"Why do I have to be fucking partners with that tiny goddamn prick?!" If looks could have killed, the professor would have fallen over dead. Though all I've ever seen on his face is an angry scowl, so what's new about this? I didn't ask to be your partner either. You'll probably end up sending me to the student medical ward. Not that I couldn't heal myself, but my unconscious body will probably end up there. Why was he so dang scary? Actually, the real question is, why did I let the counselor convince me to take this class?! I wasn't combat class material! I wanted to stay as humanly far away from alphas like him, but the professor just had to pair him with me.
Who was he? Only the biggest, most intimidating alpha on campus. His name is Ronak or Lord Ronak if you want to be respectful, and he's the son of one of the four dukes who help to rule the Draedor Empire. He has perfectly styled hair that's usually kept in a side part and is darker than the night. The worst part is, he has red eyes that'll shake you to your core when he glares at you. I'd hate to see those eyes in the dead of night.
"P-professor, there must be a better pairing you could make." I tried saying with a polite smile on my face. The professor, however, remained stern as he looked at me. Dang it! I know I'm the son of a lowly lord, not meant to be attending this magic academy, but you didn't need to throw me to the biggest wolf on campus! He's going to kill me!
"I paired you two for this exercise because your abilities pair well together. Technically, they're polar opposites, but that means you two will have an opportunity to grow." B-but, professor! The only thing growing is the concern for my life! "You will just have to get along. I know you can do it, Micha." Why me? Why not tell the growling alpha behind me to be nice?! Don't tell me you're intimidated by him too!
I gave up and plastered a smile on my face. "Y-yes, sir. I will accept this opportunity to grow." I was completely dying on the inside. Terra, please come to my funeral- "Eep!" As I turned around, I ended up getting a face-full of Ronak's chest. Gah! "I-I'm sorry!" I yelped as I backed up. Dang, why is he so tall? I had to crane my neck just to look up at him. I was maybe a head or two shorter than him? Why did he have to have such a broad and muscular chest? He almost broke my nose.
"Shut up." He snapped while glaring down at me with those eyes that could pierce through your soul.
"S-shall we go practice?" I asked while trying not to accidentally shiver in fear.
"I said shut up. You're so fucking weak, I could end you with one damn spell. What's the point of practicing with a loser like you?" A deep thundering growl escaped his chest, sending a shiver down my spine. It definitely didn't make me cower, but the sound of his growl freaked me out. I'd say he was closer to a feral animal than a student. How were we even in the same grade? There was no way he needed to be in this class. I saw him skewer a student yesterday with one of his creepy spike spells. No wonder all the girls avoided him. He might have decent looks, but being this close to him made my brain yell, run!
He started walking out to the training field, and I nervously followed after him. I didn't want to look like a coward, but my body and brain were preparing for the worst. He'll probably shatter my shield in one hit. I'm going to die!
I was on the verge of tears when he turned around and let out an annoyed huff. "Why did you take this class when you look like a coward shaking in fear?" I didn't want to take this class! The counselor made me! He said it would be good for me to get out of my comfort zone, but now I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to end up in a casket.
I wanted to frown, but instead I put on a brave face. "I'm going to g-give it my all."
"You're as weak as your fucking girly name." He snarled. I didn't flinch at all. His comment was incredibly rude, but I was used to nobles of higher standing treating me poorly. I was an easy target for them. I did, however, make the mistake of scoffing slightly. Yeah, I guess my name was a bit feminine, I am an omega after all, not that he knew. I kept my little secret to myself and a few friends. It was already bad enough that I had people bullying me about being a son of a lord; I didn't need them coming after me about being an omega. "Don't scoff at me." He snapped.
What was he? A snapping turtle? "I-I didn't scoff at you-!" A shiver ran up my spine, and I jumped backwards as quickly as I could as Ronak reared back. He slammed his flaming fist into the ground where I once was, leaving a small crater. The creepy part was that the flames he wielded were inky black. H-he was going to hit me with that much force?! Forget student! He was a deranged killer!
My mana swirled around me like glittering gold, and I quickly fled into the sky on my shining platforms that glittered the same color as my mana. Ronak reached up to touch the first platform, but it shattered in his grasp. The spell couldn't hold much, and he was definitely over the weight limit. Even I had to be careful. If I were too rough on them, I could make them shatter as well.
Ronak started approaching me with that same nasty glare in his eyes, and I wanted nothing to do with him. Would you like, go in the opposite direction and stop staring at me?! I held my hand out and condensed my mana down into a sphere about the size of an orange. I could use this spell to light areas, but when I kept condensing the mana down, it could also be used like this. With a quick flick of my wrist, the ball floated down to the ground and popped like a soap bubble. Except it wasn't a soap bubble. The moment it popped, gold mana burst out like an explosion, sending dirt and debris everywhere. Did I hit him?
A shiver ran down my spine, and I leapt from my platform to another one as fast as I could. A loud shattering sound, like the sound of broken glass, rang out behind me, and I turned to see my previous platform completely skewered by a long, blood-red spike. Th-that could have gone right through me! I nervously put my hands on my bottom and turned to flee. I've gotta get out of here!
The faster I ran away on my platforms, the faster he stabbed through them. My poor heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest as I fled. I don't care if I wield incredibly rare light magic! It wasn't going to matter if I ended up dead in my second year of school! Even my rare ability to cast spells without chants wasn't helping me out!
I let out quite a scream as Ronak appeared before me in the air. I mean, I guess it was Ronak. He looked a bit different and… were those a set of wings? Before I could get a better look, I pivoted as hard as I could and flipped backwards off my platform. Good thing too, because Ronak brought his weird, taloned hand down where I was standing. "Stop running away." He snarled.
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Ronak
What the actual fucking hell? How was he able to dodge my attacks so easily? He only cast one offensive spell, and while it wasn't all that impressive, had it made contact and been refined, it could have done serious damage. Even now, he was quicker than a rabbit, jumping around from one of his gold platforms to the next. I was even trying to predict his route, and it wasn't doing much. He was only succeeding in pissing me off. This is combat class, not run-for-your-life class. He's the most spineless alpha I've ever seen.
I glided back to the ground and scanned the mess of a training field only to see his golden hair through the dust. It's time to end this.
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Micha
Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I need to stop and catch my breath, but doing so will end in my demise. I'm pretty sure if I vomited right now, my heart would fall out onto the ground. Not that I wasn't fit, but I rarely got this much exercise. It didn't help that my diet consisted mostly of sugar since coming to the academy. It wasn't my fault, though! My family could no way afford to purchase sugar, and yet the academy just sat out scads of desserts for students to eat. I got a fully paid scholarship to the academy; I should enjoy it, and I would have enjoyed it even more had I known that this was going to be my end.
What was up with Ronak?! You would have thought it was his life goal to kill me. We were sparring, not fighting to the death. And what was up with his form? It looked like his feet were transformed into hooves and his hands, claws. His wings disappeared into smoke the moment he touched the ground, but I swear there was a horn on his head a moment ago.
"Eeep!" A blade cut through the remains of one of his red spikes as if it were a warm knife through butter. This was the Draedor Magic Academy, not the Draedor Knight Academy! What the heck?! Why does he have a weapon?! I barely raised my hands above my head, summoning a shield just in time for him to bring his blade down on me. His blade made a loud clanging sound as it made contact with my shield, and red sparks flew as it deflected off to the side.
"Stop being a coward!" His sword came down hard against my golden shield again, but this time he managed to create cracks along its golden surface. I gotta get out of here!
With a flick of my finger, gold bands wrapped around his legs, tying him to the ground. I used that as my opportunity to escape… or so I thought. I whipped around backwards to flee, but in the corner of my eye I saw him strain against the bands, which caused cracks to appear on their surfaces. H-how is he so strong?
