Chapter 8 Faye
EIGHT
Faye
I hug my knees, my wet hair falling over my face as I inhale the safe scent of the mystery alpha’s hoodie. After having a bath, my discomfort and heat symptoms faded, leaving me shaken and confused.
I don’t know what came over me in the greenhouse.
I’ve taken suppressants for years. They don’t entirely alleviate the discomfort when the time comes every three months, and I can get slight cramps and a raised temperature, but they suppress my urges enough to allow me to skip a heat and function normally.
The pain during my first unmedicated heat at sixteen was almost too much to bear, so I never want to go through that again.
Especially not at SVU where I’m surrounded by alphas.
I expected to get an education without tempting alphas added into the mix, but studying here won’t be as easy as I thought.
Thankfully, my symptoms eased shortly after returning home.
However, I’m still struggling to forget about the alphas I met this morning.
Together, their scents make an incredible combination: spicy ginger cake and chamomile tea.
Wow, I never thought I’d be grateful for the much needed restraint the fumes of the putri flower provided me.
“Faye? We’re here.” Sabs knocks on my door. “Are you okay? Can we come in?”
“The doors open,” I call out from my spot on my sofa.
My Stella sisters bundle inside, concern etched over their faces. Sabs hurries over to my side while Kady—who has bags from Sunshine Pharmacy hanging on her arms—and Delilah—who’s carrying a plate of cookies in one hand and iced coffee in the other—stand in front of me.
“It was a false alarm,” I mumble, feeling like an idiot for making them return home prematurely. “I don’t know what happened. I guess I must’ve smelled something in the greenhouse that set me off, then I panicked.”
“Sounds like a heat spike to me.” Kady nods knowingly. This is when an omega experiences heat onset symptoms without it progressing to a true heat. “What suppressants are you taking?”
I gesture to the pills on the table.
“Uh-huh, I see. It’s a slightly lower dose than most omegas take.” She examines the bottle. “Have you ever had a problem with them before?”
I shake my head. “But I’ve never been around so many people before.
Gram’s shop doesn’t get many customers aside from the regulars, and those who travel to see her are usually omegas.
I’ve never actually…” I bite my lip, realizing they’re going to think I’ve lived under a rock.
“Met an alpha before. You know, in the flesh.”
“What?” Delilah’s jaw drops. “Never?”
“Well, I guess there was a pack who visited the shop with their omega once,” I shrug, “but I was so busy working that I barely spoke to them.”
“That explains it, then.” Kady points at me with her French manicured nail. “Your omega instincts have gone into overdrive from being surrounded by all these new pheromones. Moving into a house with different omegas can set your cycle out of whack too.”
How hadn’t I thought of that? As a health botany student, I should know better, but I’m relieved to find a logical explanation for my reaction today.
“I got you a few things from the pharmacy that’ll help.
” Kady puts several items on the table including an extra-strong scent blocker spray that doesn’t leave a weird lingering smell, deluxe scent-blocking panties with liners, scent-blotting wipes for quickly freshening up, as well as sparkly bottles filled with pleasure enhancer lotion.
“Oh, I’ve never tried this one!” Sabs reaches for a bottle named, “PussyPow: An Omegas Pleasure Heightener.”
“They’re for Faye!” Kady slaps her hand away. “You probably have a lot of this already, but it doesn’t hurt to have extra supplies.”
“You didn’t have to.” I reach for my purse. “Tell me what I owe you. This must have cost a fortune.”
Kady flicks her wrist dismissively. “It’s a gift!”
“I can braid your hair, if you’d like?” Delilah offers, sitting next to me. “It’ll dry all wavy.”
“Sure.” I spin to face away from her then throw my long hair over my shoulders.
Delilah gets to work. She takes her time, brushing my hair with her fingers before dividing it into even sections. I find my anxiety melting away with each gentle tug as she weaves my hair into a fishtail braid. Is hair braiding some kind of omega wizardry I wasn’t privy to before?
“I remember when I had a heat spike at my high school graduation.” Sabs sprawls out over the sofa, resting her feet on my lap.
“I ran offstage before I picked up my diploma, and my brother’s pack almost got arrested for breaking three alphas’ noses for running after me. It wasn’t our finest moment.”
“I had a spike at one of my father’s business dinners.” Kady recoils. “The less I say about that the better.”
“I’m sorry for texting over nothing.” I chew on my lip. “I know you were all looking forward to your day in Forestville.”
“Don’t apologize. Besides, we already bought our costumes, and that’s all we really wanted.
