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Me: Please
Willow: K see you tomorrow
With a sigh, I tuck the phone away in my pocket, the uneasy feeling in my stomach intensifying. Her texts are very vague and ominous. I’ll never be able to focus today, but I hate missing class. So I do the next best thing, once more pulling my phone out.
Me: Lunch meeting about that text thread.
Nash: See you then
Aubrey: For sure
We need to discuss what could possibly be going on with our omega and what we can do to help. My mind is running a mile a minute with what-ifs, and I’ll feel better if we have a conversation to make sure we’re on the same page when it comes to Willow and whatever she’s going to tell us.
Anatomy went by fast, but then I had Alpha History and Psychology, which both crept by at a snail’s pace. Now, however, it's lunchtime, and I'm sprinting toward the cafeteria, eager to satisfy my hunger and catch up with Nash and Aubrey.
I waste no time in snagging a plate and joining the line where I load up on salad and a slice of piping hot pizza. I then make a beeline for our usual table. The intense scrutiny of my pack mates' eyes is impossible to brush off as I walk toward them. It is surprising to see that even though all the students here are adults, they still exhibit judgmental and cliquey behavior, proving that these traits do not necessarily fade with age. We’re still the oddball pack, and they love to stare and whisper any chance they get.
Settling into my seat next to Aubrey and across from Nash, I can't help but release a sigh of relief. “I can’t wait to be away from this place. The people are dicks.”
“Agree. The best part is they act like they're better than us in public, but at least for me, they’re gushing over my pictures online. It’s gross. But whatever, they help pay our bills, so fuck ‘em.” Aubrey smirks before taking a bite of her chili cheese fries.
“They don’t matter,” Nash growls, his voice filled with disdain. “Willow does.”
“Something happened. She wasn’t her normal chatty self, even in those texts, and it’s not been like her to be silent for so many days,” our beta murmurs.
“Her heat was close, maybe she went into heat and rode it out alone?” Nash questions.
“Or with someone, and now she’s coming back here to tell us we’re not needed anymore,” I snap.
Aubrey's fork slips from her hand, making a sudden clatter as it hits the table. I look at her, and her eyes widen while her mouth hangs open in surprise. “You think that’s what happened?”
I let out a heavy sigh and slump in my chair, resting my head in my hands. “Ugh! I don’t know. But what are we gonna do if it did?”
“Okay, well, if she met her scent match, she wouldn’t be coming back here. She’d stay with them. So we can rule that out. Now what do we do if it was her heat, and she rode it out with someone else?” Nash takes a sip of his Coke, his voice filled with curiosity.
“We’re not bonded, so she is free to do what she wants. And while it will sting a little, knowing someone else got that with her, I’m glad she didn’t have to do it alone,” Aubrey whispers, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“I agree. But I also think we need to reiterate to her that it’s okay. We’ve only known her for a short time, and we already know how sensitive she can be when it comes to the people she cares about. We reassure her that she’s an omega, and she did what she had to do. She’s back now, and we have her again,” I tell them, and they better agree because I am already utterly obsessed with Willow. I’m not letting her go.
“Perfect, so we agree no matter what happened on her trip home, she’s still ours, and we’re hers.” Aubrey smiles and gets up to throw her trash away. When she returns, she’s still smiling. “I think we all know this isn’t temporary for us anymore, and Willow knows it, too. We should ask her to be our omega and move her to pack housing with us.”
“It also could be nothing. She told us how her dad is. It’s possible he just went right back to his overbearing, controlling ways. She might not have been allowed to message us.” Nash gathers his trash, putting it on his tray.
“True. That’s another thing us being her pack would solve. He can’t alpha her if she has us. We’d be her alphas,” I say through clenched teeth.
“Then we’ll play it by ear. We can’t do anything until our girl is home and tells us what happened. Until then, we have class this afternoon, and tonight, we should plan a dinner or something as a welcome home surprise,” Aubrey suggests.
“Good idea, babe. We’ll order her favorites in.” Nash nods in agreement as the bell rings, signaling lunch is over.
Once we've discarded our trash, I pull Aubrey close, my arm protectively draped around her as we make our way to our next class. I'm eagerly counting down the hours until tomorrow, when our girl will finally return home.
I'm eagerly anticipating the moment when I can see her beautiful face, breathe in her intoxicating scent, and savor the taste of her lips. My belly is filled with butterflies of anxiousness, wondering what could have possibly happened that had her leaving us in the dark all week. All I know is that Willow is our omega, and I’ll go to great lengths to keep her.
Chapter Eighteen
WILLOW
I fiddle with the collar of my shirt. I’m wearing a turtleneck crop top. It’s not the smartest choice considering the warm weather, but it’s the only thing I could think of that would cover the mate mark Dane left behind. If I wore a scarf, it would cause suspicion because I don’t think I’ve ever worn one in my life.
