Chapter 3: New Plan

Bella POV

I knew Alex wouldn’t be home, and I am grateful. I need time to think. I am a little curious about why he was at the Academy. Wait! Does that mean he also witnessed me accepting Drake's invitation to elope with him in my previous life? Is that why he came looking for me that day? Damn! But I rejected Drake this time around. He won’t get annoyed, right? 

I should mend our relationship, but I am definitely not ready to accept Alex, or for marriage. I never envisioned myself in an arranged marriage. I always thought I would end up with my fated mate. Isn't that the dream? To be with the other half of your soul, the one person destined just for you. Alex is a great Alpha, but marriage is just not the right thing for me now. 

Looking back on my life now, and remembering everything that happened, I see now how much Alex has done for me. The little things I never took note of before, because I was so focused on Drake. But I see it all clearly now. Alex has been nothing but patient with me, while I have been a complete and utter b***h. I don’t even know when and how I turned into the person I was before. 

How could I have been so blinded by love? Alex gave his life trying to save mine in my previous one, and I still don’t know why. As grateful as I am to him, I am not ready to accept him. I have to get my life back on track. I worked damn hard to get to the rank of Alpha and I want to get it back. That is my main goal and all my focus should be on training. I know pacing around my room won’t fix my problems, but it helps me think better. 

My first shift is also tomorrow. I don’t know if Drake will still try anything. But I have to work on the assumption that he will. This house is the safest place for me right now. Being downgraded to an Omega has restricted me alot. There are many places I cannot access and I have been stripped of some of my power.

I will wait until Alex gets home and apologize for my behavior. I will ask him to allow me to have my first shift here, with him. That way, he is with me in case Drake tries something. Surely Drake won’t try to kill me at the Alpha house. He isn't that stupid, is he? Yes… that sounds like it could work. Alex is reasonable. I am sure he will agree.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, causing me to pause my pacing. I take out my phone and frown when I see Drake’s name flash across my screen. I canceled the call and started pacing again. I need to get him off my back. The best person to dig up dirt on Drake just happens to be Alex’s Beta. So that is a no-go. I don’t want Alex to find out what I am up to. And I definietly dont want him to interfere. 

I may have to follow Drake around myself so that I can get some evidence to take to the elders. But now that I know the truth about him, I will have to be extra careful. I also need to deal with that b***h Emma. She was helping Drake. I know she hates me, but I never thought she would take it that far.

Emma is my rival, for lack of a better word, and the daughter of our previous Alpha. She has hated me ever since I can remember, and she is always trying to outshine me. She never could though, and that is why she always resorts to underhanded tricks. When the elders announced my engagement to Alex, she stepped up her rivalry.

I know she wants Alex, and before I would not have cared if she got him. But now that I know what she is capable of, I have to stop her too. The day I got my Alpha ranking, I thought she would have a heart attack. She was the only person in that entire academy that had the guts to question the order.

Even the girls that never spoke to me came to congratulate me. All Emma did was make a big scene. She just can’t stand that I excel in everything, while she can only reach the rank of a Beta. Maybe if she spent her energy on her studies, rather than trying to best me, she would achieve her goal.

So now, I have to watch out for both her and Drake while I try to get my Alpha ranking back. My phone rings a few more times, but I just ignore it. Then I hear a notification for a text, so I check it. It’s that i***t Drake again, and he is trying way too hard to get my attention. I read the message and scoffed.

‘Please talk to me babe. Why are you doing this to us? I love you. You are mine and I am yours. No one can stand in our way,’ I just ignored it and went back to pacing. Then another message came through and another. I really feel like throwing my phone against the wall as I see more text from Drake come through. 

It seems like he is not willing to abandon his plan to get me away from Alex’s protection. What could I have done to him to make him want my death so badly? I still have to figure out what spell Emma tried to use on me. As far as I know, there isn't a spell to steal someone’s power. But I could be wrong. We aren't taught any dark magic at the Academy and I don’t think that is something I want to research anyway.

I look at the next text that came through and roll my eyes. Drake is becoming desperate now, and even claimed that he will take his own life if I leave him. He can go right ahead for all I care. It will make my life a lot easier. And he can take Emma’s life too, while he is at it. 

The Academy exams and trials will start again after my birthday. I know I can easily get through the exams. It’s the physical trials I am worried about. Emma always tried to sabotage me, so I need to be extra vigilant, and I need to be ready for anything. Luckily for me, our trainer, Mr Jensen, knows what I am capable of. He never goes easy on me, because he knows I will smash whatever he throws my way. I got this, I can do it. But this time, I will show them what I am really made of.

Dying has given me a new perspective on everything. I will speak to Alex and convince him to let me stay on campus so that I can train more. I need to focus, and I honestly need to avoid Alex too. I can’t stay here anymore. I need time to fix myself before I can even think of getting married. I just hope he understands, given everything I put him through.

I stop pacing and square my shoulders. “Okay, so I have a plan. Now I need to execute it.” I take out my phone and look at the texts from Drake. More bullshit about how much he loves me and how we need to get away from here so we can be together. Yeah right, he just wants me away from Alex so that it’s easier for him to kill me. 

I rolled my eyes and deleted all the messages and blocked his number. Then I get undressed and grab a quick shower, before I start packing my bags to move back into my dormitory at the Academy. I will have my first shift tomorrow, and then I can leave the next day. That is when classes resume and the new round of testing starts. 

I had just finished my shower and got dressed in my nightie, when I heard Alex’s car pull up. I have to admit, he has excellent taste in cars. I am honestly not that interested in the name and model of a car, but I do love the engine. And Alex seems to love muscle cars.

He never comes to my room, so I know I can safely pack without him noticing me. I still don’t know what I will say to make him agree to my terms, but I will figure it out. While I was busy packing, I heard footsteps outside my door, followed by a soft knock. That should be Mrs Tobin, the housekeeper. It is nearly dinnertime.

“Come in!” I yell as I continue to pack. The door opens, and I am hit with Alex’s scent of cinnamon and the forest after the rain. Strangely enough, those are two of my favorite scents. I looked up, and he was looking at me with an angry expression. But I did notice how he also gave me the once over. I never wear my pajamas in front of him, and this one is a bit revealing.

“Oh, I thought it was Mrs Tobin. What can I do for you, Alex? Is everything okay?” I asked, trying to maintain my composure, even though I was caught off guard. I tried to move my body in front of the bags, but he probably saw them already. 

“You pretended to reject him in front of me, and now you’re packing to elope with that weak Omega. Is that your plan?” The anger in his voice really caught me by surprise.