The sound of shattering glass alerted me to my failure, so I sent multiple golden arrows flying behind me haphazardly. Come on. That had to have hit him! Just one?! I whipped around, creating another shield in time for him to bring his blade down on me again. I-I can't keep up with this! I know I have mana to spare, but my stamina is about to give out. I-I can't keep running from him…
Right as I was about to forfeit and let him do his worst, a black sphere appeared above Ronak's head. My eyes went wide in horror, and I wanted to flee, but it was too late. The black orb swelled and, with a loud pop, exploded above our heads. It was technically harmless, but the putrid stench that assaulted my senses was no joke. I instantly keeled over and retched on the ground, bringing up breakfast. There was no overcoming it. It was like every nasty pheromone on the planet was mixed as biological warfare against alphas and omegas. Now, I could see using it against Ronak, but couldn't I have been spared? I didn't even do anything. All I did was flee for my life. I stared at the shards of the ability inhibitor in disgust. How someone invented such a vile thing was a mystery to me. It was disgusting. Completely evil.
I dry heaved onto the ground once more and glanced up to see Ronak in a similar state, struggling to hold his breakfast down. Maybe he was a little less pitiful than I was… I was on all fours after all.
The professor stomped over to us with a look of absolute annoyance on his face. His eyes glanced at all the damage we had caused, then back to us. "I said 'spar', not kill each other! To the headmaster! Both of you!" Nooooo! Wh-why should I?! It was Ronak's fault! Not mine! I didn't do anything!!
I stood and spat onto the ground in an attempt to cleanse myself of the taste of bile, but it didn't really help. "Oh, Mr. Perfect does fucking scowl. Are you worried that you're going to get into trouble, jackass?" Ronak sneered at me, and I couldn't help but give him a dull look.
"Do you like the taste of vomit or something?" I complained as I wiped the look of displeasure off my face. I wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction of seeing me upset. I had gotten pretty used to having to wear a smile like a mask at this point in my life; it was practically second nature. "You might be the son of a duke, but I have a clean record." I doubt the headmaster would be too mad at me when he saw who I was dealing with. Ronak probably gets sent to his office all the time.
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Ronak
Smug little bastard acted like I was going to be the one getting in trouble but the only one having to apologize after the headmaster's tirade was the little shit. "How do you expect these things to be paid for? Hmm? I doubt that your family has the funds to repair the training field."
"No, they don't. I'm terribly sorry, sir… I-I'll volunteer time at the medical ward if that would help… I-I know it's not money, but I know my magic is valuable." I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Valuable my ass. The imperial family had scads of rare magic haunting its halls. He was just a dime a dozen.
My attention wandered over to the clock on the wall, and I cleared my throat. This bastard was going to make me late for my lunch meeting. "I'll pay for the damages that occurred on the training field. If that is the only concern here, I need to be going. I have things to do." Blondy gave me a shocked look and peeked back over at the headmaster. Don't think I'm doing this for you, I'm not. I don't give two shits about you.
"Why, that's very generous of you to offer, Lord Ronak. I apologize for taking up so much of your valuable time. Please be careful during your next classes." The twirps mouth opened slightly before clamping closed. Yeah, shut that trap of yours. Be grateful that I have somewhere to be. "Micha. You should thank Lord Ronak for paying for the damages you and your family couldn't fathom covering. Next time, try not to cause problems."
As if his neck was made of rusted metal, the twirps head slowly rotated to look at me. "Many thanks. The headmaster is correct, my family wouldn't have been able to afford the damages. I'm eternally grateful for your generosity." Heh, his smile seemed genuine but I could easily see the pure annoyance bubbling around in his eyes. Did he think he was fooling people? What an annoying little toy that needs to be broken.
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Micha
My eye wanted to twitch so badly, but I held it back as I bit my tongue. This complete jerk! He didn't get in trouble because Daddy was a duke! No fair! I didn't do anything wrong! I only had one spell that made a mess, while he used tons! I wanted to burst into tears, but that would have to wait until I got to my dorm.
Ronak's smirk only made me more upset. What a meanie! The moment the headmaster released me, I darted off down the hall. W-why can I hear his footsteps behind me? "Eternally grateful, eh? Why don't you grovel on the ground and thank me there, bitch? Beg for my gratitude!" His hand smacked into my shoulder, almost making me fall down the stairs as I tried to flee from him. Thankfully, my hand caught the railing and I prevented myself from falling to my death. "You thought I was going to get in trouble, but look who got scolded by the headmaster. I didn't see your clean record come to save you." He spat at me. I tried to ignore him and round the stairwell's bend, but a low growl stopped me in my tracks. "I'm fucking talking to you, you damn boot licker." He snapped while grabbing my shoulder and forcing me to turn around.
Wh-why did he have to be so tall? I slowly turned to look up at him and his glaring red eyes. He must not have learned about personal space because he was far too close for my liking. "I-I would prefer it if you didn't talk to me unless you have to." I managed to say what I wanted, but his frown turned into a snarl. I reeled in shock as a scent hit my nose. It was angry and oppressive yet somehow tart. I couldn't help but gasp in surprise. It was like being choked, but his hand never grazed my neck. Too much! C-can't breathe with all these pheromones in the air!
Ronak sneered down at me with eyes full of hatred. "Stay the hell out of my way, I hate people like you." A loud growl permeated the air around us as he shoved past me. Despite his shove, I managed to stay upright, but my brain was being completely consumed by his pheromones. I-I feel so dizzy…
I took a deep breath now that he was gone, but his pheromones were still in the air, and it only resulted in my head feeling even dizzier. C-crap… I-I gotta get back to my dorm. My heart began to beat violently in my chest, and a warm feeling flooded my senses. This is bad. Wh-where are my inhibitors? That jerk was probably dominant. There's no other reason I'd be feeling this way. I-I'm definitely not attracted to him! He's awful!
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By the time I made it back to my dorm, I was an absolute mess. The more his pheromones affected me, the more frustrated I became. I've never met anyone who's gotten under my skin as much as he has, and I've met some scummy people. Lying here feeling turned on wasn't helping me feel better either. Eew! Just eeeew!
My heat inhibitor normally would have worked by now, but my body was just steadily getting warmer. It was like a fire had been started in my chest, and my irritation was its fuel. I rolled over to my nightstand drawer and pulled out the bottle of pheromone suppressants I took once a week to prevent myself from spreading pheromones. I popped one into my mouth and gagged slightly on the flavor. My pheromones were starting to leak out into the air, and I did not want the smell clinging to my clothes. You weren't supposed to overlap the two medicines, but I was desperate to make it stop. I wanted his glaring red irises to stop haunting me every time I closed my eyes and for his pheromones to stop lingering around my nose. Wh-why did that jerk have to smell so good?
About an hour passed, and I thought the medicine would have started doing its job, but my body still felt like it was engulfed in flames. I stumbled over to my door and flicked the double locking mechanism over to secure it. H-hot. Too hot. I started taking off my clothes in an attempt to cool down, but it wasn't helping. The warmth was coming from inside, not my room.
As I lay back down in my bed, my breathing started becoming labored. It was awful. I desperately craved the cold touch of an alpha, and of course, not just any alpha but big meanie Ronak. Even my body kept producing pheromones like it was desperate to lure him to me. Ugh, I'm so pathetic!
I wanted to run my fingers through his black hair and stare into his red eyes while his cold hands explored my body. I also wanted to projectile vomit onto the floor to counterbalance the disgusting thoughts that kept crossing my mind. Knock it off, body! He was nothing but a big meanie! I don't want anything to do with him!
I kept squirming around under my comforter, but my body was only getting riled up. A shameful moan left my lips as my thighs rubbed together. Wh-why? Out of all the alphas at the academy, why did it have to be him?
More moans escaped me as I rubbed my thighs together. My brain started feeling even fuzzier as I lost myself to the heat. I-I wanted him so badly, my body craved his touch, and I wanted him to do naughty things to me so I could moan even louder. It was disgusting. I kept switching between being turned on and annoyed as the heat surged around inside me, but no matter what I did, the heat didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon.
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A loud groan escaped me as I grappled with my lack of desire to leave the bed. I honestly felt rather disgusted with myself. How could I make such a mess and act so shamelessly over an alpha like him? I didn't even want to look under the covers at my pitiful body covered in sticky embarrassment. This had better be a one-time thing because I don't even want to look at his face again. I-I don't care how decent his body looks, it's not worth it! His personality is wretched!
