Chapter 1
Flora
Iwas late.
Verylate.
Cursing, I rummaged around my desk, desperately hunting for the notebook I needed—the one with cute little strawberries all over it. It had been on sale at the start of the year, and I couldn't resist buying it. My notebook obsession, combined with my strawberry obsession? I stood no chance. My nest had a few strawberry-shaped pillows inside it, and I had found myself inexplicably drawn to the notebook.
I was an omega through and through; my nest was my happy place, and I liked having reminders of my space where I was most comfortable as I went about my day. If there had been an option to get my degree online, I never would have left my nest, other than going on the odd snack run because chocolate was a must.
Sadly, my classes were in-person only, so I had to face the world on a regular basis. Zero out of ten. I didnotrecommend.
With an irritated huff, I moved a few more pieces of paper around my desk before slamming down my ceramic lemondesk ornament, amid the clutter. I grabbed my book bag and turned away. I would have to find the notebook later. After picking a plain, grey alternative, I shoved it into my bag, grumbling to myself. Though it was a tiny inconvenience, creature of habit that I was, it would irritate me all day long. I just knew it. For some reason I had a bad tendency to forget where I had put things; it was one of the things I hated most about myself. I hadn’t even realized how bad it was until I was living on my own and kept finding my keys where I was sure I hadn’t left them.
I didn't even bother to brush my hair before leaving my room; I simply threw it into a messy bun, shoved on a pair of flats, and rushed out the door. Usually, I would at least check my appearance in a mirror before leaving, but my search for the strawberry notebook had made me even later than I already was. There was no time for vanity. I had opted to wear a pleated skirt, a camisole, and a soft cardigan I had bought at a thrift store shortly after arriving in California.
Besides, it wasn't as if anyone would notice me. I tended to keep to myself. When I had moved halfway across the country after receiving a scholarship to Avalon University, I'd assumed I would make plenty of friends. However, within two weeks of starting classes, I’d become overwhelmed with the workload, and my social life had fallen to the wayside.
That didn't bother me too much. I hadn’t exactly been a social butterfly, as it was.
With my cardigan wrapped around myself tightly to protect from the brisk, chilly air, I began the thirty-minute trek toward campus. I had thought California was always warm, and while, yes, it was considerably hotter than the Midwest, it wasn't as bad as I had been led to believe.
Ideally, I would have attended a university closer to home,but Avalon was the only college that had offered me a scholarship. My parents, while supportive of my love of math, didn't understand why I wanted to spend several years studying. They were from a small town, where they had met, mated at eighteen, and then got pregnant with my older brother by the end of their honeymoon.
As the building finally came into sight, I picked up my pace, heading straight past the coffee cart and into the classroom, taking my usual spot in one of the middle rows. Sitting at the front or back made you stand out—I wanted to blend in.
I made it just in time.
The class was already full. Advanced statistics was a predominantly male subject, and there was a mix of alphas and betas. Some of the alphas sat with their pack mates.
I wasn’t opposed to the idea of mating and having a pack. I wanted to be part of a pack, but it had to be therightpack. Many alphas in my hometown wanted stereotypical omegas who were desperate to be a homemaker, to have babies immediately after the “I do,” and to settle down right away. I wouldneverjudge an omega for going after what they wanted. If another omega out there enjoyed that life, then good for them, and I hoped they found it.
I just wanted to chase after a few more intellectual pursuits first.
My nest and my numbers, for the moment, were all I needed to be content.
Since childhood, I had been obsessed with numbers. They were black and white and made sense. During high school, I aced all my numbers-based subjects. Unfortunately, that led to a lot of teasing from teenage alphas. My mother had insisted it was just playful and the alphas secretly liked me, but taunts andteasing were how they showed their emotions, and I wanted nothing to do with them.
Hiding out in the bathroom had almost become an extracurricular activity for me during high school, and then, when puberty hit, and it became painfully obvious I was an omega, suddenlya lotof my male classmates were interested in me.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of attention. I preferred to blend into the background. My mother hoped and prayed I would come back from my first semester at college already bonded and ready to settle down, but, of course, I had sorely disappointed her in that regard. Going unnoticed didn’t score me invites to pack dates.
After pulling out my textbook and notes, I pouted internally at the dull gray notebook I had been forced to grab because I couldn’t find my preferred one, a wave of frustration washing over me. The notebook felt like a constant reminder of my last-minute scramble to get organized this morning.
As I arranged a few of my pens, a familiar alpha passed me.Percy Garnett.
He was a hockey player, so people tended to stay quiet and watchful whenever he entered the room, reacting to the celebrity persona he had about him. Personally, I wasn’t one to watch. I didn’t understand why people were obsessed with sports. It was entertainment, sure, but that didn’t justify the hero worship some people exhibited. Hell, I didn’t think anything really warranted that kind of adulation. Celebrity gossip and news were not my thing.
He strode in, smiling politely at anyone who met his eye, but not engaging much further. Behind him, another student followed. Given how they acted, I wasn’t sure whether theywere friends or not. Wherever Percy went, this blond alpha followed, but they seldom sat together. Were they related?
Shrugging, I went back to getting ready for class, my hands busy but my mind elsewhere. Percy was the kind of alpha my mother dreamed of me bonding with. Sporty and family-focused.
It was well known that Percy had an omega who he was obsessed with, a topic that set social media ablaze and left whispers trailing down the hallways. She had lived in one of the dorms not far from me before she moved in with Pack Garnett. The only reason I knew any of that was because I had the pleasure of overhearing a few girls gossiping about it, lamenting that four eligible alphas were well and truly off the market, each retelling more embellished than the last.Gross.
“Okay, class,” Professor McCreevy began as he strode into the room, not bothering to look at the throng of waiting students. “I hope you have completed the reading because thiswillbe on the test.”
As the room let out a collective groan, I smiled to myself. Of course, I had done the readingandmore. What else was there to do when you had no social life? At least in that regard, being a nerd paid off. I’d no doubt ace the test, which was somethingIcould be proud of. Even if all my mother could see was an unbonded omega who barely even turned her head when an alpha walked by.
