Page 46 of Want It All
Byron’s cold shoulder continued as we finalised and submitted our second assessments. Sebastian had been pushing himself in his spare time, making up for his distractedness in class, spending long hours frowning at his laptop in an effort to make sure he got the top mark this time.
After he submitted his essay, he promptly fell asleep on the couch, his brow free from worry for the first time in weeks. I covered him in a blanket, then got a bottle of water and a plate of snacks for when he woke up. After brushing a kiss across his hair, I went for a walk.
A small cluster of students stood on the main staircase, talking. I knew one – a second-year, Jun.
He waved me over. ‘They’re planning a scent party.’
I stared at him. I’d heard the rumours, of course – Sebastian was unnaturally good at uncovering gossip – but I hadn’t really thought they’d risk throwing one; scent parties wereveryillegal in every state and territory except the ACT. There were federal laws against large groups of alphas gathering together, but the ACT local government squirmed around them by hosting the parties at official government venues and terming themsporting events. In other states, they were invite-only and held in warehouses or shitty bars, and anyone attending risked eye-watering fines and a jail term. Sebastian had encouraged me to drive to Canberra to attend one, but I’d always decided against it.
Hewas my pack. I didn’t need to find anyone else.
‘Will you go?’ I said to Jun.
He shrugged. ‘Of course. Apparently Banksia hasn’t held one for six years – the old Dean was a legal academic, and there wasn’t much leniency. Carla Griffiths seems more … reasonable.’
‘Hmm.’ I adjusted my shirt. ‘Where will it be held?’
‘In the maze. A week from now.’
I studied him. Jun was handsome, tall and wiry. ‘Do you want to find a pack here?’
He shrugged again. ‘Definitely. Don’t you?’
When I returned from my walk, Sebastian was waiting.
‘Youhaveto go,’ he said, the moment I walked through the door. I rolled my eyes, fishing the handful of lemon myrtle leaves from my pocket and putting them in a tin for him. ‘It’s your chance, alpha.’
‘I already have everything I need.’
It was his turn to roll his eyes. ‘Tris.’ He bounced over and threw his arms around my neck. ‘You need another alpha forme. If I ever go through a heat, one knot won’t be enough.’
‘I’d manage,’ I said stubbornly. Part of me suspected he was right, and part of mehatedthe notion of Sebastian needing someone else.
‘You’re amazing, babe, but you’re not a god,’ he said practically. ‘Pleasego to the scent party. It would be incredible if you found someone here.’ He paused, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth. ‘Maybe I could go off my suppressants one day.’
I shook my head at the blatant manipulation, smiling; for all his talk of babies, Sebastian would need time – and probably some therapy – before he willingly went off his heat suppressants. Even so, the thought of him being in heat was more tempting than it should have been. I loved it when he was desperate and begging, and the thought of him slippery with heat-slick and ripe for breeding was my every fantasy come true.
‘I’ll think about it,’ I said, and I did.
Three days later, I wasstillthinking about it as we ate lunch in the dining hall. Sebastian and Rose were scrolling through her social media feed, their heads close together, murmuring to each other and occasionally breaking into peals of laughter. Byron’s eyes were on his eReader; he was eating one-handed so he could tap to the next page with the other. I had my laptop open and was skimming articles about omega scents in medical journals.
A notification popped up on my screen.
I clicked into it, and felt my lips curl up. Heathcote had marked our second assessments in record time, and I was satisfied to see a comment readingSecond in cohort – well doneat the end of my essay.
Sebastian let out a loudwhoopas he scrolled his phone, making everyone in the dining hall look across at us. When they saw it was him, their frowns smoothed out.
He had that effect on people.
‘First?’ I said wryly.
He nodded. ‘Ninety-eight,’ he said, which was impressive, even for Sebastian.
Rose was silent as she scrolled her own phone; Byron fished his from a pocket and did the same, giving a quiet, satisfied rumble a moment later. He didn’t seem inclined to share his grade, so I did my own investigating, and a moment later, I was in his profile in the student administration system.
Ninety.
I blinked at my laptop screen. I’d known that he was smart, but I didn’t think he’d be quitethatgood, coming from a completely different undergraduate discipline.