I managed to haul myself out of bed simply on the premise of desperately needing to wash up. I couldn't handle feeling the sheets stick to me any longer. I didn't know what day or time it was, and I didn't care. The academy was pretty lenient about missing classes when it came to ruts and heats. There was no chance they were going to risk an alpha or omega attending classes under those circumstances, so if you even remotely felt under the weather, they wanted you in your room. I would have to do any homework or write up any missed lecture notes, but that was hardly a problem.
Aaah, at least the tub helped me feel better. Many of the rooms didn't have private tubs, and students were expected to use the public baths, but since I was a male omega, I got my own private tub. It was great! Especially at times like this. I don't know how I would have dragged myself to the bath in this state. Please, oh magical bath water, erase my shame and give me the strength to haul myself to the dining hall.
I emerged from the tub feeling a little better, but I couldn't help but glare at myself in the mirror. I know I'm not exactly muscular, but calling me weak was rude… not that he knew I was an omega, but it still hurt my feelings! I was in decent shape! He was just stupidly muscular! I guess… if you were comparing me to Ronak, I did indeed look weak… I bit my lip and saw myself blushing in the mirror. Ack! Wh-why am I thinking about him shirtless?! What is wrong with me?! Eeew!
I grabbed my hairbrush and pulled my blonde hair over into a low ponytail as I tried to calm down. Stupid! Stupid, stupid! Why am I thinking such dumb thoughts?! A-and why does this academy uniform have to be so complicated?! First, there's a white button-up shirt, followed by a black vest, and then a fancy black jacket with the academy crest embroidered on the right breast pocket. It was like wearing formal attire every day. At least I got to wear pants. All the girls wore skirts with their uniforms. It would have been nice to have an attendant to help me, like some of the higher-ranking students had, but I wasn't privileged enough for that.
By the time I emerged from my dorm, I was surprised to hear a familiar voice behind me. "Micha! Where have you been?! You sparred with Lord Ronak and then just disappeared for a day! I was about to come knock on your door and see if you were alive! Where did you go? Did you get in trouble? They're not kicking you out of the academy, are they?!" Terra ran up to me, her pale green twin braids swaying back and forth on her shoulders. I was a little jealous. I loved the color of her hair. Even her eyes were a pretty shade of dark brown. Not that I disliked my blonde hair and gold eyes, but sometimes I felt like my features blended too much with my pale skin, leaving me washed out.
"Good afternoon, Terra." I glanced up at the sun as we left the dorms to see where it was in the sky since I couldn't see the clock tower from where I was standing. Oh good. It actually is afternoon. Most students had pocket watches or clocks in their dorms, but I didn't. They were far too expensive. "No, I'm not in trouble." By some miracle. "My heat appeared after getting out of trouble, so I had to lock myself in my room."
"Did you not take an inhibitor? The academy will provide you with some if you ask."
"I did take one, but it didn't do much. I even tried taking suppressants, and they didn't make my pheromones go away at all." I leaned over and gently sniffed my arm. Mmm, I smell slightly of pheromones… Just being reminded of what happened made a shiver run up my spine. Gah! S-stop thinking about that big meanie!
"The medicine didn't work?... Was it an alpha-induced heat?" Terra asked with a furrowed brow. She looked rather concerned.
"Is there… a difference?" The concern on her face almost instantly tripled, and her puckered lips turned into a frown.
"As a fellow omega, you sure don't know much…" She teasingly pinched my ear, and I couldn't help but smile. Terra was my closest friend at the academy, and while her father was an earl, she didn't treat me any differently despite the large status gap. I didn't mind her giving me a hard time at all.
"I thought I mentioned it, but my parents are both recessive. They've never dealt with these sorts of problems before. So I wasn't educated as thoroughly…" My mother was a bit embarrassed when she didn't have much to teach me about being an omega. Both my parents were more akin to betas than an alpha and omega. My mother barely had heat cycles, maybe once every few years, while I had them every three or four months. It ended up being one about every season, which made it easy to keep track of.
Terra stared at me with a furrowed brow. "I just don't understand why your magic is so strong. You're basically dominant, and yes, there is a difference. When your heat is triggered by an alpha that you're compatible with, medicine doesn't affect it." Ewww! Don't say it like that! You're giving me the creeps, Terra! Compatible with him?! Gross! We were about as compatible as our magic! "Did you find your prince charming?" Her eyes lit up with excitement, and I used every ounce of self-control not to gag in her face.
"Absolutely not!" Just thinking about him made me upset, and I had to tolerate looking at his dumb face every day during classes. It wasn't fair! Why did he have to end up in my classes?!
"Someone sounds like they're in denial." Terra teased, but I wasn't finding it funny. Not in the slightest!
"Stooop! What class period even is it?" I asked. Can't I just pretend that my induced heat never happened?
"Mmm, classes just got done. I'm headed to the dining hall." Terra said with a smile. Oh, so I missed about a day and a half… "Would you like to join me?"
"No, probably not." I smelled like pheromones right now, and the last place I wanted to be was in the dining hall for people to smell me. I was hungry but not hungry enough to expose my secret. "I think I'm going to head into the capital."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Terra asked.
"No thanks. I'm just headed to the orphanage." I'm sure the kids will help lift my spirits.
"Okay, be back before curfew," Terra said as she waved me off. Yeah… I don't need to get in trouble again. I'll be back way before curfew.
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"Micha sad!" One of the little kids started patting my head, and more of the littles gathered around to pat my head as well. I-I'm not a dog… I sniffled to myself as they continued to pet me.
"Micha makes bubbles?"
"Bubbles?!" As soon as one kid started clamoring for bubbles, the whole lot did. Ah, I guess word got out about the light orbs I can make. Calling them bubbles was cute.
"Children! Stop giving Lord Micha a hard time." June, the head caretaker of the orphanage, came over, shooing the kids away from me. She was so incredibly kind, and I adored her nutty brown hair. I'm surprised a male beta hasn't scooped her up because she was incredibly pretty.
"It's fine. Here, watch." I held out my hands, and just as the kids asked, multiple glowing bubbles began to float around in the air. These weren't dangerous like the one I used to attack Ronak with. If they came into contact with something and popped, only sparkly mana would drift to the ground and fade.
The kids ran about the dining hall, giggling and watching the light orbs until they faded or popped. It made me feel a bit better. I wish I had the ability to bring them food or things they actually needed, but unfortunately, I couldn't. The best I could do was bring a smile to their faces and heal any ailments they had.
"Your visits are always such a delight, but… if I may be so bold, what's troubling you?" So June noticed my shift in behaviour, huh?
"There's this guy at the academy who's kinda a big jerk… he got me in trouble." He also triggered my heat cycle, but she didn't need to know that.
"Was the headmaster unable to discern who was lying in the situation?" June asked.
"No… The guy is a son of a duke, so the headmaster didn't even bat an eye at him." June's smile instantly turned sour.
"And here I thought the commoners had it bad. I can't say I'm surprised to hear that he took his side instead of yours. I'm sorry to hear that, Micha. Don't let it upset you too much, though. You're always such a ray of sunshine every time you come here."
"Yeah! Micha, the best!"
"Micha, the best when happy!" Some of the littles had toddled over, making me smile. They were so dang cute. I just wanted to squish their cheeks.
"Yeah, you're depressin' to be around when you're sad," Tucker grumbled under his breath. He was probably the oldest kid here, and he didn't even shy away when I sat up and glared at him. Rude.
"Tugger bein' mean, Miss June!" One of the kids complained.
"Tucker, you need to be polite to Lord Micha," June said while giving Tucker a scathing glare.
"I've told you time and time again that you don't need to use a title for me," I mumbled.
"It would be incredibly rude if I didn't." She responded. "Would you like to enjoy dinner with us?"
"Mmm, I better not. Curfew is soon, so I need to make it back to campus before then."
"I can't believe you haven't fallen out of the sky on those golden plates. I'd be far too afraid to get on one." June got a distant look in her eyes and shook her head. Hmm, maybe she's afraid of heights.
