Page 50 of Want It All

I woke up in darkness.

‘What the f –’

I wrenched my eyes open, but that wasn’t the issue; something was covering them.

‘No, no, no ,’ I snarled, realising my hands were bound. I swayed from the sudden sense of deja vu. ‘ No , you assholes, I need to –’

Something – or some one – jabbed me ungently in the shoulder. ‘Be quiet,’ a voice hissed.

‘Absolutely fucking not,’ I growled back. ‘You need to let me go. Now .’

I’d only come outside to get Sebastian more lemon myrtle leaves, planning to be no more than half a minute before heading back upstairs to my omegas and to find out what had made Rose leave class.

I cursed myself for not going with her, but Rose wasn’t shy about asking for what she needed, and I’d assumed that if she wanted my company she would have said so.

I’d barely had the chance to grab a handful of leaves before I’d felt the prick on the side of my neck.

‘We were impressed with the way you handled our directive.’

The female voice was the same as last time, imbued with quiet authority.

‘You need to let me go,’ I repeated. ‘I need to get to my omega.’

‘To Sebastian?’ she said evenly.

I froze. ‘To Rose,’ I answered, a beat too late.

‘We know, Mr. Grace,’ she went on, not unkindly. ‘You did well to hide it all these years, but we know. And we know why you wanted to join the Revels, why you completed our challenge. We won’t help you with that , but we can help you with something else.’

‘I don’t need your help,’ I snarled. ‘I need to get to –’

‘We can get Sebastian added to the official OSA database with a backdated reveal.’

I snapped my mouth shut.

It was something I couldn’t do, because the official Omega Support Agency database wasn’t online.

It was a literal office full of honest-to-fuck paper , with a security team that made prison look like a farce, and staff so loyal that bribes were impossible.

The database information shared with government systems was for medical and legal reference only and couldn’t be amended or added to.

It was insane, but unfortunately – barring an actual physical heist – it was also entirely secure.

‘No more hiding,’ she continued softly. ‘No more black-market suppressants or buying the silence of doctors. Sebastian wouldn’t need to hide his designation. He could be himself, wholly, always.’

I hated the woman – hated the Revels – in that moment, because I knew just how valuable that was; a life lived free was worth more than almost anything. ‘And what would you want from me in return?’ I said coldly, unable to stop myself flexing against my bonds. ‘Money?’

She snorted in what seemed like genuine amusement. ‘Of course not.’

I went still.

‘We know you accessed Banksia’s systems before you arrived.’

I frowned, wishing I could see her and read her expression.

‘And we know you’ve accessed APF databases and secure medical records – records that are, I might add, supposed to be hidden behind the best defences money can buy. That’s what we want from you, Mr. Grace.’

‘I’m not a hacker,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘I have no training, no –’

‘No training, no background in computer science or cybersecurity – and yet you’ve always gotten what you’ve needed, haven’t you?

’ She paused. ‘And it’s more than that – you enjoy it.

You like the puzzle of it. You like knowing things that others don’t.

We believe in leveraging people’s strengths, Mr. Grace, no matter how they come by them. ’

I chewed my lip, uncomfortable that she had me pegged so easily. ‘What information would you need? And what would you do with it?’

She laughed. ‘Nothing nefarious,’ she said, assuring, though I wasn’t sure I believed her. ‘We want you to help rebuild Banksia’s systems, that’s all.’

Oh .

I’d thought that they needed it, back when we first arrived and I was able to access Rose’s personal information so easily, literally over dinner. For a place that housed so many students from well-known families, their system protections were incredibly lax.

‘You’ll work with an existing team,’ she went on, as if sensing my hesitation. ‘Your job will be to find the holes. They’ll build the walls, and you’ll try to tear them down. That’s what we want from you.’

‘And in exchange, Sebastian’s designation would be official?’

‘Official and backdated, as if he’d registered the moment he revealed. No furore over the discovery, no OSA officials arriving on your doorstep, no media. What do you say?’

The offer was too good, and she knew it. ‘I’m not sure I have a choice.’

‘Of course you do. We’re not monsters. Walk away and continue living as you always have, or use your skills to help your omega and your school. It’s your choice.’

‘I’ll think about it,’ I said, then decided to voice something I’d been wondering for a while. ‘Why did you want me to compromise the omega? What did it tell you about me?’

