Chapter 37
thirty-seven
West
Ihadn’t planned on coming to the fights tonight.
However, since Whitmore was making a point to show up, Brooks told me I had no choice. I sat in the back, pretending to watch and take notes while I was really just counting down the time until I could leave.
I told Brooks it was a bad idea to put my siren in the fights, but he didn’t care.
He never does.
Jo’s just finished making the alpha pass out, and Whitmore’s face is red with rage. “How did she do it?” he demands, spittle flying from his mouth. “Alphas are tactless brutes, and omegas are simpering fools! The science is there, so how the hell did she beat him?”
My colleagues mutter to themselves, quite possibly trying to figure out the same thing.
It probably wouldn’t be a good idea on my part to tell them that they’re a bunch of elitist, misogynistic assholes who know next to nothing about omegas or alphas outside of what they’ve read in their textbooks.
“We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Brooks promises. “Maybe she slipped him something, or maybe…” he leans down and speaks quietly in Whitmore’s ear so I can’t hear.
But…I know something was off tonight. Paige’s behavior especially was peculiar. They were all more aggressive than normal, but also less…coherent.
“Monroe!” Whitmore barks, and I go to his side immediately like the obedient dog I am. “You’re the omega’s psychologist, correct?”
“Yes, sir.” I swallow back my disdain for referring to this asshole with any sort of respect.
“What was she like at her last session? Shifty? Hiding something?” It’s clear from his tone he doesn’t see anything past his ideas of her designation.
“No.” I shake my head. “She was a little nervous about the fights, but no more or less than she should have been.”
Lies. She ignored me the entire time and read a book. But I can’t tell Whitmore that, or he’ll have her transferred to someone he can control.
Whitmore frowns. “Brooks, get her over here. I want to talk to the little bitch. She might be more useful in the lab.” The last sentence has my blood freezing, and I’m ninety-nine percent sure I wasn’t supposed to hear that part.
“Ms. Harding!” Brooks calls out, trying to cross the room to get to Jo. “Dr. Whitmore and I need to speak to you!” Her gaze meets mine, and before I know what I’m doing, I shake my head at her, hoping she gets the message. Her eyes widen in understanding, and she ducks behind Kole and Hayden.
“Wait, Ms. Harding!” Brooks shouts, his voice tinging with anger. “Dammit, Wright, get her!”
Jo’s head of red hair disappears into the crowd, and Sam looks around for a second before pointing to himself in confusion. “Me? Get who?” At the same time, Hayden slips a few steps away, bending over next to who I immediately recognize as Adela, Jo’s closest friend.
Adela listens to the alpha, then looks panicked for a moment before she reaches out and grabs the nearest ponytail she can, which just so happens to be Tilly.
Hayden looks shocked for a moment, before his head falls back on a laugh. The ruckus draws the attention of the crowd, and they start snickering as they watch the ”fight” go down.
“Oh, them?” Sam shouts, jamming his thumb towards the two beta girls who are now slap-fighting like a couple of schoolgirls. “I’m on it!”
Sam approaches the beta girls, and Adela immediately steps back, raising her hands with a squeak. “Wait, I’m pregnant!”
“I don’t care if you’re pregnant, bitch!” Tilly screeches. “I’ll use my ability on you!”
Of course, this aggression would make Tilly revert to her psychosis where she believes she can control the emotions of people around her. I kind of wish Jo were here to see this.
She stares at Adela, her arms in front of her and her fingers splayed wide, screaming, “Pain, you’re in pain!”
Adela rolls her eyes before stepping back towards Hayden, who is doing his best to hide the shit-eating grin on his face.
“Pain isn’t an emotion, pridurok,” Kole laughs, all too familiar with Tilly’s delusions. She spent last year thinking that she could make Kole feel lust for her.
Brooks and Whitmore stare at the chaos, dumbstruck by the absurdity of it all.
Tilly is still screaming something about “pain”, Sam is half-heartedly pulling Adela away, and Kole continues to laugh his ass off.
That is, before Banesworth comes up behind Tilly, jams a syringe in her neck and lets her fall to the floor.
Her screeches cut off as her eyes roll to the back of her head, and he grunts once, letting the two other orderlies with him grab the beta woman before heading towards the direction of the exit.
“You idiot!” Whitmore seethes, approaching Sam now that everyone has dispersed. “You let her get away!”
“He said, ‘Get her’,” Sam shrugs. “I only saw these two fighting.”
Brooks rubs the bridge of his nose. “It’s fine. We’ll run bloodwork on Benson tonight, and see if she gave him anything. We can talk in the morning.”
They leave us to deal with Adela, and I roll my eyes as I approach the group.
“Hey, West.” Hayden nods easily like the entire area wasn’t a circus sideshow a minute ago.
“Hayden,” I greet, then turn to Adela. “Do you want to tell me what just happened?” I don’t really care, but I know that Brooks will expect me to follow up with both Tilly and Adela after that spectacle.
She panics, glancing back at Hayden. He places a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “It was my fault, Doc. I told her that Tilly put her hands on me again, and Adela had no choice but to go after her in Jo’s honor.”
Adela’s mouth gapes open in a way that suggests that’s absolutely not what happened, but she quickly snaps it closed, nodding her head. “Yep. Jo’s honor.”
Chuckling, I shake my head before motioning to Hayden, Kole, and Sam. “Adela, why don’t you go back to your room? I need to have a word with these three.”