Page 24 of Want It All
One dark eyebrow twitched; his eyes stayed fixed to my screen. ‘I did not.’
‘No, you didn’t. It’s perfect.’ I fidgeted as I waited for him to finish, suddenly nervous. I felt exposed; only teachers and my parents had read my work before. It felt as if I’d been stripped naked and was waiting for him to comment.
I pushed that thought way,waydown.
‘The other students should be worried,’ he said at last, sliding my laptop back to me, his grey eyes flicking up to meet mine. ‘If they want to top our class, that is. You’re a threat to every one of them, Rose.’
I flushed with pleasure. Compliments were nice, but there was something about being told I was an academic threat that really hit the spot for me. I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth.
His eyes narrowed in on the movement, immediately going dark. I froze in place, not knowing whether I wanted to lean in closer or flee. He shook himself, tearing his gaze away, and I exhaled, half in relief, and half in disappointment.
‘Should we look at the chapter for next week?’ I forced myself to say, managing to keep my voice from trembling.
He tapped my laptop. ‘Finish your bibliography first. That will give me time to read through the chapter and pretend I know what you’re talking about.’
Yes, alpha.
I’d always assumed I’d find an alpha through scent. That I’d catch his, and he’d catch mine, and twenty minutes later I’d be moaning around his knot while he sank his teeth into my neck. That was how it wassupposedto be.
This– the talking, the loaded eye contact, the blushing, the anticipation – was unexpected, and it waswonderful. It was something I’d never imagined, something I’d never expected. And now I found that it was a kind of freedom – and a freedom Iwanted.
After years of thinking I’d be claimed, was it possible that I could choose?
His scent still matters, my instincts reminded me.
I sighed and got to work on my bibliography.
I was woken by a flurry of buzzes.
It took me more than a few moments to realise that I’d left my phone on. My hand fumbled around my bedside table until I found it, then held it up as I blinked blurrily at the screen.
3:03am.
_byron_ followed you.
_byron_ sent you a message.
I tapped into my social media account, then clicked into my messages, reading the text.
I’m not sure what you like, but cats seem a safe place to start.
I watched the video he’d sent, huffing a laugh, then sent back one of my favourites.
Three dots appeared.What are you doing up?!
Me?I wrote back.What areyoudoing up?!
I’m always up, he returned, and I bit my lip against where my mind went.I hope I didn’t wake you.
I hit thecallbutton inside the app; he picked up a moment later.
‘Rose? Are you okay?’
‘I forgot to put my phone on airplane mode,’ I said. ‘But I always like cats, no matter the time.’
‘Fuck, I’m so sorry.’ His voice seemed deeper at night. It made my muscles go loose in the best way, made my eyes heavy and my skin warm. ‘You should go back to sleep.’
‘Don’t want to,’ I said; it came out embarrassingly sleepily.
