17. I Think You’re Grounded

17

I Think You’re Grounded

They piled out of the rented vans and gathered around the entrance to the lodge in Arkansas. Even though it was only their second stop on the tour, it felt like they had fallen into a rhythm already. They dragged all their luggage into the lobby, greeted the police who waited to take stock of their party, and began to set up the equipment that had arrived ahead of them. There were only ten bedrooms in the lodge, all with king beds, so Isobel offered to share with Oscar, since he would be spending the night of the meet-and-greet with Lily in the Ozark Settlement.

There was a two-bedroom groundskeeper’s cottage, which Teak and Braun agreed to share, and a local hotel where the humans would be staying. By separating the Gifted from the humans, Braun wasn’t forced to book out the entire hotel.

They spent the first day working and got up early the next morning to prepare for the second meet-and-greet. It was strange to see the Alphas dressed up in designer clothes, even if they were deliberately casual. Just when she thought they couldn’t look any better, her father went and pulled a trick like this. Now she had to spend all day trying not to notice as all the female fans—and some of the male fans—fawned over them.

Oscar was more tense than usual. He ignored most of the people who sat before him as he peered down the line and frowned toward the front of the hall, looking for his sister. His tension seemed to affect the others, leaking through the room until they were all shifting nervously, each of them taking their turn to glance toward the door.

When the meet-and-greet finally wrapped up, Isobel pulled her father aside. “Do we have to go back to the hotel? Can we just stay here until the afterparty?”

His lips flattened into an unhappy expression. “You aren’t really sanctioned to roam around the settlement. You’re allowed in the hall for the meet-and-greet and you’re allowed in the hall for the afterparty. Oscar is free for the night, but only after the afterparty wraps up.”

“We need to check on his sister. She should have been here today.”

Braun sighed, glancing over her head, presumably at Oscar, who she could already hear snarling at Cooper behind her.

“You have thirty minutes,” he muttered. “I’ll make sure the van to pick you up is late. Just Oscar—if you go as a group, someone will notice. The rest of you wait in here. Cooper”—he raised his voice suddenly, walking away from her—“have you seen the view count on yesterday’s video?”

Isobel watched as her father led Cooper away, muttering lowly, while Oscar took out his anger on one of the chairs, picking it up and slamming it down again so violently that the assistants all flocked to follow her father and Cooper out of the hall. Teak trailed after Braun, her glassy eyes on his shoes. She had been drinking all day, sneaking cans of alcohol in the storage room off to the side of the hall.

She wasn’t walking straight. Braun paused in the doorway to the hall, glancing around until he caught sight of her.

Isobel frowned, watching as her father waited for Teak, slipping behind her like he was ready to catch her if she fell.

Did he know Teak was gay?

Was Teak gay? Or was she bi? Or fluid, like Kilian?

Isobel shook the thoughts away, running over to Oscar. “You’ve got thirty minutes,” she rushed out. “My dad is delaying the van. We’ll wait here for you.”

He didn’t hesitate, striding for the door and kicking into a jog as he threw it open.

“You called him dad ,” Elijah noted, leaning against the edge of the meet-and-greet table. He snatched up an untouched energy drink, popping the cap and sipping it, his eyes digging so far into her that she had the absurd urge to cover herself like he had stripped her naked.

“Did I?” She was embarrassed. It felt like he had caught her in a particularly vulnerable moment.

He hummed a sound of acknowledgement, not really answering, but after a few moments, he spoke again. “He knows your weak spot.”

“Which one?” She smirked, her tone self-deprecating as she pulled out a chair and sank into it sideways, wrapping her arm around the top so that she could rest her chin on her bicep. She was tired and didn’t want to smile anymore.

“Us,” Elijah answered nonchalantly. “He knows that the way to your heart is through us.”

She wanted to deny it: that they were a way to her heart. That would mean they were in her heart—which they were—but she didn’t want them to know that.

