Chapter 6
SIX
It’s not unusual for our fraternity to be full of strangers on Saturday night.
Sam may be the most well-rounded president that Alpha Xi has ever seen, but even he knows that frat houses are supposed to be social sanctuaries.
He has rules about violence and cleaning up after, but other than that, he doesn’t care if we throw an impromptu get-together.
In tonight’s case, it’s a full-blown party.
Our president couldn’t make it anyway. It’s been a bit crazier around here ever since Sam and Thatcher met their omega, Kit. He’s such an unserious dude compared to Sam it’s hysterical, but the way they look at each other shows that—sometimes—opposites really do attract.
Because Bensen has a rule about packs living together on campus, they had to sign a lease somewhere in town.
It’s strange not having leadership in a house full of unruly men, but Sam’s instincts are scary.
He always seems to show up when you least expect it, like he knows some of the guys are getting into trouble when they shouldn’t. It’s remarkable, but also terrifying .
Usually I’d be up for a good party, but tonight I’m feeling a bit glum.
I’ve glued myself to the corner of the living room, nursing the same beer I’ve had all night.
I’m not usually one for introspection, but it feels like I’m being forced to look at my emotions…
to look at the havoc that Rory Cromwell has inadvertently caused between me and my best friend.
Dax and I will always be good on the surface.
That’s how I know he’s meant to be in my life forever.
Still, even though our friendship secured us a fantastic win last night, we both can’t seem to get our bearings.
We keep side-stepping each other, avoiding the conversation that we both desperately need to have, and it’s left both of us feeling a bit awkward.
We just need to rip the band-aid off; we’d be better off for it, but we can’t seem to get our fingers around the edges.
Dax is normally very straightforward, but something about our precarious situation has him weary.
I’ve never seen my brother look so lost before, and it makes me want to take the reins and figure shit out.
It’s an instinct that I’m not used to having because I’m much more comfortable in a passive role than an aggressive one.
My whole life, it’s always been my beta mom and me.
My father—who was an alpha—died when I was a baby.
I barely remember him, and my mother never wanted to move on.
I have never known pack life, or what bonds with other alphas are supposed to look like.
I still have my worries and doubts, even though our best friends in Pack Pearson are a wonderful example of how easy it can be.
Freshman year, I met Dax and some part of me has known ever since that he would be a part of my own family. But the bond—the thing that most people describe as a click of certainty—has never fully set in, and that alone has left a hole for insecurity to creep in.
For the millionth time tonight, Dax finds me in the corner I’m merged to, a new cold beer in his hand.
“Damn, Ev. Are you afraid of that beer or something?” he asks with a half-baked smile when he sees the full lukewarm one between my fingers.
I shrug as a familiar baritone calls out to us from the crowd.
Kendall’s blond head appears through the horde of people with his usual giddy smile.
His entire pack follows behind him, their happiness vibrating off of them like a beacon.
Uriah holds Stacia’s hand, while Atlas trails behind them.
Ciro’s wide grin and glossy eyes display how much alcohol he has in him as they crowd around us.
We all greet each other, and they get comfortable around the cozy corner that I was using as a hideaway.
I look up to greet Stacia, but she avoids my gaze.
I quirk my brow at the action as the guys converse with Dax about the game last night.
We’re the only two not in the conversation, and yet she still won’t look at me, which leaves me extremely curious.
I’m about to ask Stacia about her book when another voice invades my alcove. I only barely contain the groan in my throat when Dax’s sister stalks into my line of sight.
“Hi, guys!” Nicole squeals. She has a glass of something pink in her hand and it sloshes off the rim as she excitedly pushes herself into the group.
“How is everyone doing?” She catches my eye and tries to discreetly send me a flirtatious gaze, but Pack Pearson catches it, looking between us with incredulous looks.
Dax doesn’t notice as he takes a sip of his beer.
I can feel the impatience already bubbling up from deep down.
I really don’t have a problem with Dax’s sister.
Nicole can be a really sweet person, but she’s also very pushy.
I can never tell if she just ignores the wall I try to put up between us or if she’s used to getting what she wants, but she never takes the hints that I put out.
