“Rosie girl, look at that!” Mama’s squeal echoes around the quad, and it’s all I can do not to turn ten different shades of red as dozens of heads turn our way.
“Mama!” I hiss. “Could you tone it down a bit, please? I’m going to spend the next four years with these people.”
“Ohpshaw, Posey. If they can’t appreciate a woman with a zest for life, they aren’t the people for you anyhow.”
I shrug, because she’s not wrong. There’s a reason people tell me I’m just like my mama and it’s not just because we look alike. Lily Hale is a force to be reckoned with and as exuberant as they come, and my apple didn’t fall far from her tree.
My cousin Maisie rounds the corner with flushed cheeks and a wide grin. A squeal of my own escapes before I can contain it and then I’m crashing into her, nearly knocking us both to the grass.
“I thought I heard Auntie Lil’s voice,” she giggles. Her gaze turns to me and her smile widens even further as she picks up a strand of my newly-pastel hair. “You finally did it! The pink looks amazing on you, Pose.”
I smile back, my heart warming with her approval. “Thanks, Maise.”
Maisie is my aunt’s only daughter, and because we all lived on the family ranch growing up, she’s been my partner incrime since I could walk. Maisie is a year older than me and it absolutely devastated me when she left across the country for college, so being here with her as a student feels surreal.
I never thought either of us would leave our tiny Georgia hometown, but when Maisie got a full ride scholarship to Harbor University’s veterinary science program, she didn’t hesitate to accept.
Naturally, I followed her here despite having no idea what I want to do with my life. Harbor University is a four-year school so my parents encouraged me to go and find my passion, even if it takes a year or two of searching before I settle on a major.
Omegas have only recently gained the same rights as Alphas, and I’m lucky enough to have a progressive family who fully supports me spreading my wings. It was barely more than a decade ago that unbonded omegas weren’t allowed to go to school, hold jobs, or have their own bank accounts.
“Posey?” My dad Tucker’s concerned voice breaks me out of my musings. He pulls me back slightly behind the group and catches my eye. “It’s not too late to change your mind, honey. You say the word and we’ll enroll you in the local college so you can commute from the ranch.”
I shake my head quickly, anxiety clogging my throat. Both at the idea of going back home and the idea of staying here. I’m nervous to be on my own for the first time in my life, but… “Thanks Daddy, but this feels like where I’m supposed to be,” I reply quietly. “I don’t know how to explain it, but the moment I stepped foot on this campus, something clicked. I’m anxious about being away from y’all, but my body is at peace.”
There’s a knowing gleam in his eye that makes me suspicious, but when he pulls me in for a long hug I forget all about it. The scent of freshly mown grass and wildflowers wraps around me like a weighted blanket, nearly bringing tears to my eyes. I love all of my dads equally, but I’ve always been theclosest with Tucker. Something about his calming beta presence has always settled my omega and made it easier to talk to him than Henry or August, who are both alphas.
He pulls back with a kiss on my temple. “Well, should we start our tour of your new home? Maybe they’ll have a bakery or something so we can get a snack.” His eyes dart to the others as he leans in to stage whisper “I’m surprised Auggie isn’t already whining about how hungry he is.”
August whips around, affronted. “I wouldn’t take away from Rosie Posey’s big day by complaining.” He checks his watch. “Although now that you mention food…”
Mama scoffs, backhanding her alpha in the stomach and giggling when he doubles over, feigning serious injury. Maisie watches them with fond amusement etched into her pretty features and winks at me when she catches me looking.
My family might be insane most of the time, but I already know I’m going to miss them something fierce when they head home in a couple of days.
Mama's small arm slips through mine and tugs me forward. “Let’s go, girls. The men can go on a snack hunt and we’ll go get the sweetest coffee drinks we can find.”
Maisie catches my eye with a smirk before she joins my other side. And as the three of us make our way across campus in search of our next sugar fix, I can’t help but feel like this is a bittersweet beginning to the next chapter of my life. I’ll miss my family, but with each step further on to campus, I’m more sure that this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.
“I dunno, Maise. I’ve never lived on my own before, what if I hate it? What if I get scared? What if my neighbors are total alpha-holes?” I whine through the phone.
My older cousin, who’s really more like a second mom with how much she likes to hover over me, snorts. “Pose, do I need to remind you that when a strange man pulled up to the farm when your parents were away you greeted him with a wooden baseball bat?”
I lean over one of my boxes with a huff, blowing an errant curl out of my face. “It wasn’twood, Maisie.” I pause for dramatic effect. “It was metal.”
She cackles, the sound echoing around my very new, veryempty, apartment. “Oh excuseme little miss violent. You went after the gosh dang milk man with a metal bat, not a wood one.”
“How was I supposed to know he was a milk man?! What is this, the 1920’s?”
“Posey. Your parents left a note on the fridge that they were expecting a milk delivery,andhe was carrying bottles of milk!”
My hand waves through the air to brush her off, even though she can’t see me. She knows. Maisie’s been able to practically read my mind since we were kids, and sometimes it comes in handy.When I don’t have anything to hide, that is.
“Don’t wave me off. It’s not semantics, Pose. You really need to be more aware of your surroundings here. Think first, react second. Otherwise you’re going to get kicked out before the semester even starts for beating some innocent student over the head with the bat I know you brought with you.”
She’s right, but I didn’t call her to get a lecture. If I wanted one of those, I’d call my daddy. “Is there a furniture store nearby? I thought this place would come furnished, but there’s literally nothing here.”
Not that I’m complaining. This apartment isgorgeous.Newly renovated to accommodate omegas, this apartment building, affectionately dubbed “The Lighthouse” is the nicest on campus, and I know Mama pulled some strings to get me in here. It’s a massive three story house that houses four apartments, two on each floor, and a large glass sunroom occupies the third floor in a turret style room, hence the Lighthouse comparison. The front is beautifully landscaped with sea holly, which was new to me, and magnolia trees that remind me of home.
