Chapter 5
Chapter five
Camelia unpacked as much as she could that night after she got back from her walk around campus, ignoring the arousal that curled low in her belly after seeing the altercation between the Alpha and the poor student who'd thought he could take him.
On the surface, of course, she was disgusted; blatant displays of aggression like that were all ego, all pointless violence meant to make other people feel smaller and lesser, whether or not that was actually true.
There was a tiny, deeply instinctual part of her, though.
..that was horribly aroused by the encounter.
The masculinity, the aggression, the pure testosterone that Camelia had practically been able to taste on the air like perfume.
..It had all done a number on her, and even with her hormones significantly subdued by her suppressants, she still had to masturbate twice before she was finally able to fall asleep on her first night in her dorm room.
By the time Monday rolled around, though, she had her head firmly on her shoulders again and was ready for the school day. The school year. She was excited, and she was going to kick ass.
She made a pot of coffee that she poured into a thermos, black, before heading out for her first class, eight AM.
Jessica's door was firmly closed and Camelia could hear the sounds of soft snoring coming from inside, and she didn't bother letting the other girl know that she was heading out.
Jessica had made it more than clear over the course of the weekend that she had absolutely no interest in getting to know Camelia on a personal level, and Camelia wasn't going to bother with someone who felt such intense dislike for her just on first glance.
It was, unfortunately, a common occurrence for her, and she'd decided that she simply didn't have time for it when there were plenty of people out there who would enjoy her presence and crave her company.
Campus was much more crowded this time as Camelia made her way towards the political sciences building.
She managed not to bump into anyone on her way, but it was a close call; the campus was intimate and smaller than Harrison had been, and though there were fewer students enrolled, it almost felt like they were more crowded.
Even outside, they were almost sardines in a can, and it was a relief for Camelia to enter the building and get out of the bustling crowd of students trying to get to their dozens of individual destinations.
The first few classes of the day passed without incident; reviews of the syllabus and class policies across the board, and one professor jumped right into a lecture about the complicated history of African politics.
It was all refreshingly dull, and as the day passed and she didn't draw any particular attention from any of her fellow students or professors, Camelia slowly relaxed. See? You and Dad had nothing to worry about. This is going to be great. It's just eight months. Eight months will pass in a flash.
Camelia continued her internal pep talk, and she had almost convinced herself that she had been worried for entirely no reason when, around noon, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck raising and a slow sense of foreboding imposed.
As she turned around, the same Alpha that she had seen when she'd been on campus before leaned against the wall, talking to a professor.
His dark hair was combed neatly and his blue eyes were focused, and Camelia couldn't stop her eyes from raking down his form, just a little.
He wore jeans slung low on his narrow hips and a maroon shirt under a black zip up hoodie.
It was a casual look, but one that was mouthwatering nonetheless, and Camelia couldn't stop herself from walking a little closer, if only to see if she could hear what he was talking to the professor about.
She only caught a few words here and there as she approached. "...Homework...deadline...extra...Evan..."
Her ears perked up, and she busied herself with her planner as the professor glanced her way.
She stopped in the middle of the hallway under the pretense of looking over her schedule for the rest of the day – though she had long since memorized it – and she chewed her lower lip as she dug out a pen and made a note of an assignment that she had due later that week that had already been assigned.
Was Evan his name? It was a nice one, if it was.
Stop it. Camelia's inner voice was aggressive and protective, and she leaned against the wall as she continued to mindlessly doodle in the corner of her planner page.
You do not need to be drawing the attention of Alphas.
You do not need to be talking to them, you do not need to be walking by them.
You need to keep your head down and pay attention to your work and. ..
"Something that I can help you with?"
His voice was deep and delicious, and Camelia shivered slightly as she slowly lifted her gaze to meet his.
The Alpha was even taller than she had thought he was up close, and the slight smile on his lips made Camelia's stomach clench. She hadn’t noticed him approach, and her body reacted to his nearness.
Her nipples hardened under her bra, and she couldn’t help squeezing her thighs together a little as her clit tingled and swelled a little at his mere presence.
Still, her inner voice chided her, and she swallowed hard as she affected a bored tone. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."
He cocked his head to the side and leaned a little closer, his blue eyes boring into hers, and Camelia was suddenly immensely grateful that she was already leaning against the wall. Her knees went weak, and she frowned at the sudden yearning in her body.
"You seemed quite interested in my conversation with Dr. Jackson, is all," he said, his voice lower. A true smile played on his lips, though the light in his eyes was mocking, as if he could sense how he was affecting her. "I figured I might ask what your problem is."
Camelia bristled at the implication, and she ignored the way her skin tingled as she glared up at him, straightening up as much as she could to meet his imposing presence.
"I don't have a fucking problem, Evan." She bit out the name, hoping that her instinct was right, and the flash of mild shock and interest in his eyes told her that she had hit the nail on the head.
He cocked his head further to the side. "You know my name, but I have no idea who you are. So let's rectify that, shall we?" He straightened up, sticking out his hand as if to shake hers. "Evan Nichols. Nice to meet you."
Camelia eyed the extended limb, her rational mind warring with her instincts that were purring for her to reach out and grab his hand, to feel the warmth of his skin against hers.
She didn't understand. Even before she had gotten on suppressants, she had never had such a visceral reaction to an Alpha.
..ever. They all had a certain charm that appealed to her Omega hormones and instincts, but in general, unless she was in heat, it was easy enough to ignore them if she really wasn't in the mood. ..
So why was she having such a hard time standing her ground against this Alpha?
He eyed her for another moment when she didn't take his hand, and it dropped back to his side as a slow smile spread across his face and deeper interest sparked in his eyes.
He opened his mouth, clearly about to say something else that would likely get under Camelia's skin, but he was interrupted when another voice said, "Ev. "
Evan turned towards the voice, and after a moment Camelia followed suit, swallowing hard at the sight of the blonde Alpha walking down the hallway.
He wore a long-sleeved gray thermal shirt over his dark wash jeans, entirely at odds with the still-warm weather outside, and something in Evan's expression softened a little at the sight of him. "Yeah?"
The blonde drew level with them, fixing his gaze on Camelia as he shoved his hands in his pockets.
Whatever he had been about to say, whatever he had drawn Evan’s attention for, seemed to fade away as he looked at her.
He wore a silver chain around his throat that gleamed softly under the fluorescent light, and his blonde hair was mussed as if he had spent the entire morning running his hands through it.
Camelia was struck by the sudden urge to step close to him and run her hands through his hair, fixing the disordered strands and getting a closer look at those steel-gray eyes. ..
Camelia stumbled back a step, her back hitting the wall again at the intensity of her reaction. What the actual fuck?
The blonde cocked his head to the side, glancing at Evan. "Who is this? I've never seen her before."
Camelia would ordinarily bristle at being spoken about and not to, especially when she was standing right there, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't find any words to protest or stand up for herself.
Evan shook his head, a hint of derision crossing his face. "I was in the middle of trying to find out. Cute little thing seemed very interested in me, but now she's all clammed up, isn't she?" He turned his full attention back on her, and the blonde cocked his head to the side.
"Is that right?"
His voice was low and almost aggressive, and Camelia couldn't stop herself from shivering at the delicious way the sound slid down her spine. "And your name is?" she finally managed, directing her question to the new Alpha.
He shook his head. "Ah, ah. You don't get to ask questions and give no answers in return, sweetheart. Yours first."
Again, that bite of aggression that made Evan shake his head with an amused smile. But it stiffened Camelia's resolve enough that she was able to straighten up, glaring at the blonde as she bit out, "Camelia Meadows. Not that it's any of your fucking business."