From what Sabs said, her older brother sounds like he’d be the last person to prey on a vulnerable omega.
Kady laughs. “Aw, our kitty has claws. I’d love to have seen Laz’s face!”
“I bet he hates me now.” I cringe in embarrassment. “I wasn’t myself.”
“Oh, don’t worry about Laz.” Sabs taps my thighs with her feet. “He’s pretty chill and can take care of himself. I’m sure he was more worried about upsetting you.”
I nod feebly as Delilah retrieves the cookies.
“Here, have one.” She offers me the plate. “I didn’t have time to bake anything, so I stopped by Springflour Bakery in Forestville on the way over.”
I gratefully take a nibble of a buttery edge.
“Now’s probably a good time to make sure you know about heat safety protocols on campus.” Kady draws my attention away from the scrumptious cookie.
“Oh god, can you make it sound any more boring?” Sabs groans. “I’m sure Faye has already read the handbook. I made sure she got all the leaflets. I’m not that bad of an RA, you know.”
“There’s a wellness center on campus.” I go through the mental checklist I’ve made. Wellness centers—similar to heat clinics—are safe places I can go to on campus if a heat happens unexpectedly. Few omegas choose to use them, unless they’re really desperate and it’s an emergency, as they’d prefer to be in their own nest. “Alphas can’t enter OV. Well, most alphas.” I push aside thoughts of Laz. “There are dedicated omega-only areas in campus bars.” I count them on my fingers. “All classrooms—greenhouse excluded—are pumped with scent neutralizers to avoid any distractions. There are separate omega-only areas in the gym too.”
“See?” Sabs grins. “She’s read the material!”
Kady grumbles impatiently. “I mean, the stuff that isn’t in the manual.”
I look around for a notebook and pen. “Should I take notes?”
Kady’s eyes light up. “I mean, you could?—”
“No, you don’t need to take notes,” Sabs cuts her off. “That’s just Kady being Kady.”
“The first rule is you shouldn’t leave Omega Village at night alone unless you’re in a vehicle,” Kady launches into an explanation. “Alphas can get pretty rowdy after a few drinks, especially the sports teams. If you’re ever looking for a heat buddy, there are loads of apps you can use like Heater and Scent Swipe, but the best one on campus is Scent Valley Match.”
“A heat buddy?”
“An alpha to get you through your heat, if you want to take a pause on your suppressants,” Delilah answers. Although suppressants keep heat at bay, many omegas choose to take a break now and then to reset their bodies. When you’ve taken them for a long time, you run the risk of your heat being extra intense when you come off them. “But you have to make sure you trust the alpha. Some are so desperate to get an omega that they sign up to the app only to bite an omega then claim her when she’s not in her right mind.”
“I don’t think I’ll be looking for a heat buddy.” I suppress a shudder.
I guess I’m a romantic at heart because, if I’m ever knotted by an alpha, I’d like it to mean something.
“That’s probably a good thing,” Kady says. “A sweet little thing like you would be an easy target for taggers and bite-jackers.”
They’re crude nicknames for alphas who bite without consent. Taggers want to bite and claim as many omegas as possible, chasing the high of each bond. Bite-jackers are assholes who purposefully plan to bite a specific target in order to tie an omega to them forever. Both hunt their victims during heats when an omega is at their most vulnerable.
“We also have a heat alarm code that we use in our chat,” Delilah adds. “We really should’ve told you that before now.”
“Not a bad RA, huh?” Kady glares pointedly at Sabs who hangs her head, having the decency to look ashamed.
“If you’re going into heat, we give each other a heads up by putting fire emojis in our group chat, anything from one to five, depending on the heat’s intensity.” Kady leans forward, elbows on her knees. “Let us know if you’re going to disappear into a heat cabin for a few days, and try to check in every day, if you can, so we know you’re not dead. Especially considering what happened last year.”
“I told you I forgot to charge my phone!” Delilah sighs. “And I was a little busy…”
“She got knotted by a rockstar,” Sabs explains. “Who turned out to be a total asshole, for the record.”
My eyes widen.
Delilah sighs. “I’m sure Faye doesn’t want to hear about my train wreck of a love life.”
“Do you have plans to join a pack, Faye?” Kady changes the subject quickly.
