Chapter 10
Flora
Sleep was impossible.
Even my nest—my safe space—felt utterly tainted.
After grabbing my bag, I roughly shoved a few textbooks inside, not caring that I was bending some of the pages.
I was too exhausted to give a damn. I had tried my best to sleep, but between the nightmares and my overactive mind, I had probably slept no more than two hours in small increments throughout the night.
My home felt wrong, dirty. Someone had been inside it.
Once I realized someone had been in my apartment, I ran around like a madwoman, sniffing every surface. It was faint, but there were two unfamiliar scents. One wasn’t bad. It was mildly peppery and almost pleasant. Maybe if I got a better smell of it, I would know for sure.
The other one was decidedly unpleasant. It had been so faint that I hadn’t registered it, but it was almost like sewage. There was no forgetting it, though, now that I’d realized it was the scent of another person in my home.
There was no denying that I had picked up echoes of that scent before, but I’d always put it down to other residents in my building.
I didn't exactly live in the cleanest dormitory.
On-campus student housing was much more regulated.
It was also much more expensive. So, when I had opted for a cheaper apartment that was off campus, I had sacrificed a bit of the niceness.
That said, it was really biting me in the ass now.
How could I have missed the signs that someone had been entering my apartment?
Suddenly, every object felt contaminated by unseen hands.
The air was thick with a violation I couldn’t shake.
How was I supposed to feel safe when someone could slip in and out?
There was no damage to the door. I could be absent-minded, sure, but I’d remember if something like that had happened.
Before zipping up my bag, I checked to make sure the taser was still inside.
I never actually expected to use it, but now its presence felt essential—a small reassurance against an unknown threat.
I hadn’t caught anyone lurking in the shadows other than the night I relied on the help of the tall handsome stranger---and part of me was convinced I was hallucinating from lack of sleep, but if someone really had managed to slip into my home unnoticed, at least I’d have a way to defend myself, zapping them in the unmentionables, if it ever came to that.
With my backpack over my shoulder, I stormed out of my apartment, slamming the door harder than I should have, a vigilant unease prickling beneath my bravado.
At least I would be safe in the library.
There were cameras and vending machines. That was all I needed.
I rushed across campus, trying to ignore everyone around me, yet hyperaware of every sound. I felt like I was going insane. Was someone following me, or was I imagining it?
As soon as I reached my destination, I took the stairs to the third floor, where there were several comfortable armchairs and desks, perfect for a long study session.
Taking a moment to set up my space, I placed my water bottle, textbook, and notebook in a neat line on the table.
With the stranger’s coat slung over the back of my chair, I kicked off my shoes and sat cross-legged in the oversized armchair.
After I was comfortable, I put on my headphones, the ones decorated with little strawberry stickers.
They were ideal for blocking out the noise of the other students.
Ten minutes into studying, it dawned on me that I was missing the one book I needed for referencing.
Groaning, I closed my textbook and pinched the bridge of my nose. I had just gotten comfortable in my seat, but now I needed to traipse all the way to the basement of the library to look in some of the older textbooks.
Thankfully, I’d never felt unsafe in the library, so I slipped my shoes back on and left my belongings on the table.
I grabbed my handbag and headed down the stairs, silently cursing the fact I had decided to study on the third floor.
I’d have to go down four flights of stairs that I would have to walk back up once I had found my textbook.
I nodded at the librarian on the ground floor before descending to the basement level. The staff were always friendly.
The basement however, wasn’t exactly welcoming.
Fortunately, it didn't look like a dungeon or something straight out of a horror movie.
The space was oppressively tight, and a chill clung to the air, making it more unsettling than the rest of the library.
I made my way down the row I needed and started scanning the textbooks.
Naturally, the one I needed would be at the very top or bottom of the shelves.
As I crouched down to read the tiny spines, a slight breeze carried a scent in my direction.
It was dark, rich, and oddly familiar. It wasn’t unpleasant, actually far from it.
The library usually had a myriad of scents muddled together, making it hard to distinguish one from the other, but I could easily pick out this spicy, dark scent.
