Page 65 of For What It's Worth

“I want you to stay close to Aidan, okay?”

Alpha command laced his tone, sending goosebumps down my arms, and teasing me with the opportunity to please him by following his order. “Yes, alpha.”

“I’ll stick to her like a fly on shit,” Aidan said.

I chuckled against Jen’s chest, turning my head slightly so I could see Aidan. He was wearing a wide smile, an obviously pleased look on his face from making me laugh.

There was something lighthearted about Aidan, like the alpha was determined to always be in a good mood. He gave off a carefree vibe that was mostly his personality, but his long hair and clothes definitely helped cement who Aidan was. But I’d seen the parts of Aidan he tried to hide behind his confidence. He had a need to feel as important as he perceived his other members of his pack, as if he felt like he could be forgotten, left out.

“Are you ready to go, Addie?” I didn’t really want to leave my bonded alpha, but I had incentive to. While being late was a concern, what I really wanted was more alone time with Aidan.

“Definitely, Koda bear.”

I went up on my tip toes to kiss Jen goodbye, and my bonded alpha didn’t hesitate in taking my lips. But just as quickly as the kiss started, Jenson pulled back, licking his lips like he was savoring the taste of me.

“Your next orgasm is mine, little bear,” Jenson whispered against my lips.

For the thousandth time—just today—I blushed, nodding, accepting the rule my bonded alpha just laid out for me.

Aidan playful growled, and I dug my forehead into Jen’s chest like I could burrow into his body to hide.

“C’mon, Koda bear. I’m sure the professor here has shit to do before his next class, and we still have a walk to get to your class so you can claim a seat away from people.”

Aidan already had his stuff packed up and my own bag over his shoulder. I grabbed his offered hand and walked away from Jen, even as it felt like my heart was left behind in the body of my bonded alpha. I leaned into Aidan, trying to drown out this temporary heartache by inhaling gulps of his scent. Maybe because he could sense I was seconds away from calling it quits and turning back, he began purring, the sound and vibration enough to calm me.

“Where’s your beginner’s class?” Aidan asked.

I snorted. “It’s intro to solid-state electron physics.”

“Beginner. Intro. Same thing.”

I gasped like I was offended. “‘Beginner’ is like a first year taking classes. ‘Intro’ is the equivalent of having an understanding on the topic and being introduced to an advanced concept.”

“Are you sitting okay, Koda bear?”

“What the hell are you talking about, Addie?” I stared up at him like his face might reveal something, but he wore a concerned expression, as if I was the one that started asking random questions.

“Well, I figured with those made-up definitions, you must be pulling dictionaries out of your ass. Your little tush must hurt.”

I rolled my eyes so hard I was pretty sure I caught a glimpse of my brain.

“That was funny, and you can’t convince me otherwise,” Aidan said.

“You should quit your day job and be a comedian.”

The smile on Aidan’s face made me slightly worried he hadn’t realized I was being sarcastic. “I think that’s a great idea, Koda bear. I tell the others that, and they always disagree. But if you think I’m good enough, then decision made.”

“Um, Addie…” I bit my bottom lip, unable to get the words out. If Aidan wanted to be a comedian, who was I to argue he wasn’t good enough? All this alpha had done was take my own dreams into consideration, and I needed to do the same. “I think that’s a great idea. The coffee shop I like, a little way off campus, puts up flyers for all kinds of events. I bet we could find one for an open-mic night.”

Aidan suddenly stopped walking, his purr ratcheting up so anyone walking by could hear it. I leaned farther into his chest, admiring the deep tenor of his purr that felt like a direct compliment.

“You’re too good for me, Koda bear.”

I shook my head, refusing the statement.

A high-pitched voice I instantly recognized as the professor to my next class was calling my name, interrupting our conversation. Professor Bert Stockfield was probably a year away from retirement—I could hope, at least—with long grayed hair always falling flat like he purposefully straightened it, and a wardrobe consisting of blue jeans and a white button up. You could take a picture of him once a day for a week, mix up the photos, and never be able to tell them apart. He always looked that similar.

He also didn’t like me very much. Originally, I’d thought it was because he was sexist, but I quickly learned he had no problem with females—so long as they were alphas. Apparently, Professor Stockfield had been teaching at the Academy for years and was against the integration of betas. I couldn’t even imagine how he would’ve reacted to learning about me being an omega. Probably worse than him learning a beta bonded with an alpha.

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