Chapter 5

Serena’s POV

After Katie and I left the roof, I was much more at ease and determined.

She said she had to get to her next class, and asked if I would be okay? I nodded softly and she squeezed my hand before departing.

I watched her go, before heading to my chem class. For the duration of it, Jason’s words kept looping in my head— the way his voice broke when he talked about Regina, the sharp accusation in his eyes, like I was already become part of the problem.

The overwhelming urge to prove i wasn't.

I needed to know more. Not the version that got whispered around like secrets or the one that got buried under official statements.

The true story.

After class ended, I went downstairs to the long corridor that led to the Student Health Center. I pushed open the door and stepped inside, taking a look around. The hallway was polished and quiet, the air thick with the usual mix of pheromones thinner and antiseptic. The smell made my stomach churn.

The waiting area was empty save for a Beta receptionist settled behind a glass partition. She looked up as I approached her. “Hello… how can I help you?” She asked, smiling softly.

I returned it. “Hi… I need to speak with the head nurse…”

“Oh? What about? She's currently disposed at the moment.”

I hesitated. “Uhm… it’s actually about an old case on a former student. Regina Westbrook.”

Her eyebrows rose a little. She glanced at me then. “Sorry dear. But student records are confidential.”

“I’m the student council president…” I said, keeping my voice even. “I’m looking into past incidents that relate to current safety policies. I only need the medical summary that was already part of the official investigation.”

She hesitated for a moment before nodding softly. Then she picked up the phone and made a call. Minutes later, a middle-aged woman in light blue scrubs came out from the back. Her name tag said Nurse Alvarez. She had soft, beautiful features but her eyes were tired, the type that said she had seen too many students come through these doors for the wrong reasons.

With how sensitive our biology was, I completely understood.

“Hello… you are Ms McAllistair?”

I stood and nodded.

“Follow me.”

We walked down a short hallway into a small office with filing cabinets along one wall and a desk computer on the other.

She closed the door, sat down, and gestured for me to take the chair by her side. “You’re asking about Regina Westbrook..” She said. It wasn’t a question.

“Yes. I want to see the medical notes from the incident.”

Nurse Alvarez turned on the computer, eyes darting across the screen as she typed. “Hmm… That was a very sensitive case. Almost two years now. Why if I might ask?”

“I need it for research. I’m conducting a study to understand the distinct factors between forced heat triggers and natural ones. I need to understand what actually happened so it never repeats itself again.”

She hummed softly, still rolling and clicking her mouse. Then she paused and looked at me. When she finally spoke again her voice was quieter. “How old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

“Okay, good. As you know, it was a very sensitive case, so there as certain aspects I can’t disclose to minors— actually, there's alot I cannot disclose period. What I can show you is the summary that was released to the investigation team. Nothing beyond that. Is that okay?”

“Excellent.” I said with a pleased smile.

Well, that was easier than I thought. I guess Jason was right. I do have some power.

She nodded and then turned the screen and I drew closer so I could see it properly. The report was pretty straight to the point.

Date of incident. The time. The location: swimming pool area. Regina had reported a sudden onset of heat symptoms after wiping her face with a towel.

The attending nurse at the time noted elevated temperature, dilated pupils, and clear signs of early heat. Bloodwork showed her suppressant levels were already low. The notes said she was approximately three days from her expected cycle.

I scrolled further. There was no recorded evidence of an external scent trigger. All the towels retrieved were tested.

The conclusion written in bold at the bottom of the page was simple: spontaneous heat onset due to proximity to natural cycle and reduced suppressant efficacy.

I sat back. “There’s nothing here that proves a trigger.”

“That’s correct…” Nurse Alvarez said.

“But she said there was one.”

“She believed there was one. But belief and proof are two different things in these cases.”

I looked at her. “Can you explain it to me properly.”

She sighed, folding her hands on the desk. “Suppressants work best in the middle of a cycle. When an Omega gets close to their natural heat window, their body starts fighting the medication. Hormones shift and temperature levels drop faster. A sudden heat can happen without any outside scent at all. Considering she was in school at that moment only makes her claim more implausible. Stress can make heat symptoms worse. Crowded hallways, strong scents everywhere, anything can tip things over when the body is already primed.”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that she got assaulted, right?” I asked. “If it were just early heat, that didn’t give him the right to touch her.”

“It’s still just instinct. Any Alpha near her in that state would most certainly have gone into a reactive rut response. We can’t call that assault. That’s why the school encourages strict cycle monitoring and approved heat leaves. Her claims would have been much solid if there was proof that there was an external trigger.“

The lack of anything in her voice made me cold. My throat tightened. I stared at the screen again. “So you’re saying it’s okay to touch others without consent if it’s biology.”

Her expression grew wearier. “Don’t misunderstand me. Nothing is ever black or white. There are nuances in every situation. I’m not saying what he did was right. But taking in the factors— the location, the lack of proof in her claim, and the medical evidence— everything points to a natural onset. The school treated it that way.”

“It just sounds like you’re excusing what happened to her.” My tone was sharper than intended.

She shrugged a tired shoulder. “I’m not excusing anything. I’m telling you what the body does. Omegas near their cycle are vulnerable. Suppressants fail more often than people admit. Alphas react to heat the way they’re wired to react. That’s biology. The system is built around it, whether we like it or not.”

The last sentence struck me raw.

The system.

I nodded and returned the mouse to her. “Thank you for showing me.”

She nodded once. “I understand where you’re coming from, Miss McAllistair. And I know you want to make a change. But do not forget that just like omegas, Alphas can also be victims to their natural instincts.”

The word made bile rise in my throat. From the annoyed look that forms on her face, I can tell my scent gives it away.

I left the health center without another word. The hallway outside felt too bright. Students passed me in small groups, laughing, talking, willfully, blissfully ignorant.

I walked outside until I found an empty bench near the east courtyard and sat down hard.

My mind kept circling back to Jason— his words, his pain. Then I thought about Regina’s name. The clinical notes that reduced her entire experience to a few lines about cycle timing and suppressant failure.

Much similar to mine. If only I’d been just as brave to speak out.

I pulled out my phone and opened a blank note. My fingers typed without much thought.

Regina Westbrook.

No proof of forced heat trigger. She was close to her cycle and her suppressants stop working near heat window. It was bio—

I stopped, reading at what I typed down, my thumb trembling. And it made me furious.

Because if biology was the only answer the school accepted, then every Omega who got hurt near their cycle would keep getting the same response.

‘You were close to heat.’

‘Your suppressants failed.’

‘It was natural. Stay home or accept the consequences.’

‘Move on.’

The system never took a look at the Alphas who took advantage of the situation— most likely willingly, or the silence that followed, or the way girls like Regina got pushed out while the rest of us stayed and pretended nothing was wrong.

Then there was Jason who was being bullied for supporting me. And I had stood there and watched him walk away with a pink slip in his hand without speaking up for him.

I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes, feeling like a complete disappointment.

But then Katie’s words from earlier came back to me.

Feel whatever you want to feel, Serena. But let it fuel you.

I opened my eyes and looked at the note again. Then I added a few more lines.

Find out how many other reported similar cases there are. Find the gaps in the policy.
Do extensive research and fill those gaps with something that doesn’t let “biology” be the end of the conversation.

The bell rang in the distance. I stood up slowly, my legs feeling stiff. I walked back toward the main building with renewed determination.

I wasn’t going to let the next Regina’s story get reduced to a medical summary that ended with the word biology. I wasn’t going to let the next Jason believe the only way he could breathe freely was when he was suspended.

And I wasn’t going to keep sitting still in that council chair while my policies got thrown out like trash.

I was going to do something.