"They're not too bad once you get the hang of it. Though I have fallen off a few times… I'll probably be by again next week, so if you hear of anyone that needs healing, let them know." I stood and stretched while glancing out the window at the setting sun. I didn't want to go back yet; there was plenty of time, but I also didn't want to eat any of the orphanage's limited food. There were plenty of kids at the orphanage who could use a full tummy instead of me.
"Have a safe trip back to the academy." June gave me a warm smile, and many of the kids shouted goodbye to me as I left. I knew visiting them would brighten my spirits. The kids were so dang cute.
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"Good afternoon, students." The monster-hunting professor stood on a large rock, looking out at the class gathered around him. He was rather tall and muscular with lots of scars from all the adventuring he had done before becoming a professor. "Today is going to be a bit of a practice for next week. You have to hunt and bring me the corpses of three vampire vipers to be qualified to enter the dungeon. If you are unable to bring me three corpses, you will be sitting out of the dungeon crawl next week and will receive a failing grade for both assignments."
That shouldn't be too difficult for me. While I wasn't the most confident at hunting monsters, I could do it. I took this class on a whim since I travel home alone during the summer. My family could send the carriage, but I often traveled with others or alone to help save on expenses. Last summer, I was thinking about how I wouldn't know what to do if a monster appeared before me, so when the counselor recommended it, I thought it would be good to take a course like this. It also helped with my confidence, but why did he have to be in this class? I couldn't stand far enough away from him. Vampire vipers were concerning, but he was far scarier to me.
We learned about vampire vipers last week during the classroom lecture. They were essentially giant snakes with bat wings, which allowed them to be even more agile and deadly. They could drop on you from high locations, and their lunging distance was triple your regular snake's. It didn't help that they were pitch black and hid in shadows. They could attack you and you wouldn't even know it. If they got you, it would be over pretty quickly because they injected their victims with a strong paralysis before sucking all their blood from their bodies. Just thinking about it grossed me out.
"You have until the end of class. Good luck and don't die." Wow, such a vote of confidence. Thanks, professor!
Most of the students stuck around to team up, but that just wasn't my thing. I didn't exactly get along with alphas, and I was rather worried that an omega would accidentally say something they shouldn't. I preferred to be alone, so I headed into the wooded area by myself. It was a fully contained area within the campus, so it shouldn't be too dangerous a place.
The sound of a twig snapping underfoot made me freeze, and I realized that I wasn't alone. Someone was behind me. "Did someone finally stop fucking crying about getting in damn trouble and come to class?" It was a voice I definitely could have gone without hearing for the rest of my life. A shudder ran down my spine as I slowly peeked behind me. What the heck was wrong with him?
I wanted to hide, but instead I created multiple golden platforms and quickly raced off. My dumb heart fluttered in my chest when I saw him standing there, glaring at me, so I knew my best option was to flee. Just being next to him freaked me out, and I did not want to go into another induced heat because of him. Why would he search me out? Did he want to finish the job he started the other day?
Trees whipped past me as I leapt from one platform to the next. He might be muscular, but I was speedy. I figured I had gotten far enough away, so I descended back to the ground. As my feet touched the ground, I let out a heavy sigh. "Why must you act this way?!" I smacked my chest while chastising my dumb heart and crouched down while I caught my breath. Ew, ew, ew. I am not attracted to him! Stop it, body! I smacked my chest again for good measure as I tried to convince my heart to stop excitedly pitter-pattering.
There was rustling in the bushes next to me, so I raised my hands and prepared to cast a spell. I figured it was probably a vampire viper, but instead, a small rabbit popped out of the bush. I couldn't help but lower my hands and smile. "Why hello there. Did I startle you?" I was about to gently rub the bunny's nose when it let out a loud yelp and its blood splattered my clothes. My hand froze midair as my brain tried to process what had just happened. A clicking sound could be heard as I watched the unpleasantly familiar red spike slide back into the ground from the bunny's corpse.
Obnoxious laughter filled the air, and my blood ran cold. I-I thought I got away from him! "Now that's a genuine reaction. Haha! Did you think that you made a little forest friend?" Ronak mocked as he approached me. He swung a vampire viper's corpse around by the tail while looking down at me like I was his next victim. He… already caught a vampire viper and caught up to me? N-no… he even had one dangling from his waist. H-how… I stumbled backwards, shaking in fear as Ronak took two steps forward. "Is the little bitch ass kiss-up afraid of me because I killed a damn bunny? Are you worried that you're fucking next?" His grin was straight up demented, and his eyes glimmered with excitement. I wouldn't be the first person he killed… Those aren't the eyes of your average student. Ronak crouched down and grabbed my jaw, forcing me to look at him. "Where did that damn fake smile go?"
All the warning systems in my body were going off as I sat there shaking in fear. I was terrified of what he was going to do to me, but my moronic heart fluttered in excitement. My body was torn between fleeing and lunging forward. I was left a startled deer in his hands. The best I could manage was not forgetting to breathe.
"Damn it. It's not fun if you're going to act like that." He snapped as his face soured. He shoved me back, and my shoulder slammed into a sharp rock. I blinked in confusion as I stared at the dirt and debris on the ground. No matter how hard I tried to convince my body to flee, it wouldn't. I was petrified with fear. Ronak approached and stared down at me with those intense red eyes of his. "Pull your head out of the fucking clouds before you get hurt."
H-he was worried about me? I blinked slowly, trying to wrap my head around what he had just said, when there was rustling in the trees above me. I tried to look up as I heard a his,s but my reaction speed was too slow. Ronak cursed, and a vampire viper fell to the ground dead next to my face, making me flinch. "I'm not saving you again, loser." He grumbled before marching off and melting down into a blood-red puddle. I-is that how I never noticed him approaching?
I sat up and looked back at the dead vampire snake. Pull yourself together, Micha! I slapped my cheeks with my hands, trying to knock some sense back into me. Not to take advice from a jerk like him, but I do need to focus. That snake could have killed me.
Eugh! I cautiously picked up the snake's corpse by its wing. How was he just flinging this around? It's so heavy, and I have to collect three?! Eew! I take it back, this is not going to be easy. Thank goodness I have a storage spell, I don't think I physically could carry three. M-maybe I should have teamed up with some classmates... I wouldn't be in this mess had I come out here with a group.
I managed to calm down and find another vampire snake, although it felt like it found me a bit more than I found it. It lunged at me, mouth open and ready to bite, as I sat above the treetops looking around from a platform. Thankfully, I was able to hear it coming and was able to quickly erect a shield around me in time for its jaws to smash into the shield. It hit so hard that it knocked itself unconscious. Talk about a fierce bite! As it fell to the ground, I moved closer and quickly launched two light arrows at it, striking its skull. I watched it for additional movements, but it lay motionless. I wasn't taking any chances. The professor might be mad that I destroyed its fangs, but I was too freaked out by the thing to care. I snapped my fingers, engulfing its corpse in light, and watched as it sank into my storage. Even more of a confirmation that I killed it because you can't put live things into my storage. I tried once with a snapping turtle, but the spell kept failing.
I glanced around, hoping that I would spot another snake so I could complete this awful assignment, but I didn't. What I did come across was a group of students. I watched from above on one of my platforms as they were assaulted by five snakes. They seemed to have it under control, so I didn't jump in to help. I just chose to watch because they would have been annoyed had I stolen their kills.
Just as I was about to leave, a sixth snake appeared, almost taking one of their group members by surprise. I waved my hand, causing a golden shield to appear between her and the snake. I wasn't sure if I or the snake startled them more, but their teamwork was thrown completely off by the appearance of an additional snake. I guess I'd better help.
"Thanks, Micha! I almost got bit!" She called over to me, which caught the ire of the three boys at the party. Calm yourselves, I'm not interested in another omega. Not that you would know that… It was a bit strange how most of the girls almost instinctively knew I was an omega; maybe it was because they weren't attracted to me? The guys all thought I was just another alpha because I never released pheromones around other people. So I was caught in this funny limbo. It wasn't like I was trying to attract a mate right now anyway, and I couldn't control the girls from being drawn to me through camaraderie. I was here on scholarship, and I wanted to make the most of that. That's all I cared about.
