Chapter 17

Chapter

Seventeen

ELLA

S tanding in front of the closet mirror in my nicer uniform, I knew this wasn't what they meant as formal attire for the next event of courting which instead of a calm picnic fashion, was now upgraded to a dinner and dancing situation from what I understood.

And my wardrobe was not up to par for dinner and dancing. At all.

I adjusted my top.

A soft knock echoed through my room.

"Ella?" Lidya's voice sounded muffled as she walked into our dorm room.

"Hey," I said, swallowing thickly.

"Hey," she repeated, her eyes darting around from my outfit back up to my face. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you getting ready?"

"I… yes," I said. "I am ready."

Her eyes widened. "You can't wear that to the courting dinner."

I sighed.

"You need a dress or at least to let your hair out from that bun or something."

"I don't have anything else to wear, Lidya. This is literally all I have in case you haven't noticed in the closet that I have…" I looked back inside. "Three different outfits. Two are the same loose trousers that make me look like a man."

"No." Lidya looked me over again with a vehement shake of her head. "Absolutely not."

"I don't know what you want me to do, Lidya," I complained. "I don't have anything else to wear. You let me borrow a blouse last time, but unless you have some sort of professional dinner dress hiding in the wardrobe, I think this is the best we got. And I'm… okay with that."

Why shouldn't I have been? Oh, besides the fact that tonight was the night when I should've been getting my plan in motion.

I was going to do courting, properly, and hopefully, it wouldn't end me up in Ben's arms by the end.

At least, not for now until I could think of a better plan to get out of here altogether.

Lidya clicked her tongue in disapproval before her expression softened. "I have an idea. Just give me a moment." She hurried to stride across the room, leaving me to fidget nervously with the hem of my shirt as she rifled under her bed.

"Lidya?" I called after her.

She shook her head again and looked me over from head to toe.

"You might not have anything to wear, and we can't stop tonight. But that doesn't mean that I am going to let you go down into that lion's den looking like that. You might not have anything to wear," she repeated, as she showed me what was in her hands. "But I do. I mean, I have to right? My mother who had always been over-prepared before she practically disowned me, had me ready for this moment. There must be a dress hidden around here somewhere. And here, ah ha! Here we are."

I don't think I'd ever worn something so nice before.

One minute I was standing, prepared to risk more than a little embarrassment and probably a scolding from Benjamin when I arrived in my uniform (not that he thought to provide me with something Davinson approved to wear), and now…

Now I was not.

Looking in the mirror before I left with a smooth line of eyeliner and lipstick on my face, perfectly applied thanks to Lidya, perhaps I really could play the game in the lion's den that I planned to. I hope, somehow.

I did it once, after all, I just had to do it again.

And be safe. Get out of here.

Free.

Free-ish I'd even take since I knew I could only be as free as any omega ever could be even though I wasn't so sure what that looked like anymore, not as a beta, but as an omega.

Always an omega who was going to have to deal with what exactly I was going to do if I went into heat before or worse, after, courting was over and I was taken away by Benjamin Davinson as his…

Willing omega.

There was no mistaking it now that I slipped into the cocktail dress Lidya pulled out inside a garment bag hidden in the back, her face breaking into a mischievous smile.

A stunning emerald green dress that seemed to shimmer in the dim light of the room.

My breath caught in my throat at the sight of the dress, its intricate lace details and flowing silhouette far more elegant than anything I had ever worn. It felt like a dream, a touch of luxury in my otherwise mundane existence.

The fabric hugged my curves in all the right places. The transformation was striking, and for a moment, I almost didn't recognize myself in the mirror.

After, Lidya worked her magic with my hair. She wrestled it out from the bun and let it cascade down my shoulders in loose waves that framed my face delicately.

As we made our way to the courting dinner together, the anticipation and nervousness coiled tightly in my stomach.

Lucas's words echoed in my mind, his promise to figure something out. I didn't know if I could count on that.

Tonight, the only person I had to count on was myself. Luckily, I had been doing that for years. I could do this.

I clung to that hope, that flicker of possibility amidst the uncertainty of my future.

Right now, it was all on me.

The grand hall of the school where I heard meetings and other events were held I was never a part of, was where the courting dinner was held. It was a spectacle of class and extravagance, with crystal chandeliers casting a soft glow over the elegantly dressed guests being guided to their seats.

"There you are," the chipper voice of Jessica startled me as she came up along my side. "Nice dress."

"Thanks."

"Ready for round two?"

I paused before I gave a nod.

"Wonderful. We are right this way."

My heart raced only a few steps into the room. It didn't take long this time for Benjamin to find me even in this crowded room. I spotted Benjamin making his way towards me, his expression indecipherable under the dim lights.

"Ella," he greeted me with a nod, his eyes glancing over my appearance. "I see you've decided to make an effort tonight."

I forced a smile, feeling a surge of defiance rise within me. "Just thought I'd try something different for a change."

"It would be nice," he leaned in close enough to my ear that no one else could likely see. "If you didn't make me walk over here to get you. Come to my table."

I took a deep breath, feeling the fire in my chest at his words and not wanting to submit. Not to him.

"Omega Elena," another voice intruded.

In front of me, Benjamin looked like he was about to take a chance on a new party trick and breathe fire.

Turning around, Alpha Anderson stood next to me. "Hi."

"Hello, you look stunning."

"Oh, thank you," I said, still feeling Ben's eyes boring into my back.

"I was curious if you'd like to join me tonight at my table. I'm just across the room."

