Page 72 of The Drama King

The implication hung in the air. Compatibility. Not mate bonding—that couldn't possibly apply here.

"What if she's as confused by these responses as you are?" Corvus asked quietly.

The question hit something I hadn't considered. Maybe her extreme measures weren't about denying me specifically, but avoiding complications she didn't understand. Maybe she was fighting impulses as inexplicable to her as mine were to me.

I shook the thought away. "She's confused by progressive ideology that tells her to fight natural instincts. Once she experiences proper Alpha attention, biology will reassert itself."

"Proper Alpha attention," Oakley repeated, his voice flat. "And what exactly does that entail?"

I turned to face them both, letting my dominance fill the room. "It means no more hiding behind chemical barriers. No more denial of biological reality."

"And how do you plan to enforce that?" Corvus asked, his analytical mind already calculating possibilities.

"Her next heat cycle," I said, the plan crystallizing as I spoke. "Suppressants are temporary, and stress makes them less effective. With sufficient academic and social pressure, her biology will overcome whatever artificial barriers she tries to maintain."

"You want to trigger another heat," Oakley said, horror evident in his scent.

"I want her to respond naturally," I corrected. "To face whatever this is between us."

The silence that followed was charged. Both packmates understood what I was suggesting—a systematic campaign to break down Vespera's defenses until she acknowledged whatever existed between us.

"Whose biology is compromised here?" Corvus asked quietly. "Because this obsession with one specific Omega suggests your instincts are already affected."

I stood abruptly, Alpha dominance flaring. "My biology is perfectly normal. She's simply a challenge requiring appropriate force."

"Is she?" Oakley's cedar scent spiked with distress. "When have you ever spent this much time on breaking any other Omega? Usually it's a few weeks of pressure before we move on."

He was right. Previous targets had been simple exercises in maintaining hierarchy. But Vespera made me want things I couldn't articulate—scenarios that felt dangerously close to permanent claim-bonding.

"This is different because she made it different," I said finally. "She fought back. Drew blood. No one does that without facing consequences."

"No one?" Corvus's voice sharpened. "Or no Omega?"

The distinction hit harder than it should have. Alphas had challenged me before—pack disputes, territorial conflicts. But an Omega fighting back, rejecting my authority, drawing my blood? That was unprecedented. Unthinkable.

Intoxicating.

"She needs to learn basic biological reality," I said harshly. "Omegas don't choose which Alphas they acknowledge."

"And after you break her?" Oakley asked. "Real claiming creates bonds that can't be easily severed. Are you prepared for permanent entanglement with a scholarship student who challenges everything you've established?"

"That's a problem for later," I dismissed. "Right now, the only issue is bringing her to heel."

"And how exactly do you plan to accomplish that?" Corvus asked. "The subtle approach has failed, and anything more overt risks administrative attention we can't afford."

I'd been thinking about that question for days, weighing options and considering approaches. The truth was that standard harassment tactics weren't working—if anything, they seemed to be strengthening her resolve rather than breaking it down. Which meant escalation to more direct methods.

"She's had her heat," I said, the words tasting like satisfaction and hunger combined. "Recent enough that traces of the scent are still detectable. Which means she's vulnerable in ways she wasn't before."

Both my packmates went very still, their scents shifting to something sharper, more attentive.

"What are you suggesting?" Oakley asked carefully.

"I'm suggesting that Omegas who've recently finished heat cycles are more receptive to Alpha attention," I replied, moving back to the bar to pour another bourbon. "More biologically primed to accept claiming behavior. It's the natural progression."

"The natural progression," Corvus repeated slowly, "would be for her to seek out appropriate Alpha partners on her own. Not for you to force the issue."

"She's not thinking clearly," I said, dismissing his concern with a wave. "Too much pride, too much stubborn independence. Sometimes Omegas need guidance to make proper biological decisions."