Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
SKYLAR
I haven’t dressed up like this in a long time, probably since prom.
Fuck, that feels like forever ago.
My knuckles are white from clenching the steering wheel as I pull up in front of the Woodside Omega Academy, my chest tight. I park next to the iron gate that runs around the campus perimeter, nerves tearing through me as I kill the engine.
I take a deep breath. Then another.
I’ve spent the last twenty-four hours waiting for this moment, dreaming up every possible scenario of what could happen at tonight’s alpha mixer. Will I be able to find Riann amidst all the alphas and omegas on campus? Will she even want to see me?
Checking my reflection a final time in the mirror, I step out of the rental car—a little Honda was the only thing they had available on such short notice—and into the cold.
The perfectly-tailored maroon suit I bought for tonight is comfortable, hugging every curve of my muscular physique. I even ran gel through my hair, which I rarely do. I’ve flown over a thousand miles to find the woman of my dreams, and it all comes down to tonight.
I would have brought her flowers, but I figured there would already be enough overwhelming scents at the academy. If this works out, and she agrees to be my mate, I’ll plant her an entire garden at my lakehouse.
Scanning the campus, I march through the open mouth of the wrought-iron gate, and the sound of upbeat music carries over on the frigid wind.
Groups of people huddle near a grand building to the right.
Its tall steeples stretch into the night sky, the intricately-crafted windows flickering with multi-colored lights.
The people outside laugh and chatter as their breath lingers in clouds of white around them.
I don’t know how they manage to smoke out here. My teeth are already beginning to chatter.
I thought about texting Riann when I got here and asking her to meet me somewhere convenient, but I couldn’t stand the thought of rejection. I figure it’ll be much easier to plead my case in person, and she deserves more than some half-ass text apology.
She deserves to hear it from my mouth. If she wants me to grovel, I’ll grovel. If she wants me begging on my knees, I’ll do it.
I’ll do anything she wants, so long as she’s mine by the end of the night.
As soon as I reach the steepled building, I note an even thicker crowd of people shifting and weaving beyond the entryway. The music beats louder, spilling out of the open doors as I step through them and scan the layout of the place.
It’s a beautiful space, with columns running up the walls to meet the high ceiling.
The Gothic architecture extends everywhere I can see.
To my left is a wide open room, with dozens of people milling about.
They’re laughing, talking, dancing to the music that throbs through the air.
To my right is a more casual sitting area where a handful of people lounge on couches.
A quick scan of the faces tells me Riann isn’t among them.
And the smell…
A torrent of alpha and omega scents clogs the air. It’s overwhelming and impossible to pick out individual notes; just a huge plume of fragrance that doesn’t waver as I stand there looking around the room.
“This is fucking terrible,” I mutter to myself.
Mixers are how most schools receive funding. Wealthy alpha packs make hefty ‘donations’ in order to court the attending omegas, hoping for a match. I’m sure all the alphas crawling through the room are dripping in money.
I’ve always avoided mixers. Not because I wasn’t trying to find an omega, but I hate the idea of shoving a bunch of alphas and omegas in a room together and hoping for the best. That’s a recipe for disaster.
I always wanted a bond to happen naturally. To cross paths with an omega on the street and suddenly know she was the one, just like in those cheesy movies I hate to love. Call me a hopeless romantic, but the idea of a kismet match disarms my alpha instincts and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
Like when a stunning delta walked into my clinic and completely swept me off my feet…
My jaw hardens as I search the foyer, trying to deal with the heady scents slamming into me from every angle.
I’ve never been in a closed space with this many omegas, and I hate the fact that my delta could be mingling among them.
Not to mention the heavy undercurrent of alpha scents stirring my possessive instincts to life.
Riann’s words tease my mind, taunting me with my worst fear. If she wants to be an omega so badly, all she has to do is find an alpha willing to bite her. And this mixer is packed with horny alphas who would leap at the chance.
What if I’m too late?
Rage snaps through me at the thought, and I dive into the sea of bodies filling the room. I lift my nose in the air as I weave through the crowd, hunting for any hint of her familiar, delectable marshmallows.
