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The cafeteria buzzed with quiet chatter, the tension of the killing game ever-present but momentarily pushed aside in favor of breakfast. Diana sat with her usual energy, a half-eaten piece of toast in one hand and her magenta eyes scanning the room for any opportunity to keep morale up. The last thing they needed was more despair setting in.
Across from her sat Kai Monteago, his butterfly-styled black-and-pink hair catching the dim overhead lights. He was mid-conversation with Damon, whose honey-blond hair was slightly disheveled, green eyes sharp as ever as he sipped his coffee. The Ultimate Debater looked perpetually exhausted these days, but Diana knew he was still processing everything that had happened so far. They all were.
And then, there was Eva Tsunaka.
Stoic as always, her long black hair curled slightly at the white tips, glasses reflecting the light as she quietly picked at her meal. She was draped in her usual red-and-white blazer, the crow feather pinned neatly on the left side. The Ultimate Mathlete had always been something of an enigma—cold, distant, logical to a fault—but Diana had come to understand her in ways others hadn’t. They had been roommates since the start of this nightmare, and despite Eva’s walls, Diana could see the cracks in them.
That was probably why it irritated her so much when Kai decided to push.
“So, tell me, Eva,” Kai said, setting down his fork with a grin that promised trouble. “What’s it like being the Ultimate Mathlete? You know, in a school full of actual exciting talents?”
Eva barely reacted, lifting her cup of tea to her lips. “I’m sorry, was there a point to this question?”
“Oh, just wondering how it feels to have the least impressive Ultimate title here,” Kai continued, propping his chin on his hand. “Like, you could’ve been something cool, you know? Ultimate Liar, maybe. That’s a talent you actually use.”
Diana saw it—the brief flicker of something in Eva’s expression. A crack in the ice. Eva hid it well, setting her cup down with precision, but Diana could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers curled slightly against the table’s surface.
“Wow, Kai,” Diana cut in, voice sharper than usual. “Could you be any more of a jerk?”
Kai blinked at her, feigning innocence. “Oh, come on, it’s just a joke. She can handle it, right?”
Eva pushed her chair back suddenly, the screech of metal against tile cutting through the conversation. Without a word, she turned on her heel and strode out of the cafeteria, leaving her half-eaten meal behind.
Damon shot Kai a glare. “Real smooth, Monteago.”
Kai huffed. “She’s always so stuck-up. Someone’s gotta bring her down a peg.”
Damon didn’t even bother responding, instead focusing back on his coffee. Diana, however, was already on her feet.
“I’ll go check on her,” she announced, ignoring Kai’s muttered ‘suit yourself’ as she rushed after Eva.
———
The scent hit Diana the moment she stepped into their shared dorm room—a thick, cloying sweetness that curled around her senses like an intoxicating fog. It was overwhelming, suffocating, and entirely impossible to ignore. Her body stiffened, something deep and primal stirring within her, a pull so intense that she had to grip the doorframe just to steady herself.
Eva sat on the edge of her bed, her arms wrapped around her knees, trembling. The usual sharp glint in her dark eyes was dulled, replaced by something vulnerable, something desperate. Her long black curls, tipped in white, stuck slightly to the sheen of sweat on her forehead. The red and white blazer she always wore hung loosely around her shoulders, her usually pristine tie slightly askew. She looked… fragile. And she smelled like nothing Diana had ever encountered before.
“Diana,” Eva’s voice was barely above a whisper, but it sent a shiver down Diana’s spine.
Diana swallowed hard, her breath coming out unsteady. She had always believed she was a beta—nothing more, nothing less. She had no reason to think otherwise. But now, standing in the doorway, every instinct in her body screamed something different. Something undeniable. She was an alpha.
And Eva, the ever-cold, ever-calculating Ultimate Mathlete, the girl who had always been a mystery, was an omega.
A very, very late bloomer of an omega, who was going into heat for the first time.
Diana clenched her fists, trying to focus, trying to push past the thick haze that was making her thoughts sluggish. “Eva… you’re—”
“I know.” Eva’s breath hitched, her cheeks flushed a deep red. “I know.”
Diana exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through her magenta hair. “You’re not safe here. Not with me.”
Eva shook her head frantically. “Please.” Her fingers curled into the fabric of her skirt, knuckles turning white. “Don’t leave.”
Diana forced herself to take a step back, pressing herself against the door as if that could put enough distance between them. “Eva, I don’t think you understand—”
“I do,” Eva cut in, her voice thick with something that sounded dangerously close to a plea. She sucked in a shaky breath. “I’ve never felt like this before. It’s too much. I can’t—I can’t do this alone.”
Diana’s jaw tightened. Every muscle in her body screamed at her to go to Eva, to touch, to claim, to make that scent belong to her and no one else. It was a dangerous urge, a violent one, and she fought against it with everything she had.
