Chapter 33
THIRTY-THREE
After the gig, we find our way to some random house party, which, apparently, is a tradition for the band.
The group disperses in different directions after we get our drinks, and I end up on the dance floor with my scent match.
He lets me lead because he feels incredibly awkward in his body most of the time, and it’s adorable trying to get him to let loose when the more sensual songs come on.
My prime is not a voyeur, but I’m starting to think my other alpha might be when I catch his eyes on us.
He looks happy. Whether that’s from the heavily poured drink in his hand or from watching us in the crowd, I can’t be too sure, but I do think I see something rather hard in his pocket, so there’s that.
I lose them after a while and then go to seek out another drink while trying to find Opal in the crowd.
She was very standoffish during the gig earlier and kept disappearing between numbers.
It leaves me feeling a little bit off kilter, and all I really want to do is find the omega and see how she is doing.
I feel closer to her every day. There’s not a moment that goes by that I don’t want to see her or ask her how she’s doing, especially now that I know what she’s been hiding.
I feel so hyperaware of her anytime she enters a room.
I’ve never felt this strongly about something, knowing that things are on a tumultuous trajectory for her.
Even though Opal seems to be absent, I finally find our friend group, all huddled together, drinking and laughing. When I get closer to them, their conversation makes its way to my ears.
“Oh, that’s not a good idea,” Uriah comments, looking somewhere in the crowd.
Rory lets out a breath. “We should probably go get her.”
Jett laughs. “What? Why? She looks like she’s having a good time with him.”
“Because he could break her heart,” Uriah replies so nonchalantly that I’m taken aback.
“Who could break whose heart?” I ask, making my presence known.
They all turn to me as Stacia answers, “Nova. He’s a—”
“He’s a slut,” Uriah cuts in. “Sorry, baby, but you were going to make it seem innocent and it’s not. He’s out of control, and your friend shouldn’t get involved with him.”
I’m somehow more confused than ever, but then Kendall points into the crowd. “He’s hitting on Opal.”
My eyes go in the same direction, but this place is so swamped that it takes me a second to pick them out. When I finally spot him in the crowd, my eyes bulge out of my head.
“Oh, wow,” I whisper. I see how he’s capable of being a playboy.
The alpha is tall, practically towering over Opal’s petite frame, and his hair is a decadent chocolate brown.
His fingers keep combing through it, somehow making it lie perfectly.
If I were a single man, I’d consider it catnip, and paired with that sinful smile, I definitely would have been one of his victims.
“Close your mouth before your alpha sees.” I turn toward the whisper and see a very amused Rory leaning into my space. “It’s a shame. He’s a good guy, too. Very charming. But he’s a philophobe. I feel bad for whoever he scent matches with in the future.”
I turn and see the scene before me in a new light.
Opal’s smile is bright, her attention solely on the alpha next to her.
Her cheeks are flushed, and she’s gnawing on her lip like she’s imagining taking a bite out of him.
I feel a little green monster rear its ugly head in my chest. “I should probably go get her, huh?”
Rory smiles at me, almost knowing. “I’d say so, yeah.”
But before I can march over there quietly, my pack mates join our group, laughing with each other until they look in the direction we’re all staring. I’ve never seen their faces fall so fast, Sam with quiet tension and Thatcher with booming dominance.
“What’s going on over there?” Thatcher growls.
“The guitar player is hitting on our too-good-for-this-world friend,” Stacia says while Ciro laughs.
Sam doesn’t say anything, but his eyes stay locked on the interaction. I notice the tight hold he has on his cup and the slight tensing of his jaw.
It might be taboo, but excitement fills me at this display of jealousy.
Their intense reactions to our roommate being with another alpha causes the omega in my chest to buzz with anticipation.
It’s just another sign that things are actually rather simple when it comes to our inner voices.
Opal is important to us, and whether they want to admit it or not, their beasts have already made up their minds.
I should probably thank this mystery man for bringing these emotions out of my alphas. Who knew how long it would have taken them to react this way without an external source to provoke it?
I’m not the only one who notices. All of their fraternity members are eyeing their strange reactions, confused by the wrath they see on their faces.
When they look at me to gauge my reaction, I give them a beaming smile in return, which probably confuses them further, but it causes me quite a bit of amusement to see their faces twist with bewilderment.