"I…" I paused, unsure exactly what I should do in this situation. I said I was going to court properly, didn't I?

Jessica cleared her throat, waiting for me to make my decision.

It came out of my mouth before I could stop it. "I would love to."

A hand grasped my wrist, pulling me back for Benjamin to murmur in my ear.

"Have your fun for now, Omega," Benjamin sneered, and I could hear the malevolence in his tone before he twisted away.

"He didn't look very fun," said Issac.

"No."

"But he's one of the suitors–of yours, I mean."

I paused, then nodded. "Sort of."

"Ah."

Unfortunately, the dinner portion of the night went all too quickly. Issac chatted with me as if there wasn't another problem in the entire world, and perhaps from his viewpoint, there wasn't.

I almost felt bad that I was taking up his time and energy when it was clear that he was a sweet alpha who was just looking for his omega.

And I wasn't going to be that.

Maybe in another life, I could've been. I could've smiled at him and batted my eyelashes and he would've taken me home tomorrow. He probably would've even installed my library wherever he lived with the way he kept talking about my interest in books and asking if I had enough reading material at the academy.

It would've been a nice life. A perfect life, perhaps.

"Issac…"

His eyes brightened at my use of his name. "Elena…"

"I um… I need to let you know–"

"I believe you have taken up enough of the omega's time, Anderson," Ben's slimy personality radiated once more behind me.

I shut my eyes as I tried not to be nauseated by his scent as it overtook the space.

Issac looked between me and Ben. "I believe that is up the Elena, Alpha Davinson."

"You want to come with me now, don't you Elena?" Benjamin asked a hint of a bark in his voice, though not a direct order.

I dipped my chin down, only peeking up through my lashes at him as if in a moment of forgetfulness of my lessons he beat into me with his father years prior.

I wish I could've stopped. I wished I could've explained everything to Issac almost like I did Lucas, but right now, there was only so much I could be shielded from even with Jessica and the rest of Omega Services standing along the perimeter of the room. "Sorry. Of course."

Benjamin narrowed his eyes at my response, brows bunching over emeralds that so perfectly matched my dress.

It was as if he'd take a second to notice it, as if I truly made myself his perfect pair tonight.

Dress intentionally or not.

"Come on," he guided, voice slightly less irritated as we made the way back to his table.

"Have a good night, Elena," Issac said quickly.

"Goodnight, Issac. It was wonderful–sitting with you."

Benjamin growled as he continued to tug me along.

A few other alphas were there at his table on the other side of the room as well, likely his friends who leered at the sight of me. "Oh, look who Benny finally caught?"

Benjamin rolled his eyes, reaching out for me to sit next to him.

There was still plenty of lemonade and different plates of food on the table that smelled delicious. Certainly better than the blandness I could only ever smell coming from Benjamin and from… his cousin across the table.

I stared at him.

"Nice to see you again."

I hummed.

Luckily, I could always play it off. It wasn't polite after all in the Davinson household to speak to another alpha other than her own without permission.

His brother raised his brows. "Huh. You got her broken in already."

Benjamin stared at me as if studying my motives.

I wouldn't give him a single question though.

He gave a short, "Huh," sound as if he couldn't quite believe it either. "A minute ago she was practically cavorting with other alphas so I wouldn't be so sure."

Because though I hated Benjamin and thought he was the most awful person, it didn't mean that he was stupid. And I couldn't get my hopes up.

Not yet.

I sat at the table, my facade of compliance masking the storm of emotions raging inside me as I tried not to look around the rest of the room at wherever Issac may have gone or the other omegas who believed themselves to be falling in love with the alphas here.

Benjamin's presence loomed over me, a constant reminder of my place in this rigid hierarchy.

I forced myself to focus on the food in front of me, picking at it delicately to avoid drawing any unwanted attention. But now and then, I could feel his gaze lingering on me, a silent threat that dared me to step out of line.

As the evening wore on, the tension in the room seemed to thicken with each passing minute. And unlike with Issac, no one else was going to swoop in and pull me away.

The pressure was suffocating, the weight of expectations bearing down on me like a leaden sky.

I stole a glance around the room, searching for a familiar face amidst the sea of strangers, as if maybe Issac would come back and save me, or Lucas somehow managed to sneak in, because my body ached and my nose itched as if searching for something.

"Come."

I blinked. Benjamin was already standing.

"Come on." He said. "I want a drink and you're coming with me."

I nodded. "Right."

He huffed as I followed him across the room towards the bar. I don't know what I expected from this evening, but from what I understood I didn't expect courting to be so boring.

Even though I knew I wasn't courting. If I was, it certainly wouldn't be with Benjamin Davinson.

My nose itched again and I sneezed.

Benjamin scowled. "Are you getting sick?"

"No." I shook my head.

"You better not be. I need you to be in top health when we get you out of this place. I have to get back to work and need you by my side from now on and do what you need to do once you learn how to behave again. Understand?"

Of course, I did. Getting his drink from the bar, I forced myself to turn away before he could see just how irritated I was with him.

I froze.

My heart raced, there standing right across the room was someone perhaps that made my heart stop faster than Benjamin Davinson.

"I think I need to use the restroom," I said.

"You think?"

"I need to use the restroom."

Benjamin huffed. "Go."

I quickly scuttled off towards the other side of the room where the restrooms were, making sure that I didn't look back as I did this time, trying to make my steps smooth and unhurried though all I wanted to do was run.

Because the alpha I just saw was the one and only…

Demetri Prestford.