Wait.
I knew that scent.
Pepper.
My body reacted before my mind did. A deep, pleased sensation washed over me. Its potency, much stronger than in my apartment, indicated the alpha it was attached to was nearby.
It was one of the scents that was burned into my brain.
Turning the corner, I did my best to act casual as I reached into my bag, grabbing the taser.
There was no mistaking the alpha. He was gazing at the bookcase, looking anywhere other than at me.
He had his sandy-blond hair pushed back from his face and wore jeans with a university T-shirt.
From the side, I could make out a strong, defined jaw and a light layer of facial hair.
Everything about him screamed power, from his sheer size to his firm stance.
Was this who was following me?
Why?
He was insanely good looking, he could date anyone. So why follow a loner like me?
Was he a closet freak?
I didn’t bother announcing myself. Walking slowly behind him, I observed for a moment, my hand tightening around my taser. There were no other students around; I was totally alone with this stranger.
With the weapon jammed into his side, I pressed the on trigger, and a squeak of pain left the alpha as he sank to the floor, the hissing sound of electricity filling the small space.
“Why the hell are you following me?” I asked, standing over his crouched form as he groaned in pain.
He didn’t reply at first, focusing on holding the side I had tasered. It probably hurt like hell.
Good.
“I'm not,” he lied once he’d dragged in a few pained breaths.
“Bullshit! You were in my apartment. I know your scent!” I snarled.
He looked up at me, startled, still clutching his side. “Y-you can’t. I wear a scent neutralizer.”
“Well, your peppery stink was in my apartment the other day… Wait, I've seen you before—you are in one of my classes!”
He was the alpha who was often near Percy Garnett.
How hadn’t I seen it before? Was I really that bad at paying attention? This alpha had been sitting in the back of my advanced statistics class for several months.
“Okay, I have been following you, but it's not what you think,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender, quickly gathering himself. “You're being stalked.”
I looked at this alpha, utterly astounded. “No shit, Sherlock!” I hissed.
“No, not by me, but by someone else. A few weeks ago, when I was with Percy, I noticed you were being followed by someone in a black hoodie.”
I held the taser in front of me, pressing the trigger threateningly as I glowered at him.
Had someone else been following me? The only time I truly felt like that was happening was a few weeks ago on my walk home from the library, but I had accosted the handsome stranger with the facial scar, and he had taken care of me all the way home.
He had even given me the taser that was protecting me from this blond psychopath.
“You know what? That sounds like something a stalker would say,” I pointed out.
The alpha went to stand, but I brandished the taser once again. He kept his hands in surrender and stayed crouched on the floor, looking up at me.
“I’m telling the truth. I work in security, that’s why I’m always with Garnett.”
It wasn't the first time I’d heard of someone working in security. The handsome stranger who’d walked me home also worked in security.
“That doesn't sound real, either,” I said defiantly.
“Look, you can ask Percy yourself. Some of his pack mates were receiving some rather concerning fan mail, so the California Chargers hired us to watch over them. I was just doing my job.”
“Oh yeah, and what part of your job is breaking into my apartment?”
The alpha bit his lip, glanced at the ceiling like he was pleading with a higher power for help.
That shouldn’t have looked as good as it did. Even with the panic coursing through my body, I couldn't help but notice how hot he was crouched down in front of me.
Clearly, it had been too long since I’d had some relief if I thought that having a psychotic stalker on his knees in front of me was sexy.
“I was just checking your security because you were being followed. Now, I'm aware it sounds like crap, but it's the truth. I promise, you can ask my pack mates.”
“Because your pack mates won’t cover for your stalking ass?”
“I just—fuck, that taser hurt. How the hell did you get the drop on me?” He said the last part more as a question to himself than directed at me. Still, that didn’t stop me from answering. Maybe it was the panic and terror making me snarky.
“You were probably distracted by all your stalking antics.”
The alpha stood, towering over me in the tight space. There were bookcases on either side of us. I took a small step back, still brandishing the weapon.
“I won’t hurt you,” he assured me.