Chapter 7 Laz
SEVEN
Laz
Did the most mesmerizing girl I’ve ever seen just slam the door to Stella House in my face?
I stare at the closed door, completely stunned by the omega tornado that let loose on me seconds before.
Her scent has me dizzy and rooted to the spot.
No omega has ever affected me like this before.
She’s tipped my entire world off its axis, the smell of her slick making me want to swim in it for days.
Her lingering perfume still surrounds me.
Knowing that she’s only on the other side of the door is enough to make me want to camp out just to see her again.
I don’t think I’ve ever smelled an omega so irresistible and so perfect for me.
And I’ve already blown it.
I don’t blame her for being furious at finding me here. Alphas aren’t supposed to enter Omega Village for good reason. I’d personally kill any alpha who came within a yard of this house, yet now I look like one of the assholes I’ve always tried to protect my sister from.
Why didn’t Sabs tell me she had a new housemate? She explicitly told me to drop her stuff off while she and the girls were out shopping after getting special permission from Margie for me to enter. I never expected to run into anyone, least of all her.
I can usually make jokes out of any situation, but the way she looked at me, like I was a monster, made me sick to my stomach.
To know that she thought I was possibly there to exploit her makes me want to shower for days.
I don’t know what her experiences with alphas have been up until this point, but it makes me want to kill anyone who has ever hurt her.
I would bang on the door until she answers and insist on explaining myself if I didn’t think it would make matters worse. She already thinks I’m a predatory dick.
Every alpha instinct in my body is on fire, like I’ve taken an adrenaline shot to the chest. Knowing that she is in there alone, scared, and…
I swallow hard, recalling the sweet smell of her perfume when I touched her.
A honeycomb, vanilla musk that made me want to bow down, slide underneath her flowery skirt, and lick her like ice cream.
Shit!
I mentally chastise myself, rubbing the back of my neck, realizing I made another fatal error.
I know Sabs likes hugs and physical contact when she’s sad, but I know better than to touch an omega without consent.
I lost myself completely in her presence.
All I wanted to do was comfort her and take away her pain, but it had the opposite effect.
Well done, Laz. You’ve royally screwed up.
I need to get out of here fast, before I’m caught with a raging boner that’ll get me thrown out of Omega Village.
I jog down the street, stopping when I see a familiar figure at the gates. I frown in confusion. “Ren?”
He’s the last person I expected to see. Ren tries to avoid omegas as much as possible, not because he—secretly—doesn’t want to find the perfect addition to our pack but because of what happened the last time we came close to courting an omega.
The “incident” knocked his confidence big time—even though the omega Cole lined up was completely unworthy—so he prefers to bury his nose in a book over seeking a potential match.
His saucer-sized eyes tell me he’s equally surprised to see me. “What are you doing here?”
“I was dropping something off for Sabs.” I motion toward Stella House. “Why are you here?”
“Oh.” He looks at his impeccably polished shoes. “I was dropping off a key card and homework for one of Professor Grub’s new students.”
I know him well enough to tell that something’s on his mind, probably his latest homework assignment, knowing Ren.
I don’t know anyone else who would complete all their yearly reading over the summer.
However, I don’t have time to dwell on that as my thoughts are still swimming with Sabs’s new roommate.
“Are you heading back to the pack house?”
He shakes his head. “I’m going to the library.”
“The library?” I groan. “Again? But we haven’t even started classes yet. What do you want to do there?”
“Research,” he replies cryptically. “You know, the usual.”
Our definitions of, “the usual” are very different. I’d rather be playing video games, at the arcade, or drawing.
He hops back into a golf cart. “Catch you later.”
“Hey!” I wave to remind him I’m not invisible. “Are you not even gonna offer me a ride?”
“Sorry, can’t. It’s … urgent.”
He speeds off without looking back.
What research can be that urgent?
I shoot a text over to Sabs as I set off.
ME
Why didn’t you warn me you had a new housemate?
SABS
Shit! I forgot you were coming. You met Faye? Just now?
Faye. I imagine her name rolling off my tongue as I whisper in her ear what I’d like to do to her.
ME
Yup, she may have accused me of being an alpha predator looking for someone to bite…
SABS
But she got home okay? Alone?
ME
Yes, why? Is something wrong?
Sabs doesn’t reply in three seconds like she usually does, heightening my anxiety. Sabs is a chatterbox who hasn’t stopped talking since she came out of the womb. She never shuts up when I want her to, yet now is the time she goes radio silent?
ME
Can I help?
Is there anything I can do?
God dammit, what’s taking her so long? I pace back and forth in front of Margie, driving a hand through my unruly, auburn curls. Reply already!
SABS
I’m on it, big bro! Just leave OV, and stay the F away from Faye… For now, at least.
I want to reply that staying away from her is the last thing I want to do, but Sabs probably doesn’t want to hear how Faye has just become the subject of all my dirtiest fantasies.
I’m already thinking about how I can make it up to her.
She lives with my sister, so we’re going to run into each other again soon, right?
I open Sabs’s profile on social media then scroll through it.
It’s a good thing Sabs broadcasts most of her life online so I can see the list of upcoming events that she has marked as attending, including a party on Friday.
My stomach somersaults. There’s definitely a chance that Faye will be there too.
I guess it looks like I’ll have to convince the guys to wear costumes as we’ll be heading to Club Knotty.