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Stooping down, Will’s lips brushed across my temple. “What are you thinking about?”
Well, I couldn’t say foreplay, so I just said the first thing that popped into my head. “That sixteen-year-old me would have loved to be in this position. If you hadn’t left, would this have been our life already?”
“I don’t know, Zaley. I had the biggest fucking crush on you when I was a kid. When you first turned up, we got in more brawls about who’d get to marry you than anything else. I saw you first, but Xander was the better fighter.” He smiled wistfully, and then his expression turned sad. “We had to go. I can regret that as much as I’d like now, but I wouldn’t change it. You needed space to grow, and the Alpha didn’t want to give you an inch. He wanted to make you his, wanted to make you a home, a nest, mark your pretty skin until you’d never even contemplate leaving. That wouldn’t have been fair.” Sighing, he kissed the top of my head again. “We made the right choice.”
I didn’t know which one of us he was trying to convince.
CHAPTEREIGHT
I satin the passenger seat of Xander’s truck, my leg bobbing up and down as my body tingled with nerves. We were outside the auditorium where I’d be sitting my first exam, and I swear, every person who walked past looked at me like they knew I was an Omega. They stared extra hard, or their face twitched.
Or maybe I was being paranoid and they were just checking out Xander, who looked extra delicious today—which also wasn’t helping me be calm at all.
“Do you want me to quiz you?”
I shook my head. It was too late now; my brain was stuffed full of precedents and procedures, and I was worried one more piece of information might topple it all into radio static.
“Do you want something to eat? A bottle of water?”
Another shake. I just wanted to go in, get the words down on paper and get back out of there. I had my last three exams this week. Three exams until I could officially sit for the bar. Until I could officially be licensed to practice in both Canada and the US under the Accords.
I just had to jump this hurdle. It didn’t matter if I had to be a small-town lawyer rather than practicing in Calgary like I wanted—at least it wouldn’t be all for nothing. I’d focused on Family Law due to my background, and honestly, those were the types of cases I’d most likely get in Last Chance.
“Want me to make you come? An orgasm might relieve the stress,” Xander deadpanned, and I whipped my head toward the driver’s seat, my eyes wide. I mock-frowned at the smug smile on his face.
An alarm on my phone beeped, telling me it was time to get my ass into gear. “You’re lucky I don't have time,” I huffed, gathering my stuff to my chest. We’d organized it down to the wire, so I wasn’t hanging around in the crowd waiting for the doors to open, but I wasn’t wasting precious exam moments either. I looked over at Xander, hoping I didn’t look as stressed as I felt. “Wish me luck.”
He grabbed my arm, pulling me closer and kissing me softly, just a gentle press of his full lips on mine. “You don’t need luck, Zaley. You are the smartest, most stubborn, bravest person I know. You’ve got this.”
My eyes welled with tears, and I blinked them away. I nodded once, not trusting my voice as I climbed out of the car. I didn’t look back as I strode toward the exam room, because if I did, I might burst into tears.
I had this. My hormones might be haywire, but my brain was sharp. I’d studied hard; I’d revised. I knew this shit.
There were still people milling about as they funneled into the exam room. I knew there were several courses being examined at the same time. Our campus wasn’t huge, but the corridor outside the room was bustling.
“Omega,” someone growled, and I froze. An Alpha, my senses told me.
Be cool, Zaley. Be fucking cool. Pretend you didn’t hear him. Don’t fucking look.
I kept my eyes trained on the door, trying to make my whole body relaxed, like I didn’t have a care in the world. Like the scent of an Alpha wasn’t washing over me right now. I’d just assumed there wouldn’t be any other designated people in my exam, because, you know, practicing law would be illegal and no one in their right mind would waste their money pursuing it.
Though here I was, so maybe I wasn’t the only one who’d been derailed by fate late in life. Stupid. I was so stupid.
Finally, I was inside the room, and I headed to a table right at the back, in the corner. I would be able to see everyone who came in, and I felt safer with no one at my back. My skin felt both hot and cold, and I wasn’t sure how that was possible.
The examiner up the front was saying something, but I couldn’t hear it over the rush of blood in my ears. After a few moments, everyone around me opened their booklets and started, and I followed suit. The words danced across the page, and I shook my head to focus.
I started writing, though I didn’t know what. It was a stream of consciousness answer or something, rote repetition, because I couldn’t even see the words. Was there something in my eyes? The buzzing in my ears was getting worse. Maybe it was a stroke?
Pain hit me in the stomach, and I curled over.
What the fuck?
I kept writing, but the throbbing pain only intensified, and a moan escaped my lips. I panted through my teeth until it passed, my pen snapping under my hands.
“Omega,” someone whispered beside me.
I looked up into a pair of brilliant blue eyes. His scent hit me like a freight train again.