My mana surged to my palms as I created two hollow disks that I sent flying toward one of the vampire snakes. The disks made contact with the snake's throat, slicing its head clean off. Its corpse fell to the ground with a wet thud, spraying blood toward one of the guys. I raised my hand, creating a shield to block the spray, but unfortunately, some of it made contact with him. Oops. I tried to ignore his glare as I awkwardly looked away. I didn't mean to!
Their party managed to take out the rest of the snakes while I guarded them with my shields. "Thanks, Micha!" The two girls ran over to me once the final snake fell to the ground. I think their names were Shauna and Noel. I knew of them, but I wouldn't describe us as close friends. I think both of their fathers were viscounts.
"No problem, I was just passing by and saw that you needed some help." I glanced over at the guys who were seething in annoyance. "I didn't mean to intrude. I'll be going now." I created multiple platforms that led up above the tree,s and was about to escape when Shauna grabbed my arm.
"We can hardly accept your kill." She pointed towards the snake I decapitated.
"It's not a worry. I already have two, I'll easily be able to find a third."
"We insist! We can't take what you killed." Noel pointed towards the guys who had snakes attached to hooks on their belts. "We've already claimed seven; we only need four more. I can't believe how many are in this forest." She was right, the professor acted like it was going to be far more difficult to track them down in class.
The group of guys finished collecting their share of the snakes and started approaching. I didn't need any more alphas pissed off at me, so I waved my hand at the dead snake, bringing it into my storage.
"Oh! That's convenient! Those snakes are heavy, so we're having the guys carry them." Shauna giggled. I don't blame you in the slightest, though if I asked a guy to carry my snakes, he might punch me.
"I admit, it has made my journey a bit easier. Anyway, I'd better get going. See you later." I smiled and waved to the girls while avoiding eye contact with the guys as I jumped to my first platform. Eep! What did I do this year to make so many alphas mad at me?! It wasn't this bad last year.
I quickly jumped from platform to platform, getting above the trees and out of sight. I guess I should head back to the professor and turn in my vampire snakes for a grade…
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On the way back, I saw through the tree branches a group of students running from multiple vampire snakes. As I got closer, I noticed that two of the students were being carried; had they been bitten? I was just too far away right now to properly see. I'd have to get closer to investigate.
I jumped down through a clearing in the branches and quickly encased the students in the strongest shield I had available. They panicked at first when the golden wings engulfed them, and they realized that they were trapped inside, but they calmed down when they saw me jump down in front of the shield.
"Micha, watch out! There's a swarm!" I glanced over at the shield and smiled. I wouldn't have jumped down here if I couldn't handle it. The snakes might be good at surprise attacks, but they aren't particularly strong. I just find them gross. I didn't like them in the slightest, but they weren't as scary as Ronak.
I turned towards the incoming snakes and let my mana swirl around me like a golden mist. It was convenient not needing spell names; all they did was slow you down. I clenched my fists, and my mana morphed into multiple golden arrows around me. A smile crossed my face as I extended my arm and sent the arrows flying forward. Each one struck its mark, making the snakes fall to the ground lifeless. I counted as each arrow struck, yike,s eighteen of them? What did they do, find a nest?
I dropped the shield and rushed over to the group of students. "What happened? Is everyone alright?" When I got close, I was able to see how truly bad the two injured students looked.
"Micha! Uriah got bit, and Layla has a bad gash on her shin from tripping. Can you heal them?" Penny had tears rushing down her face as she ran to me. I patted her head to reassure her and analyzed the situation. Uriah looked stiff as a board, and his bite wound looked swollen, but it didn't seem to be threatening his life. The vampire viper's venom wasn't poisonous; what was deadly was if they got the chance to suck the blood out of you. Layla, on the other hand, was actively bleeding out from the gash that ran from her knee almost down to her ankle. Gosh, what did she trip on to cause that? I decided to approach Layla first since she was actively bleeding out; Uriah wouldn't die in the state he was in.
"Please set her down." The student nodded and set Layla down on the ground as I asked. She grunted in pain as I had her extend her shin. "Goodness, you cut this wide open. Don't worry, I'll take care of it, and you won't even have a scar." I held out my hand and gently pressed it against her wound. It always grossed me out, but this was the gift I had been given. Healing magic was extremely rare. I believe there are only two other healers in our empire, and they're both employed by the royal family. It took skill and prior knowledge to heal people; it wasn't just a cure-all spell. My parents spent a small fortune getting me lessons with doctors and reading material on how the body functions when they discovered my abilities.
She let out a soft whimper as her muscles and skin knitted back together. "Good as new, you'll have some slight bruising, but it should clear up pretty quickly." I smiled and pulled my handkerchief out of my pocket with my clean hand to wipe the blood off my other.
She stretched her leg out and flexed her foot. "T-thank you!" Layla looked up at me with wide eyes full of gratitude. Had she gone to the school's doctor, it would have taken weeks to heal and probably would have left a nasty scar.
I then turned my attention to Uriah, who had been laid down on the ground as well. Hmm, paralysis was a bit trickier than an open wound. The snake's venom was mixed into his bloodstream at this point, causing muscle paralysis. I have knotwood oil in my storage, which helps against frost spider paralysis; maybe it would work for this as well?
I held out my hand and summoned the knotwood oil and a syringe out of my storage. I wasn't sure why it was even called oil. It was rather thick and goopy. "I would say hold still, but you're not in a state to move, are you?" I chuckled to myself as I drew the solution into the syringe and injected it into his snake bite. Tough crowd… no one even snickered at my joke.
"I don't exactly have a spell to remove paralysis from someone. I know that I can learn a paralysis dispel, but I haven't quite hit that skill level. This medicine should start allowing you to move in a few minutes." I stood and looked at the other students. "You can keep the snakes. I already have three. You're going to need to carry him until the feeling returns to his legs, though." I pointed at the guys in the group and turned to leave. They could handle this.
"You're not going to stay with us, Micha?!" Penny grabbed my arm and looked at me with panicked eyes.
"I would, but you're not the first group of students that have run into trouble, and I've stopped to help. I want to see if others need help and possibly inform the professor about this situation. The vampire snakes are far more numerous than we were warned about." She slowly released my arm and nodded her head. "The exit to the forest is in that direction. It should only be a ten-minute walk." There were enough of them here to handle anything if another snake appeared. I had faith they would be okay. I didn't need to hold their hands.
The girls nodded their heads and started walking in the direction I told them to, while some of the guys grabbed three snakes before following after them. The girls seemed too upset to worry about their snakes, and honestly, if they couldn't handle this, they definitely shouldn't be going into the dungeon, failing grade or not. I gathered the rest of the snakes in my storage spell before I decided to leave, so we didn't attract an even stronger beast than these blasted snakes. Who knew what the academy was letting live in this forest? I take back what I said about it being relatively safe.
I took to the sky again as I leaped from platform to platform and made my way back. Skywalk was such a useful spell. There were more advanced light spells that let you fly through the air, but I hadn't figured them out yet. I had an old tome that vaguely mentioned it, but it didn't give me any useful information for figuring out the spell. I was quite agile and fast, so this was a good alternative that didn't use much mana.
As I returned to the meeting spot, I didn't see any more students struggling to combat the snakes. What I did see was far worse. Sitting on a large rock next to a pile of snakes was Ronak. I descended and beelined it to the professor, but noticed Ronak sneering at me. "Professor, I came across a group of students fleeing from what seemed to be a nest of vampire snakes. One was injured and another was paralyzed. I stopped the assault and administered first aid to the injured students, but I was rather surprised at how abundant the snakes were. I even had one launch out of a tree to try and attack me in the sky." I pointed up above the trees.
"I'm having a few teaching assistants look into the situation as we speak. It's abnormal for them to be creating nests in this area." He placed his hand on his chin as he fell into thought. I was about to turn away when he looked at me again. "Thank you for taking care of the students. Did you not get any snakes yourself?" He gave me a puzzled look since I wasn't physically carrying any snakes.
"Oh, I gathered these." I held out my palm, and from a shimmering golden light, the snake corpses fell out of my storage. Nine from the students I saved and another three that I gathered, so twelve total. Far more than the allotted three, but compared to the pile that Ronak had, mine seemed like nothing. Were you taking out some of your anger on the poor snakes or something?
