The sound of footsteps grew closer, and a shadow fell over Zoe Pierce. But it quickly moved past her, stopping beside Erin Xavier. "Don't you know what asking about an Omega's pheromones implies?"
Erin Xavier knew, of course.
From a certain point of view, it was tantamount to sexual harassment.
He was just too curious whether this business about Zoe Pierce having no pheromones was actually true.
After all, no one had ever used that excuse before.
But after Miles Sherman's subtle warning, he quickly realized his behavior was out of line.
He subconsciously glanced over at Zoe Pierce. The girl was slight of build, with delicate features and pale skin. Her eyes held a flicker of anxiety, and her curled lashes fluttered rapidly, casting faint shadows below.
Even after hearing Miles warn him, she remained completely silent. She just stood there, looking a little stiff and lost.
'Looking at her like this, it really does seem like I'm bullying her.'
Erin Xavier raised an eyebrow. He propped his elbow on the table and rested his cheek in his hand, for once at a loss for words.
Miles Sherman chose a spot central to the three of them. He glanced at Zoe Pierce with his narrow, cool eyes. "Nathan couldn't make it today. It'll just be the four of us for this meeting."
He paused, then continued in a detached, calm voice, "Zoe Pierce, welcome to the squad. The next six months are going to be tough."
At least until the Joint Military Academy assessment was over, Zoe Pierce was stuck with their squad.
But when his gaze swept over Zoe Pierce's overly slender and frail frame, his brows furrowed slightly.
Miles Sherman was intimidating enough with a neutral expression, but his emotionless, dark eyes staring coldly at her added to the oppressive atmosphere.
"In your current physical state, can you even participate in the joint exam?"
With the Joint Military Academy exam less than a month away, the girl's clothes, which were clearly a bit too big for her, only accentuated her slenderness.
She was beautiful, with soft, delicate features. The only thing marring her beauty was her skin—as smooth as jade, yet completely lacking any rosy color. It had a sickly pallor, and her cheeks were gaunt.
It made one worry she might faint after taking just a few more steps.
But the joint exam didn't require a pretty Omega.
What they needed was an Omega who could stick with the Alphas for the entire duration, providing powerful spiritual power and soothing support.
Zoe Pierce's condition truly made one doubt if she could last.
If she collapsed at the very start of the exam, she wouldn't be a support—she'd be a liability.
"I'll eat more... and work out..." Zoe Pierce stated, withstanding the stares of three pairs of eyes.
The sharp lines of Miles Sherman's face hardened. His clear, dark eyes were unreadable. "I hope you can get back to full health quickly. Everyone on this team needs you."
The stronger one's spiritual power, the more crucial it was to be soothed after using it. Otherwise, the volatile spiritual power would have a severe backlash on its user. If too many of those volatile factors built up, it could even cause brain damage.
Normally, they had high-level Omegas hired by their families to soothe them, so it wasn't an issue.
But the joint exam lasted a full month, and they couldn't go home during that time. This made an Omega's soothing ability absolutely essential.
It was fine that Zoe Pierce had no pheromones, but she absolutely had to have that A-rank soothing ability.
Zoe Pierce understood. He had all but stated it outright: 'Here, we only need your soothing ability.' If she hadn't been so thin and looked so frail, Miles Sherman wouldn't have even bothered to say that much.
Her recent answer had been a bit clumsy, but her attitude seemed sincere enough.
"Do you know everyone on the team?" Miles asked, his gaze sweeping over Erin Xavier and Chase Shaw. Perhaps it was because Zoe Pierce's behavior hadn't been grating so far.
'Is there anyone at this school who doesn't know Miles Sherman's squad?'
Zoe Pierce nodded cautiously, her voice soft. "I know all of them."
'If she knows everyone, then I won't waste my breath.' Zoe read the meaning in his expression.
Seeing that there was nothing else to discuss, she clutched her bag and stood up. "I'll be heading back, then," she said in a small, quiet voice.
The others in the study room just watched her. Since no one objected, she took it as their consent.
Zoe accepted this silent answer. She backed away a few steps, then practically fled the study room, as if she were running from monsters and ghouls, not her own teammates.
Only when he could no longer sense her presence did Erin Xavier suddenly speak up. "Her whole act seems a little familiar."
"First, she'll pretend she's not interested in us. Then, when it's time for a 'soothing touch,' she'll find an excuse to get handsy. Finally, she'll 'accidentally' forget her suppression patch and release her pheromones to drive us wild..."
The amiable smile vanished from his face as if he'd just thought of something disgusting. His thin lips curled, a hint of a sneer playing on them.
But then he remembered the most important detail about Zoe Pierce and clapped his hands lightly. "Oh, right. I almost forgot. She doesn't have any pheromones."
So that last part, the pheromone-induced arousal, won't happen.
He sniffed the air again. In the entire study room, his own pheromones were the least restrained, so the scent of bitter orange was the most noticeable.
And as for Zoe Pierce's pheromones, he really couldn't smell a trace.
Now, he was inclined to believe what Miles had told them from the start: that Zoe Pierce was an Omega with no pheromones.
Still, it was only the first day. Erin wasn't ready to jump to conclusions just yet. Instead, he turned his gaze to Chase Shaw.
"Chase, she was with you just now. Did she do anything?"
Due to his spiritual power, Chase usually spent his days resting or sleeping and hated noise above all else. Now that he was awake, his tall frame, previously curled up, was on full display. The muscles bulged under his black T-shirt, and every inch of his powerful arms silently screamed strength.
Hearing the question, he merely shot a sideways glance at the ever-dramatic Erin and said in a voice like rolling gravel, "She's quiet."
Coming from him, that was high praise.
He had sensed her the moment she entered the room but had been too lazy to acknowledge her.
It was rare to find a quiet person like her among the throngs of Omegas who would start chattering the moment they walked into a room.
His spiritual power, given a reprieve, had calmed down a little.
Miles said, "Since you're all satisfied, we'll leave it at that for now."
With that, he turned to leave.
Erin, not ready to let it go, called out, "Miles, are you sure she's not a problem?"
Miles stopped at the door and looked back at him. "She is."
"The Pierce Family's businesses are being taken over. Her brother is running around trying to pay off debts and pull strings."
Erin's expression shifted instantly, his smile returning. "See? I knew it. So, what do you think her play is going to be?"
Judging by Zoe's docile and unassuming act just now, it was hard to tell.
But Miles had no interest in joining that discussion. He just shot Erin a look and left.
Chase, meanwhile, rubbed his temples and stood up. "Too noisy," he said bluntly. "I'm out."
All three of them had left the study room, leaving him alone. Erin raised an eyebrow and snorted.
'How could they all find this so boring? Am I the only one who finds this interesting?'
It was always so much fun guessing what schemes the Omegas who joined the squad through the matching system would use to try and seduce them.
He walked out of the study room, one hand in his pocket. His eyes fell on the door, which hadn't been closed. The moment he looked away, an unseen force from his spiritual power slammed it shut with a BANG.