She cleared her throat awkwardly. “What’s your weak spot?”

His eyes dropped from her face to her chest, to her crossed legs, and back up again. “That’s my business.”

The other Alphas were raiding the snack station and likely wouldn’t overhear, but Isobel lowered her voice anyway. “That’s unfair. You know mine.”

Elijah’s lips curved into a small, humourless smile. “Guess, Illy.”

“Carbs,” she said quickly. “You refuse to eat them, so you must be one dinner roll away from a carb binge at all times.”

“You think my weakness is something I can’t have?” he mused, tilting his head at her, a few locks of his silvery blond hair falling across his forehead.

“It’s either carbs or us—the group,” she clarified.

“And what if it’s you?” he asked, utterly without tone, his expression maddeningly calm.

She gave a tired chuckle, thinking he was teasing, but he just kept watching her, silently absorbing her reaction to his words.

A special Elijah Reed test . She realised it a second too late, lifting her chin from her bicep. “Why would it be me?”

“Guess,” he said again.

“Because of the bond?”

“No.”

Her heart thumped loudly. “Because of the plan? The Ironside game?”

“No.” This time, the answer was accompanied by a slight roll of his frosty eyes.

She continued to guess. “Because I’m hilarious and charming?”

“Occasionally.”

She shot up a finger in victory but then let her hand fall with a frown. “I’m occasionally hilarious or charming, or that’s occasionally your weakness?”

He shrugged.

“Is it because I’m the epitome of beauty and grace?”

One of his pale brows inched up, his cold eyes briefly glimmering in amusement. “Are you?”

“You suck.” She turned in the chair so that she could slump backwards, blowing a strand of hair from her face and lazily kicking her legs out into a wide vee, too lazy to get up and stretch properly.

“So graceful.” Elijah eyed her. “I can hardly contain myself.”

She jumped up, stretching her arms over her head. His gaze immediately dipped to where her cropped shirt rose above the high waist of her jeans. “You’re just insulting yourself,” she drawled, moving to stand before him, her fingers walking lazily across his thigh. “I’m your weakness—however or whatever I am is a direct reflection of your unrefined taste.”

Finally, he laughed. It was low and soft, and only lasted a moment, but it was hard won, and she smiled in victory. He caught her walking fingers, his grip light as he guided her own arm across her chest. And then he hooked the fingers of her other hand in another barely there grip, moving that arm to the other side of her neck until her arms were crossed over her chest, and then his grip changed. He seized her wrists and dragged her against his body, right between his parted thighs, her arms crossed and captured.

“If I acknowledge it out loud, I’ll have to act on it.” He growled the words right against her ear, but she was saved from having to formulate a response when the door to the hall burst open again, Oscar striding inside, his veins pulsing black, his eyes turning shadowed.

“Oh fuck.” Elijah pushed off the table, striding toward Oscar. “Get in the storage room,” he ordered over his shoulder.

She slipped toward the back of the hall, eyes wide as the other Alphas surrounded Oscar, but he seemed to crash into them, sending Theodore and Moses to the ground. She stopped walking, alarmed at his transformation. His eyes were dark marbles, glittering with malice, his veins infected with black. He tried to pounce on Moses, who was a second too late finding his feet again, but Mikel pulled him back, earning a slash of claws across his forearm.

She didn’t know what she was doing, just that she was moving toward them instead of running away. Ferality should have terrified her—and it did scare her—but none of them had ever hurt her when they changed. Theodore had sat as still as a statue in the library, allowing her to sit next to him and draw his darkness into herself. When Oscar had turned feral while he was still inside her, he didn’t even try to fight the others. He did nothing that could have hurt her.

She didn’t understand why, and she didn’t think it made any sense, but she was sure , somehow, that Oscar wouldn’t hurt her.

“Isobel, get in the storage room,” Mikel barked, seeing her draw closer.

