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“Okay.” I nod. I can feel a headache coming on, and at this point I want nothing more than to crawl onto my cot and sleep. Dr. Morgan seems to read that on my face and closes her notebook before reaching over to gently squeeze my hand.
“That’s probably enough for today, huh?”
De verdad.
As I make my way out of her office, I find it hard to shake off the weight of what I’m now feeling. Going in I was wary of revealing my crush on Lincoln, but leaving I wonder if that would’ve been a preferable way to go. It’s easier to love my brother unconditionally than it is to acknowledge his flaws, just as it’s easier for me to block out all the things my father forced on me than it is to remember the truth.
Five minutes ago I was ready to run back to Leo’s dorm and hide, but with everything swirling in my head, I abruptly change directions.
23
Micah
“Come on, Micah, move your ass!” Cabe calls out to me from the front seat of his car, honking the horn to punctuate his annoyance.
I flip him off like the mature nineteen-year-old that I am. This leads to more honking, more cursing, and Mason eventually getting fed up and grabbing my bags off the living room floor and shoving them in the back of Cabe’s Subaru. I follow sullenly behind.
“Stop bickering,” he scolds. “We have two and half hours in this car, and I’m not gonna play referee.” He gives me such a classic older brother look that I almost laugh.
We’re all in a bad mood today, and I know I’ve been dragging my feet. It’s Sunday, and normally we would have left Friday evening to go home and spend the week of Thanksgiving with our families while school’s on break. This year, though, leaving campus feels like a punishment. The only thing propelling my body forward and into the back seat of the car is knowing I’ll get to feed my habit once more before we go.
“Did you let her know we’re on our way?” Cabe asks, glancing at me through the rearview mirror as he shifts into reverse and starts heading toward main campus.
I nod, bouncing my hands against my legs in an erratic rhythm. It’s a poor interpretation of the tune stuck in my head, but it does the trick of releasing some of my nervous energy. I had to rush to make sure my surprise would be ready by the time we left. I wanted it to be perfect.
About a week ago, Espy finished all the illustrations for the main comic we’ve been working on, and as a surprise I’ve been working with a buddy of mine to digitize, format, and then print it out. I’m so freaking excited to give it to her. It looks amazing, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that seeing her name printed next to mine on the cover fills me with a smug sense of possessiveness. It’s honestly even more exciting than having a finished comic finally under my belt. Even though it’s just a few proof copies, it feels permanent. Tangible. Official, in a way that onlyIhave with her. We’re artistic collaborators and hopefully future business partners. My pack may not be courting her—yet—but we are linked.
For now, that’ll have to be enough.
All three of us—Mason, Cabe, and I—nearly had a collective heart attack a few weeks ago when she mentioned her friend Mackenzie had suggested she go to the speed-dating event the Pack Council and O-Club are putting on before finals. It didn’t seem like she was all that interested in going, which at first was a relief. But, as Cabe pointed out to us after she went home, it also didn’t seem like she brought it up as a way of dropping a hint, the way another omega might have done if they were interested inusstepping up to court her. Didn’t feel great looking at it that way.
Even if she isn’t going to the event, part of me itches to storm in there and throw copies of our comic at each and every alpha. Stake my pack’s claim and all that.
It’s weird, these feelings of possession that keep bubbling up in me when it comes to Espy. And I don’t even have alpha instincts to blame. Almost makes me feel bad for what Mason and Cabe are clearly going through. We’ve been spending more and more time with her, especially now her college entrance exam is over. From what I gather, her brother’s pack had a little spat and she’s been especially eager to get out of their dorm. Every hour we spend together is another layer deeper that she imprints on my heart. And onotherthings.
Her smell is all over our house now, and our rooms aren’t soundproofed enough for me to be unaware of the effect this is having on my packmates. An “awakening of biological instincts,” as Mason so awkwardly put it the other day. Cabe told him he needed to work on his dirty talk, and I’ve never seen my brother’s face go so red.
I’m definitely not immune to all the pheromones bouncing around either. I find my mind wandering to the little fantasy I indulged in this morning, trying to steal a few more minutes in my warm bed. Espy, in scandalous cosplay lingerie from my favorite series, straddling me in bed, her plump breasts nearly spilling out of her bra as my hand in her hair tugs her head back, exposing her smooth neck and her heaving chest. Her hips grinding frantically against my aching cock and causing a heated moan to escape her lips.
I let the memory distract me from my nervousness.
“Which building is it again?” Cabe asks.
“I think it’s that one over there.” Mason points, squinting at the cluster of higher-end dorms we’ve driven to.
Years ago, the university kept all omegas in a single building, thinking it would be easiest to secure their safety that way. Apparently, a few attempted assaults later and they realized that clustering them essentially provided a map for people with bad intentions. Now omegas’re mixed in randomly with beta, and the occasional alpha, students.
“I’ll call her, let her know we’re here,” Mason offers, pulling out his phone eagerly.
I’m not sure what the full story is, but a few days ago Espy changed her plans to spend Thanksgiving with her brother’s pack, and now she’s heading home with Mackenzie instead. She gave us some explanation about needing a break from Leo and Tanner after spending two months jammed into a corner of their dorm room. I’ve seen her little cot setup, so I can’t say I blame her for that. Just seems like there might be more going on given the fight she mentioned earlier.
Cabe got a little agitated at the thought of the two omegas not having any alphas around on their trip back to Mackenzie’s family’s place. He’s become a lot more safety-conscious lately with all his training for the reserve unit he’s volunteering for. Espy managed to placate him by explaining Mackenzie’s family live just thirty minutes away, and that her car has top-of-the-line safety measures. Pretty sure he bought some mace to give her anyway, and ... yep!
Espy comes bouncing out of the building, and before either Mason or I can get to her, Cabe’s out of the car and handing over what looks like several canisters of pepper spray. I watch Mason walk over to join them, reaching out a hand to run along her braid. It’s sweet, and for a minute I think about trying to convince her to ditch Mackenzie and come home with us for the holiday instead.
Good things come to those who wait. My dad used to love saying that to me when I was growing up. Imighthave been more hyperactive than your average kid, but what is hyperactivity other than absolute brilliance shining through? Around eight I started countering, telling him that I bet good things also came to those who were enthusiastic enough to go out and get them. Jury’s still out as far as I’m concerned, but for now I’ll play it his way.
“Hey, Micah.” Espy greets me with a smile as I walk over to join the trio. She’s dressed a bit nicer today, I notice. Fitted jeans and a sort of mint-green cardigan I can see peeking out of her open jacket. She’s been wearing nicer and nicer clothes this past month, and I know it’s because Mackenzie and her friends have made it their mission to fill out her wardrobe after she arrived here with nothing of her own. I’m not really a “clothes guy” and I couldn’t care less about how she dresses, but I wonder suddenly if maybe that’s somethingshecares about.
