Chapter 5

Leon's POV

“Cat got your tongue?” I asked. It was frustrating because I was the only one between the two of us that didn't know what exactly we were or what was going on.

I remembered him coming up to me and helping me in my most vulnerable moment.

He hadn't even been the one to kiss me. I was the one who kissed him first, but he responded positively.

Why?

Did he do it because he was trying to get me to join this university?

“Come on, you came to me then and you were pretty eloquent. Now all of a sudden you can't speak?” I asked him, and he sighed.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered, and I furrowed my brow.

Sorry? Was that all I was getting?

Sorry? I was thinking of him for hours unending and he could only spit out a sorry to me. I was both pissed and frustrated at the audacity of him.

“Answer this question, did you know I was this Omega thing when you came to me?” I asked, and he looked away.

“So you came to me knowing that. I have one question for you. Why?” I asked. It was the most confusing thing about this whole situation.

He could have just come as a recruiter, but he came with the most sincerity and care.

I guess that was what was making it hard for me to get around.

It was also what pissed me off the most about this whole thing.

His silence added to my rage.

I didn't like being manipulated. I didn't like my emotions being used, and from the way this whole situation went, he may have used me, and that was what was getting me this worked up.

“Were you asked by the school to seduce me?” I asked sharply.

He winced.

“Leon,” he whispered, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry for confusing you. I shouldn’t have done that. It had nothing to do with the school. It was… my momentary failure. I’m sorry.”

Momentary failure.

My stomach twisted.

I felt stupid.

I’d been thinking about him, and he had written me off as a “momentary failure.”

I was pissed. This place was turning me insane. I hadn’t been here two full days, and I already wanted to set the entire realm on fire.

I wanted to go home.

He used me.

Well, whatever feelings I had thought were sprouting went back to seed state, and I knew immediately what I was going to do.

“So you're trying to tell me that you almost slept with a student without the knowledge of your boss?” I asked, a smile spreading across my lips.

“Tell me, what'll happen if I were to tell said boss?” I asked with a raised brow.

“I'd lose my job,” he said sincerely, and that made me even more happy.

So he had kissed a Me of his own free will.

“Do you do that often? Kissing your students? I mean, what do they call that? Fraternizing with people you're supposed to be guiding? You might lose your job,” I grinned at him, and he sighed.

“Well, you're probably wondering what I want, so I'll just tell you. It's pretty simple. Just tell me how to get out of here and then I'm out of your hair. You won't have to worry about me reporting you,” I gave the last blow and waited.

“I can't.”

What?

Can't? Can't?

What did he mean by he can't?

“Why? Is your career not as important to you?” I asked.

“You can't leave. Even if you wanted to… you can't leave,” he said, and dread washed over me.

I thought that maybe I could escape if I played my cards right, but his words were like a nail nailing me down and forcing me into a coffin I didn't want.

“What do you mean I can't leave?” I asked, panic brewing in my chest.

“You can't do that. Keeping me against my will is a crime.”

“You're in a different realm. Take it as a different world. You can't leave at least until you graduate,” he whispered, and I got even more angry.

The overwhelming feeling and the fear I had been holding back crashed out at once, and I screamed at him:

“Why did you take me without my permission? It's all your fault! Did you inform them about me? Was it you that had them come pick me up? Was the guy on the plane part of your crew?” I was spiraling.

He walked up to me, and I stepped back.

“Stay away,” I cursed at him, but he just kept walking to me.

He pulled me close and pulled me into a hug.

“I'm sorry about everything. If I could, I would let you leave, but you can't get out of this school without Vara's knowledge. Whether you believe me or not, this is all for your own good,” he whispered, and that last sentence struck me.

“My own good?” I pulled away, looking at him with rage.

“Who are you to know my own good? You have no right to tell me what is and what's not good for me. It's my decision. It's up to me—ME,” I pointed to myself.

“I know, I know. I will do all I can to help you finish school faster, and if you want to leave still, I'll help you find a way out once you're out of Vara's control,” he promised, and I looked at him with frustration.

“Why can't you do that now? It's your fault that I'm in this situation already. Why can't you fix it?” I asked, pissed at him and how calm he was sounding.

Even I knew I was stretching things, Tom’s people had probably found me on their own, if they hadn't taken me then I'd have been dead.

But I still had every right to be furious.

Alister had probably even sought me out on request of the school, but I still had the right to be angry at him and blame it all on him.

He was a part of the system too and was actively keeping me captive.

“I want to leave now. I have a life to go to. Let me go,” I pleaded to him.

“You're dead,” he finally said after taking a deep breath.

What?

The last thing I remembered was being shot by Tom. How?

Had I died after being shot?

Was that the reason I couldn't get out?

“Is this some sort of in-between place? Or is this hell? Heaven? Am I in a coma?” I asked, and his face scrunched in confusion.

“I'm sorry. I meant you have been declared dead back in the human world. You died from gunshot wounds, and your former stepdad is being tried for murder,” he explained.

“So is this like a new body? I don't understand. How does this work? Am I really dead?” I asked.

“No, you're still alive. You never died. Your body manifested in time to protect you from death. We brought you here to treat you properly, but in the human world the story is that you were killed,” he said, and I staggered back.

“Why? Why did you guys decide to kill me? You could have just brought me here and kept me until I had to go back. Why?” I asked, and he sighed.

“It's complicated. You are a male omega. Those are very rare. Vara wanted to make sure you stayed here for as long as possible,” he responded honestly, and that honesty pissed me off.

I was just some kind of fodder.

A commodity.

Something they wanted in their collection.

"What about Reginald? The estate? Everything?” I asked.

“It's still in your control. Reginald has everything under control. He knows where you are,” he explained, and everything seemed to become even more complicated.

“How?” I asked, confused.

“He knows you have shifter blood. He's half human, half bird-shift. He will keep everything under control for you until you're ready to go back for it. You have access to all your money here.”

Everything was too much for me.

The information was driving me crazy, and more than that, it was confusing me even more.

It was too much for me to process.

Was I somehow the only person left in the dark about everything all this while?

It seemed like everyone knew more about me than I did about myself.

If he knew I was a shifter and he knew my parents, then did he know my parents were shifters?

Which of my parents was a shifter? Did he know?

Did they know he knew they were shifters?

Why didn't my parents tell me something about it?

My mom never spoke a word about it.

Everyone just kept my life as some kind of secret, hidden away from everyone. Like I didn't matter, like it didn't matter.

“So I just get to be used and controlled by everyone with no consent?” I asked, and he sighed.

“I don't have any control over my own life. That seems to be something I am banned from having. Even my ‘identity’ is kept a secret from me.” I laughed and looked up at him.

“I guess I don't have a choice. I'll just wait until you all are done with me. I mean, I have no choice anyway.”

“I'm sorry,” he whispered again, and I was pissed even more by his kindness.

Why was he being sorry?

It made me even more angry.

It made me feel powerless.