She stopped but didn’t retreat. “Just listen to me,” she urged quietly as they all surged a step closer to Oscar, closing in around him. Mikel’s arms were dripping blood, but nobody else was injured.

Yet.

“They’re going to come back for us any minute,” she said. “We can’t let them see this and we don’t have time … Just let me?—”

“You’re not getting anywhere near him,” Mikel growled, not taking his eyes off Oscar.

Her breathing accelerated, her heartbeat raced, a wave of sound beating against her ears. She traced her sternum piercing, counting the stones, and then pressed against Elijah’s.

“Everyone step away from him. Slowly.”

They fought against her compulsion, Elijah shooting her a wide-eyed look, something shattering in his expression.

She was going to have to deal with that, later.

“Now,” she demanded softly.

They backed away from Oscar, who watched her calm approach, black eyes digging hungrily into hers like he might rip her open to consume her soul.

If this didn’t work, she was going to pay. Her Alphas would be beyond furious, and she could get very seriously injured. It had to work. She cracked her wall a little, just as she had that first night with Theodore, but instead of drowning in his darkness, she allowed it to trickle in, drip by oily drip. She was right in front of him now, and he still made no move to hurt her.

He’s playing dead . Kalen’s warning from the last time Oscar went feral swam back to her, but she carefully put it to the side, folding it into a box with the rest of her terror. She reached up—because now she had a point to prove—and curved her hand around Oscar’s tense jaw. He leaned into her, just barely a fraction of a movement, and she was reminded of when he surged in the hotel room during her last settlement tour.

“It’s like a surge,” she whispered quietly. “That animal side has taken over. He’s running on pure instinct. Anything he perceives as a threat, he convinces himself it’s prey so that he can destroy it. But because he’s only operating on an instinctual level, he can’t differentiate emotions and intentions. He can only feel your energy. You’re all powerful Alphas. You’re all threats. I’m a Sigma. I’m not a threat. Am I?” she asked him.

He didn’t answer. He just kept staring at her.

“Mate.” The world was expelled from him in a push of gravelled sound that was eerie. It echoed around her.

“That’s right,” she told him soothingly, able to stop her voice from trembling. She drew her hand down his throat, and his eyes narrowed, but when she smoothed it across his chest, the tension in him eased again. She tilted forward, cracking her walls a little wider and resting her head against his chest.

His heartbeat thundered, even though his breaths were quiet and shallow. His arms moved carefully around her, and she felt the strange pressure of his long claws against the bare skin of her arms.

The others hissed in warning, Cian swearing roughly, but Oscar seemed preoccupied with her, and gradually, she felt that horrible malevolence spilling off him begin to wane. He suddenly released her, stepping back, his arms shooting up and away from her, his palms displayed. His eyes were back to normal and were darting all over her as he nervously licked his lips, trying to find any injuries.

“I’m fine,” she assured him, as the other Alphas all surrounded him.

Mikel had his arm wrapped up in his jacket, trying to hide the wounds Oscar had given him.

“It’s Lily,” Oscar croaked, still backing away from her. “She collapsed last night. They said she’s not going to make it.”

The door burst open behind him, an assistant poking her head in to let them know the second van had arrived. Oscar followed them instead of demanding to stay in the settlement, which was a miracle, but Isobel was sure it was because he was in shock. He didn’t say another word, even when she tried to comfort him or when Kilian gently questioned him.

He ignored them all, facing the window like he was just as lost as Teak. It was like his purpose in the world had been yanked away. He went straight to his room after they returned to the lodge and closed the door.

Isobel got ready quickly, as did the others, all of them congregating in the lower living area outside Oscar’s room as they waited anxiously for him to reappear. When he did, it was with his luggage.

“I’m staying,” he said simply.

She was in shock, but she shouldn’t have been. Of course he was staying.

“For good?” Moses asked the question nobody else dared to.