"I had heard that you had a storage spell, but this is outstanding. How much can you fit in there?" The professor stared at the heap of snakes and then back at me with a curious look. Hmmm…
"Oh, I can't fit much more than that." That was a complete lie… I actually don't know. I've never tried to squish it to capacity, but I do know that it's a lot. Way more than that measly pile of snakes I pulled out. I have bed rolls, pillows, blankets, spare clothes, food, rations, firewood, rope, medical supplies, buckets, towels, soap, books, a tent, fishing supplies, herbology equipment, assorted weapons, and even an entire table and chair set because I wanted to see if I could. What was nifty was that the food that I put in stayed in the same form, so if it was hot going in, even months later, it would be hot and fresh when I pulled it out. At this point, if I found something useful and it wouldn't be missed, I stuck it in there. Leftovers? In they go! Oh, you don't want that? In it goes! I didn't have trash or anything not of value inside, but I figured that one day it would have a use, so why not?
"That's amazing! Very useful indeed." The professor stared down at the snakes with a big grin on his face. One of his teaching assistants appeared, drawing his attention away from me. Good, I was a bit worried he would start regaling the times of his adventuring days. I had seen a few students get trapped having to listen to his tales of adventure before, and didn't want to be the lucky one today. Not that his stories didn't sound interesting, but he just went on and on. Before you knew it, he would tell you two or three stories. It was just a bit much. It reminded me of someone, but I just couldn't remember who…
"Tsk, do you fucking thrive off being a boot licker? Here you can come lick mine." Ronak raised his shoe into the air and sneered at me. I tried to ignore him, but a low growl could be heard emanating from him. "You dare stand up to me now because there is a damn professor near? I should wipe that fake smile off your fucking face again and see your horrified eyes stare up at me like the spineless ass you are." His grin warped into a malicious one, causing me to shiver. The sight of the small rabbit being pierced through returned to my mind, and I wanted to hurl. I couldn't even look down at the blood splattered on my uniform. I was too disgusted.
I tried to steady my voice, but it came out much softer than I would have liked. "I believe I asked you not to talk to me unless you had to, and you asked me to stay out of your way. It's a bit hard when you keep seeking me out." He can't keep wanting it both ways. He can't want me to stay out of his way and also seek me out to give me a hard time. It just wasn't possible.
"Are you trying to put on a brave ass face in front of me?" His eyes looked like a predator that had found its prey. "Don't make me laugh. I'm not fucking seeking you out, you just always find a way to act goddamn disgraceful within earshot of me. It's disgusting and pathetic." Disgraceful? Is acting polite that offensive to you?
I opened my mouth to respond, but I heard running feet behind me and was engulfed in a hug. "Thanks so much for helping us, Micha!" I turned my head to see Penny and Layla embracing me. As I glanced over my shoulder, I shivered in fear. Wh-where did Ronak disappear to?
I-I'll just pretend he wasn't here… "No problem. How is Uriah doing?" I glanced up at the group that had made it back. Ah, Uriah doesn't look too bad. Could be worse.
"Oh, he's able to walk now, even though he's still stiff. If it wasn't for you, who knows what would have happened!" Penny squeezed me tight. You probably would have ended up like the sad bunny Ronak murdered.
"Thanks for healing my leg! I owe you big time! I'll have to ask my family to reward you." Layla smiled at me widely. A twinge of guilt passed over me. Did she think I wanted her reward because I was the son of a lord?
"Oh, that isn't necessary-"
"But I insist! Had it not been for you, I probably would have a permanent scar on my leg." She did a little twirl and showed off her fully healed leg. "I-I need to be more careful…I decided not to participate in the dungeon crawl next week. I just don't think I'm ready yet." That was probably the best decision she could make.
"You know yourself best. If that feels to be the right answer, I would trust your gut." The girls thanked me repeatedly, but eventually returned to their group. I ignored the alpha glaring at me, but a shudder ran down my back as I heard a gruff chuckle from behind me.
"Enjoy playing the hero, do you? Having the girls swarm you as thanks makes your damn ego feel big? Do you get a fucking adrenaline rush from it all?" I glanced behind me to where Ronak was still sneering at me. Couldn't you have disappeared? Also, does he have an invisibility spell or something?!
"Is the idea of helping others that awful to you?" I was getting a bit tired of his constant rude comments. I wasn't doing it to be the hero. How could you watch someone get injured and do nothing when you have the power to intervene? Who am I kidding? He'd probably love every second of it.
"Oh, are you in it for the damn rewards? Do you purposefully save rich students so they return the favor with fucking gifts and money?"
"No, I do not!" I snapped. "I would save them even if they were a commoner. Thank you very much!" I stomped away from him but heard the sound of snapping branches behind me. I whipped around angrily, "Wh-why are you following me?!" I stared up at his red eyes that peered down at me like a hungry wolf. He was close, too close. I wanted to turn and run, but I was frozen in place again. His eyes peered into mine for what felt like an eternity before he turned around, melted into the ground, and faded away. Eeew! That's how he was hiding?! That spell is nasty!
My heart felt like it had frozen and had to be restarted as I took a deep breath. What was that about?! Gah! He was so weird! Was saving people that awful of a thing to do? I just wanted to help people. It felt like it was what I was born to do, and for it to be called into question felt wrong. He kept insisting that I was acting fake, but I didn't think I was…
"What are you doing over here, Micha?" I turned to see Shauna and Noel approaching me.
"I-I was just taking a little walk. The smell of all the snake carcasses is a bit off-putting." More like dancing with death and getting threatened by a psychotic beast. But I digress…
"Yeah, you're right. I don't know what's worse, the smell of the snakes or all the guys wafting their pheromones around. Like, are we here for class or are you here to find a date?" Shauna grumbled, making Noel and me chuckle. She wasn't wrong. If a guy found the opportunity, he was most likely going to try wafting his pheromones around to see if he could attract a pretty lady.
Noel hid her smile behind a sleeve. "I think most of them treat the academy like a place to find a wife. The studies are just something else they have to do here."
"You got that right." Shauna rolled her eyes.
"Now, now. I think you're being a bit harsh. They take their studies seriously but become distracted when alluring omegas are around." I giggled. "They can't help but hope you spare them a glance." They both giggled and looped their arms through mine.
"This is why we prefer you, Micha, you're always charming with your words."
"Hehe, yeah. Plus, you don't suffocate us with pheromones." Layla smiled, and I noticed Shauna gave her an odd look. Oh, she mustn't realize that I'm an omega. How cute. Even if I did suffocate you with pheromones, Layla, I doubt you would notice anything but a sweet smell in the air.
"You'd better head back to your group before those guys kill me with their eyes." I smiled over to the alphas they had agreed to work with, and they glared at me. I could tell they were seething with rage as the girls hung off my arms. Gah, I can't catch a break, can I? The girls giggled and thanked me again for my assistance before returning to their group to turn in their snakes.
It seemed like most of us were back from hunting now. The piles of dead snakes sitting around were a little revolting to stare at, so I leaned against a tree far from the others. I also didn't want to draw any more attention than I already had. I could tell that this year was going to be a long one with Ronak targeting me for no reason and all the alphas hating me because the girls liked being around me. It wasn't my fault that I was male! The other male omega at the academy was two years older than me and was often confused for a woman. He was adored by alphas, but I was hated because I wasn't flaunting my pheromones around. How is that fair?
I let out a sigh and approached the group when the professor called for our attention. "Good job out there. There were a few mishaps, but thanks to some quick thinking, they were handled before anyone was injured too badly." What are you talking about? A student got paralyzed, and another got a major gash on her leg. I raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. I wasn't in any position to question the professor. It's not like he'd even listen to me if I did say anything. Ugh, why can't this year be an easy one?
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"I'm so glad to see you, Terra." I let out a sigh as I sat down in my next class. Terra looked up from her textbook and raised an eyebrow at me.
"Are you sure everything is okay? You've been acting strange."
I leaned my head back and let out another heavy sigh. "Ugh, I don't know what I did to make him angry, but Ronak has been giving me a hard time."
