Page 24 of Pack Favero

I’m just shy of two hours into the working day when a shiver runs down my spine, and I frown at my computer screen, still logging the new books that arrived this morning. When it doesn’t disappear ten minutes later, I roll my shoulders back and log one last book into the computer before raising my head.

I startle when I find a stranger standing at my desk, his nose-wrinkling scent hitting me a second later. Undeniably alpha, his scent is strong and pungent, like gasoline and rubber, and it’s a wonder I didn’t smell it sooner. It’s nothing like the scent of the alphas I spent the day with yesterday, and it takes a great deal of effort not to show my displeasure at the assault on my senses.

Clearing my throat, I quietly greet, “Hi. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize anyone was standing there.”

The guy—dressed in a crisp, white shirt, a nice, blue sweater, and khakis that look expensive—smiles and another shiver runs down my spine, discomfort wiring through my bones. “No bother. You looked too focused to interrupt, so I thought I’d wait until you had a moment to introduce myself.”

“Oh. Sure. Are you new here at North Five?” I prod, wondering what it is about this man that’s setting my nerves on edge. I can’t figure it out. He looks nice enough, with big, round, wire-rimmed glasses, a head full of chocolate-brown hair, and a dimple in his chin. In fact, I’m sure most would call him handsome, in a nerdy kind of way, but there’s an aura to him that I can’t explain. He emanates weird vibes, and I’m not too keen on the way his eyes track me as I lean away from my PC and further from him.

The guy nods, and holds his hand out for me to shake. “Started just this morning. Name’s Hunter Gary Johnson the second. I’m the new biology professor.”

Reluctantly, I offer him my hand to shake, still tripping over his name. I damn near shudder at the first touch of his heated palm against mine, his skin soft but a little on this side of being too warm. Of course, I know alphas run hot, but there’s almost a clammy quality to it. It’s a battle to keep my polite smile in place, and I swallow hard before speaking. “Oh, how nice. Welcome to North U, in that case. You’ll love it here. It’s a beautiful campus and all of the students and staff are wonderful.”

Hunter takes longer than appropriate to release my hand, but when he does, I fold them into my lap as he says, “I’m looking forward to being a part of the North Five Family.”

I smile politely, feeling beyond uncomfortable with the handsome but slightly off alpha, and I awkwardly ask, “Was there something you needed that brought you here?”

“Oh, yes! There was. I’m sorry, I was… distracted,” he says, those sharp eyes boring into me, and a prickle of unease eats away at my politeness. When I don’t respond, my smile falling a fraction, he clears his throat and plasters on a sheepish smile that suits the cute, geeky look he has going on. “Uh, sorry. I was looking for a certain text book that I don’t seem to have in my class. I was hoping you could check if there was one available here.”

Nodding slowly, I say, “Sure. What’s the title?”

He shares the title before leaning onto the desk, bringing with him his strong scent that turns my stomach. It’s the first time I’ve had such a strong reaction to someone’s scent that wasn’t positive, and I’m forced to hold my breath while I search the system for the text book he’s looking for.

Unfortunately, we don’t hold the copy here, and I’m leftwith no choice but to breathe in order to tell him as much. “It doesn’t look like we have it, but I can order one in for you, if you’d like.”

“Oh, bummer,” he sighs, but nods in answer. “If you could, that would be great. Thank you for your help…”

“Oh, right. Ze- Uh, Miss Favero. I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s arrived,” I answer, stumbling over my name before remembering this is a coworker and I could have offered my first name. Something about him is off-putting enough that I simply withheld at the last second, and I watch as those dark eyes sharpen further and his lips tug into a small smirk that does nothing to help my thoughts about him.

“Thank you, Miss Favero,” he concludes quietly, tapping against the desk before offering me a wave and leaving the way he came.

As soon as he’s out of sight, I dig into my purse for my perfume and begin spritzing all around me, wafting the air like he’s left a bad stink behind. I’m furiously swatting when Juno, Geo, and Evron appear, and I smile over at them while I continue to cleanse the air around me. “Hi, guys. How are you all doing? Free period?”

Juno nods before striding to my desk, wrinkling her nose before uttering, “What’s that smell?”

“Oh, sorry. It’s my perfume, it’s called—” I begin, only for Geo to interrupt.

“Not that, Miss Fave. The weird smell under the citrus?” he clarifies, using the nickname they’ve been calling me for weeks now. “I’m a beta, but that’s still hella strong to me.”

I pause my air swatting and look at the three: omega, alpha, and beta. “The gas and rubber smell?”

All three nod and Evron clicks his fingers before pointing at me. “That’s it. I couldn’t place the rubber, but you’re dead on.”

Cringing with confirmation, I put my perfume away andtake a seat, explaining, “Apparently, the school hired a new biology professor. He introduced himself a minute ago, and I thought I was going to choke on the scent. Do either of you have hand sanitizer?”

Sure enough, Geo fishes one out of Juno’s bag and hands it over, leaning on my desk before quietly asking, “What’s he like? Other than smelling flammable?”

I shrug, eyeing the three, before lowering my voice to a whisper, “I don’t know. He seemed nice enough.”

“But…?” Juno pushes, already seeing right through me. Since I’m only four or five years older than the students that come here, it’s been easy for me to find common ground with many, but Juno, Silver, and their respective packs have grown on me a fair bit. I consider them friends, and they do me, though we’re always respectful and professional while we’re on campus.

It’s why I hesitate in sharing my concerns, but a single eyebrow raise from the omega that hates people as a rule has me spilling my guts and hoping I don’t regret it. “There was, I don’t know, a vibe to him? Like he was trying too hard to make himself appear nerdy and shy and cute, you know? I didn’t get a good feeling from him, but I can’t really explain it more than that.”

Juno nods, and accepts the bottle of watermelon-scented hand sanitizer back, as she mutters, “Got to trust your instincts, Miss Fave. We have them for a reason.”

The boys nod, and Geo offers me a gentle smile. “We’re going to stick around for an hour, so we’ll interject if he comes back and you start to look uncomfortable.”

Huffing a laugh, I nod. “Thank you. Go, enjoy your free period. Let me know if you guys need anything.”

---