That day, resigned to eating alone, he took out his sandwich and drink then North appeared. He didn't look great either. He set his tray down — rice and chicken — and dropped into the seat across from him with a sigh.

"I already miss him."

Leo started laughing.

North went red. Leo looked at him with a wide smile.

"I'm not making fun of you. I genuinely never thought I'd hear you say that." He paused. "How are things with Lenny?"

North lit up immediately.

"Good. Much better. We're working on convincing my parents. I think we're getting somewhere. They want to sort out the offspring question."

Leo was halfway through a bite of his sandwich and stopped.

"Isn't it too early for that?"

"Not for my parents. If they give permission, it comes with conditions. And those conditions include children."

"Are you going to adopt?"

"That's what I want. But they're pushing for a surrogate. I'm against it. And besides…" He paused. "I know it would hurt Lenny."

Leo set his sandwich down.

"North. When did you grow up? Whatever it was, share it with Jared."

North looked at him with his light eyes, surprised and a little amused.

"Jared is a lost cause."

Leo looked at him with something between pity and a smile. Maybe it was time to face that. North added:

"Jared is cornered. My two beta sisters are both better at business than I am, they're my greatest allies. Maybe it's time my parents give the opportunity to the people who actually deserve it. They were the ones who convinced my parents to let me study Sociology."

Leo wanted to ask about Jared but suddenly didn't know how to frame it. He went with the simplest option.

"Speaking of Jared… he's disappeared."

North's expression darkened.

"Don't even remind me. I don't know what happened this time, but whatever it is, it's serious. Someone from his family has been calling me constantly."

Leo took a careful bite of his sandwich to buy himself a second, chewed, swallowed.

"What did they want?"

"To ask if I'd been with him that night, at some party. If I'd introduced him to anyone." He took a sip of his drink. "The thing is, Jared is genuinely the only alpha I know who has a complete blackout. No fragments, nothing."

Leo looked at him.

"I thought that was normal in ruts."

"Yes and no. Most alphas have blurry memories — fragments, at least. Jared wakes up and it's like he was unconscious for the entire rut. Doesn't know how he got home, when he woke up, nothing. Absolutely nothing." North paused. "His family is planning to send him somewhere controlled for the next one."

"It's not the first time this has happened."

"This time is different." North looked at him seriously. "They're actively looking for a partner for him, Leo. Right now, if Jared makes a mistake, he puts the entire family at risk." A beat. "Yesterday someone from his group was on campus."

Leo felt a chill move through him.

"What for?"

"Same thought I had. I asked my sister, she said certain families, the Rickdorfs included, routinely investigate omegas. She told me they did it at the institute after the last incident. That's why there were legal issues between Clara's family and theirs, her family moves in high political circles, and when they found out about the investigation, they threatened to report them."

Leo was, he had to admit, genuinely scared. North added:

"Personally, I think they're looking in the wrong place. No omega at this university would do something like that. But these people have enough power to get you expelled. More than that, they could make sure you're never accepted at another university in the country."

Leo almost choked on his sandwich.

He silently thanked himself for not being stupid enough to stay and watch the world burn.