Groaning, I closed my textbook and pinched the bridge of my nose. I had just gotten comfortable in my seat, but now I needed to traipse all the way to the basement of the library to look in some of the older textbooks.
Thankfully, I’d never felt unsafe in the library, so I slipped my shoes back on and left my belongings on the table. I grabbed my handbag and headed down the stairs, silently cursing the fact I had decided to study on the third floor. I’d have to go down four flights of stairs that I would have to walk back up once I had found my textbook.
I nodded at the librarian on the ground floor before descending to the basement level. The staff were always friendly.
The basement however, wasn’t exactly welcoming. Fortunately, it didn't look like a dungeon or something straight out of a horror movie. The space was oppressively tight, and a chill clung to the air, making it more unsettling than the rest of the library. I made my way down the row I needed and startedscanning the textbooks. Naturally, the one I needed would be at the very top or bottom of the shelves.
As I crouched down to read the tiny spines, a slight breeze carried a scent in my direction. It was dark, rich, and oddly familiar. It wasn’t unpleasant, actually far from it. The library usually had a myriad of scents muddled together, making it hard to distinguish one from the other, but I could easily pick out this spicy, dark scent.
Wait.
Iknewthat scent.
Pepper.
My body reacted before my mind did. A deep, pleased sensation washed over me. Its potency, much stronger than in my apartment, indicated the alpha it was attached to was nearby.
It was one of the scents that was burned into my brain.
Turning the corner, I did my best to act casual as I reached into my bag, grabbing the taser.
There was no mistaking the alpha. He was gazing at the bookcase, looking anywhere other than at me. He had his sandy-blond hair pushed back from his face and wore jeans with a university T-shirt. From the side, I could make out a strong, defined jaw and a light layer of facial hair. Everything about him screamed power, from his sheer size to his firm stance.
Wasthiswho was following me?
Why?
He was insanely good looking, he could date anyone. So why follow a loner like me?
Was he a closet freak?
I didn’t bother announcing myself. Walking slowly behind him, I observed for a moment, my hand tightening around mytaser. There were no other students around; I was totally alone with this stranger.
With the weapon jammed into his side, I pressed the on trigger, and a squeak of pain left the alpha as he sank to the floor, the hissing sound of electricity filling the small space.
“Why the hell are you following me?” I asked, standing over his crouched form as he groaned in pain.
He didn’t reply at first, focusing on holding the side I had tasered. It probably hurt like hell.
Good.
“I'm not,” he lied once he’d dragged in a few pained breaths.
“Bullshit! You were in my apartment. I know your scent!” I snarled.
He looked up at me, startled, still clutching his side. “Y-you can’t. I wear a scent neutralizer.”
“Well, your peppery stink was in my apartment the other day… Wait, I've seen you before—you are in one of my classes!”
He was the alpha who was often near Percy Garnett.
How hadn’t I seen it before? Was I really that bad at paying attention? This alpha had been sitting in the back of my advanced statistics class for several months.
“Okay, Ihavebeen following you, but it's not what you think,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender, quickly gathering himself. “You're being stalked.”
I looked at this alpha, utterly astounded. “No shit, Sherlock!” I hissed.
“No, not by me, but by someoneelse. A few weeks ago, when I was with Percy, I noticed you were being followed by someone in a black hoodie.”
