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I blinked, completely off balance as a slender beta male stopped at our booth, laden with textbooks. He placed them on the table, his eyes darting between the two of us as he swept mouse brown curls aside. “Is this all who’ll be here today?” he asked.
At my side, Dusk cocked his head, assessing the beta carefully.
“I’m Bolin,” he stammered, clearly thrown by Dusk’s coldness. “They should have told you. I’m assigned to assist your pack. These are your textbooks, but if you need any extra help in your studies?—”
“Leave them there.” Dusk cut him off.
He swallowed with a quick nod, pale cheeks going pink. “O-okay… But I do have to give you my number, in case any of the pack needs anything.”
Dusk looked unimpressed as Bolin typed his number into his phone.
I sat with that for a while after Bolin left, before curiosity finally got the better of me. “Help with studies?”
“Elite packs come here for prestige. Qualifications that elevate them even above other alphas. But you don’t think this school turns out qualified scientists,lawyers…?” He waved his hand dismissively.
I peered up at him, confirming that truly was humour in his eyes.
“How much help?”
“I’m sure Bolin would do more thanhelp, if that’s what Ransom’s wealth demanded.”
“But… these are accelerated programs,” I said. “They’re sending people into important roles—they have medical and surgical classes. You can’t just… cheat if you want to go on and be a surgeon.”
Dusk’s half smile might have been bitter, except hewasone of the elite alphas in a position to take advantage of exactly that. He didn’t say anything else though, tugging the pile of books toward us and sifting through them.
“These look dull as fuck,” he noted. He flipped one open,Arkology Studies, Vol.2, and skimmed it with scowl. “You know, the whole academy thing sounded tolerable and shit, but now we have to do this crap?” He leaned back, butI ignored him. My eyes were caught on the textbook, darting past line after line. The clinical words were soothing to read. I’d always loved reading Uncle’s textbooks, though he hadn’t liked me touching his Arkology ones.
It wasn’t until I caught Dusk giving me a curious look that I leaned back, averting my eyes. But as the lecture started—if it could be called that, since it was mostly an introduction to the semester—I couldn’t help dropping my eyes back to the text.
In tiny sips, I drank in the whole page. Then, when Dusk excused himself to the bathroom, I dove in, scanning page after page after page, a spark of joy in my veins—until he came back.
When the lecture was over, I made to stand with everyone else, but Dusk caught me by the waist.
“We’re going to wait here,” he said. “Though, I’d like it if you were on my lap.”
I shot him a hateful look. “I don’t have to do shit that you say,” I hissed.
“You don’t,” he said with a shrug. “No rules, remember. So maybe it’s better if you don’t deny me. I’m not above forcing those perfect lips of yours back over my cock tonight. Do you think Umbra would like to watch this time?”
I stared, but there was no depth to the depravity in those glittering eyes, and I believed him.
I didn’t even know why he’d chosen now; we’d be leaving soon. But I slid reluctantly closer, biting back my snarl as he tugged me onto his lap.
People filtered by, and he tucked my hair behind my ear, arm winding around my waist. Hewantedthe stares that came our way from the other packs and students.He wanted them to know I was claimed. It was why he wanted to wait.
At least, that’s what I thought, until a familiar voice sounded to our right.
“Dusk Varis?”
My gaze snapped up in shock, heat flooding my cheeks as I found myself staring up into Eric Harrington’s rich green eyes. My heart tripped, and I tried desperately to shift away from Dusk as his grip became almost painful.
“Spare us a minute?” he asked, eyes sliding between us.
Flynn was there at his side, Gareth too, and a scent of fir tree and orange, reminding me of Christmas, caught my attention. My heart lodged in my throat as I saw Roxy Vasilli’s fingers woven into Flynn’s.
Oh damn.
She got aChristmasscent?
