It was bad. Very bad.
The morning hadn't gone as planned because, at the first break of dawn, soldiers surrounded the building we were in.
I had thought it was the end—perched against a wall, on one of their beds, ready to be dragged back to my father. But Sett had taken one look out the window and grinned.
And in the next hour, we were standing before the entrance of a ginormous metal gate, in a line, waiting for our turn to flash our acceptance letters before the officials guarding the gates.
"Keep your head high, Red. And could you quit pinching your hair?" Levi murmured behind me.
I dropped my hand immediately, taking a step forward, my grip on my acceptance letter tightening. My legs were still shaking.
To escape the soldier wolves, we had jumped out of a back window, landing on a trampoline. The only reason I hadn't fainted was because I could feel Sett's eyes on me.
"Keep your hands off your hair, Red. I won't say it again."
Okay, this was frustrating. I caught my reflection in a nearby mirror—the ends of my now short hair were uneven, showing off the sharp angles of my face. It looked nice, for a job done under an hour.
Then there was the chest wrap, beneath my clothes. Cutting into my skin.
The official, dressed in dark blue overalls, snatched my letter, looking at the rumpled sheet with disbelief. "Well, aren't you the lankiest boy I ever saw."
I kept my eyes blank.
The official laughed as he read further. "Gold light? You sure we wouldn't go over that test again?"
"You wouldn't say that when your nose kisses the dust."
That cleared the smile off his face as fast as lightning. Then he shrugged. "That confidence does pass." And stamping my letter, he stepped aside so I could pass.
Two steps in, someone grabbed my hand. I turned, and it was the official. Despite myself, my heart began to thud.
"Your belongings haven't been searched."
The color drained from my face. The small black bag hanging over my right shoulder was given to me by Caspian. In it were pills for different reasons:
—Heat repression.
—Scent concealment.
—And hormonal suppressions.
All in one bundle—the renowned Veilspire drug, that could only be gotten by Alphas and Betas from the chemist to aid their Omega partners.
Omegas could only get it illegally, which was often a more expensive and riskier route to encourage them to get partnered as soon as possible.
Which was why Caspian had filled the small bag to the brim and pushed it into my hands with a warning: "Once every forty-eight hours, alright?"
But I wasn't even in the gate yet, and I was about to be caught. No one told me about a search. I swallowed hard.
"The bag," I repeated.
The official's brows knitted. "Yes, the bag. You're not deaf, are you? Now just..." He reached for the bag, "hand it over for a quick—"
But as soon as his finger grazed the handle, the sound of a thud echoed behind him. We both turned to find Levi on Sett, actively strangling him and swearing at the top of his voice.
"How dare you take my shit, you son of a—"
My mouth dropped. Fighting? Not exactly fighting. Sett looked more annoyed than pained, not even lifting a finger to get Levi off him—which he could've easily done.
What was going on...?
"Hey! Stop fighting! Can you hear me?" The official left me, dashing toward them, and yanking Levi off Sett. But Levi didn't budge, yanking Sett's hair along.
Why?
And there I caught Pierre's eyes. They widened at me as he mouthed, Get yourself in right now.
Oh. I thought, as it all crashed on me. So with one last look at Levi still scrambling for Sett, even as two officials held him down, I raced in, grinning to myself.
***
Numerous jets left that morning, and we were part of them, with Pierre strapped in next to me, my bag hidden behind him as he stared out the window.
He didn't speak much, did he? Yet I could feel his warmth. The last time I had seen Levi and Sett, they had still been bickering.
"Your brother said you are running from a scandal," Pierre murmured.
I turned slowly to be met with the side of his face. "I don't care about the scandal," I replied.
He smiled. "I thought so. You seem to be getting off on the highs. Not so typical for anyone who's on the run."
I opened my mouth, then shut it again, staring at my fidgeting fingers in my lap. It was better than hearing him laugh when I told him my real plan was to prove myself.
"You know," Pierre spoke after a long minute of silence, "I like a good 'fuck you' when I see one."
I grinned, turning to find him looking at me with a smug, raised brow. "Keep doing that and you'll be in that bag getting Alphanapped."
There was silence, then Pierre wrapped his hand around his red locket and shut his eyes. "Sorry, Red. Taken."
"Sikes. Always the nerds." I feigned annoyance.
He laughed.
At the far end of the jet, Levi and Sett were still bickering—and Sett just twerked Levi so hard against the back of his head.
So like Pierre, I closed my eyes, missing Caspian. And as much as I didn't want to admit it… my father.