It’s too late now for that. It’s nothing but a silly little fantasy for a delusional Omega. By now, the majority of my classmates have already formed packs anyway. I was destined for this. Being a chess piece in my father’s plans.
Plans that I still haven’t been made privy to. His lingering looks these past few years have unsettled me though.
What does he plan on doing with me? If it's nothing, why can’t he just leave me alone? Dump me on the side of the road for all I care. Iwouldn’t ever go back. I would gladly dye my hair a different color and call myself a different name. Ellie sounds nice.
But again, that will never happen. It's just something I tell myself to make the days easier. I know that I’m never going to escape this life. Not if I want to leave with it intact.
I collapse into one of the desks at the back of the room. First up is Home Room. It has never made sense to me as to why they continue the Home Room tradition into university. It seems out of place but I refuse to question it.
Ridgeview is different from the other higher education campuses I have seen on TV. It’s much more structured. In a pamphlet I saw, they said something about it setting us up for what to expect in the real world.
I sigh to myself as I watch the rest of the students filter into the room. The popular Omegas giggle between each other as they eye off the bulging Alphas finding their seats. I watch on with slight amusement and longing, wishing that I could live that kind of carefree life with one of the only problems being finding my pack. Being able to have what would
resemble a normal university experience before the joys of the real world come weighing down on our shoulders. But in a way, I also am glad I’m not like them. The cattiness that is hidden behind hands, covering whispers and arguments over emerging packs, just doesn't seem like my cup of tea.
The worst bit is I think the Alphas enjoy being fought over. They appreciate the fight and the determination the Omegas go to just for a taste of an Alpha's knot. The thought of going to that much troublejust doesn’t seem like something I’m interested in, or able to be. But why do I long for it, even though it will never be for me?
Why does the knowledge that I will never find my true pack break apart my soul even though I have known this for a long time?
I rest my head on my hands, closing my eyes for a moment as I take a few breaths, filtering out the noise that surrounds me in an attempt to calm my peaking anxiety. Removing a hand from where it holds my head, I place it against my racing heart as I start to feel the beginnings of a panic attack come on.
I curse myself for allowing outside influences to mess with me. I allowed myself to get caught up in the what-ifs and what-could-have-beens, allowed myself to drift too far from reality and now I am paying the price.
In the middle of a slowly filling classroom.
On the first day of my final year of university.
My scent that normally resembles a soft musk burns my nose, and my ears start to ring. I know that if I was to lift my head and open my eyes, my vision would be blurry. My breath quickens and I try to bury my head further in on myself.
Just as I begin to move my head, a hand snakes its way under my chin and lifts my head up.
I’m shocked out of what was a slippery slope into embarrassment as I breathe in the scent of a freshly made vanilla mocha.
Greedily, I inhale the scent, allowing the serenity the smell offers me to filter into my system.
“Are you okay, love?” The husky voice breaks through my resolve. It feels like his four words penetrate something inside of me.
I manage to shake my head, my eyes still firmly shut.
The man still holding my chin lets out a low growl that sends shivers over my spine. I go to curl in on myself instead of just bracing for what I’m sure will be a sting from a slap. Growls in the past from my father have always led to punishments. Even though the man that sired me is a Beta, he still gives it a red hot go, no matter how ridiculous he sounds.
I wait for what feels like forever, but nothing comes. There is no sting of a slap. No burn on my cheek. Nothing.
“Open your eyes,” the voice says in a low voice. The sound is gentle and for some reason, it feels safe.
A feeling I haven’t felt for a long time.
A feeling that feels as foreign to me as the touch holding my chin in a light grip. I allow my face to relax slightly as I will myself to open my eyes. Slowly they crack open. I blink away the bright light as it blurs my vision as I come face to face with the man standing in front of me.
My eyes meet light brown ones cascaded by shaggy blonde hair that falls messily around the man's chiseled features.
My gaze travels down his cut jaw, over his throat that bobs under my perusal. I can’t help myself as I allow my gaze to continue down his lean body that is covered by a tight t-shirt. I gulp, as I allow my gaze to return back up to his.
A knowing smile graces the man's lips as he looks down on me. It feels like his eyes are searing into mine.
I feel my cheeks heat under his study.
“Can you take a deep breath for me?” the man asks and I instantly nod. I don’t know if it's the fact that he is obviously an Alpha - or something else - but every facet of my being wants to follow what he says.