Chapter 16
I never thought I would be jealous of my pack mates, but here I sit, seething on a Wednesday afternoon as Mack gushes about his second class with Posey this morning.
The fact that he gets to sit in class with her three times a week feels ridiculously unfair and I would never admit it to anyone, but my alpha has been on a rampage since I first caught her scent last week.
Unlike Mack, I had absolutely no qualms about bribing the registrar’s office to get the little omega’s class schedule, which is how I know that her last class of the day gets out in ten minutes, and then she’s reserved a private study room in the library.
One text to Harold and he gladly took the night off.
The other three may have met our flower on accident, but I won’t be leaving it to chance.
Pax
Where are you?
Me
Picked up shift, why?
Pax
Nothing, just thought you’d be home. See you tonight?
Me
Yep
I should feel bad about lying to my brother, but I’d bet just about anything he already knows what I’m up to.
We’ve never kept secrets from each other, but I’ve also never been jealous of him before, so this is all new territory that I am going to have to learn to navigate on my own so I don’t create issues within our pack because of my jealousy.
I’m practically skipping up the library steps when I arrive, more eager to get to my post than I can ever remember being.
If Harold was here I’d never live it down.
Which is exactly why I offered to cover for him rather than just casually being in the library at the same time as Posey.
Plus, I’m hoping being in an official uniform will help her trust me a little bit faster and differentiate me from my brother in her mind.
During a typical shift, I sit on a stool by the front door and make sure no one without a student or faculty I.D.
comes in, but today I locked the library doors so only someone with a student I.D.
can get in and am making rounds on the second floor, patiently waiting for my omega to arrive and admiring the architecture.
Harbor University has some seriously wealthy backers and it shows in the grandiosity of the buildings themselves.
If you didn’t know any better you would think you’d stepped into Trinity College and not some little hamlet on the East coast.
The moment Posey steps into the room the energy changes.
It’s like my entire being is attuned to her scent and even though I’ve never seen her in person, I recognize her right away.
I have listened to Mack and my brother talk about this girl non stop for days, and not once did they do her beauty justice.
Every eye turns to her the moment she walks in, and a fierce possessiveness rises in my chest. A growl threatens to escape, but I smother it ruthlessly.
There’s already one feral alpha-hole in pack Madden, Posey doesn’t need another one.
My darling little flower disappears beneath the balcony, so I take a moment to breathe and devise a plan as I slip back down the stairs.
I’m worried between Paxton, Mack, and myself it’s going to be too much and she’ll try to avoid us all.
I am even more worried that Jude is going to scare her off with his shitty attitude.
It feels imperative that we endear her to us before that happens.
I’m so lost in my thoughts the light footsteps don’t register until it’s too late. I run smack into someone and barely manage to catch her by the elbows before she falls down the marble stairs. “Holy shit, I am so sorry. Are you okay?”
“No, I’m sorry. Mama taught me to watch where I’m going but I thought I saw you from downstairs and figured I’d try to surprise you. Guess we both got the surprise.”
My heart stutters in my chest, a purr rattling out immediately when I realize exactly who I ran into. She clearly thinks I’m my brother, but when she tilts her head, I wait, curious to see what she’ll say.
“You’re not Paxton.”
I like how she says that. She’s not asking, she knows I’m not Pax. Her immediate recognition douses some of the raging inferno of jealousy that’s been burning in my chest. I shake my head, smirking. “No, I’m clearly much more attractive.”
She snorts before immediately covering her mouth. “I’m sorry, that was so rude. I just thought it was funny because obviously y’all are twins.”
Her nervous rambling makes my smile feel more genuine. I hold out a hand, trying to disguise the tremble in it from how potent her scent is. My alpha is so on edge right now, one sideways look could throw me into a rut. “That we are. Parker Avery. The older, and again much more attractive, twin.”
She smiles brightly. “Posey Hale. I like your nose ring.”
I fiddle with it, immeasurably pleased she likes it. If she hadn’t I would have taken it out without a second thought.
Crazy? Maybe. But ask me if I care.
“So what brings you to the library today?”
She grunts, which is fucking adorable. “I’m looking for this dang book for my Biology class, and I can’t find it anywhere.
There wasn’t anyone sitting at the circulation desk and I don’t want to upset Professor Carter if I have to ask him for more time on this assignment.
” Her hands wring together, displaying her nerves and making me want to throttle Jude.
My elbow knocks gently into hers. “Guess it’s your lucky day then. I happen to know a guy who knows every inch of this library.”
Posey’s eyes go wide, a playful look on her face. “Well I guess I better go find him. Nice meeting you, Parker.”
My name on her lips sends a shiver down my spine and blood to my cock. The last thing she needs is to see me tenting my pants from her saying my name, so I angle my hips away from her and take her elbow, guiding her down the stairs. “You’re a sassy little thing, aren’t you?”
She smiles innocently.
There goes my dick again.
I’m sure if I wasn’t wearing descenter my scent would be engulfing us both right now, and I am acutely and irrationally upset that it’s not. How are any of the alphas here supposed to know she’s mine if I can’t drench her in my scent?
Hers, however, is blissfully uncovered. All I can smell in the air is the tart sweetness of fresh apple slices drizzled in thick honey. For the first time in days my alpha is calm, content in knowing our omega is here with us where we can see and protect her.
“Professor Carter can be a real dick but he’s all bark, no bite. Don’t be afraid to stand up to him if you need to.” I warn her. I wish I didn’t have to warn her at all. I’m not sure what is going on with our pack lead lately, but it’s both concerning me and pissing me off.
She shrugs, one pink-nailed hand clutching the strap of her pink backpack. Paxton was obviously right about her favorite color being pink, and suddenly the black and blue decor in my room feels like the most boring choice in the world. Maybe I’ll pick up a pink blanket for the bed…
“At first I thought maybe he wasn’t so bad.
I mean, I missed the first week of class and that would probably frustrate anyone.
But until yesterday he hadn’t technically been outright rude to me.
And then he snapped at me in front of people and I guess it just it solidified the feeling that he really doesn’t like me.
I get really anxious around him, like if I do one thing wrong it’ll be the end of the world, and it makes my stomach hurt.
He subbed for one of my elective classes in Chapel Hall yesterday, and that feeling was amplified by, like, a thousand in that tiny space. Especially after he snapped at me.”
I didn’t know he was covering a class over there, but what she’s describing about her anxiety makes sense.
That’s definitely her omega reacting to Jude’s alpha.
He’s her scent match, but because he religiously covers his scent and takes rut-blockers, she won’t ever know that unless he tells her or one of us slips up.
But the face that he was outright rude to her?
That’s not the Jude I know, and I’ll be talking to him about it as soon as I can.
“Can I ask you for a favor?” She looks at me, and I place a reassuring hand on her back.
“If Carter makes you uncomfortable or says something out of line again, will you tell me or my brother?”
She quirks a brow. “Are y’all friends with him or something?”
I offer a half shrug, not wanting to outright lie. “Or something. Just humor me?”
“Okay, I’ll tell one of you if anything happens again.”
“Great. Now let’s get you that book, little flower.”
I may not be able to keep eyes on her all the time, but I can make damn sure my asshole pack lead isn’t making our girl uncomfortable.
Because I know Jude Carter. One day soon he’s going to snap out of whatever’s wrong with him and realize he’s being a dumbass, and I don’t want things to be too far gone with Posey for him to get back in her good graces.
Jude isn’t himself right now, but we’ll have his back until he is.