30. Chapter Thirty
I sit at my station in the archives, the silence broken only by the occasional rustle of pages and the scrape of drawers from the far end of the room.
A few seniors are still here, hunched over their own stations, muttering under their breath as they rush to finish pinning and labeling before mid-term deadlines hit.
Their energy feels frantic compared to the precise rhythm of my hands, but I don’t mind the company. Although it is funny to see them all here all of a sudden.
My fingers move with practiced care, sliding the number-four pin through the thorax of the newest specimen, then adjusting the wings until they lie flat and symmetrical against the spreading board. The work always pulls me under like this, keeping me focused, the rest of campus fading away.
My free hand drifts up without thinking. I trace the delicate chain at my throat, the diamond butterfly necklace warm against my skin from hours of wear. The stones catch the desk lamp and flash tiny sparks of light across my knuckles. I smile to myself, small and private, and keep working.
My phone vibrates against the desk, sharp and sudden in the stillness. I set the pin down and glance at the screen. The group text from Alex lights up first.
Pack dinner tonight? Nothing fancy. Just the five of us. Come over whenever you’re free. <3
Warmth spreads through my chest before I can stop it. I type back a quick yes and set the phone down again.
It vibrates almost immediately with a second message, this one from Jamie alone.
Already on my way to the Natural Sciences building. No walking across campus in the dark by yourself, Elodie. Be there in ten.
I shake my head, a real smile tugging at my mouth now. The quick protectiveness should feel too much. Instead it sits somewhere behind my ribs, along with the awareness that he knew exactly where I’d be.
I finish the last label, slide the drawer closed with a click, and start gathering my things.
I reach for my backpack leaning against the desk leg and pause when the blue morpho wing keychain swings free.
The resin catches the light, flashing electric blue.
Another piece from the care package. I run my thumb over the smooth edge and let the smile stay.
Footsteps echo down the hallway just as I shoulder the bag. Jamie rounds the corner at an easy pace, golden hair catching the low overhead lights, that familiar twinkle already in his eyes.
He’s wearing a simple grey sweater and jeans, nothing special, but the sight of him still makes something inside me loosen and brighten all at once.
“Hey, beautiful,” he says, voice teasing in the exact way that always makes my stomach flutter. “Ready to get out of here before the building locks you in with the pinned bugs for the night?”
I laugh softly and fall into step beside him. “They would be excellent company, actually. Very quiet.”
He bumps my shoulder gently as we walk, the contact brief and familiar. “Yeah, but they don’t make pizza or laugh at my terrible jokes.”
The night air hits us the second we push through the heavy front doors, cool and carrying the faint scent of fall leaves. Jamie’s hand finds the small of my back, guiding me toward the parking lot without making a fuss about it.
His car waits under the nearest streetlamp, and he opens the passenger door for me with a small flourish that somehow still feels sincere.
I slide inside, the leather seat cool beneath my thighs, and watch him circle around to the driver’s side.
When he starts the engine, the radio comes on low, some pop song I don’t recognize playing.
He pulls out of the lot and turns toward the edge of campus, the glow of the university buildings fading behind us.
The drive to the pack house is cozy in the best way, comfortable silence broken only by Jamie’s occasional easy commentary about his day and the way his fingers tap lightly on the steering wheel in time with the music.
I lean my head against the seat and let the warmth of his inviting golden amber scent wrap around me, while the dark road unwinds ahead.
By the time the familiar lights of their house appear through the trees, something inside me has already begun to relax, as if this place has started learning the shape of me too.
I don’t say it out loud. Not yet. But the feeling lingers, undeniable, as Jamie parks and turns off the engine.
Jamie steps out onto the tidy gravel drive, and I climb out beside him, the cool night air brushing my arms.
This is the first time I’ve stood here completely clear headed, no heat haze clouding my thoughts, no drunken fog dulling the edges of everything. The house looks different without the blur of instinct pulling me under.
Golden light spills from the windows, and the wraparound porch glows under string lights that someone must have hung since the last time I was here. I pause for a second on the path, really looking at it, and a weighted question forms in my chest.
