Page 66 of The Omega Lesson

Lexi

Anything after a weekend like that has to be an anti-climax.

So, on Monday morning, when the pink is washed out of my hair, and the twin bite marks on my throat have lost their raw edge, I try not to sigh as I get ready for school. After a prolonged and highly erotic sniff test, the guys assure me I’m back to my familiar faint-but-fresh alpha scent. But I can tell they’re not really comfortable with me heading back to work. Now we’re bonded, and a pack in all ways bar the paperwork, it’s instinctive for them to want to lock the doors and burrow in deep. Unlike Ben, Jack doesn’t come right out and ask me to skip work, but I can feel his protective instincts exuding from his pores. He’s still alpha enough to want to keep me away from other alphas, but he has to settle for Mattie and Noah as my escorts.

“I won’t take any chances,” I assure him as we part ways in the carpark. He’s given us a lift in the van since he plans to spend the day in his lab, then pick us all up after school. “If I feel at all omega-ish, I’ll say I’m sick and go home.”

“Call me,” he insists, his fingers lingering on his bond mark under my high-collared navy blouse. “Whatever you need. A lift, or just to check in. I’ll keep my phone on, even if I’m in the library.”

“I will, but don’t stress. Just focus on doing some more of that important agricultural research.” I stop abruptly, as that scenario plays out in my mind. “Solitary research, I mean. No joint projects with hot co-eds.”

He smirks, then hugs us all before reluctantly driving off. As the guys fall into place on either side of me and we start walking up the path to the school, I can’t help but laugh. “Are you my sexy bookends, or my smouldering bodyguards?”

We spent all of yesterday renewing our bonds, and I didn’t think I had a drop of arousal left in my system, but thenhormones, meet my pack.

“Keep up the sass and I’llbookendyou,” Noah mutters, his hand sliding down to palm my arse. He’s been unusually sweet to me since we bonded, but I guess he’s now back to his old, sassy self.

“Don’t give him any ideas,” Mattie advises, his eyes sparkling as they roam over us. “Those breeches are so tight, his boner is going to give the other boys an inferiority complex.”

“Then my work here is done,” Noah smirks, not even trying to hide his bulge from a couple of wide-eyed juniors who are walking past.

I leave them at the foot of the steps to the English block, the smile still on my face as I enter my office. Robyn is sitting at our little desk, but she leaps to her feet as soon as she sees me. “I’ve been dying of curiosity all weekend! Where are those grubby details you promised me, you tease?”

“There’s not enough hours in the day to fill you in,” I reply, dropping my bag on my chair and popping the top button on my blouse with a coy smile. I pull the collar down in a slow reveal, so she can see Noah’s bonding mark on my neck. “Things kind of escalated over the weekend…”

“That’s so fabulous!” she squeals, pulling me in for a hug. “Please tell me that bite belongs to our sex-on-legs Master of Dressage.”

“This one does,” I admit, giving it a tender stroke before moving to the right side of my neck. “And this one is from his brother, Jackson.”

Robyn squeals again, and I grin. Since most people still believe their dad’s lie about Jack being an alpha, I don’t even have to explain the switch part. It’s something I will probably tell Robyn one day, but right now I just want to enjoy the feeling of belonging without a barrage of questions.

“I’m glad you took their bites,” Robyn tells me as she gives me another hug, then sits on the edge of our desk. “I don’t care if it’s just ceremonial, alphas marking alphas.” Her fingers touch her neck, right over her own bonding bites. “I love wearing a part of my mates on my skin. And of course, seeing their stamp on me drives them wild.”

We share a conspiratorial smirk, but it makes me wonder what she’d say if she saw my bonding ring. I left it in the safe at Noah’s, too paranoid to wear their cherished family heirloom to school. But I suddenly wish I could show it off. I don’t know if it’s the alpha or the omega in me, but I feel an almost overpowering urge to clamber up the bell tower and scream my news to the world.

While I’m lost in fantasyland, Robyn is gathering up her books for class. She’s almost at her door when she huffs and points to a pink sticky note on the side of our computer. “I almost forgot. Drummond stopped by looking for you. He said you had a meeting with him this morning to talk about your new arrangement. I hope that’s not what I think it is.”

I groan as reality comes barging back into my happy little bubble. “He cornered me at the Old Boys’ Dinner about being his apprentice or whatever. There’s no way in hell I’m doing it.”

“Ugh. That man is so sketchy,” she says with a shudder. “Maybe you should start flashing those Lyall bites around. It’s a sad but true statement that they’ll probably give you more protection at this school than anything.”

I huff. “That’s so messed up.”

But as I go about my day, teaching my classes and generally avoiding the Master of Discipline, I wonder how long it will be before we need to go public. The Lyall and Cliff names aren’t just stamped on some of the school buildings; anything they do is news. I blocked a lot of it out because of Travis, but the truth is, my pack are front page, screaming headlines, everybody-up-in-their-business news.

A reality that hits me in the face when Darren Fraser swaggers into my classroom just after lunch. “I don’t think I have a class with you today, Darren.”

“You don’t. This is your free period, right?”

It is, but I just raise my brows at him. Like a lot of the more entitled alphas at the school, Darren has a way of making me feel small. It pisses me off, so I’ve perfected the art of the cool, silent stare in his presence. But instead of making him uncomfortable, he grins and crosses the room, his knuckles rapping on the chair backs as he saunters past. He finally comes to a halt a couple of rows back and leans against the nearest desk. “You should know, there’s a lot of talk going around about you, Miss Novak.” His eyes sparkle with something unpleasant. “Is it true you won’t be with us much longer?”

I fold my arms over my chest and try to keep my expression unaffected. “Why would you ask that?”

“Let’s just say, my dad has a lot of influence with Miller, and he’s really keen to see me get perfect grades.” He flashes white teeth at me. “All those pesky Cs you keep giving me have unfortunately brought you to his attention.”

A bit of the tension goes out of me. “I’m sorry if your dad is disappointed, Darren, but you get the grade you deserve. Work harder, and you might improve your results in my class.”

He smiles as he studies his knuckles. “Well, I could pass that message along to my dad, but he’s not a very understanding guy. I think it’s probably better if we work it out ourselves.”

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