Oscar shook his head. “For the rest of the break. Until I figure out a solution, and I will. We’ve beaten this before; we’ll beat it again. She’s a strong girl.” He was speaking without emotion, his eyes empty, but there was a stubborn line digging between his brows.

“We’ll handle everything on this end. Don’t worry about anything else,” Kalen promised.

They left it at that because Oscar clearly didn’t want to discuss it further. They piled into the vans to return to the settlement, and nobody questioned Oscar’s luggage since he had been cleared to stay the night anyway.

He disappeared as soon as they arrived, and Kalen ran interference all night with Cooper while Mikel distracted every assistant who was sent in search of Oscar.

They all dropped their fake smiles as soon as they left the settlement that night, and Isobel found herself clicking into Lily’s social media as she slipped into her room. Since the lodge was locked up at night and Cooper was staying at a hotel, she had been afforded a bit of privacy, and she was grateful for it as she scrolled through the videos Lily had posted. Most of them were of Isobel.

They stopped a month ago.

She must have gotten very sick and had been hiding it from Oscar, knowing how much he would worry.

Isobel brushed away her tears, clicking on Sophia’s contact. The video call was answered after only a few rings, and Sophia’s frazzled face appeared in the picture.

“H-hey,” Sophia said before turning around and muttering, “ Shut up , it’s Isobel.”

“Uh,” Isobel blinked in shock, “are you naked?”

“What?” Sophia laughed, the sound forced. “Of course not.”

“I can see your nipple.”

“Oops.” Sophia adjusted the camera. “That was a freckle.”

“You should get it looked at.”

Sophia rolled her eyes. “You’re calling at midnight, and you expect decorum?”

Isobel tried to smile, but her expression collapsed. “Who’s there?” she asked, just as Sophia’s brows drew together, seconds away from asking what was wrong.

“Nobody.” Sophia adjusted the camera again, her eyes darting off to the side.

“Hey, Carter,” a male voice drawled from somewhere out of sight.

“Bellamy?” Isobel gaped. “You guys are from the same settlement? He’s seen you naked? ”

“He has,” Bellamy said, pushing his way into the frame and sitting beside Sophia, jolting the camera to reveal that Sophia now had a blanket wrapped around her chest. “And yes, my family is from the San Bernadino Settlement, so I can visit whenever I want.”

“I can see your nipple,” Isobel told Bellamy.

“You’re welcome.” He winked at her.

“Ew.” Sophia screwed her face up. “I can see why the Alphas hate your friendship. How’s the settlement tour going?”

Isobel had called her the week before, letting her know that she was the second-last stop on their tour since she didn’t always keep up with social media or Ironside news.

She hadn’t mentioned Bellamy at all.

“It’s about to be a disaster,” Isobel confessed. “Oscar pulled out. His sister is sick. When did you two start … this?” She motioned between them.

“Start of break.” Bellamy smirked, answering at the same time as Sophia.

“It isn’t happening.”

“She’s in denial,” Bellamy explained.

“You’re so annoying.” Sophia sighed. “So what are you going to do about Oscar? Do you know exactly what’s happening with his sister?”

“I don’t.” Isobel nibbled on her lip. “He didn’t tell us anything specific. He wasn’t … in a very vocal mood.”

“He dropped out of the tour without saying anything?” Bellamy asked, his brows shooting up.

“He said he’s staying.”

“And that’s it?” Bellamy winced. “Yikes.” He turned to Sophia. “Never complain about me again. Some girlfriends have it much worse.”

Sophia glowered at him. “You’re not my boyfriend.”

“Agree to disagree.” He turned back to her. “Why don’t you just go to the settlement and see for yourself? You don’t have to follow the same rules as everyone else.”

“Don’t I need permission or a pass or something to enter the settlement?”

Sophia scoffed, waving a hand. “Just sneak in. They’re hardly worried about people sneaking in , are they?”

Isobel stared at them. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Sophia grinned. “You’re too busy being railed by a baker’s dozen of hot Alphas.”

