4. Elowen
ELOWEN
My first scheduled class is small, an introductory seminar on pack dynamics and consent theory. The room smells faintly of chalk and old wood, windows cracked open to let the breeze through.
I take a seat near the side, close enough to hear but far enough to observe.
A voice drifts toward me before the professor arrives. "This seat taken?"
I glance up. Inhale maple syrup and summer grass.
The alpha arranging the bowling event stands there, notebook tucked under one arm, expression open in a way that suggests he's never had to guard it.
He's wearing a faded cream-colored tee layered under an open button-down in soft blue, the kind of casual that looks effortless.
Comfortable jeans, canvas sneakers. His hair is lighter than Calder's, sun-touched brown with natural highlights, curls escaping a loose tie at his nape.
“Go for it.” I try to focus on my empty notepad as he settles into the seat next to me. He has a girlfriend too. Not that it’s important, or any of my business, or even something I should be thinking about. But I heard him on the phone to her in town.
He arranges his books with unhurried movements. "I'm Tyler."
"Elowen."
"Nice to meet you, Elowen." He says my name like it's meant to be spoken out loud, and my pulse picks up a notch. "First class nerves?"
"Not really." I don’t meet his eyes when I add, “Nerves are for big moments.”
He grins. "I'll try not to ruin it by asking too many questions." He pulls out a pen, clicks it twice. "Fair warning, I tend to overthink consent theory."
I almost laugh.
“That’ll be a first.” The omega sitting in front of Tyler turns around and slants her eyes at him. “Tyler Vale staying quiet on the topic of consent theory.”
“New year resolution.” Tyler grins at her, and my pulse takes off like it’s aiming for the moon.
Calder. Tyler. What is wrong with me? I make a silent vow to read instead of watching Grandma’s reality shows when I go home for the holidays.
Three days in, and the alphas here seem to have made a secret pact to distract as many first-year omegas as possible.
I wonder if they’re taking bets on who will get the highest score.
“In September?” the omega asks.
“Why not?” He shrugs. “Who restricted it to January first?”
Her eyes slide my way. “Good luck.”
I study the back of her head, heat flooding my cheeks.
She has red hair that glints like copper when it catches the light from the window.
She’s wearing sweatpants and a hoodie and managing to make the outfit look effortlessly cool, and I wish I hadn’t worn a sweater because I’m too close to the window and the radiator underneath it. .
The professor arrives then, and I drag my attention away from her. I’m not sure what she meant by good luck, but I don’t dwell on it.
Tyler listens attentively, occasionally jotting something down, occasionally leaning back with an expression that suggests he's given this subject some thought. A lot of thought.
At one point, the professor asks for examples of consent beyond words.
Tyler raises his hand.
"Leaving space," he says easily. "Not positioning yourself as the only option. Letting people choose you without pressure."
Something in my chest shifts.
The professor nods, thoughtful. "Good. Does anyone want to build on that?"
A beta near the front raises their hand. "But how do they know when you're leaving space versus just... not trying?"
"Intent," Tyler says immediately. Then he pauses, reconsidering. "Actually, no. Impact matters more than intent. You can mean well and still apply pressure to someone."
"So you measure by the other person's response?" another student asks.
"Partially," Tyler says. "But you also create conditions where refusal is easy. Where saying no doesn't require explanation or apology."
I find myself speaking before I think it through. "You make yes optional," I say quietly.
The room turns toward me. So much for blending into the background.
Tyler's gaze finds mine, something lighting up in his hazel eyes. "Exactly," he says. "Yes becomes meaningful when no is genuinely an option."
The professor smiles faintly. "Well put, both of you. That's the foundation we're building on this term: agency through structure, not restriction."
The discussion continues, but I feel Tyler's awareness beside me, warm and present. When class ends, he catches my eye as we gather our things. "Good point," he says.
"So was yours."
"Yeah, but you made it better." He grins. "That's the thing about consent theory. It works better when people actually talk to each other."
“Spoken like a pro.” The omega with red hair, Anna, stands up and hoists her bag over her shoulder.
Tyler blushes, and my heart melts for him. I know how it feels to reveal your emotions through your facial expressions; it’s like wearing a flashing sign that says: Okay, I’m embarrassed now.
“It was a compliment, Ty.” She hesitates, waiting for us to exit the lecture theater. “Are you coming—”
A voice interrupts from behind. “Interesting debate.”
I turn. Waistcoat guy is wearing a charcoal sweater over dark jeans and observing us with pale blue eyes. I breathe in his scent, trying not to make it obvious. Old books, crisp winter air. Not heady like Calder’s or intoxicating like Tyler’s, but enough to get my attention.
"Julian Cross," he introduces himself, gaze shifting between me and Tyler, and I vaguely notice Anna backing away.
"I'm the TA for this course. And occasionally a guest lecturer when Professor Reed needs someone to bore students with ethical frameworks.
" His mouth quirks slightly, not quite a smile, but close.
Tyler grins. "Julian. Didn't know you were TA-ing this section."
"Last-minute assignment." Julian's attention settles back on me. "Elowen Rowan," he says. “You’ll be pleased to know that the stain came out.”
Tyler’s eyes pop.
Julian's pale eyes blink. "I didn’t mean that how it sounded. It was tea. Chamomile. We were in the café. Not together... I just…It was an accident."
