Alphas and Accidents (Scent Valley University #4)

1. Sabs

ONE

Sabs

“Wow!” I smack my lips together after slurping down the last of my strawberry mojito. “This is good.”

I shimmy my way across the golden sand to join the rest of the volleyball team, who are sampling more colorful cocktails.

Sophie, our newest teammate, invited us to her party on Bonded Beach. It’s the perfect setting, the mountains looming behind the crystal blue lake. String lights hang from poles, a DJ blares music, and a campfire burns nearby. What better way to celebrate our latest win?

“Great job, captain!” Carmen, our star blocker, hands me a frozen watermelon daiquiri. She’s the only female alpha on the team—one of the few at SVU—and a total powerhouse. “You crushed it today. We’d never have done it without you.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” I smile as I accept the drink. “It was all of us. We worked damn hard, so we’ve earned a night out.”

Although we’ll be training rigorously for our last game of the season against Knottsville University, we don’t have practice again until next week.

They’re our biggest rivals, and if I have anything to do with it, we’re going to take those bitches down.

If it isn’t bad enough that SVU has lost to them for the last three years, they love any opportunity to tear our team down on their social media, so we’re ready to take back the cup.

Instead of pitting them against us, their coach seriously needs to teach them that women should be lifting each other up.

“Hell yeah, we have!” Carmen clinks her glass against mine. “Amora’s so freaking proud. She’s gonna love making more banners.”

Amora—Carmen’s omega—and the rest of their pack have never missed a match, always showing up with colorful signs to cheer her on.

“Amora’s banners are the best,” I agree. “How does it feel to have your own fan club?”

“Hey!” Carmen nudges me playfully. “You just wait until you find a pack one day. They’ll be right there watching alongside Amora and the others.”

“I don’t see that happening anytime soon.” I scoff. “I’ll just stick to focusing on kicking ass on the court.”

Volleyball is in my blood. Growing up so close to the beach, it’s how I spent pretty much all my summers and free time as a kid. While my three older brothers surfed, I’d be at the net, where they could keep a close eye on me. Thankfully, none of my brothers are at the party to see me now.

As much as I love them, they can be over-protective and would definitely have something to say about how short my shorts are.

I’m pretty sure that Beckett—the eldest—still thinks I’m a virgin.

Laz—the youngest of the three—also attends SVU, living nearby.

Luckily, the beach house where he lives with his pack is on the other side of the lake, and knowing him, he’s probably too busy playing video games to worry about me getting wild at a party.

Plus, Faye—his newly bonded omega and one of my best friends—has been keeping him and the rest of the Silverwood Pack, who are like family to me, busy enough to give me some respite from them meddling in my business.

Tonight, I’m in my element, feeling buzzed from the alcohol. It’s been a manic few weeks, full of work outs, training and juggling a thousand assignments, so I’ve needed to completely let my hair down. College isn’t all work and no play, right?

Joining the throng of dancing students, I holler at the DJ to turn up the music.

In addition to my team, there’s plenty of alpha eye candy to admire tonight, including most of the hockey team.

While I usually make it a rule to avoid dating alphas on sports teams because of their general alpha-hole energy and bolstered egos, I can still appreciate the view.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many shirtless guys with six-packs in one place before.

How long has it been since I last got laid?

Too fucking long. My pussy is basically a dried-up well at this point.

Everyone else at SVU seems to be getting way more action than I am, though it’s not for lack of trying.

My best friends all laugh at me for scouring college dating apps, but it’s easy for them to say when they have knots coming out their ears—or, more accurately, into every hole.

Although I’m so happy that all my scent sorority sisters have found love, Stella House has felt kinda lonely lately.

Faye moved out after she bonded with the Silverwood Pack, then Kady found the Valen Pack.

While she’s still based at Stella House, she spends a lot of time down at their apartment, which left only me and Delilah until…

“Hey!” Mel, another teammate, joins me. “Isn’t your friend the omega who bonded with Jagger Knight?”

I smile wryly. I do my best to avoid these conversations.

Delilah has been struggling with all the extra attention she’s been getting on campus since her relationship status with Jagger went public.

Bonding with one of the biggest rockstars in the country isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, despite what his fans think.

“Yep.” I swirl my straw in the pink, icy slush. “And he’s damn lucky to have her.”

