3. Zoe
Zoe
Viv and I are both assigned to single rooms. Warren, however, isn't as lucky.
“What if he’s an asshole?” Warren slides his key into the lock as he whispers over his shoulder. “We don’t know this guy at all. They said he’s a second year. He’s going to be pissed to be losing his privacy.”
“It's not my favorite thing.” The deep voice resonates from inside the apartment and startles us. “But that's not your fault. It’s not like you chose my room. Just don’t be an ass, and we’ll get along just fine. I’m Cliff.” He extends his large hand toward Warren.
Warren is not a built man. He's tall, though slim, with creamy porcelain skin and shaggy, pale blond hair. Cliff, on the opposite side of the spectrum, is broad. His shoulders look like they would struggle to fit through the door. His hair is short, dark, and close-cropped, and he has topaz skin and dark eyes. A well-groomed dark beard does nothing to hide his pretty, sleepy smile. He’s wearing only a pair of black shorts, his expansive chest bare except for a large tattoo that covers his chest.
I wish I could take a closer look to find out exactly what it is, but in the room's low light, it’s impossible to tell.
The two men shake hands, and then he reaches out to me. As soon as our hands touch, that strange feeling of warmth courses through me again. I drop his hand as if it burns me.
“Nice to meet you.”
He raises an eyebrow at me, but if he felt that strange warmth, he says nothing. “And you. What’s your name?”
“Zoe. I’m Warren’s best friend.”
“Well, Zoe, Warren’s best friend, it was a pleasure. Now, I’m going to go back to sleep. I was up late.” He flops back down on his bed and pulls a mask over his eyes. In moments, he’s snoring.
“Interesting guy,” Warren mutters, backing out of the room. “I’ll unpack later. Let’s go check out your space.”
I’m only four doors down from him, and though my room is considerably smaller, it is my own.
I don’t think I’m at risk of anyone getting added to it next year, either, because there is no room for another bed.
It’s not a uniform square; instead, it’s something more akin to a trapezoid.
A single window facing the chapel looks out over the courtyard, and the walls and floor are grey stone.
A small desk is pushed up against one wall, and a rod is wedged in the corner of the smallest side.
A few empty hangers let me know it’s the ‘closet’.
Warren flops onto my bed and kicks off his shoes. “Home sweet home, huh?”
“I wish. It feels like our whole lives revolve around schooling. I wish I could go back home and start my life.”
“Not me. I’m glad we have four more years of freedom. Once we’re done here, that’s it. We’ll be expected to marry, have kids, and work until the day we die.” His eyes slip closed as I sink onto the bed beside him. “I know I’m twenty-three, but I really don’t want to grow up yet.”
“Well, we’ll be nearly thirty when we’re done with schooling. Eventually, you’ll have to grow up.”
He scoffs. “Twenty-seven is not nearly thirty.”
With his eyes closed, I’m free to admire the ways my best friend has changed. There’s a trail of blond hair that runs from his navel into the top of his pants, and though I saw where it goes at the ceremony, seeing it here, in my room, as it peeks out of the top of his pants, feels different.
Almost taboo.
“Are you hungry?” His question startles me out of my perusal of his body, and when I meet his eyes, they glint knowingly. Things feel different with Warren now that we've seen each other naked, even though it was in the context of the ceremony.
“I could eat.”
“Then let’s go see what the food situation here looks like.”
*
The food situation is miles better than it was at university. When we walked in, we were handed a menu with several choices. At the university, it was a buffet, and you took what was available.
We place our orders with a Beta at the counter and move to collect our drinks and wait for our food.
“They do on-campus work placement for Betas once we hit third year,” Warren tells me. “It’s to get us ready for our future careers. They evaluate our skills in loads of different areas to put together this list of jobs that suit us best.”
“Where did you learn all of this?” I grab a glass of water and take a large gulp.
“I paid attention in school. It's a good thing one of us did."
I was a mediocre student at best, and I’m okay with that. I have never been particularly motivated to stand out amongst a crowd. I prefer quiet anonymity.
We collect our meals and grab a seat at a table to the side when I hear my name called.
“Hey Zoe, Warren!” Viv slides into the seat next to me, her plate clattering on the table top. “I was hoping I’d meet you here. I want to compare schedules. Did you bring yours?”