“A baker’s dozen is thirteen. There’s only ten of them.”

“Only.” Bellamy burst into laughter. “My god, you need your head examined.”

“Not just her head,” Sophia deadpanned.

“My head and my vagina are both fine.” Isobel sniffed. “Sort of.”

“Why sort of?” Bellamy planted his chin in his palm, looking incredibly entertained.

“The sort of was for my head,” she snapped at him before turning her attention to Sophia. “Honestly, how do you cope?”

Bellamy smirked, knowing she was only teasing.

“I don’t know.” Sophia rubbed her temples. “I’ve got it rough.”

“You definitely got it rough,” Bellamy agreed, far too nonchalantly. “And you’re about to get it rough again, so say bye-bye to Carter.”

Sophia made a face. “Bye-bye, Carter.”

Isobel bit back a laugh. “Bye-bye, you two.”

She stared at her phone after ending the call, her mind spinning. She was already in trouble—she knew it by the looks Kalen, Mikel, and Elijah had all given her in the hall as she used Elijah’s power and put herself in danger.

She might as well … make it worse.

She jumped up, ran to her suitcase, and ripped off her clothes, pulling on dark tights, dark boots, and a tight crop top. She shrugged on her navy Burberry coat and hastily braided her hair. She crept out of her room, praying that the others were all still showering as she slipped downstairs and out of the lodge. She walked to the main road and called an Uber, waiting until she was already on the way before she sent a message to the group.

Isobel: I’ve gone back to the settlement. I’ll be back before we start work tomorrow.

It was a few moments before her phone vibrated.

Theodore: I would have gone with you.

Cian: Oh boy, you’re in trouble.

Moses: How did you leave?

Isobel: Uber.

Mikel (admin): If anyone tries to go after her, I will knock you the fuck out in the driveway.

Mikel (admin): Isobel is still under her father’s guardianship. She’s the only one who’s free to leave.

Mikel (admin): And Isobel?

Isobel: I’m in trouble. I know.

Kalen (admin): Deep trouble.

A private message popped up on her screen and she clicked into it.

Niko: Call if you need backup. They won’t even notice me missing.

Before she could reply, another private message came through.

Kilian: I can slip out of here without anyone seeing. If you need me, I’m there.

Her lips tugged up into a small smile and she thanked them both before tucking her phone away. The driver dropped her off by the side of the road and she walked the rest of the way to the settlement, pressing Kilian’s stone on her piercing when she got close to the guardhouse. She slipped around the car boom gate and hurried far away from the guards. She pulled up the hood of her coat as she tried to remember how to get to Oscar’s house. She had only been there once, a year ago, and she quickly got lost, backtracking to the hall where their afterparty had been held in.

Oscar was there, leaning against the door, hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. He seemed to be waiting for her.

“Hey.” He stepped off the wall, dark gaze drifting over her. “Come on.” He snatched up her hand, shoving it into the pocket of his jacket, his fingers lacing between hers. He led her down the sleeping, narrow streets to an unfamiliar house. The first room was a cramped office or foyer, a tired-looking woman slumped over a desk, deep in sleep with her head on her arm, a pen still in her hand.

Oscar drew her into the next room, which was a wide, gutted space, the walls knocked out to open it up as much as possible. There were hospital stretchers lined up, separated by curtains. In the last one, by the window, Lily was sleeping on her side, a soft, fluffy elephant hugged by her frail-looking arms.

The rest of the beds were empty.

Oscar drew her over to the battered armchair close to Lily’s bed, slumping into it with a sigh. He deftly unbuttoned Isobel’s coat and then tugged her across his thighs, laying the coat over her lap. He said nothing—had barely said more than “hey,” and “I’m staying,” in eight hours now. He pulled her head to the crook of his neck and then rested his own atop her hair, breathing deeply.

“I needed you to sleep,” he whispered, like he had somehow called her to him.