I don’t want to cause any issues. In my head, Dax is already my pack mate.
She’s his family, so she’ll be in my life as long as Dax is—which I plan on being forever.
I don’t mind playing nice, because my loyalty to Dax is what matters.
Still, it can grate on my nerves a bit. Especially when I already have a girl at the forefront of my mind.
I decide to respond politely even though it feels like sandpaper on my tongue. “Things are going good. What about you, Nicole?”
She smiles wide. “They’re good, too! My classes are going great. No more science for me, just a bunch of film studies to look into.”
I nod my head, falling silent. I wait for someone else to entertain her, but no one budges. Pack Pearson is still looking between us with curious lifts of their brows.
“Have you spoken to Mother about that Shakespeare class yet?” Dax asks, still none the wiser.
Nicole shrugs. “No, not yet. But you know why… she wouldn’t understand wanting to be on Broadway or in the theatre.” She singsongs the last part so it echoes with a vibrato, like theat-EEEER .
“That’s not fair, Cole,” Dax responds. “You should tell her, she might surprise you.”
I keep my features neutral. The others may not know, but the siblings are speaking cryptically about their A-list actress of a mother. I quite enjoy being privy to that information.
Before Nicole can respond, someone calls her from across the room. She looks back, twiddling her fingers in a dainty wave. “I’ll see you guys later, maybe.” Then she looks at me before darting away.
I let out a breath of relief. Finally.
Then I look up and see my friends trying not to laugh. Dax looks at them with confusion, trying to match their smiles on a joke that he definitely doesn’t get. Stacia looks at me for the first time, humor dancing in her eyes. “Wow, I bet that’s uncomfortable.”
I shrug, but Dax interjects, “What do you mean?”
Ciro points at where Nicole disappeared. “The fact that your sister has a crush on your pack mate.”
Uriah hits Ciro in the head. The beta coughs and then corrects himself. “I mean… best friend.”
“That’s not true,” Dax tries to laugh, but then he sees the look on my face. I don’t confirm or deny. Instead, I just take a sip of my lukewarm beer amid the awkwardness and try not to meet his questioning gaze.
“Are you serious?” he asks, his voice a bit harsher than normal. I fold and finally meet his eyes. He’s squinting at me, like he’s seeing something for the first time. “Is that true, Ev?”
Something about his demeanor causes me to answer seriously. “I thought it was always obvious, D.”
He stares at me, haunted. There’s a flick of irritation before he turns and leaves the group, causing silence among us after his departure. I’m left stunned, wondering what just happened between us.
The guys and Stacia look uncomfortable and unsure of where to look. I try to brush it off and drink more of my beer. The tepidness of the liquid is no longer unpleasant compared to the situation at hand.
Atlas moves a bit closer and slaps my shoulder. “Is everything okay, Ev?”
He’s looking at me like he can see everything playing through my mind, and it’s easier than I thought to say the truth. “It’s just been a bit weird between us lately.”
“Do you know why?” Uriah asks.
“I don’t know… I think we like the same girl, and that’s never happened before. New territory, I guess.” I shrug. “Maybe it’s weird because of the pack bond not clicking in. ”
Atlas nods, thinking. “The uncertainty definitely doesn’t help.”
“Does this crush involve a certain blue-haired omega that we all know?” Kendall butts in with a teasing smile.
Stacia hits her alpha in the shoulder, her eyes wide like he just spilled some kind of secret, but it was probably obvious from how Rory reacted to us at dinner yesterday.
“Ah,” I laugh. “That’s why you couldn’t look me in the eye when you walked up. Did she finally tell you?”
Her lips flatten before she huffs. “Maybe I already knew.”
I shake my head. “We see you guys a lot and you’ve never acted any differently before now. I just assumed Rory kept it to herself.”
Stacia crosses her arms. “Well, of course she told me. Now, it’s my job to ask—what is your intention with my best friend?”
The change in topic makes me chuckle a little bit. “To be honest, Stacia, I’m just trying to keep my best friend right now. There is no intention until he and I can talk about what’s going on without it being awkward.”
And gosh, that talk needs to happen as soon as possible.