Page 11 of Want It All
Get a grip, Sebastian.
Rosemary asked a question; her voice was rich and smooth and quiet, the kind of voice that caresses, and I could almostseePaul’s brain break in real time. I repeated the question, drawing his attention back to me, but he gave a garbled answer as his glazed eyes fixed on my lips. Rosemary twitched uncomfortably under my hand, and I realised that our previously carefree conversation was quickly deteriorating. I tapped the fingers of my free hand against my thigh, and a moment later Tristan appeared, thanking Paul with a charming smile before murmuringwe really should go to the next mixer, baby.
I kept hold of Rosemary’s waist; there was no way I was leaving her alone in a room full of alphas, even if they were history geeks like us. She didn’t resist, letting me pull her into the corridor before she broke away.
I glanced back through the doorway to see Paul shake himself. Another man stepped to his side, patting him sympathetically on the back.Poor thing,I thought.He was doing so well.
‘Thank you,’ Rosemary said breathlessly. ‘His eyes were glazing, did you notice?’ Tristan frowned, and she blinked. ‘Oh. Maybe it’s an omega thing.’
Tristan turned his frown to me. ‘Maybe.’
Rosemary’s eyes flickered between us. ‘I really appreciate the save,’ she said. ‘I take it you know who I am, but I’m not sure of your names.’
‘Sebastian Worthy,’ I answered at once, as if I were saying my name for roll call. ‘And this is my alpha, Tristan Grace.’
She gave a small, sweet smile. ‘It’s nice to meet you both. I’mthe omega, obviously.’ Her smile turned wry. ‘But I prefer Rose.’
‘Rose,’ I repeated, but it came out as a croon, and her cheeks turned that delicious shade of pink once more.
Tristan cleared his throat. ‘We’re going to head to the next mixer. It’s been lovely –’
‘And you’re welcome to join us,’ I interrupted, cutting Tristan off before he could dismiss her. ‘Or we can walk you back to your room.’
Her smile widened, and my heart gave an uneven thump. ‘I’d love to join you.’
Sebastianchattedeasily,asif we’d been friends for years. I answered when I could; my tongue had never felt so heavy, as if I’d somehow tied a knot in the middle of it.
He was just so fuckingpretty.
Angelicwas the word I’d use. All golden hair and bright blue eyes and perfect features, with wide shoulders and a narrow waist, as if he’d walked out of a painting and hit the gym along the way. His alpha was taller, his shoulders of a similar breadth, and he was pretty, too, but in a different way; he was guarded where Sebastian was open, severe where Sebastian was welcoming. Tristan had dark, curling hair and green eyes that shone behind vintage-style glasses, a stubborn jaw, forearms to die for, and a soft English accent that was a danger to knees everywhere. I could tell he wasn’t keen on his beta’s sudden interest in me, but it was clear he was indulgent where Sebastian was concerned. He wasn’t anything like the other alphas I’d known, but there was something about the way he carriedhimself that let me know I’d be foolish to underestimate him, an edge of dominance that sharpened the very air around us.
I inhaled, but couldn’t catch even a hint of their scents.
Frustration spilled through me. I’d bet every dollar I had that Sebastian Worthy smelled as good as he looked.
A heartbeat later, I told myself to be grateful. I was here for a degree, not a pack. His scent didn’t matter.Theirscents didn’t matter. I didn’t need to know if they were nature scents, or lifestyle scents, or food scents. I didn’tneedto know if Sebastian’s scent was as lovely as his eyes.
‘Sociology next?’ he suggested, and I shook myself, trying not to think about the weight of his arm as he settled it casually back around my waist. Sociology wasn’t for me, but I hadn’t seen another soul for two days, so I let myself be pulled towards another common room.
It was less crowded than the history mixer. A woman with a chain of bites around her neck welcomed us with a bright smile and answered Sebastian’s questions without once losing her composure. I tried not to stare at her bites – there were four different marks, at least – and pushed down the spark of jealousy that was catching in my belly.
A degree, not a pack, I reminded myself, looking away – straight into the stare of a pair of men in the corner, who were watching Sebastian and me as if we were their next meal.
I looked away immediately, rubbing the back of my neck without thinking, uncomfortable. A moment later, Tristan stepped between us and them, blocking them from my sight.
I looked up at him, surprised, but his eyes were fixed on the woman speaking to Sebastian. His expression was polite, as if nothing had happened.
I forced myself to listen to the woman with the bites. She seemed like a beta, though without scent, it was impossible to tell for sure. Alphas were easier to pick; most of them walkedaround as if they owned the place and everything in it. Sebastian had drawn the possible-beta into describing the details of the sociology curriculum, and she was smiling freely, utterly charmed by him. I shifted my weight; in response, his hand tightened on my hip.
As a touch, it was almost nothing. A warm weight on a curve of flesh, the slight pressure of fingers cupping. At the same time, it felt like a claiming.Mine, Sebastian was saying, through the gentle touch.His, I said, by letting him keep his hand there. Tristan – a still presence beside us – only solidified it with his watchful gaze and easy, ready stance.
I swallowed. That was the problem – well, one of the problems – with being an omega. No matter how capable I was, no matter how intelligent, how hard-working, how independent, my instincts still wanted a pack, and they were much less picky in their search for one than they should have been. They wanted alphas who would protect me, and betas who would worship me. They didn’t care about much outside that, working off the assumption that if an alpha or beta smelled good, that was all that mattered.
I didn’t want that. Well, Idid, but it wasn’tallthat I wanted. If I found a pack – a million years from now – I didn’t just want complementary scents. I wanted a pack I could be myself with, a pack that would value me for my brain as much as my designation.
I wantedlove.
I repressed a snort. I was more likely to find a scent match than love. Most alphas viewed omegas as vessels for their knots, and nothing more. Omegas were rare, and in some places overseas, we were prizes in state-run lotteries, given to packs like a holiday house or a shiny new car. It wasn’t that bad in Australia – we were protected by the law, if not by popular sentiment – but I’d still heard stories about kidnaps, trades, andauctions. I only had to remember my uncomfortable attempt at art school to know that those stories could have been true.
