Regression of their relationship from ‘possible soul-mates’ back to ‘stalker and nervous wreck’ had Darcy uncertain as to whether her master plan was actually back on track. It took a great deal of determination to ignore Luca. Even more so to get any work done during the day with his breath at her back. Even if they didn’t share a class, he was always waiting outside the door for her. She was not getting bullied currently, but she knew the next step back from this stage was their original dynamic of ‘bully and victim’.

At least when she was getting bullied, it was in small pockets throughout the day. She got breaks. She could hang out with her friends comfortably. A stalker didn’t really allow for that. And when he got her alone, his hands would wander, and she would crumble. Every kiss was like a shot of pure adrenalin. She could live off the euphoria of his lips for the rest of her life. But that was not the life she wanted for herself.

Sometimes she managed to outsmart him, slipping into the hustle and bustle of shifting students. Stealing an hour or two of his peace from his golden gaze.

In one such golden hour, another nuisance found her.

“You lost your owner, puppy?”

Darcy ignored the gruff voice, although she recognised it as one of Luca’s goons. Not that there were many other people rude enough to call an omega by the derogatory term ‘puppy’, at least not in public.

“C’mere, little puppy!” his friend called out. The two of them laughed in unison.

She sidestepped the pair, heading for her locker with hurried steps. They followed lazily, in no rush to catch up with her tiny legs. If she didn’t desperately need her gym kit for her last class, she would keep walking and squeeze herself amongst some other students milling about. She reached her locker and spun the lock clumsily. Her anxiety made her fingers slip over the dial.

Dirty, meaty fists slammed into the locker above her head. Greasy breath hit her ear as the taller minion growled at her, “Where’s Luca?”

“I don’t know,” Darcy admitted with a weary sigh. She made another, slower attempt at getting the lock open. Perhaps if she didn’t look directly at them, they’d get bored and leave.

“That’s a real shame,” shorter dirtbag chuckled. “‘cause you know, normally we’d get his permission before touching you.”

Darcy jolted as an oversized hand grazed her side. Forget gym. She spun and ducked, throwing herself between tall-and-ugly’s legs as short-and-ugly snatched at her hair. He caught her claw clip, the same one she had used to pin a portion of her hair back every day since middle school. Her grandpa had bought it for her on a trip to the seaside, the original gawdy colours faded and muted as she had aged, maturing a little with her. It ripped from her hair painfully. In the split second as she skidded along the hallway floor, she had to choose between clip and escape. She fled. She would have time to feel guilty later.

Laughter followed her until she reached the gym hall.

She apologised to the teacher for forgetting her clothes and got sent to the office to find something in the lost and found.

She was found before she could find anything wearable.

“Lose something?” Luca’s voice called from behind her.

Darcy halted her digging. She was surrounded by hole-ridden, giant-sized shorts, kneeling at the lost and found bin that had been dragged out for her by one of the sweet old ladies in the school reception. Until now, she had been alone in the corridor. It had given her some delightful silence to contemplate her own cowardice and how she would never forgive herself for letting those goons keep her precious hair clip.

Darcy didn’t turn to acknowledge Luca, she was still trying to avoid any unnecessary interaction with him.

He was not to be deterred, not that Darcy expected him to be.

“Your ears not working, puppy?” he asked with a hard edge to his tone.

Before Darcy could decide how to react, a large hand pinched the scruff of her neck. She yelped reflexively. Her body followed the pull of the beta guiding her up to standing without her consent. Once she was on her feet, Luca released the skin of her neck and curled his arm around her body, presenting something to her with the other.

In his outstretched palm sat her hair clip.

Darcy gasped like a human woman would at an engagement ring and spun to face him.

“Where did you find it?” she asked, emotion brought a croak to her voice. She was so relieved she could cry.

He shrugged nonchalantly, but a proud smirk was twisting at the corner of his mouth. “Saw it on the floor.”

“How did you know it was mine?”

