Chapter 13

Agatha’s POV

I let out a long breath as I wrote the last answer on my paper. My fingers hurt because I had been writing too fast. But thank Goodness, I finished just in time. For once, nothing went wrong—no fainting, no wolf fights, and no drama.

Well… except for one thing.

Professor Dale had been staring at me the whole time like he wanted to burn a hole through my paper. His eyes felt heavy on me, like a bird watching its food. It made me very uncomfortable.

I got up slowly, holding my answer sheet like it was something precious, and walked to his desk. He didn’t look at me at first. His red pen was busy moving on another student’s paper. But I could feel it coming. That moment.

“You know,” he said quietly, still not looking at me, “having both Alpha brothers hanging around you doesn’t change your level.”

There it was.

He finally looked up at me. His eyes were cold. Not curious—just full of judgment.

“You’re still just an omega, Miss Morrow,” he said in a low, sharp voice. “First, you followed Rhunar everywhere like a little puppy… and now that Fenrik is back, it’s the same thing. You’re just chasing another tail.”

My throat felt tight. My hand holding the paper was shaking, but I didn’t say anything. What was the use?

“If you really cared about your future,” he leaned in a little, “you’d think about your mother—waiting for you at home. She works hard. And here you are, making her name look bad by chasing after those boys. Being around Alpha blood will only bring you trouble. And when it does... don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

He leaned back and started marking papers again like he didn’t just say all that.

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could say a word, he stood up and shouted, “Time’s up!” His voice filled the room like a loud door slamming shut. Then he started walking around, picking up the rest of the papers, ignoring me completely like I was invisible.

I quietly dropped my paper on his desk and left the room quickly before something else could go wrong.

As soon as I stepped out, I was pulled into a tight group hug.

“Agatha!” Linda and Ryan yelled happily as they squeezed me. I almost lost my balance.

For a short moment, nothing else mattered. Their arms around me felt like a soft blanket I didn’t know I needed. Safe. Warm. Comforting. I blinked fast, trying not to cry again. After Rhunar’s engagement and Professor Dale’s mean words, I was already close to breaking.

“I still can’t believe that was Fenrik earlier!” Linda said when they let go.

Of course, Linda had to start with gossip instead of saying she missed me.

I smiled and shrugged.

“And didn’t he drive you to school again for the second time?” she asked, her eyes getting small like a detective who smelled a secret.

I didn’t even get a chance to answer.

“And are the rumors true about you two?” she asked again quickly.

“Which question am I supposed to answer first?” I said, laughing a little to ease the tension.

“Linda, give her some space,” Ryan said, gently pushing her. “Don’t scare her with all these questions.”

“Okay, okay,” Ryan said, turning back to me. “But seriously… we need to know. Tell us.”

These two. Always chasing gossip like it’s food.

“Fine,” I said with a sigh. “Yes, Fenrik drove me again. But he’s just helping my mom. That’s it. Nothing more.”

They didn’t believe me. I could see it in their eyes. They were studying my face like I was lying.

“You two aren’t dating?” Linda asked directly.

“No! No, no, no,” I said, laughing and shaking my head. “We’re not even friends.”

“Really?” they both said at the same time, their faces frozen between surprise and doubt.

“If I was in a relationship,” I said honestly, “you two would be the first people to know. I’d tell you right away. I swear.”

That should have been the end of it.

But of course, it wasn’t.

“Then why did you kiss him at Lya’s birthday party?” Ryan asked like it was just a simple question. Like he didn’t just drop a huge bomb on me.

I froze. “What?” My voice sounded weird.

“But you two weren’t even at the party,” I said, trying to stay calm.

“It’s all over PKGram,” Linda said, unlocking her phone. “Girl, where have you been? That kiss is the second most trending post right now.”

I took her phone slowly, scared of what I might see.

And there it was.

A video. Of me and Fenrik. Kissing.

Frozen right there on the screen.

The title said:

#OmegaSeducesTheReturnedAlpha

“What is this?” I whispered, feeling my face heat up. “That’s not true! I wasn’t seducing him…”

But before I could say anything more, I scrolled down.

Another video.

Of me.

Passed out at the party.

#WeakestOmegaEver

Number three on the trending list.

I stared at the screen like it might catch fire.

“They filmed this too?” I whispered. My chest started to hurt.

“And the number one trending video,” Ryan said softly, “is the new couple—Rhunar and Lya. Their engagement.”

I didn’t say anything.

Linda turned her phone again. “Wanna see the video? It’s kinda cute… if you ignore how weird Lya’s laugh is—”

“No,” I said firmly. Quickly.

The silence around us became thick.

I gave Linda back her phone, my hands shaking a little.

Rhunar and Lya.

Engaged.

And me?

I was just the joke of the school.

And now I understood why everyone kept looking at me like I was famous.

The stares. The whispers. The smirks in the hallways.

It wasn’t because I looked different—it was because everyone saw that kiss. A kiss I only meant to make Rhunar jealous with. Not something for the whole school to laugh at. All I ever wanted was for Rhunar to look at me the way I look at him.

But now I was stuck in something deeper. Something I couldn’t undo.

That stupid bet with Fenrik.

Feelings I didn’t understand.

And now… trying to break up an engagement.

I could feel Linda and Ryan’s eyes on me again. They were both scrolling through their phones.

“Has Rhunar come to school since Lya’s birthday?” I asked in a low voice.

Ryan shook his head. “Nope. I haven’t seen him. Not since our last group project. He even left my message unread.”

“Same here,” Linda added. “He hasn’t replied to any of my texts. Maybe he’s just… busy?”

Busy. Hiding. Whatever it was, I knew something wasn’t right. Rhunar was hiding something. And I was going to find out what it was.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed.

I looked at it.

Another message from that unknown number—the one that kept sending me cute emojis all week. Today’s one was a sleepy fox under a blanket with small hearts floating above it.

I smiled a little.

I didn’t know who it was, but their timing was always perfect. Like they knew when I needed a little happiness.

I sent back a heart-eye emoji and saved the number.

I knew it was silly. But somehow, it didn’t feel silly at all.

When we reached the school parking lot, Linda said we should go to the little ice cream café in town to celebrate me being back. I said yes. I needed something sweet. Something to take my mind off all the craziness.

And that’s when I saw him.

Leaning against his car, holding his phone, smiling to himself.

Fenrik.

His car was shining under the sun. But he didn’t look up right away. He was too busy texting, his thumbs moving fast, his smile soft and happy.

My heart jumped.

Wait… no. It couldn’t be…

I stopped walking. I looked from my phone to him. Then back to my phone.

That smile.

That moment.

No.

Was it really him?

“Is that Fenrik?” Ryan asked.

“Yep,” Linda replied. “And by the look on his face, I bet someone sent him a flirty message.”

They both laughed.

I didn’t laugh.

I just held my phone a little tighter… and smiled to myself.