She set down her book and looked at me with worried eyes. "What?! Lord Ronak is giving you a hard time?! What's happening with him?" Her voice was hushed but urgent.
"I know. I think putting up a fight during combat training made him mad. I should have just gotten my butt kicked and been done with it." Ugh, but he probably would have killed me with one hit. Too scary!
"I-I don't know if that would have been the best option. Last year, multiple students refused to spar with him, and he gave some of them such a hard time that they dropped out of the academy. That doesn't include the students he did spar with… They all ended up in the infirmary for long-term care… He can be rather intimidating…"
"You've got to be joking!" I sat up in my chair and stared at Terra with a furrowed brow. That's absurd! Students left the academy so they didn't have to see him? I nervously swallowed and stared at my textbook. What was I going to do? I wasn't going to give up my attendance at the academy over him.
"Unfortunately, I'm not. My family knows him well; he isn't one you want to make angry." She crossed her arms and gave me a stern stare. "You're just going to have to avoid him and hope he loses interest. He's dominant, so you need to be careful. I hear his pheromones are quite dangerous to be around; they can make you feel like you can't breathe." Dangerous is right. Just one whiff drove me over the edge. The dark, woodsy smell was followed by a slightly tart cherry smell. Gah! Just thinking about it made me feel woozy.
Terra looked like she was going to say something else, but the professor walked in. I tried to get my mind off my terrible situation by focusing on our herbology class, but it was a bit of a struggle.
We were learning about different kinds of herbs found in the area today and how they could be used. I knew many of the ones that had healing properties, but I was excited to learn about ones that I didn't know. The professor said that in a few weeks, we would be going out into the woods to hunt for some common herbs, so we needed to work on memorizing them. This had to be one of my favorite classes. As a child, I loved wandering around the meadows near my family manor and picking different flowers to bring back to my mother. When I got older, I naturally took an interest in herbs and was thrilled to find out that my interest paired well with my magical abilities. It seemed like a match made in heaven for me.
Class finished, and I almost felt sad. I would have been happy to continue learning about all the local plants for at least another hour. "What class do you have next?" Terra asked me as she packed her books and quill into her bag.
"Oh, I have alchemy. It made the most sense to place it after herbology in my schedule."
"That's smart. I just came from alchemy. Too bad I can't swap them around. The only time I could get into music was during the sixth period. I'll see you later, Micha." She grabbed her bag, and I watched her twin tails swish back and forth as she left. She had tried relentlessly last year to get me to enroll in music, but I refused. I just didn't have musical talent despite my mother's efforts to get me to learn how to play the piano when I was younger. I had no interest in it. I enjoyed listening to orchestras play when my mother hauled me to the concert hall once a year, but I didn't have the desire to learn to play an instrument. I'll leave that to the girly omegas.
I picked up my bag and wandered down the hall, avoiding other students as best as I could. As I reached the entryway of my classroom, I froze. I took a step out and quickly looked at the room number. There had to be a mistake, right?
"Are you going to enter the damn room or keep acting like a fucking freak in the doorway?" I flinched and awkwardly shuffled into the room. Lounging in the classroom's first row of desks was none other than Ronak. What the heck?! You aren't in this class, why are you here now?! And even more importantly, why are you seated next to my assigned seat?!
"Aheh, I was just shocked to see you in the classroom… W-why are you here?" No, really. Why?
"Because I'm in this class, you fuckwit." He glared at me with all the annoyance in the world, but I held strong and kept a smile on my face.
"Why are you next to my assigned seat?" My eyes wandered to my previous desk mate, who was hiding her face in the back of the classroom. Dang you, Carissa, for being so afraid of this meanie! I-I mean, I wasn't feeling all that brave either, but still. Why did you leave him to be my partner?! You could have had my chair!
"I believe I can sit where I fucking want." He folded his arms, and if looks could kill, I would have fallen over dead right then and there. Eep! So scary!
The professor entered the classroom and gave me an odd look. "Micha, sit down. I would like to begin class." I glanced between her and Ronak, hoping that she would ask me to sit elsewhere or make Ronak move, but neither happened. What happened to assigned seats?! Why assign them if you're going to let Ronak sit wherever he wants?!? Huh?! HUH?!?!
I let out a little defeated grunt and made my way to sit next to Ronak. I pulled my chair as far away from him as I could and sat on the very edge of my seat. I was practically in the walkway at that point. The professor gave me an odd look but started teaching the lesson. I just wanted to burst into tears! Don't look at me like that! This is your fault!
It was hard to focus when every one of Ronak's moves made me flinch. I doubted that he would try anything during class, but I wasn't willing to risk it. He stressed me out far too much, and I didn't trust him.
"Alright, class, before you are dismissed, I would like to remind you that next week we're going to be meeting in the class across the hall for hands-on learning. Your desk partner is going to be who you share a cauldron with, so don't ask for other arrangements because I'm unwilling to make them." I felt like her eyes landed on me with that last sentence. Did she know that no one wanted to be partners with Ronak, so she made that rule so someone had to be partners with him? No fair!
Why is nothing going my way this year?! I wanted to lay my head down on the desk and cry. I was about to flee the classroom after the professor left the room, but Ronak was glaring at me. I didn't even have to look to know. His gaze pierced right through me. I cautiously glanced at him and instantly regretted it. "Let me borrow your notes from last week." He extended his hand like I was just going to willingly hand my precious notebook over to him.
"N-no, I can't." I really couldn't. Unlike the other nobles who had a notebook for each subject, I only had one that I wrote all my notes. Notebooks were shockingly expensive in the capital, and I decided to only get one. Every piece of paper in this notebook was precious to me, and I didn't want the likes of him touching it. He'd probably rip it to shreds like a rabid dog.
Ronak raised an eyebrow at me, and I swear I heard students behind me gasp. "What was that?" With each word, the grumbling in his throat got louder until he was full-on growling.
"I-I only have one notebook. It has all my class notes in it. If you borrow it, I won't have it for general studies, magic control, or herbology tomorrow. N-no offense, but you should prioritize coming to class and taking your own notes. I doubt my notes are up to your standards anyway." Audible gasps were heard around the room as I firmly rejected Ronak's request. He can't go around calling people names like 'fuckwit' and then expect them to show him kindness. Even I had limits.
I wasn't sure what took hold of me, but the instant I said it, I regretted my actions. The students all whipped into a furious storm of whispers behind us, but were silenced instantly when his low growl started to get louder and louder. I-I'm gonna die!
"Get out," Ronak growled, giving the other students a side-eye. Within seconds, the students who remained in the room evacuated in a panic, leaving just Ronak and me. "Feeling a bit bold today, are we?" N-no… not at all… Ronak stood from his seat and approached me. Fear paralyzed me in my chair, and my heart accelerated to the point I could hear it pounding in my ears. My eyes were like saucers as I watched his every move. His cold hand gripped my neck and pulled me up out of my chair. "Do you know who you're messing with, fuckwit?" His face was uncomfortably close to mine, and I could smell his pheromones on his skin. It was that tart hint of cherry that made me feel so excited. Gah! This is no time to be admiring that, you dummy! I'm about to get my butt kicked! I squirmed in his grip and noticed him wince as he inhaled. "Gah, what stupid omega are you hanging around all the time to constantly smell like them? You fucking reek." Ronak shoved me away, causing me to trip over my desk chair and fall oh so graciously on the ground. I winced in pain from my ankle and wrist while a wave of sadness washed over me. D-did I feel sad because he said I reeked? I-I do not… "Why don't you take a shower after rolling around with all the omegas hanging off of you? Don't you have any shame? None of them are actually going to be interested in you as a mate. You're nothing but a fucking pretty boy to them, you lowborn." He viciously growled, causing me to flinch. H-hey… wh-why are you so mean?
"I-I'm not even interested in them!" I glared up at him with tears forming in the corners of my eyes. I was getting so sick of his baseless accusations. He didn't even know me, yet he happily put me into a box of his choosing. "Wh-what do you even want?! A-are you jealous?" Jealous because the omegas don't want anything to do with you, yet they like me? "T-try changing your awful attitude and maybe one will stop being a-afraid of you!" I held my possibly broken wrist against my chest, and a big wet tear rolled down my face.