” Delilah secures my braid, her sweet, cookie batter-like scent wrapping around me like a warm hug.
“We’re glad you messaged! We’re sisters now, remember?
Heat spikes happen to all of us. It’s scary when it happens for the first time, especially when it happens unexpectedly and in public. ”
“Thank fuck for scent blocking panties,” Sabs declares. “Whoever invented them is a savior!”
I giggle, already feeling much better. “Thanks for being so understanding.”
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Sitting in the armchair opposite me, Kady poses the question with a gentleness that warms my heart.
“It could have been worse, I guess,” I sigh. “I was in a secluded area of the greenhouse collecting putri flowers.”
“Putri flowers?” Kady raises her eyebrows. “But that’s a poisonous plant, especially for us!”
“Only when handled incorrectly.” I neglect to mention that Professor Grub assigned it to me out of spite, and that I did intentionally mishandle it.
“Who cares about putri-something?” Sabs rolls her eyes. “This isn’t a plant lesson!”
“I’m going to look into Professor Grub.” Kady makes a quick note on her phone as a reminder to do it later. Over the past few days, I’ve noticed she makes a lot of notes to herself and sets a crazy amount of reminders on her calendar. “I don’t approve of his methods.”
“He’s a genius,” I insist. “I’ve read all his books.”
Kady drums her fingers against a cushion, frowning while she’s deep in thought. “If you say so.”
“You said it came on when you were in the greenhouse?” Delilah asks me.
I nod, omitting the part about meeting Ren. “I just ran out without saying a word to Professor Grub, almost crashed a golf cart into Margie because I didn’t know how to drive it, then I got back here and found an alpha—”
“That’s my fault.” Sabs hides her face behind her hands. “I’m so sorry, Faye! Laz was dropping something off, and I thought we’d all be out.”
I freeze. “Wait, you know him?”
“He’s my brother, the one whose pack is very protective and tore up my graduation.
Alphas aren’t allowed in OV, but Laz got special permission.
There’s a family exemption clause in the rules and he had something to drop by.
We usually meet at his pack house or somewhere on campus, but I just thought it’d be quicker—”
“Oh no.” I cup my head with my hands. “I’m pretty sure I called him an omega predator.”
From what Sabs said, her older brother sounds like he’d be the last person to prey on a vulnerable omega.
Kady laughs. “Aw, our kitty has claws. I’d love to have seen Laz’s face!”
“I bet he hates me now.” I cringe in embarrassment. “I wasn’t myself.”
“Oh, don’t worry about Laz.” Sabs taps my thighs with her feet. “He’s pretty chill and can take care of himself. I’m sure he was more worried about upsetting you.”
I nod feebly as Delilah retrieves the cookies.
“Here, have one.” She offers me the plate. “I didn’t have time to bake anything, so I stopped by Springflour Bakery in Forestville on the way over.”
I gratefully take a nibble of a buttery edge.
“Now’s probably a good time to make sure you know about heat safety protocols on campus.” Kady draws my attention away from the scrumptious cookie.
“Oh god, can you make it sound any more boring?” Sabs groans. “I’m sure Faye has already read the handbook. I made sure she got all the leaflets. I’m not that bad of an RA, you know.”
“There’s a wellness center on campus.” I go through the mental checklist I’ve made.
Wellness centers—similar to heat clinics—are safe places I can go to on campus if a heat happens unexpectedly.
Few omegas choose to use them, unless they’re really desperate and it’s an emergency, as they’d prefer to be in their own nest. “Alphas can’t enter OV.
Well, most alphas.” I push aside thoughts of Laz.
“There are dedicated omega-only areas in campus bars.” I count them on my fingers.
“All classrooms—greenhouse excluded—are pumped with scent neutralizers to avoid any distractions. There are separate omega-only areas in the gym too.”
“See?” Sabs grins. “She’s read the material!”
Kady grumbles impatiently. “I mean, the stuff that isn’t in the manual.”
I look around for a notebook and pen. “Should I take notes?”
Kady’s eyes light up. “I mean, you could—”
“No, you don’t need to take notes,” Sabs cuts her off. “That’s just Kady being Kady.”
“The first rule is you shouldn’t leave Omega Village at night alone unless you’re in a vehicle,” Kady launches into an explanation.
“Alphas can get pretty rowdy after a few drinks, especially the sports teams. If you’re ever looking for a heat buddy, there are loads of apps you can use like Heater and Scent Swipe, but the best one on campus is Scent Valley Match. ”
“A heat buddy?”