She gapes at me with wide eyes, wringing her hands and bouncing on her heels as if expecting me to continue. But that’s all I’m going to say on the matter. Delilah and the Ward Pack deserve their privacy. They’ve been through enough, and I’m not gonna be adding to the rumor mill.

When Mel finally realizes that I’m not going to be sharing any gossip—which probably comes as a surprise since I enjoy campus drama as much as the next person—she scurries away.

The music pulses through me. It’s a great party, but I can’t help wishing my besties were here. I take a quick selfie then ping it over to the Stella group chat.

ME

Missing you guys! We need a Stella night out soon!

DELILAH

100%! Let’s pencil it in! Maybe we can hit up Kady’s favorite bar in Forestville?

I snort. Kady divulging that she hooked up with Ezra—SVU’s botany professor and one of her alphas—outside that bar is something we’re never going to let her live down.

She’s usually pretty uptight, so the thought of her fucking in an alley is akin to seeing a member of the British royal family twirl around a stripper pole.

KADY

It’s NOT my favorite bar, but whatever. I’m in!!! Be safe, @Sabs! Text me when you get home. I’m staying with the guys tonight, so I won’t be in.

FAYE

Yes, yes, yes! Let’s talk about it tomorrow at Del’s and set a date.

Delilah shares a picture of a kitchen island full of mixing bowls and cooling cakes along with her trusty old mixer with the caption, “Baking has already commenced. See you for breakfast! P.S. I’ll have a hangover smoothie ready just in case, @Sabs!”

ME

I hope there’s gonna be cheesecake!

She immediately responds with a photograph of inside her refrigerator to show her signature cheesecake, already waiting. She’s even drizzled a letter ‘S’ over the top in toffee sauce.

We’re all heading to her new place for breakfast tomorrow.

I’m so excited to see her again, her famous toffee cheesecake an added bonus.

I don’t know what she puts in it, but I’m addicted.

Over summer break, I got her to send me the recipe so I could make it at home.

Needless to say, it turned out terribly, and Mom banned me from baking for the foreseeable future.

Although I’m an engineering major and can work out the dimensions for bridges, I can’t seem to crack the intricacies of baking. Go figure.

I squeal as my favorite song comes on, abandoning my now-empty glass in the sand as I head over to dance, waving my arms as I get lost in the beat. I’m not drunk, but I’m in that happy, tipsy stage where everything feels extra fun.

I’m lost in the music when I spot a familiar face through the sea of people.

It’s pretty hard to miss him, even amongst the hordes of jacked men.

He’s around 6′5′′ and covered head to toe in sexy tattoos.

A prickle of annoyance stabs my stomach as I notice a group of girls blatantly checking him out.

Although I have no reason to get jealous, I march straight over to him before any of them pluck up the courage to talk to the newest arrival.

“Sabs.” Drax’s eyes widen in surprise as he peers down at me.

He has ridiculously long black eyelashes that most women would kill for; I’d have to get extensions and apply ten layers of mascara to get the same effect.

Unlike most of the other guys, he’s actually dressed—wearing a black T-shirt over jeans.

I can’t help being disappointed that there’s not more skin on show. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Oh, it was a last-minute thing,” I reply flippantly. “Why? Are you avoiding me?” I wink playfully as if I’m joking, but there’s an element of curiosity to my question.

Drax hasn’t replied to any of my texts lately.

I don’t usually message a guy more than once, but I broke my rule and texted him three times in a row.

All of them have been left unread. It’s not like him to go quiet, so I’ve been starting to worry.

The only reason I didn’t march around to his dorm room to check on him is because I’ve seen him working at Club Knotty, so I know he’s alive.

The way his eyes dart nervously around, looking anywhere but at me, tells me that avoiding me is exactly what he’s been trying to do.

Shit. A ball of dread settles in the pit of my stomach.

“I didn’t think you liked to dance.” I breeze over the uncomfortable silence, ignoring the obvious elephant in the room.

“Remember what happened at homecoming? You stood to the side of the dance floor until I forced you to join me.” Filling awkward pauses is one of my many talents, but Drax’s intense stare makes me falter. “So what brings you here tonight?”

He shrugs. “A friend asked me to come.”

“Maybe you can join me for one dance, then?” I nudge my head. “This is my favorite song.”