Page 75 of For What It's Worth
And then Catherine Braker and her mate left.
I snuggled into Addie, needing his warmth and comforting scent. Jenson took the seat I’d left, and Enzo made his way over with two plates.
“Here you go, Orsetta.” Enzo handed me one plate before sitting on the coffee table in front of us. Then he pulled out his phone, already opened to the article Catherine mentioned, named, Beta Student Breaks Social Norms and Claims an Alpha Pack for Herself.
The article did more than quote students who saw me with Jen and Aidan, but also the female students from Jen’s class talking about how they’d never been against designations mixing before but now their beloved teacher refused to help them because of my apparent ‘raging jealousy’. The worst part wasn’t even the inclusion of my name and the name of my alphas, but the end, letting the reader know the author would be following the beta’s journey at the academy.
“Eat up, Koda bear,” Enzo said. “You’ll need your strength for this conversation.”
Aidan and Jen grabbed their own portions while Enzo and I ate in silence. The lasagna was good. A different shade of yellow than what usually comes out of the box, but I was guessing it was homemade. I tried to enjoy it since Enzo had spent a lot of time and energy making it just for me, but the more I ate, the higher my anxiety rose until I finally took my last bite, and I couldn’t stop the words from immediately coming out. “What does this mean?”
My alphas shared a look. They didn’t know. We wouldn’t know until we got into the fray tomorrow.
Chapter Thirty
For the first time, ever, I was actually awake before the sun rose. Not just up and getting dressed—but wide-awake. Although, that was putting it generously, seeing as I didn’t sleep a wink last night.
After dinner, Jen received an email from the chancellor with the link to the article and a comment stating any protests would be met with my expulsion.
And that was it. All my hard work. My years of schooling put into the hands of strangers.
My alphas talked with me into the night, trying to apologize for whatever perceived guilt they had, but I’d put an end to that real quick. My admission to Braker Academy had been on the rocks several times, but my alphas hadn’t done anything wrong.
The only good news was the article had clearly called me a beta. Braker Academy had been a dream come true, but if I had to leave the school, my true designation was still a secret.
All of my alphas were joining me on the ride to the academy this morning. This had always been the plan, but the car was silent with tension. Aidan was in the back seat with me today, occasionally bumping my shoulder to remind me to drink my coffee. I thought he needed the normalcy from me, so I obliged each time.
As we pulled into the professor designated parking lot, Chancellor Kelly was already waiting for us.
I sucked in a breath, feeling the tears forming before Jen had even parked the car. I felt more than saw Aidan unbuckling my seatbelt and pulling me onto his lap. The scent of angry alphas quickly perfumed the car, but I couldn’t focus on calming them down with my heart breaking.
It was all lies. Lies that I could survive being kicked out of the academy. I sobbed against Aidan. I wanted to go home but was unable to get the words out through the hiccups.
“I got it,” Enzo growled before he left the car, slamming the door behind him.
The tears came harder now that one of my alphas was walking away. My hands shook even as Aidan gently rocked me back and forth. Both he and Jen were purring, but there was nothing to do but let it out. Let out the sorrow and my dreams.
The car door opened, but instead of the passenger seat, it was Aidan’s door. I couldn’t actually see through the tears, but I would have known the brown blob in front of me anywhere.
“C’mon, Orsetta, I need you to calm down enough to listen to me. Can you do that for me? For us? Can you be a strong girl right now?”
“Let’s just leave,” Aidan said. His voice was calm even if his words were anything but.
“No, Kelly was adamant about talking to her,” Enzo said. “Can I carry you, Orsetta?”
I didn’t want to leave the car. Or have Kelly see me like that. Or go wherever he wanted. But I couldn’t get the tears to stop, my nose to stop dripping snot, or lift my tongue to speak. So, I just reached my hands out and let Enzo pick me up. Wrapping my legs around him as best I could, I tuck my head into his chest, trying to quiet my sobs.
Two car doors slammed shut, and then Aidan and Jen joined us.
“What is this about?” Jenson demanded.
I thought he was asking Enzo, but it was a female voice I recognized that responds. “Tell the poor beta to dry her tears.”
It wasn’t the words themselves that put a pause to my sobs but the gentle tone. When I finally managed to control myself—wishing I had tissues—I looked up. My cheeks were definitely splotchy, my eyes red, and I didn’t even want to discuss my nose, but I managed to make eye contact with Anne—Chancellor Kelly’s secretary.
“Are you all ready?” Anne asked. The beta could barely contain herself, bouncing on her toes, but she did give me a sympathetic smile before bringing her pink thermos to her lips.
“For what?” I croaked. I didn’t think I could handle a formal announcement I’d been removed. I’d prefer an email.