Chapter 79

Ollie’s POV

We return to what’s left of the lecture. Afterwards, I learn there’s to be an actual mixer between the boys and girls groups.

A lead weight sits in my gut at the prospect of being confronted with Jeff and Frank again. I wish I could just go home, but I can’t leave Sylvia. Maybe, this time, she might have mercy on me and allow me to stand nearer to her for the duration of the event.

After all, the lesson has been taught. She showed me the depths over her power of me and made her point about how powerless I truly am against her.

I’m sick to my stomach and I want to go home. But I know if I abandoned Sylvia here, the brothers would not show me any kindness.

As we move to the banquet hall where the mixer is being held, I stay behind Sylvia, but close as I can. She seems rather pleased with herself. And why wouldn’t she be? This is what she wanted, after all. Me, the quiet and obedient servant, ever in her shadow.

I follow Sylvia to the mixer. Some drink tables are set up on one side of the room, while waiters walk around with trays of finger foods. A DJ has set up on the other side of the room, and there appears to be a floor for dancing, though no one is on it yet.

Sylvia goes to a group of girls and is immediately welcomed into their fold. They all ignore me, so I awkwardly stand close but not close enough to be included. After a time, Sylvia turns to me.

“Ollie, get me a drink, will you?”

“Water… or?”

“Water,” she says.

I have a suspicion that when I return with water she will want something different, but this at least gives me a task to perform. Before I go though, I scour the room.

Right now, the girls seem to all be standing on one side of the banquet hall and the boys on the other. There isn’t much in the way of co-ed mingling just yet.

I search for and find Jeff and Frank, but they are near the DJ side of the hall, not the drink table side. Though I know this doesn’t mean I’m totally safe. After all, their presumptions of me come from common stereotypes about Omegas. Any of the boys could act under those misconceptions.

I can only hope that most of the boys have more restraint and decency than Jeff and Frank.

Just in case, I tell Scarlet in my mind, “Be ready. I might need your strength again.”

Scarlet assures me, “Only our mates will touch us.”

My trust in everyone else in this room is entirely dubious at best, but Scarlet is my wolf. If she says she will protect us, I know she will with all of her strength. I just hope we can do that without giving too much of ourselves away.

My only solace is that the brothers aren’t here. If I need to rely on Scarlet, they should still remain blessedly ignorant about my true identity.

I try to maintain confidence as I walk to the drink table, though nerves are entirely prickled.

Walking around, I have no idea what to expect. I feel like a danger could jump out at me from any direction, at any second.

I feel as if everyone is watching me. Though, when I actually stop to look around, I see that no one is.

I’m too jumpy, making my own assumptions.

I’m fine. Everything is fine.

At the drink table, I get in line for the water. A boy gets in line behind me. I inadvertently tense up, even as I’m trying to be calm.

They aren’t all terrible people, I remind myself. I’m just having a bad day.

“Excuse me,” says the boy behind me and I nearly jump out of my skin. “Sorry,” he adds at once. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“I’m not scared,” I say quickly, to cover the undignified noise I made, as well as to hide my actual feelings. I’m aware the lie is probably obvious, but I still stick with it.

To his credit, this particular boy doesn’t call me out.

“I want to apologize for Jeff and Frank,” this boy says. “They were dicks in high school, and that clearly hasn’t changed. I hope you know that we aren’t all like that.”

I turn to look at him, standing sideways in the line. To be here, he must be my age, though he has a baby face that makes him look young. His brown eyes seem kind, but I’m still too nervous to trust anyone.

“I’m Clint,” he says.

“Ollie,” I say.

He smiles softly. “Yes, I know. You are practically a celebrity around here. Everyone knows you, or at least knows about you. The special Omega, the first and only Omega allowed into the university, a gift from the four Alpha Kings themselves.”

I don’t feel special. I feel like a target. But I don’t tell him that.

“I don’t want to be a celebrity,” I say. “I just want to be a regular student.”

His smile takes on some pity, which dims it somewhat. “I don’t think you have much choice.”

“No, I suppose not,” I agree.

He hums in response, thoughtful. So far, this conversation isn’t terribly unpleasant, so I allow myself to relax.

“Say, Ollie,” Clint says. “Do you think maybe you would like to go out sometime with me? To a movie or something?”

I still slightly with surprise. He’s… asking me out on a date. My rejection is ready, poised at the edge of my tongue. The last thing I need is to have more men chasing me, and more drama that comes with that. Especially with how on edge the brothers have been lately.

“Uh,” I start, trying to figure out the best way to tell him no.

Before I can articulate myself, there’s a new voice right behind me.

“Absolutely not,” Conrad says.

I stiffen at once, hearing him.

He walks closer, then comes around so he’s standing right in front of me.

Clint pales, though Conrad is glaring at me, not him.

“Is this what you’ve been up to when you are supposed to be serving Sylvia?” Conrad asks.

“I’m in line to get her a water,” I say, gesturing to the table. I realize now, too late, that the line has moved forward by a large margin while I was talking to Clint. Before I can move to close the distance, Conrad grabs my arm, keeping me right where I am.

“The others can go ahead,” he says. His gaze shifts to Clint. “Go on.”

Clint nods at once, and moves around us. Keeping his head low, he does not look at me again.

Conrad does, though, the fire of disappointment raging in his eyes.

“Sylvia texted me to tell me you’ve been up to trouble, but I had to see it for myself to be sure,” he says.

Sylvia told him that? She’s been setting me up from the start!

Conrad clears his throat, then looks around. People might have ignored me before, but they were looking now. Alpha Conrad commanded attention and he knew it.

“Let this be clear,” Conrad snapped, loud enough for the room to hear. “No one is allowed to date Ollie.”

The eyes of everyone in the room shifted from Conrad to me. I slunk slightly into myself, wishing I could disappear inside of myself.

Then I saw Sylvia.

I would have thought she’d be happy at my new embarrassment. Instead, she just looked annoyed.

Why?