Warren pulls both of ours out of his pants pocket. He must've grabbed mine for me. I didn’t even bother to check mine yet. Classes don’t start for another three days. I’ll worry about it then.
“Oh, that’s awesome.” Viv’s eyes dart between the pages as she reads. “We’ve all got the first class together. It looks like it’s going to be mixed designations, too.”
“Why would you assume that?” I pull the papers from her and read the class name off the first line: Designation Hierarchy and Responsibilities.
It does make sense that they’d have all the designations together for that.
“Do you think all new students are in it together or are we split up?” Warren chews on an apple as he talks, and it’s not as unappealing as it should be. “It’d be a big class.”
“I wonder if we'll be split up like we were for the ceremonies. Maybe not by name, but in groups.” Viv continues to read over our schedules before passing them back. “Looks like we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other. We’ve got three other classes together.”
“And the other two with me,” Warren notes. “You’ll never be left to your own devices.”
I take a bite of the cookie I got for dessert and point a finger at the two of them.
“Good. The last thing I want is to have to pair with a stranger for group projects. I need you both to commit to being my partner if we need one. With my luck, I’d end up with someone who refuses to pull their weight. ”
Warren launches into a tale about the time one of our partners didn’t even bother to show up to a presentation while we were in university. I let my eyes wander around the dining hall.
It’s a plain space that takes up the entire first floor of a building called the Hub. According to Warren, who apparently did loads of research before we came here, the first floor is reserved for dining, the second for the library, and the third for a student lounge.
Before I got here, I naively assumed the only structures outside the chapel were the dormitories. I don't know why I did. Where would they hold classes if that were the case?
The two buildings that resemble observatories house all administrative offices, including those of our professors.
The Hub is directly behind the chapel, and the instructional buildings surround it.
Apparently, if I continue out of the rows of dormitories and head toward the forest, I’ll find the gymnasium and sports fields.
Warren is just finishing up his story when Viv makes a pleasant sound and waves at someone behind me. “Oh, guys, this is my brother, Ray. Ray, this is Zoe and Warren.”
Before I can turn in my seat to look at him, he circles the table and sits next to Warren. “Pleasure to meet you.” Our eyes lock, and my heart stutters.
This is the first time I’ve met an Alpha.
I’ve seen them in passing, of course, but their high-profile jobs mean they don’t spend much time in the smaller towns.
He’s large, and I can tell he’s easily a few inches taller than Warren.
He’s fit in the way I’ve been told all Alphas are. They’re built for battle, after all.
It should be no surprise that neither Warren nor I were Blessed to be Alphas. We don't look the part. But maybe the muscles come with the Blessing.
Ray looks like Viv, in the way siblings do, with molten brown eyes and straight brows.
He's got flawless, golden-tan skin, and his dark hair is short, with a textured fringe.
I catch a hint of a spicy, masculine scent from him.
I bet his cologne is expensive, because his clothes certainly are.
Both he and Viv are dressed in rich fabrics, with watches and jewelry that scream luxury.
Ray’s presence is overwhelming, setting him apart from Viv in a key way. It will be evident to anyone who meets him that he is an Alpha.
“Nice to meet you both. Glad Viv found some friends.” His eyes skate over me, barely taking in my appearance at all before he turns to his sister. “I wanted to see if we had Designation Hierarchy together.”
He shoves his schedule toward his sister, and she glances down at it. “Yep, with all three of us.”
“Cool. It’ll probably be the only class that has mixed designations. I was hoping you’d be in there.” He rests his elbow on the table and props his chin on his hand. His biceps flex beneath his green overshirt. “It's gonna feel weird to be without you.”
“You’ll get used to it. We knew this could happen.”
“Are you two twins?” Warren turns his body to face the Alpha, but Ray only glances at him out of the corner of his eye.
“We’re ten months apart,” Viv answers. “Mom got pregnant with me right after Ray was born.”
I feel like I’m intruding on their conversation, but I cannot pull my eyes away from the Alpha. There is something about him that draws me in, making it hard to focus on anything else. It must be frustrating for Alphas to know that everyone feels drawn to them for reasons beyond their control.
“I’ll see you later.” Ray pushes to his feet, barely glancing at me. That initial moment of eye contact was all we had, and a part of me holds my breath, hoping he’ll turn all of his attention on me again. “You two as well, I suppose.”