The news about an omega sneaking into the alpha dormitory spread around the academy like wildfire. Most people didn’t know who the involved parties were and Klick felt like killing himself with each passing day.
Amanda did say that she would be giving out punishments to those involved in the incident for violation of the rules once they were fully recovered and Klick didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that it was postponed for now.
Klick wasn’t allowed to leave his dormitory at all. The same thing applied to Bruce and Carlos. While Bruce often called and texted him, Klick didn’t know what to tell the shark merman. He only became depressed when Asahina told him the assassination attempt wasn’t successful and the vaccine had been administered by Dr Iason to save everyone’s lives on Amanda’s orders.
“To die in the academy by the archmage or to return to the headquarters to spill my innards, I don’t really know which is worse,” Klick laughed without humour to himself. It has been two weeks and every single day that passed was hell to him. If they wanted to kill him, they should have done it that day.
Not only was he no longer a virgin, but he was also a failure. Klick had no real reasons left to live or remain in this academy. Floopy kept asking if he was alright because the musician hadn't seen him in a while but Klick only came up with excuses after excuses so that the panotti would try to break the rules and visit him in the beta dormitory.
Tomorrow was the day when all three of them would be called to Amanda’s office and given their punishments. Klick tossed and turned in bed, he couldn’t sleep.
Figuring that it might be better to get up and do something instead, Klick picked up a pen to draft a letter. For some reason, knowing that he was going to die didn’t scare him at all. It only made things clearer now that it was over.
Bruce was the only person Klick owed an apology to and he started drafting the letter that grew from one page to two and from two to four pages. He included all the things he wanted to tell the shark merman but couldn’t because of circumstances. By the time he finished, it was folded into a thick stack that barely fit in the envelope.
Dawn approached and the dorm manager brought his breakfast into the room.
“After breakfast, get dressed. We’ll see the doctor one last time before I escort you to the principal’s office.”
Klick smiled weakly. Breakfast was delicious and Klick tried to savour it. This could very well be his last meal and the bat demon couldn’t help but feel all sorts of feelings. The warm soup made him feel alive and the gentle aroma made him regret getting attached to the people he became attached to. If he wasn’t an assassin, perhaps he would really have a chance at finding happiness like how Syris and Floopy found each other. Bruce was the closest person Klick could come to call a kindred friend.
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Amanda didn’t want to be here but Asahina reminded her that there was an important matter to be resolved in the morning regarding the bat assassin. Hence, she yawned at her desk while sipping on freshly brewed coffee instead of her usual tea. Three students stood before her with different expressions.
Carlos flinched when she called out to him first. Bruce didn’t look too concerned about his punishment. Instead, he constantly shot death glares at the cheetah while casting looks of silent concern to his small beta friend.
“You’ve been making a lot of trouble and flouting the rules about breaking up mates. Don’t think I don’t know why you’re here.”
Caught red-handed, Carlos didn’t deny and looked aside. It was no secret that Carlos registered for the academy to escape his messy relationships outside of the academy. As the useless first son of his clan, Carlos found himself rebelling by sleeping around and causing trouble for his family. Truthfully, he didn’t want to inherit the troublesome position of the clan head and Amanda understood why. Yet, she couldn’t forgive him so easily for almost ruining an omega’s future by losing control.
“I’ve decided on your punishment,” she told the cheetah alpha tiredly. “Similar to Shen Long’s case, you’d be sent someone to watch you in the alpha dorm. Bruce, I’m sorry but you’ll have to move rooms again.”
Bruce was slightly surprised at the arrangement but he didn’t mind. The shark merman didn’t like Carlos much and the arrangement was good. Carlos didn’t protest about his punishment but made a face when he was told who his watcher was. Amanda chose Wilson Wolfe, a reliable and stoic lone wolf alpha, as his new roommate.
Once Carlos’ punishment was given, Asahina escorted him out and closed the door to give Amanda some privacy to talk to the fated couple. Klick might not know it but Bruce could tell that Klick was his fated one after the incident. His alpha instincts never roared so hard before and that scent was unmistakably one of an omega that he should be marking. For the last few days, Bruce reflected over it. While everything was a haze during the fight because of instincts, the more Bruce tried to recall details, the more convinced he became about why he reacted in such a manner.
“I brought both of you here today because I thought the truth had to be aired out before I give you the punishment options. Klick, I gave you special permission to enter the academy as a beta despite your recessive omega results. The potions and medicine were to help you prevent such outcomes but I suppose some things were just not meant to be. I said it before, as long as you didn’t meet your fated partner, everything would be alright. Yet, who would have thought that your meticulous plans would be ruined in such a ridiculous way?”
Klick sighed. “I didn’t think it was possible either. In fact, I didn’t show any signs before even after meeting him and spending so much time around him. I cannot be sure of the trigger and I’m not sure if he is truly my fated alpha but I will not make excuses. This failure is on me and I will take full responsibility.”
Amanda looked over to Bruce who appeared confused. She didn’t say anything to allow Bruce time to clarify the situation with Klick who told him in a blunt manner that he was an assassin sent to kill Carlos by a client his family accepted.
