Page 166 of Broken Omega

“Thanks for doing this,” Kellan tells her. “I didn’t know anyone else we could ask.”

“No problem,” Lana says, bright and cheerful as ever.

I can’t help but feel a little lighter just being around her.

Considering we really don’t know what we’re walking into, I’ll take any positives I can get.

“What’s the new administrator like?” I ask.

“She’s older,” Lana says. “Like really a lot older. Apparently, they weren’t taking any chances after Edith messed up and disappeared. They went and called Marissa Sawyer, Geraldine’s mother.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Didn’t I read somewhere that she was the administrator when Goldcrest started up?” Kellan asks.

“Sounds about right. She’s not the most fun to be around from what I’ve seen so far.”

Shit.I exchange a look with Kellan. Geraldine was strict enough. I’m not looking forward to finding out how much worse her mother is. Edith would have been pissed, but on some level it would have looked good for her that we came back. Who the hell knows how Marissa Sawyer will take it?

“How do you think she’ll react to us showing up like this?” Kellan asks, while I start to panic internally.

Lana shrugs. “Honestly, I don’t know her too well.”

“You think she’ll let us claim each other?” he asks.

“Probably,” Lana says, shrugging again when Kellan glares at her. “She’s a bit of a wild card, K. Going by the rules her daughter set in place, I’d say yes. She’ll insist on the proper procedures being followed, but she’ll likely allow it. When all is said and done, it looks better to let a match happen. She might call your dad though, Brooke. I overheard her arranging meetings with the fathers of the Omegas who were at that dinner on Friday night. I think she intends to assure them their daughters are safe despite what Edith allowed to happen.”

“Great,” I say, playing the part of father-hating-daughter.

Kellan gives me a look. Clearly, he’s closer to Lana than I am.

It wouldn’t take much to be closer to her, really. I only talk with Lana about superficial nonsense, because I can’t completely be myself around her. She works at the place that’s been like a prison to me. She has an entirely different experience of what it’s like there.

The slow crawl drive out of the center of the city starts to drive me mad.

I don’t like that we’ll have a new administrator to deal with, but the plan is what it is.

I can’t break free of these people without dealing with them.

It’s ridiculous considering I’m legally an adult. My Omega status legally requires me to be in the care of a mate, or an academy. Well, I’m wearing Kellan’s mark. He’s my mate.

She can’t force me to stay.

My father probably could.

He might in fact do just that.

Force me to stay at the academy until he can arrive and give me another brainwashing session.

He can do his worst. It’ll only give my other mates the time they need to gather evidence.

His psychotic ass will be behind bars before I’m forced to give him the proof he wants for his clients.

I barely notice the city disappearing as Lana takes the road that leads out to the academy.

The car stops a few feet before the trail into Goldcrest’s grounds begins.

“First camera’s on the streetlamp by the open gates,” she says. “Security’s probably been increased since the incidents, so I’d expect some guards to receive you before you get near either entrance.”

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