Page 48 of The Omega Project

His dark eyes flash with desire as he pulls me in for a long, slow kiss. “Deal. And maybe we can add a quick trip tothe registrar’s office to the tour. I’ve suddenly got a desperate longing to rejoin campus life.”

An hour later, we’re both kissing Professor Fall goodbye outside the Anthropology building while a dozen students look on with gossip-hungry eyes. Creed insisted on coming along to watch over us, so more than a few intrigued glances are tossed his way as we head towards the library.

“There goes my reputation as the weird bee girl,” I quip as another group of students gawk at us from the circulation desk. Not that I can blame them. Creed is dressed in his dark suit and looks every inch the stone-cold bodyguard, while Soren – in ripped jeans, an oversized sweater, and black shades - is clearly the international model he’s protecting. I feel quite glamorous in my Sweet Addiction tee and leather boots, and I don’t miss the curious looks from the librarians as we head up to my hidey-hole on the top floor.

“Gorgeous looks good on you,” Creed murmurs as we reach my desk. “I give it about ten minutes before your study section is suddenly the busiest area in the library.”

“I hope not,” I frown, thinking of the visit to the stacks I promised Soren. When I catch them staring at me, I flush and bite my lip. “What? I’m just a very conscientious student.”

Soren snorts, winding a finger around one of my curls and drawing me towards him for a kiss. “You smell like you’ve got something other than the eating habits of bees on your mind.”

“Mmm.” Creed takes a step closer, nudging us together with his big body. “There’s a bathroom one floor down that doesn’t get a lot of traffic at this time of the day. Just in case you need a study break, I mean.”

I gape up at him through lust-tinged eyes. “You’ve memorised the layout of my library?”

Soren gives a dark chuckle. “Babe, by now he’s memorised the freckle constellations on your cute arse.” He reaches up to stroke a finger along the line of his mate’s rock-hard jaw. “Welcome to the world of possessive, paranoid packmates.”

I fan my face as I unzip my backpack and start laying out my pretty notebooks. “Okay, but I need to earn that break. The environmental sciences section is over there. Want me to show you?”

“I’ll find it.” Soren waves me off, but gives me a sizzling look over his shoulder. “Start earning that break, busy bee.”

Talk about motivation…

I manage to get an hour of work done before he returns, with Creed and an elderly woman in tow. Dr. Sarah Finchley is a legend on campus, having run the university’s School of Human Sciences for years, with a specialty in Designations and Dynamics. When I was first transferring from the Academy, I looked into the psychology department, mainly to avoid any classes that reminded me too much of my father.

“Emily Nash, this is Dr. Sarah Finchley,” Creed says. “Lang thought it might be a good idea to introduce you, since you have a few things in common.”

“Dr. Finchley,” I scramble to my feet, taking her soft hand in mine. She’s my height with a delicate frame, but her gaze is fiercely intelligent. “Wow. I’m a really big fan. I just read your article on the Soulmate Phenomenon, actually.”

“Please, call me Sarah. And I’ve been familiarising myself with your work, too. I have a bit of a soft spot for bees, since my father was a beekeeper. I grew up holding the smoker and checking the frames for mites. I assure you, I was the weird bee girl long before you claimed the title.”

I can’t help but laugh at the twinkle in her eyes. “Ouch. I’m so glad my reputation precedes me.”

“People only gossip about interesting people.” She waves a hand, then looks between Soren and I, her brow furrowing. “I don’t want to presume, but Lang talked to me about the project you’re all working on. Am I right in thinking you are both at the center of it?”

“You can sense that?” Soren asks her curiously, and for the first time I catch a hint of unease in his scent. “Am I giving off weird switch vibes or something?”

“Not weird…” Sarah tilts her head, her eyes sharpening as she examines him. “I’ve been able to recognise a switch ever since I became one. After fifty-seven years of being a beta, I suddenly presented as an omega. Given my stage in life, I assumed it was just a genetic mistake, except that I’d recently met my soulmate.” She gives me a gentle smile. “Which is how the Soulmate Phenomenon came into being. It’s my belief that the trigger is less biological than spiritual, for want of a better word. It might not hold up under empirical inquiry, but it’s what makes sense in my heart.”

It's a beautiful idea, and I feel a little ashamed at the way I dismissed her article when I first read it. The more time I spend with Soren and his packmates, the more I’m convinced that compatibility plays a part in switching. And while hard science might be dismissive of the concept of a soul, if neurobiologists can claim we have both primal instincts and a conscious intellect within us, then why not a soulmate switch as well?

“There’s a small team here on campus looking at the causes of intersexuality in marine species and if they can be applied to switches,” Dr. Finchley tells us. “But I think you should speak with a professor who’s recently joined our little corner of the world. He’s also a switch, and his mate is an alpha who switches to omega.” She looks at Creed. “I think they might also be part of your project.”

“They are. Finn plans to get everyone together once things settle down.” He raises his brows at the older woman. “Maybe through your book club.”

I think I’ve misheard him until Sarah crows, “Ah, yes! The Switcheroo Club. We don’t get a lot of reading done, but the high teas are a treat!”

She leaves us with a few more kind words about my research and an open invitation to her book club, but I find it hard to settle back into my study rhythm. When I’ve given my third sigh in half an hour, Creed cocks a brow at me, but I swivel towards Soren, who is sitting opposite me reading a book on deep sea corals. “I don’t know about soulmates, but I think some people are meant to be together. Like you two, for instance. When are you planning to make an honest mate out of him, Soren?”

“Me?” Soren blinks at me and almost drops his book. The sideways glance he shoots Creed would make me giggle if it wasn’t such a serious topic. “Why do I have to take charge?”

“Because you sunk your teeth into him first.”

Creed smirks at me, but I shake my head. “You have to step up, too, big guy. Being a possessive, paranoid packmate is only sexy if you follow through. Otherwise, you’re just a creepy stalker.”

Soren is laughing so hard he almost falls off his chair, and I grab his hand, squeezing it to get his attention. “Since I want to bond you both, I’m putting you on a timeline.”

“Ooh,” Soren coos, his tongue poking between his teeth. “Do we get a spreadsheet?”

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