She looped her arms around his hard middle, not quite able to stretch enough for her fingers to meet behind him. “We’ll figure something out,” she promised lowly.

“She needs a bone marrow transplant,” he spoke the words so quietly that she had to strain to hear them. “Nobody here can do that.”

“We’ll find a way,” she reasserted. Against all odds was a language they were well-versed in. Her especially.

His tight hold on her didn’t slacken until the sun began to rise, filtered light softly spilling in through the window to shine across Lily’s bed. She made sure he was sleeping before she carefully extracted her phone, opening up a message to her father.

Isobel: Let’s make another deal.

She checked the time. It was past five in the morning. Oscar had been clinging to her for hours and Lily hadn’t so much as twitched in her sleep.

Thankfully, her father was awake—or her text had woken him up.

Braun: I’m listening.

Isobel: Lily Sato needs a bone marrow transplant.

Braun: Then she’s going to die.

Isobel: Not if we get her to a hospital.

She switched to another message, tapping out the words without moving so she wouldn’t disturb Oscar.

Isobel: Hey.

Elijah: You’re late. Wake-up call was fifteen minutes ago.

Isobel: I’m sorry, Eli.

He didn’t respond, and her fingers began to tremble.

Isobel: I should have asked if you were comfortable with me using your ability when you refuse to use it yourself.

Elijah: You saw what happened the last time I used it. I made a man stab himself 113 times. Never touching it again is my penance.

Elijah: What will your penance be?

Isobel: Whatever you decide.

Elijah: Good. Now tell me why you really texted me.

Isobel: Can you forge ID documents?

Elijah: Yes. Send me all the pictures Oscar has of her. Gabriel can edit them into something suitable while I make the documents. What do you need? Passport? Birth certificate?

She switched to the other chat with her father.

Braun: How do you propose to get her to a hospital?

Isobel: I’ll find a way.

Braun: And what do you want me to do?

Isobel: We’re going to leave Oscar here. As soon as I’ve figured out the rest, we need to detour back here to get him … and his sister.

Braun: You want me to smuggle a fugitive.

Isobel: And bribe a hospital. To get her in for the operation before the end of summer break. And … front the hospital bill. I fully intend to pay you back. You can have everything I’ve saved up from my Ironside stipends. I’ll pay the rest in instalments.

Braun: I already make donations to a hospital in Los Angeles. I can probably swing the doctor and the bill.

Isobel: What about the fugitive?

Braun: You’re not asking for a small favour, Daughter.

Isobel: Then don’t ask for something small in return, Father.

She switched back to Elijah.

Isobel: I need documents to say she’s a human to get her into a hospital in LA.

Elijah: Done.

Isobel: Thank you.

Elijah: We’re a team, sweet girl. You don’t need to thank me.

Isobel scoffed softly. The difference between Elijah and her father was painful. She tapped on the new message as it popped up along the top of her phone.

Braun: I have a huge movie set to start filming next summer. I want you to make an appearance in it. A fun little cameo. And when it premieres, I want you to come to the red carpet with me.

Isobel: Why would you want that?

Braun: The press got hold of the news that your mother passed. And now there are rumours that we’re estranged. I thought this tour would help, but people are saying it’s all for show.

Isobel: Fine.

Braun: We have a deal?

Isobel stared at her screen, a shocking realisation bumping into her. She would have agreed anyway.

Isobel: We’ve got a deal, Dad.

“C-Carter?” The small voice from the bed had her dropping her phone.

It clattered to the floorboards, and she froze, waiting for Oscar to wake up. He groaned in his sleep, hands tightening around her again, but didn’t wake up.

“Hey, Lily,” Isobel whispered.

Lily’s dark eyes were blinking at her sleepily. “Is it really you?”

Isobel very carefully extracted herself from Oscar’s lap when Lily winced, doubling over and letting out a small moan. “Gonna t-throw up.”

