Page 33 of Vallaverse: Noir
“These offices aren't accessible to the public,” Pierce says as if he's reading my mind. “You have to have a code to come through from the public side. These offices are for the people who actually run the center. The boardroom is back here, too.”
“How often are you here?” Dana asks.
“Only when I have to be,” Pierce answers, and leads us through one very generic office and down a short hallway. He puts in a six-digit code into a lock in the center of a wide metal door, and when he opens it for us to pass through, I see the familiar décor of the planning office.
Mr. Cartwright, the Omega who oversees course selection, is the only person behind the divider counter. He blinks rapidly as he watches us file into the room, but doesn't say anything until Pierce comes through.
“Wait,” he stutters. “I don't think – ”
“It's fine,” Pierce says firmly. “Everything is fine. We just need a pass. She,” he motions toward Dana, “is an investigator, and my Alpha. She is here on business, and Beckett happens to be her Omega.”
Mr. Cartwright's jaw drops. “But you're a … you can't be …”
“Wilder things have happened, sir, surely,” Pierce graces him with a toothy smile. “And what kind of Valla would I be if I allowed my Alpha and her Omega to walk into potential danger without me there to protect them?”
Mr. Cartwright goes from shock to offense. “There is nothing dangerous about the CCOE, sir. We pride ourselves on our ability to keep our residents safe.”
“Then explain why my Omega came to me covered in bruises left on him from Alphas associated with your heat service program. Tell me why the authorities had to come on campus, into the private dorms, to force those Alphas to leave my Omega's room. I'll wait.” Dana tilts her head expectantly, staring at the paling Omega behind the desk, daring him to deny it or provide any explanation.
His mouth opens and closes twice before he answers. “I don't have an answer for that, Alpha. Our security really is top notch. It's supposed to be, anyway. If your Omega was harmed in any way, I'm sure our staff is working hard to ensure that nothing like that will happen again.”
Dana's brow arches. “I'm sure.”
“Give us the required passes,” Pierce says. “Beckett will serve as our escort. We won't be here long.”
The intensity of the gawking as we walk through the outdoor commons keeps my head on a swivel. It probably isn't the most professional or Alpha-like thing, but Dana is allowing me to lead her along the paths and around the clusters of people. She squeezes my hand occasionally, reminding me of her presence when the anxiety of being stared at starts making me feel off balance. I'm not normally a nervous person. I never have been. But I've never been one to enjoy quite this much undivided attention.
I've only stopped to talk with one group of people. Theo, Jake, Abbi, and Shae all arrived at the center the same week I did. Theo is older than the rest of us, and Abbi is the baby of the group, but we've maintained a friendship throughout our entire stay here. Now, I'm standing here being put on trial for keeping them in the dark about my Dana and abandoning them.
“All I'm saying is that you could have at least sent a text to the chat,” Jake says, glancing behind me at Pierce for the fiftieth time.
“When?” I counter, beginning to become irritated. “When I was in heat? Come on, Jake.”
“He's just jealous,” Shae says, rolling her eyes. “Itisa little shocking to see you walking around with an Alphaanda Valla, though.”
“And a claiming mark. Let me see it,” Abbi says, leaning forward.
“Stop it,” I tell her, but I turn my head to the side just enough to display Dana's bite. “Look, I'm not here to face a tribunal. I need to find someone.”
Both Dana and Pierce have remained quiet and still throughout this entire conversation. If they're nervous about the attention we're getting, they're not showing it. The only reaction either of them have had is when my friends stalked toward us when we walked into the lounge of what used to be my building. Dana pulled me abruptly behind her and Pierce put himself in front of both of us. It only took a second or two for them to realize what was happening, but to see their protective instincts kick in like that was surreal.
“Oh yeah?” Abbi asks. “Who are you looking for?”
“A couple weeks ago, I had to let go of a mentorship with a girl. She met me down here and her friend was with her. I'm looking for the friend.”
“What's her name?”
“Celia Westover,” Dana supplies, pulling out her phone to show the picture.
My friends all shake their heads or shrug. I didn't expect them to know anything more about her than I did, but it doesn't hurt to ask. “I'm going to message the girl I was supposed to mentor. Maybe she knows where to find Celia.”
“Let us know if there's anything we can do to help,” Theo offers. “We can canvas.”
“Thanks. I'll check in later.”
I claim one of the couches in the back corner of the room for the three of us to wait for my return text from Tara Greene. I was hoping putting us out of the direct line of sight would diminish some of the gawking, but it hasn't. Now people are making excuses to walk near this area so they can get a peek at Pierce. I get it. I do. When else are they going to see a Valla in person without becoming the subject of his attention? It's just feeling a little too intrusive and way too rude.
Dana is trying to hide her discomfort, but I can feel it. She doesn't like all these Omegas staring at her Valla, but she's trapped in a situation where she can't really do much about it. She can't really tell an entire crowd of Omegas to fuck off without some kind of consequences; which means I'm stuck in a situation where I don't know what to do to make my Alpha feel more comfortable. Her frustration and discomfort is mine to share until I can find a way to dissolve it.
