Chapter 137: ONE HUNDRED AND THRITY-SEVEN

NICHOLAS’S POV

It was Monday morning, and I was standing in front of my mirror wearing my school uniform while seriously considering taking everything off and going back to bed.

My bag was packed, books were inside, my shoes were on, and I had already checked over and over to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything.

There was technically nothing stopping me from leaving the room, but I had been standing in front of that mirror for several minutes without moving because the thought of walking back into that school made my stomach tighten.

I had wanted to return when everything was over, hadn’t I? I had spent weeks thinking about finishing school, getting my life back, and having something normal to focus on. Now that the opportunity was actually sitting in front of me, I wasn’t sure I wanted it anymore.

A knock came at the door, followed by Elijah’s voice. "Nicholas, are you ready? We’ve been waiting downstairs."

I turned toward the door but didn’t answer quickly enough, so he opened it and stepped inside.

His eyes went from me to the untouched school bag beside the bed, then back to my reflection in the mirror. He understood immediately that something was wrong. "Have you been standing there for a long time?"

I sighed and finally looked away from the mirror. "I don’t think I want to go."

Elijah closed the door behind him and came farther into the room instead of trying to drag me downstairs. He sat on the edge of the chair near my desk and looked at me for a moment before asking, "Is it because of what happened there?"

I nodded as he waited.

I sat down on the bed and stared at the floor. "I actually liked that school. That’s what makes this worse. Before everything happened, I liked going there. I liked my classes, I liked having somewhere to go every morning, and I liked being able to pretend I had a normal life for a few hours. But after what happened, I can’t think about the place without remembering everything else."

Elijah nodded slowly. "Yeah, I totally get you. You have a choice though. You can go there and see how you feel. If you hate it, if you can’t concentrate, or if being there becomes too much, nobody is going to force you to continue. Whatever you want."

I looked at him, then I looked toward my uniform again. After a long moment, I reached for my bag. "I’ll go."

Elijah stood and waited while I put the strap over my shoulder. "Good. They’re already downstairs."

I followed him out and when we reached the sitting room, I stopped because Adrian, Cassian, and Roman were already waiting, all dressed as though they had somewhere important to be.

Adrian had his keys in one hand, while Cassian was checking something on his phone and Roman was adjusting his watch.

I looked between them. "Where are you all going?"

"Your school," Adrian said.

I frowned. "All of you?"

"Yes," Roman answered. "We need to speak with the principal before you return to classes. There are still questions about the Omega policy, and we’re not leaving you there until we’ve settled them."

I looked at the four of them. "You’re actually all coming?"

Cassian slipped his phone into his pocket. "We’re not going to stand outside and wave at you through the gate. We’re coming inside, speaking to the principal, and making sure the school understands that you’re returning."

I couldn’t help smiling at the ridiculousness of it. Four Alpha brothers accompanying me to school because they wanted to speak to the principal was not exactly what I had imagined when I agreed to return, but there was something reassuring about them having my back.

I smiled slightly. "Okay. Let’s go."

We left together. I sat beside Elijah while Adrian drove, with Roman and Cassian in the back. I kept watching the streets through the window as the school came closer, and I felt trepidation wash over me as the reality of how the day could go echoed in my head.

When the school gates finally appeared, I sat straighter. Students were already arriving, and several of them noticed the car almost immediately. Once we stepped onto the school grounds, the attention became impossible to ignore.

Heads turned and people stopped talking when we passed, then started whispering again as soon as we moved farther away.

"Is that Nicholas?"

"He’s back?"

"I thought he wasn’t coming anymore." ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"That’s Elijah with him."

"They’ve both been gone for months."

"Didn’t you see the news?"

"I heard something happened to their family."

The whispers followed us across the compound. Some students stared openly, while others pretended they weren’t looking even though their eyes kept following us. I recognized some of the faces from before, which made the whole thing worse, but I didn’t stop and I didn’t answer anyone.

Elijah stayed beside me while the other three walked behind us.

We entered the administration building and headed straight for the principal’s office.

As soon as we got there, Adrian raised his hand to knock. Before he could, the door opened.

The principal stepped out with her phone against her ear, still speaking to someone as she pulled the door shut behind her. She looked perfectly relaxed until she lifted her head and saw us standing there.

Her expression changed so quickly that I almost felt sorry for her.

She looked at Adrian first, then her gaze darted to look at the other brothers as her smile disappeared.

The conversation on her phone stopped in the middle of whatever she had been saying. She lowered the phone slightly, her eyes moving across the four Blackthorne Alphas before finally landing on me and she froze.

For several seconds, she didn’t say anything.

The woman who had once been perfectly comfortable enforcing the school’s rules about Omegas was now standing in front of all four Blackthorne brothers with a look of pure horror on her face.

"What are you all doing here?"