I shuffle awkwardly, shifting weight from one foot to the other. “Um…”
After my encounter at the bar, I completely forgot why I left the apartment in the first place. I screw up my nose, remembering that Hale sent me on a mission to buy basic groceries. I was on my way when I spotted Victoria through a window. Her silvery-blonde hair shone against the neon lights of the dive bar, almost giving her the appearance of having a halo. Her angelic appearance contradicted her quiet rage as she shredded a piece of paper. I couldn’t resist talking to her, eager to find out what had whipped the gorgeous omega into a fury. Obviously, I didn’t expect our meeting to end up how it did.
“This may be a new record.” Hale massages his temples in exasperation. “Even for you, Ezra.”
I can’t deny that I enjoy female attention, and I’m no stranger to casual hookups, but this time feels different.
“Hey!” I object. “In my defense, she?—”
“An omega!” Calder throws his arms up. “While we were working hard, you were out knotting a random omega? We just got here! Couldn’t you have at least waited until after we unpacked?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I didn’t knot her.” What I don’t tell them is that holding back was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
“Calm down, Cal,” Hale says. “Let’s hear him out.”
“Well?” Calder taps his foot. “I’m listening.”
“An alpha was acting like a jerk, so I stepped in to help her,” I shrug. “Should I have told her to wait because my type A packmate wanted me to help him unwrap plates?”
Calder crosses his arms, unconvinced. It’s not entirely a lie. I did step in to help Victoria with the sleazy alpha at the bar… after we’d already started speaking and despite her being able to handle herself just fine.
Hale’s eyebrows lower. “What happened with the other alpha?”
“She punched him in the nose.” I grin proudly, replaying the scene in my head and wishing I had it on film. “Then we left. Don’t worry, I didn’t have to lay hands on the guy.”
“An omega who knows how to use her fists. That’s different.” Hale laughs. “And she smells good too.” His nostrils flare. “Really good.”
Hale’s our pack leader and a balancing force. He makes decisions in a firm yet fair way without being controlling, and he takes the responsibility seriously. A little too seriously sometimes. No one can be perfect, even though he tries to be.
“Who cares how she smells?” Calder’s words spill out in a rush, barely stopping to come up for air. “It’s the principle that matters! We just arrived, and already the pack lothario is screwing some omega brawler.”
“The guy was lucky to get away with just a broken nose,” I mumble.
“This is a small town, Ezra. People talk!” Calder snaps. “First impressions count. How will the dean react if he finds out you were caught up in a brawl?”
Despite Calder’s tirade, my lips quirk up at the corners. I haven’t seen him this rattled for ages. He only gets this worked up when he feels strongly about something, and based on his dilated pupils, I’m guessing Victoria’s lingering scent is getting under his skin as much as she got under mine. She smellsincredible—an addictive frosty freesia, with white tea, a twist of bergamot, and a vanilla-floral warmth underneath.
“Go easy on him, Calder,” Hale warns, trying to keep the peace. When he’s trying to make a point, he’s like a dog with a bone. “It’s been a long day. We all need to let off some steam.”
“Can you at least shower, Ezra?” Calder huffs. “We don’t want the neighbors to start gossiping about how we’ve already had an omega over. The old lady in the apartment above has already stopped by twice to scout us out and report back to her friends about the new pack in town.”
“I’m sure our nosy neighbor would love the opportunity to spread some news about Forestville’s newest residents.” I rake a hand through my locs. “You should be thanking me for not bringing the omega back here.”
“At least you had the sense to go to her place,” Calder replies before his eyes expand comically. “You did go to her place, right?” His lips press into a firm line. He can read me too well. “Oh no. Where? A cab? The bar?” He waits a few seconds, slapping his forehead. “On the street? Jesus! I can imagine the headlines now… New SVU professor caught with his pants down!”
Calder is studying investigative journalism and is in his final year. He’ll be starting at SVU tomorrow—another reason why we decided my taking this job would be a good move. Because of Calder’s tenacity to find a good story, he’s always thinking of the worst-case scenario and how something could be spun into a scandal. Although on this occasion, he does have a point. I was so caught up in the moment, I didn’t think about any possible consequences.
“You should be more discreet, Ezra,” Hale mutters. I’d feel bad about the tinge of disappointment on his face if I weren’t still buzzing from my interaction with Victoria. “You’re in aposition of responsibility now. The last thing you want is to bring another scandal to SVU.”
I don’t dare tell them that Victoria is a reporter. Otherwise, I’m certain Calder will spontaneously combust.
“I know.” I nod. “I’ll be more careful next time.”
Tomorrow, I start my new position as a health botany professor. For the last few years, I’ve been contributing to research papers and publishing my own books while completing my Ph.D. I would’ve been perfectly content with continuing my research, writing, and tending to plants alone. However, Hale’s father has a connection to Dean Rivers, and when he reached out about the job, I felt compelled to take it. There are few experts in the field of health botany who are interested in teaching, and though I only finished my Ph.D. last year, I figured it was worth a try. My only stipulations upon acceptance were transfers for Riven and Calder—who are still finishing their master’s degrees—and negotiating a job for Calder at the college paper. Hale can work remotely from anywhere, so the decision was easy.
“Where’s Riven?” I change the subject.
“Setting up his telescope.” Hale points at the wall. “And his computers.”
