CHAPTER 23: _ TO REJECT MY MATES

Something that might get them both in detention? Hell, Heid wants no part of such.

Her forehead creases as she blurts out in wonder. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Junie skips ahead a few steps, then turns with a sunny smile. "You didn’t ask how I have two uniforms."

Heidi dims her eyes, distracted from the sticky wetness of her earlier tears. Her cheeks are still tight from dried salt, and the aching in her chest where the bond with Darien strains like an invisible leash hasn’t eased. But Junie’s tone is bright and mischievous, like a child with a juicy secret.

"You’re right," Heidi says slowly. "How do you have two? I thought the school only gave us one."

"They did. But I snuck another one out during orientation yesterday. You know... just in case." She winks and begins walking again.

Just in case? She means she stole it or what? Heidi can’t help but wonder.

They fall into pace together, the halls around them echoing with the shuffle of shoes and nervous whispers. Surrounding them are Omegas like them, most clinging to schedules in quavering fingers. They are easy to spot. After all, most of their shoulders are hunched and their eyes are darting. Their brand-new uniforms are still stiff at the seams and smell of starch.

In contrast, the seniors strut. They don’t walk with swagger and dominance. Some even wear their uniforms lazily: collars open, sleeves rolled, skirts hiked a little too high, boots scuffed like they’ve stomped through a dozen submissives and still haven’t had enough. One senior shoves an omega boy aside with a laugh that reeks of cruel entertainment.

"Watch it, fresh meat," he sneers. The boy stumbles, face flushing, and Junie winces.

"You see that?" she mutters. "Toxic."

Heidi nods grimly. Her stomach tightens. "This place is more rotten than they told us."

Junie hums in agreement. "Anyway, back to the important stuff. The uniforms."

"You got it from the changing room?" Heidi asks, brows drawing down.

"Yeah! There was a whole pile of extras shoved in one of the corner bins. I guess I just got lucky no one else saw."

Heidi frowns. "I didn’t see any extras yesterday."

Junie shrugs, her bounce never leaving her step. "Maybe someone took them all before you came in. That’s why I didn’t wait. Saw it, took it. Easy."

"I don’t know..." Heidi rubs the back of her neck. "I hope it doesn’t get you in trouble."

Junie scoffs. "This school? Please. If they didn’t want us to take extras, why leave them out in the open? Besides, with the way they treat omegas here, I doubt they give a flying squirrel’s tail."

Heidi laughs softly despite herself. "A flying squirrel’s tail?"

"It’s a thing," Junie insists with a grin. "My grandma used to say it."

Their shoes squeak slightly against the floors as they turn a corner and reach their designated classroom. A black metal sign with silver inlaid lettering reads Omega Cohort - Level One. Junie pushes open the door like she’s been doing this for years.

Inside, the classroom is nothing like the dingy rooms of her past schools. The walls are lined with dark wood panels. Wide windows let in slashes of blue-gray light filtered through the high canopy trees that surround Duskwind.

Heidi inhales sharply. Such luxury for a chance to get killed and forgotten in the cruel hierarchy of Duskwind. She continues to take in her surroundings.

Desks stretch in neat rows and each had a screen embedded into the surface. A few omegas are already seated, hunched like they’re trying to vanish into the furniture. Others trickle in, whispering nervously, some looking over their shoulders like they expect to be pounced on. Heidi can’t blame the fear in the air or the murmur of unease everywhere.

She stands just inside the door, frozen. This is it. This is where it begins... or ends.

She clenches her fists at her sides. No. No ending. Not for her.

I will be the best, she tells herself. Like always. Just like in the human world. This place won’t break me.

Her eyes scan for an empty seat. Junie nudges her forward, and they move toward a row near the center, not too close to the front but not hidden in the back either. Strategic and safe.

As soon as she lowers into her seat, the desk lights up. A glowing prompt reads:

Welcome, Heidi Grace Castell. Please confirm your identity.

She taps the confirmation box with an unsure finger. Her name glows briefly, then fades into the default screen. Junie gives her a thumbs-up beside her.

Before Heidi can exhale, a loud voice from the back breaks the hush:

"Oi! Comport yourselves! The Witch of Duskwind approaches!"

That causes the omegas to erupt in laughter. Movement follows as students scramble to sit up straighter, shove bags beneath desks, and fix collars.

The Witch of Duskwind?

Finally, something good is about to happen, Heidi heaves a sigh of relief. Ms. Vesper told them she was the one in charge of Mate and Bonding Relations, a subject that, on paper, sounded halfway useful in a school where relationships could either make you or maim you.

Heidi adjusts her collar and sits a little straighter. Finally, a class that might actually help her survive the Alphas. The only thing she wants to know is if she’s allowed to reject her mates, especially if they are four.

If she gets an affirmative answer, she would damn well barge into that private study and yell at the top of her voice, telling Darien fucking Bellamy that she will suck on his dick before ever accepting him as a mate.

And then, she will proudly sit and await his awful brothers. One by one, she would slap their faces with notes of her rejection. Oh, she bet the look on the Alphas who think they are above rejection and resistance would be beyond priceless when some they consider an ordinary filthy omega rejects their asses.

SHE WILL BE THAT GIRL. The first of her kind.