“If you don’t get the fuck away from my omegas, I’ll ask Tyler to put you on a fucking leash.”
A flicker of fear fills his eyes before he scurries away like a dog with his tail caught between his legs.
“Tyler’s his pack leader,” the girl explains. “Sorry about that.” A genuine smile pulls at her lips. “I promise, not all alphas at SVU are creeps like him. He’s delu-lu and thinks that every omega is only here to find a mate.” She holds out her hand. “I’m Sabrina, but everyone calls me Sabs. I’m one of the omega RAs.”
“I’m Faye.” I still feel a little shaken and am already questioning my decision to enroll. I thought college would be a good way to meet more people—especially from other designations. But maybe I shouldn’t have come. It would have been easier to stay in my sleepy village, working in the safety of Gram’s teashop.
“What house are you assigned to?” she asks.
“I’m in…” In all the commotion, I’ve already forgotten. I fumble around for the envelope with my keys that says the name on it. “Stella House.”
Her face breaks into a dazzling smile. “That’s my house too! You’re going to love it.” She talks quickly, like she’s so excited she can’t wait to get the words out. “Let me show you the way. We can take a cart. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like you’ll pass out if you have to carry that bag for much longer.”
I smile meekly, following Sabs to a row of golf carts. “It’s been a long trip.”
“Most people use these to get around in a hurry,” she tells me as she chooses one.
Relief instantly loosens my muscles when I shed my load. After securing my bag, she gets into the driver’s seat then speeds away at full pelt, making me cling onto the seat to avoid being thrown out at the first bend.
Despite the bumpy ride, I’m too captivated to speak as I take in the gorgeous campus. It’s even nicer than the brochures and pictures I saw online.
We follow a tree-lined path, zipping past magnificent, red brick buildings with ivy climbing up their sides. Each of them has signs for different faculty names, so I’m guessing this is where the classrooms are. We pass a vast library with a glass front, an intriguing steel structure that Sabs informs me is the engineering building, and a gym which she says has an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Students laze around on the lawns, reading books or socializing underneath trees.
“This is the main street.” Sabs swings a left onto a busy road lined with shops and cafes. She slows to point out various popular hangouts. “Bouncing Bunna makes the best coffee. Did you know that ‘bunna’ is what they call coffee in Ethiopia? That’s where they get their beans imported from, and they’re ground fresh daily. Nora’s Nest Nook has the best nesting supplies and the coziest blankets around. There’s Sunshine Pharmacy. They have the best scent blockers. You’ll find everything you need right here. Obviously, you can still go into town if you need anything else, but most students don’t even leave campus.”
I can see why. Campus is basically its own city.
“That’s the alpha quad.” Sabs motions toward another road as we fork off to the left. “Each pack has a different house. They used to do co-pack living, but honestly, the fights got out of hand with all those alpha hormones flying around.”
“Are there many fights now?” I nervously play with the stitching on my floral sundress, where I recently mended a small hole.
“Just typical alpha-hole behavior and dick measuring contests,” she snickers. “You know, the usual.”
I want to say that I don’t really know what the usual is when it comes to alphas, but I stay quiet.
“Don’t worry, Faye. You’re safe here,” she side-eyes me, presumably sensing my unease. “SVU takes omega safety seriously. It’s a great place to be. You’ll see.”
I nod. If she says so…
As we continue driving, I look across to see a sparkling, crystal-blue lake. Around its edges are breathtaking houses, right on the sand.
“Wow,” I sigh.
“Amazing, right? We call it Bonded Beach because those houses are strictly for bonded packs. A lot of packs choose to leave campus accommodations after they bond, but some choose to stay while they’re studying because it’s convenient. They can apply to the dean to live in one of the beach houses. Although I don’t get why they need a lake view. I’m sure they spend most of their days in their nests.”
I can’t imagine what being bonded would be like. What would it feel like to be tied to an alpha, or an entire pack, forever?
“If you keep following the beachfront, you’ll see apartment blocks in the distance. Those are the beta dorms,” she continues. “It’s a constant party down there! I know everyone thinks that this place is just full of alphas and omegas because of SVU’s inclusive policies, but that’s not true. We have some of the best creative art and science programs in the country, so there are plenty of betas too. You probably already know that, though. Ah!” Sabs honks, screeching to a halt before we slam into the family of wild geese blocking our path. “Scram!”
Once they’ve finally moved, we carry on. Other carts whizz around us, going in various directions, piled up with suitcases and bags. Sabs also points out a packed bus with the SVU logo trundling past that is on its way to the beta dorms.
“The campus bus travels on a continuous loop all day. Everything is walkable, but if you’re running late to class, it sure comes in handy. There’s also another bus that runs a few times a day that you can catch from outside Bouncing Bunna that goes into Forestville, the nearest town.”
I notice other golf carts veer off at other turnoffs, but we keep going. We’re getting farther away from the hub of campus. The number of buildings thin out, and tall pines line the streets, giving the illusion that we’re out in the middle of the forest. Finally, tall silver gates come into view ahead.
“This is Omega Village, where all unbonded omegas stay,” Sabs declares. “The gates are monitored around the clock. Alphas are banned from OV, aside from a few rare exceptions. Alphas courting omegas tend to hang out in their pack house, or they rent a cabin in the mountains.”
Omega Village is one of the main reasons I chose to study at SVU. That and the fact that they only accept students over the age of twenty-one. I like the idea of living somewhere where I don’t have to worry about an alpha showing up when I’m drinking my morning coffee. I cringe at the thought of the co-designation dorms at other colleges and some of the horror stories I’ve heard—alcohol-fueled mistaken bonding, ruts gone wrong… They’re disasters waiting to happen.