I can’t let her be with anyone else. I shouldn't have even put her in a situation where she had to consider it. My job, my home, my life, I’d find a way to preserve them all. But none of those things mean anything if she’s not part of it.
If I can’t be with her, if she doesn’t carry my bite and evidence of my love for her, then I won’t be able to rest.
And if she’s in this crowd, hunting for an alpha, I have to be the one she finds.
I do my best to catch even a whisper of her scent. Despite the hundreds of smells wafting around me, I know I’ll still be able to pick hers out if she’s here. Her scent calls to me like nothing else does, sinking down to my bones and leaching into my marrow. Like a siren call, singing just for me.
After a lap of the entire room, I slip down a long hallway and follow it past a dozen open doors. The walls are adorned with light fixtures and elegant paintings, a tapestry here and there, but the same beige and gray color palette is everywhere I look.
How are people meant to navigate this fucking place when every room looks the same?
My jaw clenches tighter as the minutes tick by, my teeth grinding together. I dip my head through every single doorway I can find, sniffing like a hunting dog as I steadily grow more restless. Worst-case scenarios are beginning to play with my head, and it’s all I can do to shut them up.
“Dr. Morales?”
Ice washes through me as I slam to a stop, whipping around in the middle of a room at the sound of my name. An unfamiliar male omega stares me down, wide-eyed, a few feet away. He’s wearing a glittering fishnet top and purple mascara on his long lashes.
“Holy shit,” he whispers just loud enough for me to hear when our eyes meet, immediately ditching the alpha at his side to hurry over. I know who he is before he even introduces himself. “I’m Ziel.”
“Please, call me Skylar.” I offer him a hand, which he eagerly shakes. “It’s a pleasure, truly.”
“Likewise,” he says, his face splitting into a grin. “Riann didn’t tell me you were coming…”
At the mention of her name, my body lights up with another wave of nerves. “She doesn’t know I’m here.”
“Holy. Shit,” he gasps, his jaw dropping. “You’re joking. You came all this way to surprise her?”
I nod. “Yeah. Figured it was best so she didn’t try to talk me out of it… Have you seen her?”
“Yeah, a few minutes ago.” He jerks his thumb over his shoulder. “We were getting drinks in the refreshment hall. Do you want me to show you?”
I’m tempted to say no, but I’ve already wasted way too long looking for Riann. I need to see her. Now.
I swallow my pride and nod. “That would be great.”
At that, he takes off with a pep in his step, waving at the alpha he abandoned moments ago, and I follow along behind him.
“Riann is going to lose it when she sees you,” Ziel comments over his shoulder as he leads me back down the hall. His words have confidence swelling in my chest, but I don’t want to get my hopes up.
Not yet. Not until Riann is in my arms.
“Has she… talked about me?” I can’t help but ask.
He flashes me a sympathetic look over his shoulder. “Not much since she got back from Boston, but she's had a lot on her mind with her impending expulsion.”
“Expulsion?” I snap, a little harsher than I intend to. My frazzled nerves aren't handling the onslaught of pheromones very well. “Why the fuck is she being expelled?”
“Technicalities.” Ziel frowns. He slows down enough for me to walk beside him. “Since she's not technically an omega, they want to give her the boot.”
Rage seeps through my pores, my scent bending dangerously from smoky pine to char. She knew there was a possibility that she would be kicked out of the academy if we couldn't prove her designation. But that was before we had answers.
She may not be an omega yet, but the fact that she can become one should still earn her a spot at any credible omega academy. Kicking her out is basically discrimination, and I’d love to be in a room with their Board of Directors for five minutes. I bet they’d change their opinion real quick.
Especially considering she won’t be a delta for much longer.
Not if I have anything to say about it.
“Ziel,” I say as we round a corner. I’m already hopelessly lost, completely reliant on him and his sense of direction. “Do you think I’m doing the right thing? Do you think she’ll even want to see me?”
He throws his head back with a laugh. “Definitely.”