“I spilt my tea over him,” I explain to a smiling Tyler. I mean, I thought I struggled with social cues, but Julian Cross makes me feel like a chat-show host. “It was totally my fault, and Julian was kind enough to pay for a second cup.”
“It was my pleasure.” Julian makes eye contact, so briefly, he almost looks like I burnt him.
“You kept that quiet, Jules.” Tyler’s eyes are still on me. “No wonder he was trying to guilt-trip you into signing up for debate club.”
Julian flinches. “I would never…”
“I wanted to sign up,” I interject. “It’ll be fun.”
“More fun than bowling?” Tyler asks. It’s a genuine question. His brows are furrowed even though he’s still smiling.
“I…”
“On a par, I think she’s trying to say,” Julian steps in. “Which is why I’ve decided to sign up too.”
“Whoa.” Tyler claps Julian’s shoulder with one hand. “I never thought I’d get you in a bowling alley. Who are you, and what did you do with last year’s Julian?”
Julian gives a small smile. “I think he decided to broaden his horizons a little.” He walks off leaving me alone with Tyler.
“Wise choice.” Tyler faces me, and his energy shifts a little, and takes a serious turn. “Must be the year for broadening horizons. Calder convinced me to help him repair the greenhouse.”
“He did?” I swallow hard. “Why? I mean when?”
My thoughts are chasing themselves around my head.
Is Calder done with the greenhouse already and handing the work over to Tyler?
Or is he planning on getting it completed quicker with two pairs of hands so that he doesn’t have to spend time with me?
Either way, it looks as if I won’t be seeing him around much anymore, and that stings.
It shouldn’t, but it does.
“Call it a project.” Tyler shrugs. “We could discuss what needs doing over lunch.”
The way he asks kicks up the butterflies in my chest. Then I remember the girl he was speaking to on his cell in town, and I instinctively clutch my bag in front of my chest. A physical barrier until my brain reads and digests the ‘no distractions’ memo.
“I’m meeting Lila. My friend. Well, I only just met her when I got here, but we arranged to eat lunch… together… today…”
Tyler’s smile lingers. “The girl who was buzzing like a toddler on a sugar diet when she signed you up for bowling?”
“Ye-es?”
“Will she mind if I join you?” He’s persistent.
Lila wouldn’t mind at all; I saw the way she looked at Tyler when we saw him in town like Austin Abrams just happened to be in Elderwood Hollow. But I haven’t arranged to meet her. And Tyler will know I lied if he comes with me. And he has a girlfriend…
“I don’t know. Maybe. She was getting a health check today.” Wow, the lies keep on coming along with the heat in my cheeks. “We spoke to Gideon Stockwell in town.”
Why? Why did I feel the need to mention that? I’ll be handing over Gideon’s business card soon and getting him involved in whatever Gideon thinks is going on.
“I saw him too.” Tyler heads out of the classroom and in the direction of the dining hall, and I fall into stride beside him. Like he invited me to eat lunch with him and I accepted. “It seemed pretty intense. I hope he wasn’t harassing you.”
“He wasn’t.” Part of me instinctively feels the need to defend the grieving brother. “He simply wants answers.”
“Man, that sucks.” We enter the dining hall, and Tyler stops, scanning the room for a glimpse of Lila. “She isn’t here yet. We could get food and take it outside, text her to meet us there?”
It’s just lunch I tell myself when I nod in agreement. Waiting in line with Tyler, I type a message to Lila and hit the send button:
Meet me in the quad. I’m with Tyler Vale. HELP.
He grabs a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, a quinoa salad with roasted vegetables for me, and a couple of sodas, and we relocate to the quad.
“So, what’s the deal with the greenhouse?” he asks when we find a bench in the sunshine.
“I’m growing some herbs.” I push my salad around with a fork. “My grandma taught me. It’s kind of a thing in our family.”
“Cool.” He unwraps his bagel and bites into it.
I find myself studying his profile and making a mental note to wear something cooler tomorrow.
“My knowledge of herbs could be written in one sentence. If I waffle a little.” He grins at me. “But I can fix things.”
“What did Calder tell you?”
“Not much.” Tyler looks at me then. He licks his lips as if Calder told him a whole bunch of stuff he doesn’t want to repeat, then he offers me his bagel. “Seriously, you have to try this.”
I hesitate before taking a bite. I can’t stop my eyes from rolling back in my head.
Tyler laughs out loud. “Best reaction to a bagel I’ve seen in a long while. Have you met Juniper?”
"We’re on first name terms."
"Well, I promise Juniper's already vetted me."
I manage to contain a smile. "I'll remember that."
The dynamics will change with three of us working in the greenhouse, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I’d hoped I might have it all to myself when I first arrived. Then I realized that Calder was there before me, and I was the intruder. And now, I’m outnumbered two-to-one by alphas.
Grandma always said to keep an open mind. Maybe it’s time to put that advice into practice.
Lila appears then, breathless, a bundle of wired energy. She sits down between me and Tyler on the bench and says, “What did I miss?”
“We were discussing Juniper the greenhouse cat’s social preferences.” Tyler winks at me, and it feels like a chasm opened up between us with Lila sitting in the middle. “Have you had the pleasure of making her acquaintance?”
“Not yet. Elowen didn’t mention her.” She flashes me a look that says: invite me now.
“There’s not much to see yet,” I say.
“When do we start?”