39. Zoe
Zoe
I wake to the sound of branches snapping and breaking. When my eyes fly open, I can tell I'm still in my dragon form by the saturation of the colors around me.
Dominic is nowhere to be found. I'm not sure when we fell asleep or how long we were here, but he's gone now. He must've been trying to sneak out, but couldn't stay quiet enough.
Gods, the Alpha is confusing.
I won't deny that I feel better than I have in a long time after spending so much time in shifted form with him. That nap was probably the best one I've ever had.
Shifting back is easy; my dragon is more than happy to cede control after so much time with her scent match, and I get dressed quickly. My watch shows that it's just after lunchtime.
I've missed most of today's classes.
If I hustle, I can make it to Menagerie Management on time. That's probably why Dominic took off so fast. Shitty of him not to wake me up.
Professor Trisha has just called the class to order by the time I slide into my seat. Jeanette looks over at me with wide eyes.
"What is going on with your hair?"
Shit, I slept in the forest as a dragon, and I didn't even take a peek at my hair. I pull the elastic out, try to smooth it, and then throw it up into a bun and hope for the best.
Warren is here, looking half asleep, which isn't a surprise considering he was wasted at nine thirty in the morning.
Dominic isn't here, but none of the Alpha Aides are.
Why was he in such a rush to leave after our nap if he didn't have to be here?
I'll never understand that man.
After class wraps up, I try to grab Warren to continue our conversation, but he shrugs me off and says he has another class to get to.
I run into Viv on my way back to my dorm.
"You never came back after you left with Warren and missed the next class." She falls into step beside me, and worry laces her tone. "What's going on?"
I wish I could tell Viv everything. Having someone to talk to about this, other than the three guys it directly affects, would be nice. Especially another woman. Who better to bitch about the way men are behaving than someone who gets it?
By the time we make it to my room and she follows me in, my mind is made up.
I trust Viv.
"I have to tell you something, but it has to stay between us." I sit on the edge of my bed, and she takes the chair by my desk.
"Of course. I'm a vault."
"I mean it, Viv. It's life and death."
Her eyes widen. "What the fuck kind of secret are you keeping?"
I fiddle with the chain of my necklace. Would it be easier to show her? I can't shift here, but maybe…
I take the necklace off.
"My ceremony didn't go off without a hitch."
She shifts awkwardly in her chair. "What does that mean?"
"I mean, I touched all the stones like everyone else, and I didn't shift, but one of the Gods did speak to me."
"A God spoke to you? Which one?"
I love that Viv is so devout that she doesn't doubt that they can communicate with us. "Ilota."
The color drains from her face. "Ilota? Are you sure?"
"It happened after I touched the garnet."
I can see the gears turning behind her eyes as she assesses me. "You're an Omega, then?"
"What gave it away?"
She gestures in a way to encompass my whole body. "I don't know how I missed it. It feels so obvious now." My chest is tight. Her face is unreadable. I can't tell if she's upset with me or not. After a moment, she nods. "Okay. What do you need from me?"
"That's it? You're not mad at me?"
"The Gods wouldn't do this without reason. I've never heard of anyone who was able to hold back the shift and pass as a Beta."
I hold up the necklace. "Ilota kept the shift from happening, and then my mother gave me this. It's hidden my Omega nature from everyone."
The necklace.
Holy shit.
So much has been tied to this necklace. Why am I just now realizing that this means my mother knew? She had to have known what this necklace was, and that's why she gave it to me. She knows what I am.
I need to go home and talk to her.
"What's your form? Do you know?"
"A dragon."
Her mouth falls open. "A dragon? Oh my Gods, that's so cool. I am officially jealous."
"No need to be. According to Ilota, if the Archon finds out I'm dead. I don't think Ilota wanted to stop Blessing Omegas. I think she had no choice."
Viv blanches and runs her fingers through her thick hair. "Why would the Archon want to kill you? He should be thrilled that Ilota Blessed you!"
"I don't have the full picture, but it centers around the Archon. Cliff says things are weird in Pyxis, that they only have one church. Ilota says she needs me to fix the realm, but I feel like I'm missing pieces of the puzzle."
"Then let's figure it out." Vivian digs through my desk. "Wait. What is this?"
She holds out a piece of paper to me with familiar handwriting. I take it and read what's scrawled on the surface.
Come to the chapel for tonight's service.
My smile must be goofy, because Viv snatches it from me and reads it. "Why are you smiling like you got a love note?"
"I guess I should catch you up on everything."
Viv was excited for me when I got to the part about bonding with Cliff, but the revelation that Dominic is my scent match had her head spinning.
"So this is dangerous, then." She had been taking notes, writing down what Cliff told me about Pyxis, and she flips back through them.
"It sounds like the Archon doesn't want anyone to be Blessed by Ilota, who told you that he'd kill you, and your fate rests in the hands of his son? I don't like this one bit."
I stretch out of my bed and stare at the ceiling. "Me neither, but he asked Kashmyre about it, and he said we needed one another, which is why he paired us together."
"I can't believe everyone is talking to Gods but me." She looks up at the ceiling and holds her hands out. "I'm happy to receive your words at any time, Oren!"
"Oren did speak to Ray."
She whips her head so fast her hair smacks her in the face. "What? When?"
"We ran into each other in the forest, and Oren asked him to make me stay and watch his shift." I shrug. "I don't understand it, but Ilota said that maybe Oren had some guidance for me."
"That's why he's being so nice to you. I don't think I'd be mean to someone my God wanted me to spend time around, either." She gestures at the note from Cameron. "So why are we going to the chapel tonight?"
I hadn't made it to the conversation I overheard Cameron having with the Archon.
How is someone as religious as Viv going to take the fact that the fucking Hierophant is my scent match?
"That note is from Cameron. He's my other scent match."
She gasps and tosses it on the ground. "Shut up! Two of them? Lucky bitch. I'm kind of jealous that I'm just a Beta now, not gonna lie."
"That's not all." I roll over and prop myself up on my side with my elbow. "Don't freak out, okay?"
"I think I've proven I am unflappable today." Viv gets off the chair and joins me on the bed.
I sit up and grab her hands. "Cameron is the Hierophant."
Her eyes grow wide, and her jaw falls slack.
It takes her a moment to find her voice, and when she does, it's full of false bravado.
"You're scent-matched to the Hierophant.
Cool. That makes sense. Sure. Why wouldn't you be?
It's not weird to think of my best friend going into heat and fucking the Godsdamned Hierophant. Not weird at all."
I have studiously avoided thinking about going into heat until now. There is too much going on right now. The last thing I need is to become a sweaty, horny mess for almost a week.
"Anything else?" Viv's voice is a squeak, and she winces as if bracing for a blow.
"There's one more thing. I overheard a conversation he had with the Archon."