There was a plastic sick bag at the end of her bed and Isobel quickly grabbed it, passing it into Lily’s hands. She watched helplessly as the little girl heaved quietly. Though apparently, there was nothing in her stomach to throw up. She sat on the bed beside the little Sigma, her hands gently and very softly rubbing Lily’s back as she opened her walls and welcomed in Lily’s pain and nausea until she was seconds away from reaching for the sick bag herself. She cut off the flow, sagging back against the bed. Lily was staring at her wide-eyed.

“I barely felt you,” she breathed out, wonder in her eyes.

“I’ll teach you how to do it when you’re better,” Isobel promised, closing her eyes to ward off the dizziness. “Until you can control it, you shouldn’t let anything in, okay?”

Lily bobbed her head, some of the colour returning to her cheeks. “Oskie said I’m not allowed,” she agreed, placing her little hand on Isobel’s forehead. “Other people’s problems are theirs, not mine.” She arranged a fierce expression onto her face, and Isobel realised she had been mimicking her brother. “Are you sick too? You’re so pale.”

Isobel scoffed weakly, her eyes fluttering closed again. “That’s just how I look. And Oskie is right. Other people’s problems aren’t yours. You keep yourself locked up tight, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’ll be right back.” Isobel forced her eyes back open and slid from the bed, pausing for a moment to brace herself as the dizziness threatened to send her spiralling to the floor. She sucked in a soft breath, forcing herself to stand upright as she walked into the front office.

“Excuse me?” She gently tapped the shoulder of the woman still sleeping at the front desk.

“Huh?” The woman jolted upright, knocking over a steaming cup of coffee by her elbow—so not still asleep, then.

“Shit, sorry.” Isobel quickly swept it up, but half of the coffee had still spilt out.

The woman swore, darting over to a table with a coffee station set up and grabbing a handful of napkins. “Sorry,” she sighed out. “It’s been a long few nights. How can I help you?”

“Do you have anyone here to help you run this place?” Isobel asked, frowning, as she bent to help the woman mop up the spilt liquid from the floor.

The woman laughed like Isobel had told a joke and then straightened, and Isobel could tell there was a smartass remark on the tip of her tongue, but it died, the woman’s eyes widening on her.

“It’s C-Carter,” she stuttered out. “Isobel Carter is here.”

Isobel winced. “Nice to meet you …”

“Annabeth,” she quickly supplied, thrusting out her sticky hand. “You must be here for Lily.”

Isobel nodded, shaking her hand, before following her lead and dumping all the napkins into a bin beside her desk. Annabeth slumped back into her chair, regathering her bun before motioning weakly to the coffee station. “Help yourself. You look like you’ve had a hard night. I did see a girl curled up on Sato’s lap earlier but didn’t realise it was you. I feel stupid now. Of course it was you.” At Isobel’s horrified expression, she rambled further. “Sorry, I’m overtired.”

Isobel quickly poured two more coffees and handed one of them over. “Are you a doctor?”

“I’m the best they’ve got,” Annabeth admitted, sipping the coffee gratefully. “I don’t have a degree, but I went to Ironside. Knew I wasn’t going to win, and they never pay attention to Omegas there anyway, so I used my time to study medicine. They have some professors who will help you get trades under the table without the officials finding out.”

“Wow.” Isobel popped her eyebrows up. “I had no idea.”

Annabeth smirked. “Chill, girl. You don’t have to pretend. West and Easton clearly bent every rule in the book to get them to change the rules of the game for you lot.”

When Isobel only stared at her plastic coffee cup, Annabeth graciously changed the subject. “I’m sorry about Lily. She’s a sweet girl.”

“Are you sure about the bone marrow transplant?” Isobel asked.

Annabeth nodded, her exhaustion showing once again. “Lily was in remission when I took over here, but she relapsed before Sato got into Ironside. It was some timing, I’m telling you—there was no way they would have been able to afford her treatments and medications without his Ironside stipend. Anyway, now that she’s relapsed, she doesn’t seem to be responding to her treatment anymore. She needs an allogeneic transplant, and there’s no way we can do anything like that here. She needs a damn good hospital and an even better surgeon.”