“Never seen you without it.” He leant in closer. “You’re practically naked,” he purred in her ear. Darcy flushed. She knew he was only teasing her, but the way he said that word, it made something flutter between her legs. “You should be more careful,” he said quietly. Her scalp tingled when the tips of his fingers scraped through her hair, scooping up the top chunk and clipping it gently. He brushed his lips against her forehead.

Darcy corrected him with a blushing mumble, “I didn’t lose it. It was stolen.”

“Stolen?”

“Your… friends.” It took all of her willpower not to call them what they were: thugs. “They tried to touch me. When I ran away they pulled it out of my hair.”

Amber eyes turned aflame. His body seemed to enlarge. Even the air around him changed.

“How many?” he snarled. His anger shook Darcy’s insides with tone alone, even when she knew it was not actually directed at her. “What did they look like?”

It took Darcy a few moments to gather the courage to speak with an enraged beta’s presence so close to her tiny body. “Two. One was tall and gross. The other one was short and gross.”

A huff of a laugh escaped him despite his furious demeanour. It somehow made him ten times scarier.

“They won’t touch you again,” he promised sincerely.

“Thanks,” Darcy whispered. It was awkward, thanking her bully for getting rid of… other bullies? His own henchmen, no less.

He took a few deep breaths, cooling down. Darcy appreciated the effort, her fight or flight was about to kick in just from the atmosphere his anger had created around him. She was right in the blast zone.

“I know you’ve been avoiding me,” he said slowly. “This is another reason why you need me nearby.”

Darcy said nothing. She wanted to argue, put him in his place, and tell him that she didn’t need him. But he had gotten her clip back for her. Now wasn’t the time to be ungrateful. She was so glad to have the hard plastic claw sat atop her head again. She dropped her eyes submissively and twisted her fingers together in front of her. She was at a loss for how to thank him properly.

Luca’s hands cupped her jaw, drawing her in until their noses bumped. The touch soothed aches she hadn’t realised she had, buried deep inside. His scent would cling to her skin long after he let go. He closed the minute gap between them. She gazed up at him through fluttering lashes. Perhaps that was for the best. If she were able to keep her eyes open, she would be subjected to the full blast of his handsome face. She may not survive that. Not this close. He snatched Darcy’s bottom lip between his teeth and growled, hands clawing at her waist. Darcy whined and looked away, she still didn’t know what to do when he kissed her. Her hands were bunched between them. Trapped.

At the end of the corridor, a door banged open. Luca leapt back like Darcy had just pulled a taser on him. His amber eyes were cautious, watching the figure leave their office and shuffle off out of the building. They didn’t give the pair a moment’s glance. But Luca’s body remained tensed.

He was scared to be seen with her. Embarrassed. Ashamed of an omega mate.

Darcy tried so hard to keep her expression neutral. She pressed her lips together so hard it hurt. The distraction of physical pain was necessary, the emotional pain was almost overwhelming. She scooped the scattered clothes from the floor and dumped them into the lost and found bin. The building door clattered shut and Luca finally deemed it safe to approach her again. Darcy saw him unfreeze out of the corner of her eye, but refused to look at him. She stalked away in the direction of the gym. She would rather hide in the changing rooms than let some dumb beta play with her feelings any more.

He gave slow chase, but did not ask her what was wrong. Maybe he knew. Maybe he didn’t care. Maybe both.

The gym teacher shoo’d him away when they approached the changing rooms. Alphas, betas and those with dominant secondary genders shared one set of changing rooms, the submissive genders shared the other. Darcy hid inside for the whole class.

When she slipped out to make her way to the bus, Luca appeared at her side in seconds. He melted out of the shadows as though he had been waiting there the whole time. Darcy would not be surprised if he had. He escorted her to the bus line, watched her board, and stood on the pavement as they pulled away, all in silence.

Darcy kept her eyes trained elsewhere, but there was always a smudge of gold in the corner. Just one more month to go. Then she could come down with the most impressive fake illness the world has ever seen and disappear from Luca’s radar forever.