TRACK STAR
My arms feel like they move in a rhythmic motion as my legs move as fast as they can carry me around the track. I jump over the hurdles, pushing myself to go faster. The news I received today has me trying to burn away sadness.
Nana Beana is sick. The doctors aren’t sure she’ll get better. My father is a doctor. He often travels abroad to help those less fortunate. Mom travels with him since retiring last year. She was in tears when she called about her mother. Said she was rushing home to be with her. My mother had been a workaholic throughout her career. She needs to stay on that vacation. I told her I’d transfer and watch over Nana. I’d FaceTime with Mom so she can talk to Nana.
Nana Beana had been there for me all my life. The least I could do is help out. In my gut I knew I shouldn’t have left home. But I was bitter for what happened in high school.
The time at Lexington University in Florida had definitely been an experience. I always wanted to attend Greywood University. I gave up my track scholarship to escape them. Coach DE ‘Oliver was ecstatic I was transferring there. He said I could run track at Greywood. Luckily, he still wanted me on the team. I’m done running away from my problems. I thought Lexington would be a good fit. Not at all. There were some shady things happening at that school. I’m happy to attend the school I had planned to attend originally.
I’ll hold my head high and attend my classes. I will no longer let them ruin my life. Greywood is my town as much as it is theirs. Well, in the sense I was born there. Their fathers run Greywood. I come from a good home. We weren’t rich butI never wanted for anything. They on the other hand are filthy rich.
If my grandmother’s time is running out, I want to be by her side.
A faint smile tugs at the corners of my lips as I clutch my knees, struggling to steady my breathing. But the memory of Lionel’s attempt washes the smile away.
Right in the middle of lunch, my body betrayed me. Alpha eyes locked onto me from every nearby table.
My scent, jasmine, lavender, and apples, swirled around me like a magnet. The Alphas growled and purred, stirring strange reactions inside me. I bolted from the table, desperate to reach my dorm. Every Alpha I passed looked as if they wanted to claim me then and there. My heat was due in roughly three weeks. I couldn’t afford to go into it here.
Outside my room stood a short, stocky man in a hoodie.
“Casey’s not here,” I said firmly.
His dark brown eyes met mine.
My eyes widened, and my heart sank to my feet. “Lionel.”
“I’m here for you, little omega.”
I cast a quick look down the hallway. For the first time in what feels like forever, it’s completely empty. Slowly, I edge backward. He closes the distance, pressing me hard against the wall.
“You smell fucking incredible, omega,” he snarls through clenched teeth.
He yanks my coils and crashes his mouth onto mine. Panic surges as I fumble for the key in my pocket.
“Get away from me!” I shout.
“I’m going to knot you right now,” he growls.
With a surge of desperation, I drive my knee up hard, smashing him in the balls. He collapses, clutching himself in agony.
I slam the key into the lock and twist the door open, then lock it tight behind me. Dizzy and shaking, I scramble for the scent suppressants, popping two immediately. My hand finds the heavy wrench tucked in the nightstand. I brace for the sound of pounding on the door, but there’s only an eerie silence. Exhaling sharply, I resolve that once I’m back home and classes start, I’ll sign up for the heat clinic.
Someday, I hope to find strong alphas who will love and protect me.
***
I enter the house. “Nana,” I call out.
“We’re in her bedroom,” Nurse Vita yells.
I drop my luggage and stalk toward Nana’s room.
“Hi Nurse Vita.”
Her slanted eyes kick up. “Hello Harper. I’m drawing Beana’s blood.”
My parents brought Vita on fulltime when Nana’s health declined.