“What’s going to happen now that you failed your mission? You won’t be able to kill Carlos now.”
Klick smiled. “Nothing,” he told the shark merman. “At least nothing that will change. I’ll disappear from the academy and return to accept punishment.”
Amanda sighed. “Expelling you to the academy is not going to be an issue. However, according to what I’ve seen, this shouldn’t just be your decision to make. Ever since that day, the red string of fate had been tied. If you die, Bruce is going to also suffer.”
When Bruce heard that Klick was going to die, he felt his blood freeze. “What do you mean?”
Klick refused to answer and Bruce turned to look at the principal who looked grim. “When an assassin fails their mission, the master will dispose of them. At least, that’s the tradition for the house that Klick was born into. The client will be compensated if the request cannot be accomplished and judging from this case, the client might ask for recompensation for the failure. The house wouldn’t want to drag the case out and offend Carlos’ clan outside of the academy.”
Bruce turned pale and Amanda continued, ignoring him. “I still do not approve of your methods,” she told Klick who was surprised.
“I said that as long as the method didn’t attract attention, I would turn a blind eye. However, the method you decided to employ didn’t just claim one life. It could have potentially killed you, Bruce and all the other bed partners that Carlos decided to accept after he was infected. Do you have any idea how scary this kind of virus is in an enclosed space like the academy? All it takes is one person to spread it to a water source and we will have thousands of deaths before we can discover the source. This, I cannot forgive.”
Klick flinched. He knew that there were risks involved but he was fairly confident that he could kill Carlos before things reached that stage. Yet, Amanda had every right to be worried about the risks.
“I’m sorry,” he told the archmage who was still very displeased. Her arms were crossed and the crease in her brows made Bruce silent.
He was still very confused but he could understand the important things about the complicated situation. Klick was his mate but the bat demon had made a huge blunder. Getting expelled wasn’t a big issue but if Klick was expelled, he would be killed. He couldn’t allow it to happen!
“I,” Bruce started nervously. He didn’t know what he could do but he wanted Amanda to reconsider her decision. “Is there anything I can do to take on part of Klick’s punishment? As long as he doesn’t get expelled, I will do anything within my abilities to make up for the mistakes he made.”
Klick was surprised when he heard that. Yet, he felt bad for letting Bruce become involved in his personal business. “Don’t,” he told the merman. “It’s got nothing to do with you.”
Bruce didn’t listen to Klick. He looked at Amanda with pleading eyes and the archmage sighed. The red thread was already firmly tied to both people. Not expelling Klick was a simple matter but the hard part was covering the incident up. Carlos might not take actions against Klick but if she allowed the couple to register officially, there could be a war between the house of assassins and Atlantis.
“Shut up,” the witch growled. “It’s not as simple. One of you are from the royal guards in Atlantis and the other is an assassin with the organisation. While you’re both in the Academy, I can resolve things easily. Heck, Carlos might not tell his family about the attempt and even without including the complications of the cheetah clan, it’s a huge pain to mediate between both your families.”
Hearing that made Bruce and Klick fall silent. The shark merman tried to think of a solution. Klick was a bat, it wouldn’t be good to drag him to Atlantis. He also understood where Amanda’s concern was coming from. Klick’s family will not stop pursuing Klick for accountability and Bruce wondered if it would be less complicated if he gave up his family in Atlantis. He only followed Prince Syris and the honour of his family didn’t matter to him. They were a bunch of narrow-minded and prideful assholes anyway.
“If I renounce my affiliation to the house in Atlantis and only pledge myself to Prince Syris’ faction, can you save Klick? I will take full responsibility for him. I’ll sign the mate registration certificate.”
Klick was surprised. The idea of becoming mates with someone still hasn’t sunk in and he wanted to protest but Amanda’s loud clap startled him into silence.
“If you’re both agreeable to sign the mate registration certificate, things will be very different. You come under Time Cross Academy’s protection. As one of the five archmages, I, Amanda Lucifer, can offer you protection. Your houses cannot touch you but from now on, you will become part of my coven. That’s the only solution out of your sticky mess. Also, just so you know, Syris and Floopy are part of my coven. In name. They don’t actually know that because they didn’t have many skills to contribute to my coven apart from Floopy’s music for my personal indulgence.”
Klick held his breath. Floopy was in the coven? Bruce took Klick’s hand. “Please sign the registration certificate with me. I don’t want you to die.”
The desperation and sincerity in Bruce’s voice made Klick agree. Truthfully, he didn’t want to die either. However, he didn’t have any reason to live.
“Please.”
Klick considered it. All his life he was a tool for the house. Now that the house didn’t want him, maybe he would be better off in somebody else’s hands. If Bruce wanted him, Klick decided to do his best. Living for someone else wasn’t a bad reason to live. At least for now.
“Ok,” he accepted quietly and Amanda nodded, pulling out a blank mate registration certificate form from one of her drawers.
The unlikely couple signed quickly without reading through the terms and Amanda sent them back for now until further notice.
On the way out of the principal’s tower, the new mates were silent. Neither of them knew what to say.