10

Chapter 10

Waves of emotions flooded Talia's head as she watched Mrs. Doris scribble on the letter, then slowly, she placed the seal on it and folded it.

Mrs. Doris took her time, humming under her breath, making Talia swallow the bile rising in her throat as she clenched her fists beneath the table. 

"You can't allow her to send that letter, Talia! We have to do something" Titi began. 

"What do we do? Everything will be exposed if that letter is sent to Sage's father!" Titi hissed again 

"Shut up! I have to think!" Talia blurted, in a rasped low tone as Mrs. Doris flicked her gaze toward her. 

Talia’s gaze locked on the letter, now sealed with the school’s crest. Her throat tightened. One move and everything could unravel.

Should she snatch the letter and shred it? She thought, refusing to take her gaze off the letter. 

"You can leave, Sage" Mrs. Doris said as she began signing other letters. 

"You... can't--" Talia whispered under her breath, barely able to hear her own voice.

"Did you say something?" Mrs. Doris furrowed her brows. 

"I said..." Talia swallowed. "You can't send that letter to my father" she looked up at her this time, trying to steady her gaze. 

Mrs. Doris was taken aback by her confrontation, as she leaned forward on the table, peering into Talia's eyes. 

"And why can't I?" 

"Because..." Talia tightened her jaw and looked elsewhere, then returned her eyes to meet Mrs. Doris’s piercing gaze.

"You're accusing my father of having an affair with an omega wolf!" She raised her voice, ignoring how unsteady it sounded as beads of sweat trailed down her forehead. 

"What?!" Mrs. Doris leaned backward, creasing her brows and searching Talia's unwavering eyes. 

"My father is the Beta of Blue Claw Pack, and you, accusing his son of displaying omega trait is as good as saying I'm an Omega" Talia spoke, standing from her seat this time to sound intimidating. 

"So by saying I have omega traits, you're suggesting either my father cheated-- or my mother did. Is that really what you meant?"

"What? No! Sage!" Mrs. Doris stood up as the corner of her lips twitched, while she batted her lashes. 

"If my father hears it, the whole council will gather and you will have to prove how my father, who is a beta gave birth to an Omega" Talia swallowed, as her heart hammered in her ribcage. 

See the look of confusion spread across Mrs. Doris face, she felt she had hit a nerve, she just has to continue. 

“Watch your tone, Sage,” she said coolly. “You may be a Beta’s son, but in here, I decide what letters go out.” Talia met her gaze squarely as she lowered her gaze and cleared her throat. 

"You got me all wrong. I never-- I never said you're an omega or that either of your parents was unfaithful..." She paused and fluttered her lashes , then took off her spectacles. 

She glanced at the ceiling as if searching for words. “Sometimes the moon goddess gives omega pups even to betas and alphas. It’s not always about the parents.”

Talia folded her arms across her chest and furrowed her brows "Which means you're accusing me of being an omega" 

"No! No!! I'm not" Mrs. Doris sighed. The last thing she wanted was to be summoned by the Wolf council of elders. 

And she knows Alaska Storm, he's a troublesome beta who loves to protect his family name. Alaska would definitely exaggerate it even more than his son is now.

Looking at Talia, she knew she had to handle her with kid gloves. 

"Your wolf... I can't tell what it is. We all assumed it's a beta because of your father-- we can't detect your scent" she explained further, hoping Sage would not escalate her suspicions to his father. 

"Well..." Talia bit her lower lip, thinking of what lie to tell next. The ball was in her court and she currently holds the four aces. 

"Why did you think I ran away in the first place? Because I was scared, okay?" she muttered, her voice barely holding. "They all expected me to be great... the Beta's son. I couldn’t... I didn’t think I’d measure up. So I acted like I didn’t care.”

Mrs. Doris slowly sat down, her eyes still fixed on Talia like a spider that has wandered into her office. 

"My scent is fluctuating because of the potion I used to conceal it. You know, when I ran away, I bumped into rogues. They'll kill me if they find out I'm a beta's son" She shrugged, seeing that Mrs. Doris was nodding her head.

With the look on her face, Talia could tell that she was convincing the old woman. 

"I see, Sage" Mrs. Doris said "But you have to live up to your father's name"

"I know... that's why..." Talia forced herself to breathe, gripping the edge of the desk. Her lungs felt tight. "I’ll stop pretending. No more weak excuses."

"Please. Just give me a chance to prove myself. You don’t have to send that letter."

Mrs. Doris smiled and nodded, but it didn't reach her eyes. 

"I'll be looking forward to that, Master Sage." Mrs. Doris removed the neatly folded letter from the stack of other letters. 

"And I must advise... Do not paint it to your father that I said he or your mother was unfaithful" 

"Of course, I won't" Talia smiled and stood up. Then bowed before walking to the door with her heart in her mouth. 

"How are we going to prove to be strong. We're weak, Talia!" Titi rang in Talia's head. 

"Not now,Titi. We'd think of something later" she muttered under her breath, opened the door and walked out of the office, closing the door after her. 

The moment she left, Mrs. Doris’s smile vanished. Her fingers hovered over the sealed letter. Then, she pressed a button on her desk.

“Send in a student,” she said without taking her eyes off the envelope.

A few minutes later, a slight knock was heard from the door, followed by the door creaking open and a student stepping in. 

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Doris" the student said with a bow. 

"Do you know the student, Sage Storm?" Mrs. Doris questioned. She didn't catch the glimpse of shock in the student's face before it completely disappeared.

"Yes, Headmistress" the student replied, avoiding eye contact with her. 

"Good. I want you to watch his every move in this campus. What he does, who he moves with, who he meets, everything about him. You must report it back to me immediately" She finished, her left fingers resting on her chin while the right fingers drummed silently on the table. 

"Of course, Headmistress" with that, the student bowed and left.