I kept that promise. Mostly.
The old me would have destroyed him. Would have used one of those seventeen contingency plans I'd meticulously crafted. Anonymous tips about fabricated honor code violations. Planted evidence of academic dishonesty. A few keystrokes and Ben Rosen would have been not delayed buteliminatedas a threat.
But I deleted those plans. Well, archived them. In a password-protected folder. That I definitely don't open anymore.
Much.
The point is: flagging his transcript for additional verification wasn't sabotage. It was... strategic time management. Utilizing existing bureaucratic processes to give us—giveher—time to adjust before reality crashed back in.
Eight days of peace. Eight days of Vespera relaxed and smiling and not thinking about the Beta who called her "evening star." Eight days of pretending we might actually deserve her.
Worth it. Even if she figured out what I did. Even if she's angry.
My phone buzzes. Vespera, in the pack group chat.
Vespera:Ben's here. Meeting him for coffee at Common Grounds in an hour.
My hands tighten on the laptop.
Dorian:Do you want company?
Vespera:No. I need to do this alone. Explain everything. It'll be easier without you three hovering.
Oakley:We'll be here when you get back.
Vespera:I know. Thank you.
I stare at the messages. She's going to see him. Going to talk to him. Going to have coffee with the Beta who made her laugh, who kissed her on a roof in Columbus, who represents everything normal and safe that we can never be.
I shouldn't go.
My fingers are already pulling up the Common Grounds location on my tablet. Already calculating arrival time. Already justifying this as reconnaissance rather than stalking.
Information gathering. Strategic observation. Definitely not obsessive jealousy manifesting as a criminal lack of boundaries.
I grab my keys.
Thecafeisbusywhen I arrive. Students everywhere, the late afternoon rush of people needing caffeine to survive their last classes. I park across the street where I have a clear view through the large front windows.
Professional observation position. Purely tactical.
I'm not stalking. I'm... monitoring a situation that could affect pack dynamics. Completely different.
My laptop is already open on the passenger seat, providing the perfect cover. Another student working in his car because the café is too crowded. Nothing suspicious about that.
Except the part where I'm specifically positioned to watch my pack Omega meet with another man.
Details.
Through the window, Vespera arrived first—punctual, as always—and claimed a table by the window. She's wearing jeans and one of Dorian's sweaters, the blue one that makes her eyes look impossibly green. Her hair is down, curling slightly around her shoulders. She looks beautiful and nervous and I want to—
No. Observing.
Ben Rosen walks in exactly on time. I recognize him from the photos I definitely didn't obsessively study—tall for a Beta, athletic build, that easy smile that probably makes Omegas swoon. Dark hair, warm brown eyes, the kind of conventionally attractive that makes people trust him immediately.
I hate him on principle.
He spots Vespera and his entire face lights up. That's the only way to describe it—pure joy at seeing her. He crosses the caféin quick strides and before she can stand, he's pulling her into a hug.
