Chapter 8
Chapter eight
Their new arrangement was nowhere near as suffocating as Camelia would have thought. They didn't follow her into class or intrude on any plans that she made with Aria, but at all times, one of them was just...around. There, a presence that she couldn't quite ignore.
That deep, dark part of herself that she was constantly in a war with, constantly trying to ignore, loved it.
Loved always having her Alphas so close to her.
Whenever James was there outside one of her poli-sci classes or Evan held her hand while he walked with her to get some food, her instincts thrilled.
Always having them always around on campus, while not as comforting as when they were in their happy little bubble at home, was almost as good.
And most importantly, the other Alphas on campus gave her a wide berth.
She spotted Max in the crowd a few times as she went to and from classes, watching her with a gleam in his eyes that made her stomach flip anxiously.
Every time she spotted him, she clutched a little closer to whoever she was with, pressing their palms a little harder against each other in comfort.
Neither James or Evan ever asked her what the cause of her anxiety was; they knew. Neither of them carried it the same way that she did, or understood quite how she was feeling, but they were all feeling the new shift in the social dynamic.
Alphas were getting restless. Omegas were coming out of hiding. It was only a matter of time before something happened that permanently shifted the perception of their societal structure, and how it had been for decades.
The first report happened that Friday.
James had his arm wrapped around Camelia's shoulders as they walked towards the library, holding her close against his side as if to protect her from being jostled by the crowd.
It was finally past midterms and Halloween, and the campus felt even more crowded than normal as their fellow students started to ramp up their studying.
Where many might have gone straight home or to the dorms after classes, now people were lingering, talking to friends and making conversation with professors as they figured out last-minute projects.
Camelia understood it, but it didn't make it feel any less claustrophobic.
James didn't say anything as she pressed close to him to avoid brushing against someone as they finally walked into the library, the quiet building a reprieve from the press of students outside.
His expression was impassive, but Camelia knew him well enough by now to see the faint line of tension between his brows, the way that he held his lips together just a little more firmly.
He didn't like the crowds and the attention either.
"Upstairs," Camelia said quietly, breathing a sigh of relief as they turned up the stairwell and James' arm dropped from around her shoulders.
James followed without a word, his hand brushing against her lower back as they traipsed up to the third floor where Camelia set her books and laptop up in her usual corner.
Their phones started buzzing the moment they sat down, and James' eyes widened the slightest bit when he pulled it out to look.
"What is it?"
"There's been an attack," James said. His voice was even and quiet, accommodating the library rules, but his hand curled into a tight fist, whiting his knuckles and revealing his displeasure. "Early reports say that an Alpha accosted an Omega in public and nearly kidnapped her.
Camelia's stomach clenched, and she pulled out her own phone to read the news alert. The details were sparse, but chilling.
"Fuck," she said quietly, reaching out for one of James' hands without thinking. He linked their fingers together across the table, squeezing comfortingly even as they both continued to read.
Evan texted their group chat while they were absorbing the information. Dean is going to call a meeting about the attack. Check your emails.
Ignoring the bubble of curiosity that swelled at how Evan knew that information before any of the rest of them, Camelia pulled up her student email on her laptop.
Sure enough, within a minute of Evan's text, an urgent email from the school administration appeared, stating that an emergency meeting of all students was going to be held in the conference center immediately.
"Think it's mandatory?"
James pressed his lips together before nodding his head in a short jerk. "Even if it isn't, we should go. This affects us."
Evan met them outside the conference center, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. He wore dark jeans and a black cashmere sweater to ward off the freeze that had come with November, and Camelia couldn't stop herself from throwing herself into his arms when she saw him.
James let her go easily, and Evan's arms came around her in a tight hug as she pressed her cheek against his heart. Its comforting thud made her heart rate slow, and she took several deep breaths before she looked up to meet his gaze. "Hi."
He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hey, baby." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, heedless of the students that were flowing around them into the building, then wrapped his arm around her waist. "Let's go see what's going on."
James joined them on her other side, comforting her with the dual walls of their presence.
