Page 76 of Begrudgingly Yours
“I’m sorry, sir, but no,” I reply because I’m too pissed off to consider it.
“I don’t understand where this is coming from,” he says candidly. “Rory is an incredible actress. She has wonderful potential. What exactly is this about?”
His compliment of her throws me off guard. “It’s about how you make her feel like nothing she does isgood enough. It’s about how you gave her the lead role but continue to question every ounce of creativity she puts into her character.”
Professor Chapman doesn’t move a muscle. “I’m a director, I’m supposed todirecther. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Thereissomething wrong with it when you make her feel like she only got the role because she’s an omega. When you constantly make biased comments about her designation and how she’s not playing an omega well enough. How do you think that makes her feel? As anactualomega. Who knows what an omega is more than her?”
The coward puts his hands up, like he’s expecting the big mean alpha to hit him. “Oh,” I say. “You don’t know anything about other designations, do you?”
“I beg your pardon,” he says, astounded.
I huff a laugh. “You only know what people think other designations are. Omegas… soft, demure, quiet people. Alphas, big brutes,violent.”
He flinches. “No, I’m not like that.”
“Then why are you constantly trying to get Rory to soften up her character?”
He shakes his head, unable to respond. Maybe he’s still scared of me, or maybe he’s just a coward in confrontation. There’s no way to tell. Still, I sit in the chair across from him and put my bag on the floor.
“Professor Chapman. Rory loves acting. She wants to do well at all facets of it, and your class was meant to help her feel confident in stage acting. But instead, you’re knocking her choices at every turn and you’re being a bully.”
“You have some nerve to come in here and talk to me like this, young man,” he says, finally toughening his resolve. “Who are you anyway? Does Rory even know you’re doing this?”
“I am her alpha,” I sigh, and the declaration makes his eyes widen. It makes me feel some type of way, too, because this isthe first time I’ve said it out loud, but I know it more innately than anything else.
Even if she decides she doesn’t want to be my omega, I am her alpha.Always. It’s the most honest thing I can ever be.
“And you may not see what you’re doing is wrong, but it is. I come to you as a courtesy. I bet this conversation would go a lot differently if the dean was involved.” I let the implication linger there, and by the way his eyes snapped open with fury, I’d say he understood it.
“And now you’rethreateningme?—”
“Sir, I am simply asking you to be the professional that you’ve agreed to be when you signed up to teach here.” I stand up and put my bag back on my shoulder. “Rewire what you know about other designations. Do your research. Not only will your relationships with your students improve, but this might help your career.”
I don’t wait to hear what else he has to say as I turn to leave the office. I’m boiling deep down, and I fear if he says something smart that I may snap and prove him right about alphas after all.
THIRTY-SIX
“Here you go.” Dax opens up the take-out bag he’s been carrying and hands me the box. Even though we’re outside, I immediately recognize the scent. It’s the best cheeseburger in all of Massachusetts.
“Why am I not surprised that you’re the one that spoils me?” I say to him, gladly taking it in my hands. I cross my legs underneath the picnic table to get comfortable before opening up the box to dig in. The aroma of spices immediately hits my nostrils and causes me to bite back a moan.
“I’d do anything for you and you know that,” he quips. “Like, if you asked me to get down on my knees, I would do it. Even if the gravel tore me up and I got grass stains on my new Levi’s, I would still do it to see that wicked gleam in your eye.”
Said gleam springs up immediately. “What a dirty alpha.”
Dax chuckles. “Both figurativelyandliterally.”
I know I’m teasing him about spoiling me, but I honestly didn’t expect this type of date from him. When he texted me to ask if I wanted to have a little picnic on campus in between classes, I was surprised that it was his name next to it. It’s a veryhappy surprise, and being with him in this casual setting makes him appear a lot more human to me.
Because,seriously, he is sex on a stick.
It’s been the most relaxing Friday, and Dax’s presence makes that even more apparent. The only thing I have left to do today is survive another rehearsal, which is already giving me anxiety despite the calming day.
I’m not sure how much more of Professor Chapman’s shit I can take. I like to think that I’m a pretty tough omega, but even I have limits.
I shake those thoughts from my head as I return to my date, noticing that Dax has an entire steak in front of him.
