“Mister Day, can you explain this?”
Harley stared at the grainy security camera footage, a sinking feeling in his gut.
There he was, his arm around Bastion’s waist, as the two made their way up the dorm hallway. He saw himself glancing furtively right and left before unlocking his door and ushering the Alpha inside. The door closed behind them, and the hallway fell still.
The dean fast forwarded a bit, until the footage showed Bastion emerging alone, his muscular chest bare, with a jacket and belt slung over his arm. The Alpha sauntered down the hall until he disappeared from the screen.
“Well, Mister Day?” Mr. Morton, the dean of discipline leaned back in his leather chair, waiting for an explanation. Harley was sure his cheeks were crimson.
“The Alpha... Bastion... he got hurt protecting me from one of the security guards. He declined to be brought to the infirmary for treatment, so I brought him back to my room, where I bandaged his wound. Then he left. That’s all that happened.” Harley tried to keep his voice steady, but he couldn’t even look the Dean in the eye.
Mr. Morton leaned forward. “Harley, you know the rules about bringing outsiders onto the school campus. Much less bringing an unauthorized Alpha into your room when you’re in heat. These rules are there for the safety of our students.”
“I know,” he said miserably. “I made a bad decision. I realize that now.” In more ways than one. He’d never been so humiliated in his life. The way he’d thrown himself at Bastion, and the way the guy mercilessly turned him down, it made him cringe just to think about it. “But I promise, nothing...inappropriate happened.” He glanced up, meeting the Dean’s gaze.
The man gave him a searching look. “You’re one of our best students here, Harley, so I’m inclined to believe you.”
“Oh, thank you, Mr. -“
“But,” Mr. Morton continued, “there will be consequences to your actions. First, you might be reassured to know that the security guard in question has been dismissed, of course. On behalf of the Academy, I apologize for his abhorrent behavior. We have reported the incident to the police, and we will pursue the investigation on your behalf, to protect you and your family’s anonymity.”
“That’s good to know.” Harley couldn’t help but grimace at the memory of the guard’s hands on his body. He certainly didn’t want to have to deal with seeing him again.
“Secondly, as punishment for your actions, you are restricted from all school social and extracurricular events for the remainder of the semester. In case you think that I’m being harsh, I remind you that we have expelled students in the past for similar behavior.”
Harley nodded meekly. Truth be told, there were only a few weeks left in the school year, so he’d gotten off extremely easily. Being the class goody-goody had some advantages after all.
“And finally, we have notified your parents. Your father requested a meeting with you as soon as your heat was completed, so you’ll be driven to his office this afternoon after the completion of the day’s classes.”
Harley felt his stomach drop. So much for getting off easy. “Is that necessary?”
The Dean arched an eyebrow. “Of course. Is it strange that your father is concerned for your safety?”
“No,” Harley lied. “That’s fine.”
Mr. Morton got to his feet, and Harley automatically stood as well. He was surprised when the Dean gently set a hand on his shoulder. “Harley, I’m truly sorry for what happened. But you’re a bright young man with a great future ahead of you, so I know you can get through all this.”
“Thank you, sir.” Harley was genuinely touched by the man’s words; the Dean was famously stoic, so hearing something like that from him was a surprise.
The Dean withdrew his hand, his normal demeanor falling back into place like a curtain coming down. “Now go on, your next class should be starting soon.”
***
“Harley!” The unmistakable delighted drawl of his roommate echoed down the hall, and he turned to see Ellie beaming up at him. She practically launched herself into his arms. You’d think it had been a year since they’d seen each other, not just a week. He couldn’t help but grin as he pulled her into a warm hug. “Hey, sweetie. How are you?”
She smiled up at him. “Good! How was your heat?”
“Oh, fine. I mean, not like it was my first one or anything,” he lied. “It had just been awhile, you know?” Actually, it had been his first one, a secret he would have to guard with his life.
If Grant suspected that he’d been unknowingly dating a possibly infertile Omega all this time, there would be trouble. As it stood, Harley had spent the last eight days locked in one of the Academy’s special cabins, armed with a hefty supply of porn of every possible variety, chemical heat alleviators (the family’s brand, of course), and enough sex toys to open a small store. His only company had been the maids who changed his bedding and delivered his meals, and the school doctor who looked in on him occasionally. He didn’t remember them at all; the whole thing had been a blur.
It was also really weird that everyone knew exactly why he’d been gone for a week, but Harley figured he’d get used to it. It happened to all Omegas, after all. “I’m looking forward to getting back to regular life. I feel like I was gone forever,” he added.
Ellie arched an eyebrow. “I’m surprised they didn’t bring in Grant to spend some time with you,” she said, with a coy smile. “I read something online last week, some new research that said having an Alpha present during an Omega’s heat is much healthier in the long run for us. More natural, helps our hormone levels or something.”
Harley blushed. “I keep telling you, Ellie. My dad is super traditional, you think he’s going to let me be alone with Grant until we’re mated?”
“Just a few more weeks,” she sang teasingly. “I bet you can’t wait, huh?”
He ignored the sinking feeling in his stomach, flashing her a smile. “I still can’t believe it. I’m going to talk to my father today, I’m sure he’ll have some thoughts on the subject.”
“Oh! Speaking of romance,” Ellie chirped, blissfully ignorant of his sudden change of mood, “I actually had a date! I’ve been dying to tell you for ages.”
“That’s wonderful! Who was it?”
“One of the students from the Alpha University. Jared Ali? You know the family, his dad owns some massive hotel in Dubai.” She shrugged as she spoke, as if it was some everyday thing, but he could see the sparkle in her eyes.
Harley whistled. “And?”
“And... we have another date this weekend.” Ellie beamed.
“Awesome!” He gave her another squeeze. “See, I told you. I can’t wait to hear all the details, but I have dance class in twenty.”
“Oh, hey, I totally forgot to ask! How did it go with the Dean?”
Harley shrugged. “No extracurricular or social activities for the rest of the semester, but that’s not so bad.”
“Ha! Sounds like you got off easy. So tell me,” Ellie leaned in, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “What really happened? With the stranger Alpha?”
He scowled at her. “Nothing! I told you. He saved me from creeper security guard, I bandaged his cut and he left.” Harley could feel his face heat up at the memory of Bastion’s kisses and the sting of the Alpha’s humiliating departure. Thank God he would never see the guy again.
Ellie pouted. “Seriously? Nothing? You’re too good to be true, Harley. I was hoping for some sort of scandal.”
“You read way too many gossip magazines, sweetie.” He checked his watch. “Gotta run. Talk tonight?”
“Yeah, yeah. You could at least make something interesting up!” she called after him as Harley hurried down the hall toward the dance studio.