Chase:
Potentially. If there’s a memory card, then definitely. If it’s broadcasting, it may be a bit more difficult.
Bear:
I don’t want her to stay there. How many more cameras are there?
Spencer:
I don’t know. This is the first one I found, but I’ll give the place a thorough check before I install our cameras.
Bear:
Chase, you better figure out who set up those cameras, because I’m going to make their death slow and painful.
I stared at the phone screen for a moment. Bear wasn’t usually the type to make death threats, but his behavior around this omega hadn’t exactly been normal for him.
Then again, none of us were acting normally when it came to Flora. She had stumbled into our path, and there was no changing our desire to keep her safe. We would protect her, whether she liked it or not.
We would also get immense pleasure out of hurting whoever was following her, because Flora wasours.
Clearly, Flora needed a keeper, and she had three alphas who were happy to take on that job.
Chapter 10
Flora
Sleep was impossible.
Even my nest—my safe space—felt utterly tainted.
After grabbing my bag, I roughly shoved a few textbooks inside, not caring that I was bending some of the pages. I was too exhausted to give a damn. I had tried my best to sleep, but between the nightmares and my overactive mind, I had probably slept no more than two hours in small increments throughout the night.
My home felt wrong, dirty. Someone had beeninsideit.
Once I realized someone had been in my apartment, I ran around like a madwoman, sniffing every surface. It was faint, but there were two unfamiliar scents. One wasn’t bad. It was mildly peppery and almost pleasant. Maybe if I got a better smell of it, I would know for sure.
The other one was decidedlyunpleasant. It had been so faint that I hadn’t registered it, but it was almost like sewage. There was no forgetting it, though, now that I’d realized it was the scent of another person in my home.
There was no denying that I had picked up echoes of thatscent before, but I’d always put it down to other residents in my building. I didn't exactly live in the cleanest dormitory. On-campus student housing was much more regulated. It was also much more expensive. So, when I had opted for a cheaper apartment that was off campus, I had sacrificed a bit of the niceness.
That said, it was really biting me in the ass now. How could I have missed the signs that someone had been entering my apartment? Suddenly, every object felt contaminated by unseen hands. The air was thick with a violation I couldn’t shake. How was I supposed to feel safe when someone could slip in and out? There was no damage to the door. I could be absent-minded, sure, but I’d remember if something like that had happened.
Before zipping up my bag, I checked to make sure the taser was still inside. I never actually expected to use it, but now its presence felt essential—a small reassurance against an unknown threat. I hadn’t caught anyone lurking in the shadows other than the night I relied on the help of the tall handsome stranger---and part of me was convinced I was hallucinating from lack of sleep, but if someone really had managed to slip into my home unnoticed, at least I’d have a way to defend myself, zapping them in the unmentionables, if it ever came to that.
With my backpack over my shoulder, I stormed out of my apartment, slamming the door harder than I should have, a vigilant unease prickling beneath my bravado.
At least I would be safe in the library.
There were cameras and vending machines. That was all I needed.
I rushed across campus, trying to ignore everyone aroundme, yet hyperaware of every sound. I felt like I was going insane. Was someone following me, or was I imagining it?
As soon as I reached my destination, I took the stairs to the third floor, where there were several comfortable armchairs and desks, perfect for a long study session.
Taking a moment to set up my space, I placed my water bottle, textbook, and notebook in a neat line on the table. With the stranger’s coat slung over the back of my chair, I kicked off my shoes and sat cross-legged in the oversized armchair. After I was comfortable, I put on my headphones, the ones decorated with little strawberry stickers. They were ideal for blocking out the noise of the other students.
Ten minutes into studying, it dawned on me that I was missing the one book I needed for referencing.