He reached down, and I used my good arm to erect a shield around me. Why should I continue to suffer abuse at your hands? He pulled his arm back and hit it, causing cracks to form in the shield. How strong is this beast? I didn't put my all into its creation, but holy cow, had his fist come into contact with my face, I might have died.
My whole body shivered as he glared at me through the shield. To my surprise, he grabbed his bag and melted down into his travel spell of scary red goo. I let out a sigh, but didn't drop the shield around me. I didn't trust for one moment that he wouldn't appear behind me and attack… or spear me like that poor bunny. Instead, I turned my attention to my wrist and ankle. I held out my shaky, good hand to my wrist and started repairing it. Indeed, it was fractured, I couldn't believe him! How can he be so mean? Next, I moved onto my ankle; surprisingly, sprained or twisted appendages were a bit trickier than mending a broken bone. It takes understanding how your muscles knit together to identify where the tear happened so I can heal it. I don't know if I would call it lucky, but the tear in my ligament was big enough that it was easy to identify and heal.
There, at least I seem to be in working order now. I stretched my ankle and wrist to make sure I didn't have any more pain, but as I stood, it was clear that I had bruised my hip. Ouch! I could move properly, but it was so sore. Owie! I wanted to go to the library after class! How am I supposed to go there now?
I let out a sad whine as I stood and grabbed my bag. I glanced around multiple times before cautiously letting my shield spell disappear. I flinched, but nothing happened. He must have left in his little rage.
As I exited the classroom, I was assaulted by a hug. "Micha! I was so worried! I heard that Lord Ronak cleared the room. I rushed over as fast as I could!" She released me from her hug and gave me a concerned look. "Are you okay?!" I wanted to burst into tears in Terra's arms, but held myself together.
"I-I am now, he broke my wrist and sprained my ankle, but I healed those. The only thing that hurts right now is you squeezing my bruised hip…" My ego was feeling a bit bruised as well… He didn't need to call me stinky… that was just pure mean! I-I don't stink…
"S-sorry! I didn't mean to! Can't you heal that, too?" She released me in a panic but continued to inspect me. Maybe she thought the dried blood was mine.
"Nope, bruises have to heal on their own." I winced in pain as I took a step down the hall. Once blood was where it shouldn't be, there was nothing for me to do. I healed the veins, but the bruise would be sore for a few days.
"What made him do this to you?!" She grabbed my arm and tried to help me walk, but she wasn't doing much besides holding my arm.
"Oh, you know… I told him he couldn't borrow my notebook… and called him jealous…" I was even shocked at how stupid I was. I must have a death wish.
"Micha! I told you not to mess with him! What do you think you're doing, talking back to him? You should have just given him your notebook!" Her hand nervously squeezed mine, and I let out a sigh.
"Terra, I refuse to let him push me around, but that isn't what set him over the edge. Well, he probably was going to beat the stuffing out of me, but I expedited it when he smelled me. I guess I accidentally released a few pheromones when I was scared. He thought they belonged to an omega that I spent a lot of time with, so I don't think he knows that I'm the omega he smelled." I can't believe he called me stinky…
"Not that I think that it will solve your problem, but… why are you hiding that information? Maybe he'll leave you alone if he finds out you're the omega he smelled." I have a feeling it isn't going to be that simple…
"Because I don't think that should dictate how others treat me. I always get paired with alphas to practice or spar with, and if they knew I was an omega, they would treat me differently. They would go easy on me because they would think I needed protecting. While women might like getting treated like that, I don't." My parents babied me enough. I was an adult, gosh dang it! I didn't like the idea of others fawning over me, too.
"I know for a fact that we don't all like to be treated like that. While some women like to be swept off their feet by a strong alpha, many women don't want to be treated any differently." She stuck out her lip and gave me a little glare.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to use a blanket statement, but you get what I'm trying to say, right?" I knew Terra was a strong, independent omega. Her father prized her, but she also helped out with the family business. She didn't need an alpha to do everything for her.
She let out a sigh and looked away. "Yes, I understand where you are coming from, but couldn't you prove them wrong? Prove that you don't need protection by sparring to the best of your abilities or showing off your spells during practice. I don't think hiding who you are is helping."
"I could prove them wrong… but I also don't necessarily think I should have to prove anything. People should accept me for who I am. Not because I'm an alpha or an omega." I stared up at the sky. Both were valid opinions, and I could understand the logic behind her idea and mine. I guess if someone found out, I wouldn't be upset, but I also didn't think it was information I needed to hand out to everyone.
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Ronak
Fucking hell! The vase I threw across the room barely missed the head of a maid. She let out a squeal and ran from the room. No?! NO?! How dare that little fucker tell me no! "Is something bothering you, my lord?" Gerard watched me with his yellow eyes as I picked up another breakable object and hurled it across the room.
"I don't fucking understand!" I snapped. I brought my fist down hard on the small table, causing its marble top to crack and break. I wanted to pick up its shards and angrily hurl them through the wall, but managed to find a bit of self-control.
"There's something troubling you?"
"More like someone." I gnashed my teeth together and let out an annoyed growl. Impossible. I followed him around for days and couldn't track down the omega that he's hanging out with. How is it, that a simple scent is annoying the hell out of me?!
"Someone? Since when does someone give you trouble?" Gerard echoed questioningly.
"There's an omega at the academy who smells of spiced vanilla but I can't figure out which one it is." Grah! I want to ring his stupid neck! Why is it bothering me so much?! I couldn't even focus during my meetings at all yesterday! I brought my fist back and drove it into the wall leaving a hole that now led to the next room over.
"You find this scent… enjoyable?"
"Enjoyable?! More like, fucking deplorable! I can't even focus when I smell it!" It was as if all my senses become heightened when around the stupid pheromones. Who the hell is that prick hanging out with? I grabbed hold of a pillow off the sofa and started ripping it into two as my mind raced.
"I didn't think I'd ever see this day come…" I froze, pillow stuffing all over on the ground around me, and glanced over at Gerard. What the fuck does that mean? "Could you tell me more about this mystery scent?"
I stared down at the pillow stuffing for a moment before opening my mouth. "It's a warm smell, yet oddly sweet. I wouldn't say that the scent is outright sweet because there's a bit of spice to it. Like a warm cup of tea or those hard candies I get back at the dukedom… Yeah, the scent is incredibly similar to the taste of those spiced hard candies I like to eat while working." A strange calmness fell over me as I put thought into the scent that had been haunting me this past week. While I was lost in thought, a light snicker brought me back to reality. My head whipped back over to Gerard who had his face slightly covered by his hand. "Is there something you're finding particularly funny or did you want to dance with death today?" My eye twitched as I glared over at him. He might be bound to me but I wouldn't hesitate to be rid of him if necessary.
"I apologize, my lord. I just didn't think you'd ever find an omega you were actually interested in." Gerard lowered his hand from his mouth and it was easy to see the slight smirk playing at his lips. You old ass bastard.
"I'm not fucking interested in this omega." He really did have a death wish. I hurled the ripped pillow over at him but he easily moved his head to the side avoiding it.
"How would you describe the pheromones of all the girls your father and uncle have introduced you to?" Why was he asking so many damn questions? Especially when he knew the answer!
"They smelled like complete shit and just thinking about their pheromones pisses me off!" I let out an annoyed growl and started stomping over to Gerard with another pillow in my hands. This conversation was nothing but a waste of time!
"And do you feel that way about these new pheromones?" I paused on my war path to kick Gerards ass. N-no… I was mostly pissed because that fucking boot licker smelled of the pheromones and I didn't know what girl was producing them. Why would anyone be interested in that pathetic weakling?! His magic wasn't half bad but that didn't explain to me why girls flocked to him like crazy. Damn it! There were so many girls around him, I might as well start investigating every single girl at the academy. That would probably be faster and easier!
I realized that I had fallen silent again and glanced up at Gerard who was looking a bit too smug. "Keep your fucking mouth silent if you wish to continue having a tongue."
"Maybe when you do find the girl, don't talk to her. You'll probably scare her away." I let out an annoyed growl and threw the other sofa cushion at Gerard. That bastard!