I’m sure they expect me to be wary or jealous, but I feel like I’m living my best damn life right now.
My scent match’s jaw clenches as he watches our curly-haired roommate with the tall guitar player, his arm wrapped around her and whispering something in her ear.
A second later, Nova places his hand on her bicep, and the final plug is pulled on his composure.
It snaps harshly, and he marches over to them, completely unaware that we can all see the aggression boiling beneath his calm exterior.
“Sam—” Everett says, but he continues forward with Thatcher by his side.
“Oh shit,” Jett whispers just before Kendall and Ciro snicker together like chaos demons.
“Alright, that’s our cue,” Atlas says as he follows behind him, allowing the rest of us to crowd our way over to the situation at hand. It’s probably hilarious, seeing such a big group move as one toward a seemingly harmless situation.
But the closer we get, the more I see the signs that something’s wrong.
Opal is smiling, but there’s a sparkle in her eye that wasn’t there earlier.
The way she’s letting this stranger touch her makes my stomach churn, and the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
I’m not sure if Sam and Thatcher’s instincts are going haywire, too, or if I’m just witnessing normal alpha jealousy roaring off them, but I can feel something in the air around Opal, and I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Nova sees us approach, carefree as a bird. His scent is spicy and warm like baked apples. “Can I help you?”
Opal looks at us, but she seems far away, like she can’t fully read the emotions coursing through the group. “My friends!”
Sam gives her a tight smile, and Uriah steps forward. “Alright, Nova. Time’s up,” he says, trying to diffuse the tension before it’s even started.
“I think the lady gets to decide that,” Nova says, but he at least has the decency to pull his arms back after seeing how serious his bandmate is.
“I don’t think she can make those decisions right now,” Thatcher says from the side, anger obvious in his tone.
Nova gives him an observant look before Uriah interjects, “You can have any girl you want in this room, but not my omega’s friend. You know the limits I set, dude.”
His smile is deviously attractive. “Oh, come on, can you blame me? You know redheads are my type.”
“You don’t have a type,” Uriah tries to say in a joking tone, but he’s so stoic, it comes off as a dig.
While they continue to go back and forth, I gently pull Opal over to my side, and she beams when she realizes who is touching her.
“Oh my gosh, Kit,” she says, leaning close enough to whisper in my ear. “He smells like spiced apples.”
I chuckle, realizing that my lovely omega might be a little bit intoxicated. “Oh, yeah?”
She nods with a pout on her lip. “But it’s not as good as green apples, no matter how much I pretend.”
My jaw drops at her blatant confession, and she looks around us with fear like someone might have overheard her. When she realizes that everyone else is busy giving Nova shit, she relaxes.
“It’s okay, Pebbles,” I whisper to her. “Your secret is safe with me.”
She looks at me then, her eyes full of trust. The softness in it makes my heart beat faster, and I could have sworn that—if I could—I would have purred right then and there for her.
“We were just having some fun. Weren’t we, Red?” Nova asks, gathering our attention once more. Opal lets out a loud laugh, like she’s not exactly sure what he said, and Rory comes to her other side.
“Well, she seems too drunk to have any fun now, so how about you fuck off?” Sam grits through his teeth, all gristle and bite. I’m surprised by the vulgarity; he always likes to keep any confrontation professional and civil.
Nova puts his hands up. “Shit, sorry, man. I didn’t know she had a pack. She never mentioned anything,” he says, finally taking a step back.
“We’re not—” Sam starts to say, shaking his head. I can feel the curious stares from everyone, and I should probably be embarrassed, but there’s only pride at the idea of Opal joining our pack.
Like the last piece of the puzzle, completing us and mending our broken pieces.
“It certainly looks that way.” Nova arches his brow, looking at the way my arm wraps around Opal protectively. I sneer at him, holding her closely, as the other alphas start to move in front of us. Their bickering becomes muffled as Opal lets out a grunt.
The omega by my side leans over, clutching her stomach.
“Opal?” I ask, reaching down to see her face pinched and strained. “What’s going on?”
Her only reply is a whimper, and Rory moves to touch her forehead. “You’re burning up, Opal. Did you eat anything before you started drinking?”