She reached out to brush hers and James' fingers together, conscious of his normal hang-ups around public affection, and the three of them walked into the building and found seats for themselves at the very back of the conference auditorium.
Dean Anders was already standing on stage, waiting for the students to finish filing in.
He was a middle-aged Beta with graying hair and a pot belly that spoke of nights with a beer in front of the TV, but he was generally a very well put together man.
The few times that Camelia had seen him around campus, he had been in pressed shirts and suits, sometimes even a tie.
Now, though, he looked harried. His hair was a little mussed, and the first two buttons of his shirt were undone. He paced back and forth behind the podium a few times as the auditorium finished filling, and Camelia couldn't help the little swell of sympathy that she felt for the man.
Alphas and Omegas were rare in their society, it was true, but the laws governing them were strict. For everyone's safety, she firmly believed. The fact that things were changing, in a way that was so visible to the public eye...it had them all on edge.
Even more so when you were responsible for the safety of thousands of students who could barely control their hormones and impulses on a regular day, she was sure.
The lights dimmed in the auditorium as the rest of the students all settled, and Camelia swallowed as she reached out and took Evan and James' hands in each other.
She squeezed, and the responding pressure from both of them made the unsettled swirling in her stomach calm a little.
Not enough, just enough that it didn't feel like she was going to throw up.
Dean Anders waited another moment, letting the soft chatter of the students die down a little before he stepped up to the podium. Even from across the room, his expression looked grim, and Camelia pressed her lips together tightly as he started speaking.
"Thank you so much for dropping everything to come to this emergency meeting.
Truly, I appreciate the effort that each of you have made to make this a priority.
" He paused, then continued, his voice even more somber than it had been.
"This is in regards to the attack that was committed against an Omega that was just reported on.
I'm sure that all of you saw the breaking news story, and are aware of the implications. "
There was some shifting in the audience, the atmosphere in the room turning from curiosity to mild discomfort.
Camelia couldn't blame them, either; it was a taboo topic, the relationship between Alphas and Omegas.
Betas didn't want to ask, they didn't want to know, and generally the dynamic was kept behind closed doors.
This attack had brought concerns about Alphas screaming into the open, and Camelia couldn't help the vulnerability that swelled inside of her as she saw other students looking around and whispering to themselves.
A few glanced curiously at Evan and James, but neither of them were paying attention.
They both had their attention fixed on Dean Anders, Evan's expression solemn and James' bordering on angry.
"Rest assured," Anders continued, raising his voice a little to be heard with the microphone over the swell of conversation.
"I wanted to call this meeting to reaffirm school rules regarding Alpha and Omega relations, and our policy against violence.
For those who haven't read the student manual, there are no second chances if Alphas are found treating other students, Betas or Omegas, poorly.
" He glared a little at all of them, and James rolled his eyes with a soft huff of breath.
Camelia couldn't help herself from smiling a little at his reaction, and he pulled her hand a little further into his lap, encompassing it in both of his.
His thumb stroked the back of her hand, and Camelia sighed as she leaned her head against Evan's shoulder.
"Do we need to be worried?" she whispered.
A moment passed, then Evan shook his head. "Of course not, baby," he said, his voice low. "We promised that we would keep you safe, and that's what we're going to do."
Anders continued talking before Camelia could respond.
"I also wanted to reiterate our open door policy in the administration.
If any of you ever feel unsafe, please do not hesitate to come any of our staff.
We are committed to safety on Ridgeview's campus, and current events are not going to change any university policy towards student comfort. That's all."
He turned and walked off the stage before anyone could do more than sit in slightly stunned silence, and then the noise in the auditorium swelled as students rose and started to make their way back out of the building.
"That was short," Camelia said, none of them moving from their seats.
James nodded once, squeezing her hand. "Attacks like this scare them. They don't know how to handle it in a way that won't piss anyone off, so the best thing is to keep the status quo, regardless of the practicality."
Camelia swallowed, the underlying warning in his voice making her stomach flip. "You think there's going to be violence on campus?"
Evan was the one to respond this time, his voice grim. "Without a doubt."