Could I actually see myself living here one day? The thought feels too big and too soon, but it doesn’t scare me the way it would have a week ago.
The front door swings open before we even reach the steps.
Chase steps out first, broad shoulders filling the frame, followed closely by Adrian.
Both of them are wearing aprons dusted with flour, and the smell that drifts out hits me, yeast and melting cheese and something herby that makes my stomach give a happy little flip.
“Perfect timing,” Chase says, his low grumbly voice sounding pleased. “Pizzas are just coming out of the oven.”
Adrian smiles that little smile of his and nods toward the backyard. “We prepped everything inside but baked them in the stone oven out back. Figured we would give you options since we don’t know your favorites yet.”
They lead us through the house and out the back door.
The stone oven glows in the yard, flames dancing behind the glass door, and two large pizzas rest on a wooden peel waiting to be carried in.
One is loaded with pepperoni and fresh basil, the other piled high with mushrooms, spinach, and crumbled sausage.
A third smaller one sits off to the side with just cheese and tomatoes.
My heart squeezes at the thought that they made three different kinds just to make sure I would like something.
We carry everything inside and sit around the big wooden table at the far end of the kitchen. I slide into the chair Jamie pulls out for me, and the moment I sit down Alex’s gaze drops to my throat. His pale gray eyes soften instantly.
“You’re wearing the necklace,” he says, his voice hushed with hope or awe.
I reach up and touch the delicate chain, suddenly shy.
“I haven’t taken it off since I opened the basket.
It’s beautiful. All of the gifts were...
I meant to thank you properly the second I saw you.
The book, the hoodie, the camera, the pen…
everything. It was too much and exactly right all at once. Thank you. Really.”
Jamie grins across the table, dimples flashing. “More are probably coming. It’s kind of a courting thing. Alphas get a little… gift happy when we find our omega. But honestly? We just like picking things out for you. Makes us happy.”
I blink, heat flooding my cheeks. “Does that mean I should be buying things for you too? Is that part of it?”
The four of them exchange a look so perfectly synchronized it’s almost comical. Alex’s eyebrows lift, Chase’s mouth twitches like he’s fighting a smile, Adrian pushes his glasses up with one finger, and Jamie actually laughs out loud.
“Absolutely not,” Alex says firmly, though his voice stays gentle. “You are the gift, Elodie. You don’t need to buy us a single thing.”
Chase nods once, decisive. “What he said.”
Adrian reaches over and gives my hand a quick, reassuring squeeze. “Just let us spoil you a little. It makes our alphas settle.”
I laugh and pick up a slice of the mushroom pizza, the crust still hot from the oven.
The conversation flows easily after that, laughter bouncing around the table as Jamie tells a ridiculous story about filming lacrosse practice earlier, and Adrian teases him about the angle he chose.
Chase grumbles good naturedly about the amount of cheese Jamie demanded on his half, and Alex watches it all with that calm, gravitational presence that somehow ties the whole room together.
I listen and eat and feel their scents layered around me, cedar and pine and amber and rain on stone, and something inside my chest loosens completely.
For the first time since I started this whole university journey, I feel genuinely at home. It’s not safety or being wanted, necessarily, it’s just… home.
I let myself sink into the feeling, slice of pizza in hand and a smile on my face.
We clear the table together after the last slice disappears, the easy rhythm of it feeling surprisingly natural.
Jamie stacks plates while Chase carries the empty pizza pans back to the kitchen.
Adrian refills wine glasses and Alex tosses the used napkins.
I help where I can, and the whole process flows without awkwardness.
Like we’ve done this before. Like we could do it every night.
When the table is clean, Alex tilts his head toward the living room. “Shall we move somewhere more comfortable?”
I follow them through the wide doorway. The living room is softly lit by lamps and the glow from the fireplace, the flames crackling mesmerisingly.
The big sectional couch dominates the space, deep and inviting with oversized cushions.
Chase and Jamie move into the two leather armchairs opposite it, spreading out with that comfortable alpha confidence. Alex and Adrian guide me to the couch.