Chapter 39 Faye
THIRTY-NINE
Faye
“Over there!” I point at Sabs’s flaming red hair in the crowd that’s gathering in front of Noodles and Chill on SVU’s Main Street.
There’s a buzz in the air as other students brandish their banners. I’m surprised at how many students have turned out—not just omegas, but plenty of alphas and betas too.
I watch Nia clamber onto a bench to address the group.
“Thank you all for attending the Omega Unite rally today.” Her voice echoes through the megaphone.
“Omega rights have come a long way in recent years, but we still have a long way to go. Just a few weeks ago, right here on our own campus, a health botany professor was dismissed for omega discrimination.”
I bristle, and Damon tightens his grip around my shoulder while Ren slips his fingers through mine. Their presence calms me instantly.
“We won’t tolerate that at SVU!” Nia raises a fist. “We’ll take a stand!” The crowd cheers, and I clap along with them.
“Omega rights are human rights!” Nia chants. “And when do we want them?”
“Now!” everyone roars back.
“Omega!” she cheers. “Unite!”
Laz punches the air. “Omega unite!”
There are rounds of clapping and cheering as we set out on the march, walking quickly to catch up with the Stellas. While caught up in this vast throng of people, I’m struck by a deep sense of pride, knowing Gram is such a key figure in this movement.
My alphas don’t leave my side as we walk, the Stella girls proudly waving our homemade banners. We trek through campus, laughing and joking as we go, nearing the designated end point of the parade where smaller groups are breaking out to chat.
Suddenly, a familiar voice comes from behind us. “Faye?”
It can’t be. Can it? I stop and spin, thinking I’m imagining it. I have to be… But before I even turn, I smell her.
“Gram?”
When I freeze on the spot, our entire group pauses, letting other students flow around us on either side.
There’s no mistaking her lilac rinse perm, green, horn-rimmed glasses, and sweet smile. I spring apart from Damon and Ren, diving into her arms.
“I thought I’d surprise you.” She wraps her arms around me. “You said on the phone that you were going to the O.U. rally. I couldn’t miss out on your first big rally, now could I?”
I hang onto her fluffy cardigan, not quite believing she’s here.
“I’ve missed you.” I smile so hard, my cheeks hurt, soaking in her comforting scent.
“And I’ve missed you too, Hedgey.” She pulls away to dab at her eyes with a frilly handkerchief.
Her soft, brown eyes quickly scan the scene then take in who I’m surrounded by, causing my stomach to drop. What will she think of finding me in the middle of a group of four strapping alphas?
“You must be Faye’s Gram!” Sabs steps in to save the day, like she can read my mind. “We’ve heard so much about you.”
“You must be Sabs.” Gram pulls her in for a hug. “You look just like your pictures on the ‘gram.”
“Since when do you go on social media?” I gawp.
She scoffs. “Alice has been showing me a thing or two. I think I’m getting the hang of it.” She turns to the other Stellas. “And you must be Delilah and Kady.”
They have a quick chat, but it’s hard to have a full conversation over the noise, and my anxiety continues to mount. Thankfully, I wore my hair down, so she can’t see my bond mark.
“I like to see young people out campaigning,” Gram comments. “It’s your generation that needs to continue this legacy.” Her shrewd gaze sweeps over the Silverwoods. “It’s good to see alphas here too.”
Did she see Damon’s arm around me or Ren holding my hand, or were we shielded by the crowds?
“This is my brother, Laz,” Sabs introduces. “And the rest of his pack.” She nods at each of the guys. “This is Ren, Cole, and Damon.”
Gram smiles politely, but her expression remains unreadable.
Damon inclines his head, almost in a bow, like she’s the queen. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
She raises her eyebrows, and I try not to swallow my tongue. Before anyone else starts curtseying, I need to get her out of here.
“Shall we grab some tea?” I suggest.
She smiles, almost knowingly. “I think we should.”
“I’ll catch you later,” I promise the others.
Damon looks like he wants to argue, but a pleading gaze from me and Cole’s firm hand on his arm stops him in his tracks. I sense his stress, but I won’t be far.
“We can go to the Tea House,” I say for the guys’ benefit, so Damon can stay nearby. “It’s one of the best places on campus. Ren took me there once.”
“Did he now?” With a look of surprise, she looks over Ren. “An alpha who likes tea, hm?”
She’s never met an alpha like Ren before, and I sense the two of them would really get along.
He nods over-enthusiastically. “I thought it would help Faye feel more at home here.”