She laughed again, surprised. ‘Oh, Mr. Grace,’ she said. ‘What makes you think we wanted to know more about you ?’

I froze, thoughts whirling as it finally clicked.

The Revels hadn’t been testing me at all. They’d been testing Sebastian, or Rose – or both .

I thought about everything the omegas had been through since they’d started at Banksia.

What I’d done, the issues with Heathcote, navigating other students in the close confines of the discipline mixers and class, responding to the feral alpha.

They’d managed all of that and the demands of Banksia’s exceptionally high standards and complex curriculum – while they’d also been balancing the needs of their designation with the drive to succeed.

How often had the Revels been watching?

How many of those tests had they arranged ?

I heard a soft step behind me. ‘See you soon, Mr. Grace.’

‘Wait,’ I said, panicked. ‘Could you not knock me out, please? I really have to get back to –’

Something sharp pierced my neck, and I crumpled.

I woke to freezing water pelting my face, and the sky lit by lightning.

‘Fucking fuck ,’ I groaned, rolling onto my side. From the citrus scent around me, they’d put me back in the maze again – in the middle of an electrical storm .

‘Thank you very fucking much, you assholes,’ I muttered.

I pushed myself to my feet, trying to ignore the dull pain in my muscles; I realised that my head was covered.

Looking down, I could see that someone had thoughtfully wrapped me in a garment – in a cloak , of all things.

I rubbed the material between my fingers.

It was ridiculous and pretentious, but it was also waterproof and warm, so I pulled it more tightly around myself and stumbled towards the maze entrance, wincing at the thunder right above me, its rumbling loud enough to hurt.

At the maze entrance, I heard a faint sound coming from the double back doors.

‘ Tristan! Tristan, please!’

‘Fuck.’ Lightning flashed to illuminate Rose’s pale face, her hair plastered to her cheeks. ‘Rose!’

She stumbled, righting herself with difficulty in the gale. I rushed towards her; when she looked up and saw me, she shrieked, stumbling again.

I caught her before she fell – something I planned to keep on doing.

Maybe for the rest of my life .

She seemed dazed, so I bent and scooped her into my arms, holding her tight against my chest. I was already saturated and I could see rain dripping from her nose, so I jogged until we were under cover, protected by the terrace.

The door was difficult to open with one hand as the wind slammed against it, but I wrestled with the handle and managed to fight my way inside.

‘What the fuck are you wearing?’ Rose said breathlessly.

I tugged the cloak off and wrapped it around her. I didn’t know how to explain what had just happened, but I did know one thing.

When we’d first come here, Sebastian had wanted the Banksia Prize more than anything.

He’d wanted to prove himself to his parents, to set himself apart, to show that his journey – his interests, his strengths – were just as important – and just as impressive – as theirs, even if they were different.

Now, Sebastian seemed to want something else. Oh, he still wanted the prize, I was sure of that. But he’d found this omega – found his scent match – and his priorities had shifted. She mattered to him now. Prize or not, it didn’t matter, because either way, he’d have Rose.

My priorities had changed, too. I’d been obsessed with what I could provide Sebastian, fixated on joining the Revels to ensure he got the prize.

But it wasn’t just me they’d had their eyes on.

Despite that, I could now give him something even greater than I’d originally planned: the chance to live life as himself , to build a pack, to visit doctors, take a break from his suppressants, and to exist without the constant, lurking fear of being found out.

It didn’t sound as impressive as the prize, but I was beginning to understand that love didn’t have to be flashy.

Simply being present was more important than the material things I could provide.

And also, I’d ask what he wanted this time.

‘Never mind, it doesn’t matter,’ Rose continued, when I didn’t answer. ‘I’m guessing you haven’t seen your messages. Sebastian’s in heat.’

The words washed over me, far warmer than the freezing water on my cheeks; I almost dropped her in shock. ‘That’s impossible.’

‘Of course it isn’t,’ Rose retorted. ‘He found his scent match and his second pack alpha. The only thing I’m surprised about is that it didn’t happen sooner.’

‘ You haven’t gone into heat, and the exact thing happened to you!’

‘No, but I’ve had one before, and I haven’t been on heat suppressants for six straight years.’ She poked a finger into my chest. ‘He should have had a heat when he first revealed, Tris. Taking blockers for that long without a break can’t be good for him.’