He made me feel so much better about everything. About accepting help, even though I was an alpha. How it was possible for Fiona to start having all her babies while I was still studying. That I did deserve love–and wasn’t a total fuckup despite what the parents told me.
Professor Clemson had heard a lot about my parents in the past year and a half. It felt a little odd at first, but he also hadn’t known Dad and Mom the way a lot of the other faculty had.
“Which puppy are you going to bring home?” his neighbor asked.
“I like this guy.” I pet the chocolate Lab puppy in my lap.
“Good choice.” The neighbor nodded. This was a cute neighborhood near the university and not far from where I’d lived with my parents.
Professor Clemson and I had spent the evening eating roast chicken and pie, going over everything, and coming up with a way that I could still get away with only spending a couple of days on campus even if I had to do my research.
Part of me still hoped that I’d manage to get a lab. Professor Clemson sent out a lot of inquiries. Maybe Grace found something.
My phone hadn’t gone off lately. I’d turned it back on when I changed trains and assured my pack I was fine.
Oh shit. It was off again? Out of power maybe? I didn’t have a charging cord with me, but there was one in my room.
“Thanks for believing in me,” I added.
“It’s too bad that people as brilliant as your parents can’t see everything you’ve accomplished, but that’s their loss.”
“I should probably get going. I’d like this one. How much are you asking?” I didn’t want to assume the puppy was free.
“You can have him. He’s had his checkup and is ready to go home with you. Do you want to take him tonight?” the neighborasked.
“Sounds good. Hi there. Tomorrow we’ll go to New York and meet my mates.” I kissed his nose. “They are going to love you so much.”
“Hale, you’ll want to see if there are procedures for taking a dog on a train. You might need a pet ticket or a carrier,” Professor Clemson added.
“Oh, we have a spare carrier you can have.” The neighbor left and returned with a puppy carrier along with some food and toys.
“Thank you so much,” I replied. Later, I’d ask my professor what I could do for them, since I probably shouldn’t give them drugs.
Professor Clemson, his kids, the puppy, and I returned to his place. My professor said his mate would make them a pie on my behalf. I thanked her, said goodbye to his pack, and accepted some leftovers. Getting in my old truck, I drove over to Briar University, parking in the lot closest to the science building.
Using my codes, I went into the building. Nobody would think anything of it if they checked the log, because I often came and went at odd hours. Plenty of us did.
My main stash wasn’t in my usual lab locker. There was a ‘hidden’ lab and locker room in the basement. It was part of the old science building and now could only be accessed from a door behind the radiator. Mercy and I found it when we were kids. She was really good at finding hidden shit.
I wasn’t the only person who used it. Though being let in on the secret had some prestige to it. We’d also added locks and improvements over the years. The faculty knew it was there. As long as no bad shit happened, everyone was fine with us using it. Sometimes we’d even find some of them down there.
In the locker room, I found my beautiful stash. I put it all in my bag. In the lab, I unlocked my lab station and took the rest. I’d used up most of my raw ingredients amassing this stash. Originally, I had planned on selling it to Clegg, and maybe some other people,to help cover this semester’s extra expenses.
The puppy watched curiously. I’d let the pack name him.
We got back in my truck and drove to the little house I rented a bed in. This neighborhood wasn’t nearly as nice as where I’d grown up, but close to the university. There were nine of us living there, all guys, all alphas, and all science majors. It could be a lot. But I’d needed a place to live, and they were my friends and classmates anyway.
The house was empty. More than half of the house went home for winter break. I found the new key exactly where Tad told me, and let myself inside.
The place smelled like nobody had cleaned the bathrooms since I’d left.
Going into my room, I opened the window and plugged in my phone. The drugs went under the floorboards of my bed in case the party bandits came back.
I let the puppy explore in an area where he wouldn’t eat anything of consequence as I put the leftovers away. The kitchen made me groan. So gross. I did the dishes, wiped down the counters, cleaned out the fridge, and mopped the floor. Then I cleaned the bathroom I used, because I wanted to take a shower later.
My phone had turned on and was full of messages, including my mates–and Tad inviting me to the party.
I called Carlos.