“I’m sure it did,” Gram replies, a curiosity hiding under her words.
Gram has a knack for discovering people’s secrets and getting them to open up.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve walked in on her comforting a customer over a steaming mug, listening to them pour their heart out over bonding troubles or other problems. We need to leave before she pokes around for more information. She needs to hear the truth from me.
“You’ll have to visit Stella House before you leave,” Kady suggests before any of my alphas say the wrong thing.
“We’d love to chat more.” Delilah nods eagerly. “Faye’s told us all about your work for Omega Unite. I’m sure you have some stories to tell.”
Gram chuckles. “You have no idea.”
“Such a badass,” Sabs says then covers her mouth. “Sorry, I mean—”
“It’s okay, dear.” Gram winks. “I suppose I am.”
“Come on.” I link my arms through Gram’s, steering her way. “It’s this way. We need to catch up.”
“It was a pleasure to meet you all,” she calls out as I tug her away. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of you soon. Enjoy the rest of the rally!”
Relief spreads through me as we head off. All I have to do now is stay calm enough to break the news. Thankfully, the Tea House isn’t far, and when we enter, it’s quieter than the last time I was here.
“You really should have told me you were coming,” I say after we’ve placed our orders and sat down. “I could have planned something for us to do.”
“Nonsense!” She waves her hand. “Where would the surprise be in that?”
The barista brings over our mugs of Sakura cherry blossom white tea.
“Good.” Gram smacks her lips together after taking a sip. “Very good. I expect the blossom is from Tohoku.”
“You know your tea.” The barista nods slowly, clearly impressed.
“That I do,” Gram says as the barista leaves, carefully putting down her mug. “But I know my granddaughter better. As soon as we spoke on the phone, I knew something was wrong. I had to come check that you were okay.”
Gram claims she isn’t psychic, but sometimes, I think she may as well be, considering how well she reads people.
“There was this whole … thing…” I huff out an exhale. “A misunderstanding, but it’s all sorted now.” I speak in a garbled rush, stumbling over my words. “There was the Professor Grub incident, I was adjusting to campus, and—”
“After you told me what happened, I’m using all Gregory Grub’s books to stoke the fire!
And I’ve told all our customers to do the same.
” Her kind face hardens. Gram is as sweet as a button until you get on her bad side.
“You should have spoken to me about it. You know there’s nothing you can’t tell me. ”
“I know,” I look down into my tea. “There’s something else too. I-I—”
“You’re afraid of how I’ll react when I find out that you’re courting those nice alpha boys I just met?” She arches one eyebrow. “Were you going to wait until after you bonded to tell me?”
I splutter. “How did you—”
“Seeing the way those boys looked at you was enough to give it away.” She takes my hand across the table.
“That and Alice is always checking the Valley Voice blog. Apparently, the Silverwood Pack is courting a mystery first-year omega studying health botany." Damn Alice. I’ll have to have words with her the next time I see her. “You told me there was only one other omega in your major, and she’s already bonded.”
“All the murder mysteries your book club read are paying off, considering your sleuthing abilities,” I grumble, hanging my head. “I should have told you. I guess I just didn’t know how.”
“Courting a pack is a monumental moment in an omega’s life. Why didn’t you feel you could talk to me about it?” Her wrinkled fingers stroke my hand. “It’s always been the two of us against the world.”
“I know.” I squeeze her palm. “You’ve always been so protective of me, but after what happened to Mom with those alphas.”
“Oh, Hedgey.” She sighs and shakes her head.
“I’m your gram. I’ll always be protective, but I know how our world works.
Omegas and alphas get drawn together. It’s in your nature.
Before you came here, I tried to prepare you as best as I could for what you may face.
There was always a chance you’d find a pack.
I didn’t think it would happen this quickly, but I know it was very unusual for your mother to fall in love with a beta. ”
“I thought you hated alphas,” I murmur, keeping my eyes fixed on the bottom of my cup.
“I hate alphas who don’t support omega rights, alphas who treat omegas as objects, and alphas who think their designation gives them the right to take,” she corrects me. “Are the alphas you’re seeing anything like the brutes who killed your parents?”
“Of course not!”
“Exactly,” she replies. “The fact that they came to an Omega Unite rally tells me a lot about them.”
“I’m sorry for not telling you.” I’m hit with guilt, especially seeing how understanding she is. And maybe fear? “I guess I was afraid of what you’d think. I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me.”