Chapter 2

Serena’s POV.

I pushed open the oak doors to the council room, and take a long look at Katie. She gives me a reassuring smile before I shut the door. Then I turn around.

Four council members were already in room, staring at me with an amused glint in their eyes. I ignore them and moved around, studying my surroundings.

The council room was exactly like it was in the pictures i’d seen on the school website. It had a long polished wooden table, high-backed chairs, and old portraits of the past presidents on the walls. All the faces were that of an Alpha males. Mine would be the only female in a long succession of bigotry. The thought leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Hopefully I would soon pass the torch to another female or omega, creating a succession that respected inclusivity.

“Done eye fucking your predecessors yet?” A sharp voice came the side followed by low snickers from the rest.

I turn to look at the source, Ryan Cole, a broad-shouldered alpha with a permanent smirk. Next to him was Tyler Brooks, dark-skinned, tall and bored-looking, spinning a pen between his fingers. At the end of the table sat Sophia Lang, also an Alpha whose monolid eyes that disclosed her asian ancestry. She swirled a cup of coffee. Next to a printer stood Megan Hale, who watched me with mild curiosity with the machine buzzing under her palm, as though I had walked into the wrong room.

“Finally, the new president is here. You're supposed to be here earlier.” Megan said, picking out the papers and returning to her chair.

“I think i’m right on time.” I gave a thin smile.

Sofia shook her head. “Actually you're thirty minutes late.”

“I arrived at the time I was informed.” I countered.

“Well you were informed wrong.” Tyler cut in, leaning forward and weaving his palm together, arms on the table. “We’re correcting you now. As president, it wouldn't serve as a good example to keep your council members waiting.”

My hand tightened around my cup, a surge of anger rising in me. But I stay calm and collected.

“Understood.” I said and moved toward the table, taking my rightful place at the head of the table. The seat felt too big for my small figure, so I took my time snuggling in, rubbing it in their faces as I noticed the discomfort.

Most of them gave each other private looks.

Afterwards, I set my bag and cup on the table and pulled out my notebook, and my glasses, putting them on. Then I flick a page open to proofread the content. Then I looked at them and cleared my throat. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.” I said.

Ryan snorts loudly, Megan smacking him while withholding a laugh of her own.

I ignore them and continue speaking. “Thank you for such a warm welcome, you are very kind.” I said sarcastically with a fake smile. “Anyways, to begin my term as Council president, I want to start with a proposal that matters. One that I think would be a right step in making Northridge a more inclusive environment.”

“Here we go…” Sofia said, balling up a piece of paper and tossing it across the room to Ryan.

I also chose to ignore that. “Right now our school splits almost every major sports event by secondary gender. We have the Alpha leagues and the Omega divisions.”

“And what about it?” Ryan asked, unwrapping and then scribbling something on the paper Sofia tossed.

“Well, it’s inconvenient. I mean it’s separate tournaments, separate funding, separate everything. I want to change that. I want mixed teams and open events where Alphas and Omegas can compete together under the same rules.”

Silence filled the room then, as though something crashed loudly.

They all stared at me as though I had grown a second head. Then Tyler laughed, a distinct pitched sound that grated my insides. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Sophia raised one eyebrow. “That’s not how things work here. It’s tradition for a reason.”

“It’s tradition that keeps Omegas on the sidelines…” I countered. “Alot of Omegas are strong, equally skilled and dedicated. They just never get the same platforms. They have to settle for a sideshow after the main event is over. It's not fair. The same applies to some Alphas who might want to play in less aggressive sports. We can set safety rules. We can have weight classes or skill brackets. But keeping everything seperate by secondary gender is outdated.”

Megan leaned forward. “Outdated? Or realistic? You’re talking about putting people with completely different physical builds and instincts in the same games. That’s asking for a disaster… or worse.”

Ryan snorted. “Imagine an Omega going into heat mid-game. Or an Alpha losing control because someone smelled too good. You really want that?”

I kept my voice steady even though he was beginning to annoy me. “As Omegas, we already manage heats and ruts with blockers and leave policies. We can do the same for sports. Some schools have started inclusive programs. It works when people actually try—”

“Other schools aren’t Northridge…” Tyler interrupts. “We have standards.”

At that moment, the door opened behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. The temperature in the room seemed to lower as he walked in like he owned the place, his strong scent curling around my nostrils.

Nathaniel Storm had always radiated power. With his striking looks and his cold personality, you didn't even need to ask before you knew. He had raven-black hair neatly combed back, a sharp jawline and striking blue eyes that looked like they could pierce you. His brows were full and sharp, his nose straight, and he had full lips that were a deep shade of pink.

He had a thick expensive coat thrown over his uniform, but his legacy pin peeked through, faintly catching the light.

He looked like he belonged in rooms like this. He always had. His family name was practically carved into half the buildings on campus. Their money had built the new gym, the swimming pool and the library wing.

Everyone knew it.

And as he scanned the table and eventually locked eyes on me, I remembered why I had hated him since freshman year.

He had this look when it came to me, like I was something insignificant, like background noise.

The first time I noticed was during my third week in school, when I was collecting signatures for an Omega support petition.

I felt a stare on me then, so I looked back and found his gaze. He stared for a moment longer, then blinked and looked away like I was a piece of cardboard with a piece of writing he deciphered and found to be trash.

Ever since then, I returned the favor and gave him the same disinterested gaze.

He took the empty legacy seat at the opposite end of the table, taking off his coat and folding it over the back of his chair. He took his sweet damn time too, just as I had.

We all patiently waited and something in the waiting felt diminishing.

“Sorry for the delay…” He said eventually in that bored tone of his. Then those blue eyes landed on me again. “Congratulations on the presidency, McAllistair. Historic win.”