But then Eva looked at her—really looked at her—with wide, pleading eyes behind her ovular glasses, and Diana knew she had already lost.
She stepped forward, the air between them crackling with tension. “If I stay…” Her voice was a low growl, nothing like the lighthearted, friendly tone she usually carried. “I won’t be able to stop myself.”
Eva’s breath hitched, her pupils blown wide. “I don’t want you to stop.”
That was it. That was all it took.
The last thread of Diana’s self-control snapped, and as she moved toward Eva, the door slammed shut behind them, sealing them away from the rest of the world.
———
Diana woke with a start, her body aching in ways she had never experienced before. The room was dim, the faint glow of early morning slipping through the curtains, casting a soft golden hue over the tangled sheets. She barely moved, but the warmth pressed against her side made her stomach twist.
Eva.
Her breath hitched as she looked down, her magenta hair cascading over the pillow, her face peaceful in sleep. But what really made Diana’s stomach drop was the distinct mark on Eva’s neck—her mark.
Diana’s hands flew to her mouth as the reality of what she had done came crashing down. She wasn’t stupid; she had always known she was an alpha, but she had prided herself on control. She had never let her instincts take over like that, never even imagined herself being the kind of alpha to—
Her thoughts trailed off as the scent in the air reminded her of why this had happened. Eva’s heat. Her first heat. No one had known she was an omega, not even Eva herself, and Diana had convinced herself she’d be strong enough to resist. Clearly, she had been wrong.
A strange mixture of emotions churned inside her. Embarrassment, horror, guilt—but underneath it all, something warm, something that made her heart pound in a way she hadn’t expected. She had always liked Eva. Maybe more than liked her. And now, they were bonded.
Diana sucked in a sharp breath, forcing herself to move. She needed to get out of bed, get dressed, figure out how to even begin fixing this. But the moment she shifted, an arm curled around her waist, tightening immediately.
“Don’t go,” Eva mumbled, still half-asleep, her voice husky and weak. Diana froze, her muscles locking as Eva’s grip on her only grew stronger. “Stay.”
Diana swallowed hard. “Eva, we—”
Eva nuzzled closer, and Diana’s breath hitched as warmth spread through her chest. The scent of her omega was still thick in the air, but it was gentler now, more subdued. Her instincts screamed at her to hold Eva tighter, to pull her close and never let go, but her rational mind fought against it.
“Eva,” she tried again, but her voice was too soft, too unsure.
Slowly, Eva’s eyes fluttered open. For a moment, she just stared at Diana, her expression blank with sleep. Then realization dawned, and her face turned a deep shade of red.
“Oh my god,” Eva breathed, immediately burying her face into Diana’s shoulder. “I—I can’t believe we—”
Diana winced. “Yeah.”
Silence stretched between them, filled only by the sound of their breathing. It should have been unbearable. It should have made Diana want to get up and run. But then, Eva spoke again, her voice quiet but firm.
“I love you.”
Diana’s breath caught in her throat.
“I have for a while,” Eva continued, her fingers curling into the fabric of Diana’s shirt. “You always looked out for me. Even when no one else did. Even when you didn’t have to.” She finally lifted her head, her blue eyes locking onto Diana’s, raw and unguarded. “I was scared, Diana. But I wanted it to be you.”
Diana felt her heart stutter in her chest. She had never been good at handling things like this—big emotions, confessions, vulnerability. But looking at Eva now, seeing the way her lips trembled, the way she refused to look away despite how flustered she was, Diana knew there was only one thing she could say.
“I love you too.”
Eva’s lips parted slightly, as if she hadn’t expected to hear it out loud. Then she smiled—small, shy, but real. Diana felt something settle in her chest, something warm and right.
But before she could say anything else, Eva suddenly frowned, glancing down at herself and then back at Diana. “…We still need to get dressed.”
Diana blinked before a laugh burst out of her, genuine and full. “Yeah. We really do.”
Eva groaned, covering her face with her hands, but she was laughing too, and for the first time that morning, the tension in Diana’s shoulders eased. Whatever happened next, whatever mess they had to figure out, at least they’d be facing it together.
———
Kai was curled up against Damon’s side, his head resting on Damon’s shoulder as they lay beneath the thin dormitory blankets. The room was quiet except for the rhythmic sound of their breathing.
For a while, neither of them spoke. Damon had almost drifted off when Kai shifted slightly, his voice a low mumble against his chest.
"Hey… did you smell that earlier?"
Damon sighed, cracking one eye open. "Yeah."
Kai let out a sleepy chuckle. "So… they’re definitely fucking now, right?"
Damon exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down his face. "Oh yeah."
Kai snorted, burying his face into Damon’s sweater. "Damn. Good for them."