We step through a doorway into another hall with chandeliers glistening overhead. I have no idea if I’ve been in this one yet; it looks just like all the others. That, coupled with overwhelming senses, has me completely disoriented.
How do omegas function at these things?
“Are you sure?” I ask.
Ziel steps to the side, dragging me with him, and he levels me with an adorable glare.
“Listen, Juliet, I know my best friend better than anyone else,” he says pointedly before turning to scour the room.
“I know she likes peanut butter on waffles. I know she’s always wanted a dog, even though she’s highly allergic.
And I know that nothing would make her happier than seeing you here tonight.
” He flashes me a glance before jerking his thumb toward the center of the room.
“I also know that she would appreciate you saving her from that hungry swarm of alphas over there.”
Dread spreads through my veins like poison as I follow Ziel’s line of sight to the middle of the room, and every alpha urge I possess slams to the forefront of my mind when I spot her.
She’s endlessly stunning.
It’s only been two weeks—the longest goddamn weeks of my life—but it’s like I’m seeing her for the first time.
A little black dress hugs her body like it’s painted on, the neckline dipping low to reveal a delicious spill of cleavage.
She’s wearing sharp silver heels, her cherry lips pulled into a smile, and her wash of red hair makes her stand out vividly from the crowd.
The rest of the room fades into a muddled mess of color until she’s all I see.
I’m suspended in a weird limbo between wanting to watch her and wanting to launch myself across the room to slam my lips against hers.
She’s smiling, but it looks forced, like she’s putting on a show; it definitely isn’t the same smile she has when she’s with me.
She says something, and takes a sip out of the stemless wine glass in her hand, but I’m too far away to hear anything.
The moment is shattered when a beefy arm slips around her shoulders.
I blink and everything slams back into focus. She’s surrounded by a pack of four alphas, the burliest of which has his arm draped around her with a smug smile on his face, and they’re all looking at her like they’re ready to pounce.
A growl rolls up my throat, and my feet are moving before I realize it, my instincts ready to tear me—and them—apart.
I’m too worked up to play it cool as red bleeds into my vision, but I don’t really want to cause a scene.
Ripping an alpha’s head off in the middle of a party hardly seems appropriate, but if he doesn’t get his grimy hands off her, I might just do it.
“Get your fucking hands off my date.” The words come out of nowhere when I’m a few steps away, wrapped with enough bark to catch the attention of everyone around us.
Every one of their eyes whip in my direction, including Riann’s, and the look on her face is a punch to the gut.
Fear. Surprise. Relief.
“S-Skylar?” she whispers, the word barely audible.
The pack leader narrows his eyes on me, puffing out his chest as he pulls Riann tighter against him.
My hands clench into fists, my knuckles cracking, and it takes everything in me not to launch myself at him.
He has at least a hundred pounds on me, but that doesn’t matter. Not when my omega is on the line.
“This lovely doll is our date,” the pack lead rumbles with a smirk, his expression asking for an interview with my fist. “Why don’t you go find someone else to play with?”
With a dark chuckle edged with violence, I step so close to him our chests nearly touch. His expression hardens as he stares down at me, and I can feel his packmates tensing around me, ready to intervene.
“Not anymore.” I pluck the glass from Riann’s hand, curious how the academy gets away with so much underage drinking at these things, and shove it at the alpha, knocking him in the chest. “We’re leaving. Take care of this.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” He takes the wine glass and tosses it over his shoulder. It shatters as it hits the ground, but the music drowns it out.
“Her alpha,” I growl with as much bite as I can muster.
He flinches, and Riann wriggles out of his hold, throwing herself at me. Her arms lock around my middle, and I give the pack a final scathing glare before slipping my hand into hers. Every part of me is screaming for a fight, my urges threatening to get the best of me.
I have to get out of here before I end up in a jail cell.
A waft of marshmallows cuts through my dark thoughts, and I look down to find Riann beaming up at me. I press my lips to her hair, inhaling a deep lungful of her delicious scent.
“Let’s get out of here,” I rumble, relief washing over me when her hand squeezes mine.
“Yes, please!”