It sounded polite but It felt fake.

“Thank you.” I answered, keeping my voice flat.

Ryan immediately turned to him, too eager to suck up as everyone did with the Storms. “Perfect timing, Nate. Our new president here wants to throw out the secondary-gender division in sports. She's suggesting mixing in tournaments.”

“What do you mean mixing?” Nate asked as he pulled a drawer open.

“Alphas and Omegas on the same teams.” Sofia completed, side-eying me.

I gave her a challenging look.

Try me bitch.

Nathaniel’s expression didn’t change. He pulled out a pen and notebook. Then he folded his hands on the table. “That’s not happening…” He said simply.

The words hit me like a door slammed to my face. I straightened, unwilling to let them see me crack. “You haven’t even heard the full proposal.”

“I don’t need to.” He didn't even look at me as he answered. “Secondary-gender divisions exist because biology is not a social construct. The average Alpha strength and speed are higher than that of Omegas….. Our bone densities are different. Our durabilities are different. If you put two secondary genders in the same competitive bracket, two things are guaranteed to happen. Firstly, there will be safety issues. Secondly, we’ll have endless accusations of unfair advantage or deliberate holding back.”

Megan nodded like he had just recited the Bible.

I leaned forward. “Then we create fair brackets. Skill-based, not secondary-gender-based. Other places already do it.”

“Other places aren't Northridge… they do not prioritize exemplary student conduct. Nor principles and reputation.” Nathaniel corrected, still keeping his voice levelled.

I blinked, almost stuttering.

What?

Northridge of all places, reputable?

I start to speak but he cut me off.

“Tell me something, McAllistair.… What happens when an Omega athlete hits an unexpected heat cycle during a tournament? Or when blockers fail and scents shift. An Alpha teammate or an opponent reacts. Then the game stops, people get hurt, and the school is on the news for all the wrong reasons. Or what about the opposite? What if an Alpha under performance pressure tips into aggressive territory and someone claims pheromone interference. Who carries that liability? The school? The families? The council? You?”

Tyler pointed his pen at me. “He’s right. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.”

“We can write clear protocols…” I said, feeling anger and impatience rise in my chest.

“Protocols don’t erase instinct, McAllistair.” Nathaniel cut in again. Then his blue eyes finally meets mine. “You want to pretend the secondary gender is just another label. But it isn’t. Strength gaps are measurable. And scent triggers are real. Heat and rut cycles don’t care about inclusion. You push through with this and you won't get equality, you would get chaos and a long list of students who feel cheated no matter which way the results fall.”

The room became quiet after that.

Mic drop, my inner goddess mocked. I bite her.

Ryan smirked proudly, like he'd won the battle himself. Megan’s eyes gleamed with amusement. Sophia only studied her nails, a pathetic attempt to look cool in my opinion.

I keep my mouth shut.

My mother always told me a wise woman chose her battles carefully and knew when defeat lurked at her door.

That advice would be my lifeline today.

Nathaniel hadn’t shouted, or mocked me. He only stacked facts that made my proposal look reckless.

I couldn't win.

Tyler cleared his throat eventually. “I move that we dismiss the mixed-sports proposal for this term. There are too many risks involved.”

“Seconded..” Ryan said quickly.

All four of them voted against it.

Nathaniel didn’t even need to raise his hand. He didn't look at me afterwards either.

And it was back to usual.

Treating me like I was pothole he could step over.

Nothing else I brought up that morning survived either. Small funding requests. Clearer reporting lines. Each one met the same wall of polite refusal and the excuses of tradition.

When the session finally ended and it was time for classes, the other members packed up without looking at me. Nathaniel stood, folded his coat over his arm and walked out of the room.

Katie was at the end of the hallway when I left, eagerly waiting for me. I walked to her dragging my steps and her smile fell flat.

“Bad??” She asked, still trying to keep her voice cheerful.

“It was brutal…” I grumbled.

She sighed and threw her long arm over my shoulder. “Yeah… let me buy you lunch later. That'll lift your spirits.”

After classes, we clambered to the school cafeteria, Katie yapping my ears off a mile a minute. I knew it was her attempt to take my mind off earlier and the sweet act warmed me despite my moping.

We both sat at a corner table, and I played around with my food, still thinking about how Nathan had wiped the floor with me.

I should have taken debate club more seriously.

“Hey…” Katie nudged me. “Cheer up. You're sucking the life out of my lettuce.”

I looked down at the withered veggie with a sulky expression. “I don't think it had much fight in it.”

Silence.

Then we both broke into laughter.

Katie pressed a kiss to my temple. “Don’t sulk anymore. It's only your first day. Tomorrow will be better, okay.”

I mumbled an answer.

“Okay?” She pressed, doing her little shimmy.

I smiled again, giving in. “Fine.”

“Pinky promise?” She held her unnaturally long pinky out and I grab it with mine placing a kiss on it.

“Yayyyy.” She hugged me briefly, then goes back to rambling about her favorite anime.

I felt a stare on me, then looked up.

Across the cafeteria, near the main doors, Nathaniel was stood there with his girlfriend, a tall, blonde Alpha girl named Victoria who always looked like she just stepped out of a magazine.

He looked away from me, then leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She giggled, then he leaned in and kissed her openly. one hand resting lightly on her waist like it was meant to be there. Afterwards, he weaved his hand with hers and then guided her toward the exit.

I watched them go, my hate burning quietly under my ribs.

After earlier today, I realized that my title was nothing but words on a piece of paper. In that council room it meant almost nothing.

The Alphas still held all the power and Nathaniel Storm was their king.

But even Kings could lose their crowns and fall.

I looked down at my notebook peaking out of my bag and thought about the crossed-out proposal. And i felt something harden instead of crack.

This wasn’t over. I came too far to fail.