn’t pretty… and a couple of kids got hurt. He paid them off, of course, and as soon as I got out of the private clinic, he put me on suppression medication and sent me overseas.” He gives me a sad little smile. “And I’ve been living a lie for the last decade.”

“I’m sorry,” I tell him, reaching for his hand. His fingers are cold and I immediately lift them to my lips. I don’t even think about it; I just need to chase away those shadows with a little bit of warmth. “I won’t tell anyone. Your secret’s safe, I promise.”

“It’s okay. I’ve decided to come out, I guess.” He gives me a rueful shrug. “Or that’s what I was trying to do tonight, but I don’t think I can. I could smell all those alphas from across the carpark…”

I sink back into the seat. I mean, I dosed myself in a descenter before I came out, but Travis could still smell Mattie on me... I must reek of alpha pheromones right now. “Shit, I didn’t think…”

“No, no.” He squeezes my hand, then flattens out my fingers until I can feel his thudding heart though his jacket. “I didn’t mean you, Lexi. It’s just, I stupidly chose this week to stop my meds. First time in years I haven’t taken suppressants and now I’m feeling…everything.”

Everything.The word floats in the heavy air between us, and I lick my dry lips. “But you’re okay? It’s not making you sick?”

There’s plenty of evidence that heavy and prolonged use of suppressants can be harmful, and my protective instincts immediately kick into gear. I don’t care how rich or powerful his parents are; they deserve to be throat-punched for putting him through that. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

His dark eyes flick back to my mouth. “The doctor I saw in London said I might be a little loopy the next few days, so I guess that’s what this is. I mean, I’m not expecting to go into heat or anything, but you never know…”

Jesus. “Have you had a heat before?” As soon as the question is out of my mouth, I want to bite it back. Jack’s been through enough without my prying. “I’m sorry. That’s really personal. And none of my business.”

“France, a few years ago,” he says, waving off my apology. “It came on while I was at a festival. Ben and I were sharing a poky little tent in the campground, and I thought it was just the sex, drugs, and rock n roll in the air…” He smirks, but his eyes are still fixed on my mouth. “He whisked me off to a luxury suite in Paris and we spent three days fucking like our lives depended on it.”

Oh, my God. Forget drugs and rock n roll. The air is suddenly thick with lust.

I try to swallow it away, but Jack reaches out, his fingers brushing my mouth. They smell like champagne and chocolate-coated honeycomb, which is why I groan as his thumb eases between my lips. It has nothing to do with the way my nipples are tightening as he scoots closer to me on the seat. “You ever been with an omega, Lexi?”

“No,” I whisper, my thighs clenching at the thought. Alpha females aren’t as fertile as omegas, but nature has given us a couple of biological perks. Like the additional ridge of muscle below the cervix. It locks a penetrating penis in place, milking it of every drop of its sperm, while also providing a supposedly mind-blowing massage. Not something I know a lot about, since Richard is an alpha, and was usually too focused on restraining his knot to make use of my lock. Alpha females can take a knot just fine, but it’s a bit like having a padlock on a vault. Redundant. Or, at least, that’s how Richard explained it.

“I don’t think I know any male omegas.”

“I barely know one myself,” he whispers, his thumb trailing over my lips. “But I want to find out who I am, Lexi. I want to feel like a normal person for a change. And I really want to fucking kiss you.”

I suck in a breath that’s almost painful. “Is that what this is? An alpha and omega thing? Because I feel kind of loopy myself.”

“I have no idea,” he murmurs, his thumb skimming my throat to circle my pulse. “But I was thinking about you all night. Even when Ben was dick-deep in me, I could smell you. Like vanilla and jasmine.”

I shudder, my nails digging into the back of his hand. I’m trying really hard not to give into the heat building under my skin, but all I can see is Jack’s back arching as Ben drives deep inside him. “Have you… have you been together a while?”

“Since forever. Long distance mostly, but that’s over now.” I could drown in his eyes as he grips the side of my neck and leans in to lick my pulse. My head spins, the rasp of his tongue like an electric charge down my spine. “It’s time to fix this. I need to be myself… and Ben deserves a pack.”

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