“An alpha to get you through your heat, if you want to take a pause on your suppressants,” Delilah answers.
Although suppressants keep heat at bay, many omegas choose to take a break now and then to reset their bodies.
When you’ve taken them for a long time, you run the risk of your heat being extra intense when you come off them.
“But you have to make sure you trust the alpha. Some are so desperate to get an omega that they sign up to the app only to bite an omega then claim her when she’s not in her right mind. ”
“I don’t think I’ll be looking for a heat buddy.” I suppress a shudder.
I guess I’m a romantic at heart because, if I’m ever knotted by an alpha, I’d like it to mean something.
“That’s probably a good thing,” Kady says. “A sweet little thing like you would be an easy target for taggers and bite-jackers.”
They’re crude nicknames for alphas who bite without consent.
Taggers want to bite and claim as many omegas as possible, chasing the high of each bond.
Bite-jackers are assholes who purposefully plan to bite a specific target in order to tie an omega to them forever.
Both hunt their victims during heats when an omega is at their most vulnerable.
“We also have a heat alarm code that we use in our chat,” Delilah adds. “We really should’ve told you that before now.”
“Not a bad RA, huh?” Kady glares pointedly at Sabs who hangs her head, having the decency to look ashamed.
“If you’re going into heat, we give each other a heads up by putting fire emojis in our group chat, anything from one to five, depending on the heat’s intensity.
” Kady leans forward, elbows on her knees.
“Let us know if you’re going to disappear into a heat cabin for a few days, and try to check in every day, if you can, so we know you’re not dead.
Especially considering what happened last year. ”
“I told you I forgot to charge my phone!” Delilah sighs. “And I was a little busy…”
“She got knotted by a rockstar,” Sabs explains. “Who turned out to be a total asshole, for the record.”
My eyes widen.
Delilah sighs. “I’m sure Faye doesn’t want to hear about my train wreck of a love life.”
“Do you have plans to join a pack, Faye?” Kady changes the subject quickly.
Delilah tsks. “You can’t just ask someone that, Kady. It’s rude.”
Sabs smiles. “Faye strikes me as a scent match type of gal.”
Everyone knows a scent match is super rare. It’s basically the golden lottery ticket of matches, when an alpha and omega’s scents are beyond highly compatible—they’re destined. Their scents are irresistible to each other.
“Isn’t that what everyone wants?” Delilah reclines, sighing wistfully with a dreamy expression. “Your scents perfectly pairing, like peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream or maple syrup and bacon.”
“Honestly, I haven’t thought too much about a pack,” I reply. “Leaving home was a big enough deal. And even if I did find a pack, I’d still want to finish school.”
Kady nods in approval. “Spoken like a true Stella.”
“Knots are nice, but our lives don’t revolve around them,” Sabs chirps.
How lucky am I to be surrounded by three amazing women?
After all the chats and excitement, I disguise a yawn behind my hand. In addition to being inconvenient, heat spikes are exhausting too. The joys of being an omega!
“Come on.” Instantly noticing, Kady jumps to her feet. She doesn’t miss anything. “Faye needs nap and nest time!”
“I’ll have dinner ready for when you wake up,” Delilah tells me. “What are you craving?”
“Anything you make will be delicious,” I answer. “Something warm and comforting, maybe?”
“No salads,” Sabs chirps. “She needs carbs!”
“Lasagna and garlic bread, it is.” Delilah rises from the sofa.
Sounds amazing.
As they file out, Kady pauses at the doorway. “I almost forgot. There’s one more thing for you in the pharmacy bag, Faye. Someone brought your homework from Professor Grub’s class.” Trepidation curdles in my stomach. “They left it with Margie at the gate.”
Once they’re gone, I drag my body to the table to find a large envelope with papers inside. I shake the packet, and a note falls out:
Hope you feel better soon.
I put in something that should help.
Ren
Taped to the back of my homework is a small pouch of herbs.
I recognize the dried petals and herb combination instantly.
They’re everything I’ll need to make a soothing steam mist for putri flower poisoning that will help my nasal irritation fade faster.
I already have all the supplies to make it myself, but the fact that Ren took the time to put them together makes my heart flutter, especially after my abrupt departure.
I turn the note over in my hands. Tracing his delicate handwriting with gentle loops, I bring it up to my nose to sniff it before stopping myself.
Am I going crazy, or is this heat spike seriously messing with my head?