Isobel set the coffee aside. Her stomach was churning too violently to drink it. She sighed, resting her eyes for a moment. Poor Lily , having to live with this awful feeling constantly.

“Thank you for helping her. I wouldn’t give up hope, yet. Miracles can happen.” She blinked her eyes open, trying to focus on the other woman’s face. “Do you have any food for her? Some water?”

“Is she asking for food?” Annabeth looked shocked and quickly jumped up. She returned, pushing a packaged sandwich and water bottle into Isobel’s hands. “Take these into her. I’ve gotta finish up my notes from last night before I forget, and I’ll be right in there to check up on her.”

Lily was sitting up in bed, eyes bright, tapping away on her tablet. Isobel took the sandwich out of the plastic wrapping and handed it to her.

“Eat and drink while you’re feeling better,” Isobel urged, sitting beside her on the bed again.

Lily nodded, keeping quiet so as not to wake up Oscar, taking small bites of her sandwich. Isobel glanced at the screen as she tapped away. She was posting on social media.

Carter is here now. I feel better. She’s so pretty. I wish she was my sister. Her clothes are so cool and she has the longest hair …

Lily paused to try and stare at the trail of Isobel’s braid out of the side of her eyes.

She went back to typing. I’m going to grow my hair long too. Once I’m better.

Isobel moved her attention to the beanie sitting lopsided around Lily’s ears. It had shifted as she slept and now showed a hint of her closely cropped hair. Isobel surreptitiously flicked away a tear with her thumb as she went back to reading over Lily’s shoulder, except Lily had already published her update and was now scrolling through what appeared to be her locked, private profile. Every post was liked by a single person.

Oscar Sato.

She tugged the neckline of her crop top up to dry the tears that kept threatening to spill down her cheeks, and then she just gave up and closed her eyes.

She wasn’t sure when she drifted off, but she woke up in Oscar’s arms again, her father’s booming laugh jolting her awake.

“Of course, it’s always a pleasure to meet a fan,” he said from the front office before pushing into the room, Annabeth following behind him with stars in her eyes and a notepad clutched against her chest.

Isobel blinked away her disorientation, glancing up at Oscar’s face. He was wide awake, cradling her in his arms, his jaw tight like he was prepared for a fight. Lily was also awake, surrounded by drawings and with a pack of coloured pencils scattered over the bed around her legs.

“Ah, right where I left you. Hello, Daughter.”

Had he just … made a joke?

“Hello, Father,” she husked out, completely unsure.

“I’m here to take you back,” he said. “After a long detour to the hair salon, where Cooper believes you’ve been all morning.”

Oscar’s hold on her relaxed slightly, a hard breath expelled from his lips.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen West so pissed,” her father added, his tone positively jovial. “I think you’re about to be grounded.”

“That’s not funny,” she managed, stumbling from Oscar’s lap.

He deadpanned. “I wasn’t joking. You let me know if he gives you any trouble. I’m still your father—I can step in if you need me to.”

Isobel groaned, rubbing her hands through her hair, accidentally tugging half of the strands from her braid.

It was too early for Braun’s good-guy act .

She tugged on her hair tie, unravelling the braid as she turned back to Lily. “I’ll see you soon, okay? Can you be strong for a little while?”

Instead of the wide-eyed head bob Isobel had been expecting, she was met with watery eyes.

“Will I see you again?” Lily whispered.

“Don’t you dare talk like that,” Oscar growled, voice low.

Most of the fully-grown adults at Ironside would have flinched at that gravelled order from Oscar, but Lily only shot him a sheepish look.

“Of course you will.” Isobel forced a bright, carefree smile.

Thank god for Theodore and all the time she had spent studying his impeccable acting.