Page 47

FORTY

It’s always bittersweet when we visit the Alpha Xi house. The dark mahogany wood, the library that opens up into a living space, the deodorizers that make the house smell the same no matter what set of alphas roll in and out.

Atlas and I met our pack mates here. We lived here together for an entire year before declaring officially, so these halls have many memories; all amazing, including the night I got to punch the fuck out of Derek.

It’s always a pleasure to come back here, especially when it means helping out Sam.

He’s the youngest president of Alpha Xi to date, and I’m also pretty sure he’s the best one this fraternity has ever had.

The frat was disorganized when we joined.

It was night after night of rowdy chaos.

Sam has really reined in the alpha energy, and has taught all of Alpha Xi’s members what it means to be a true alpha; how we can harness our inner beasts to do better in the world.

It’s made a world of a difference since he was selected.

We sit around with him now, lounging in one of the living spaces. Atlas is sitting on the loveseat he used to always occupy. It probably has his smell embedded in it.

My mind sputters as I remember how Stacia could smell Atlas here before breaking up with Derek. The realization hits me hard.

Whoa. Trippy.

“The event’s still a few weeks away, you didn’t have to come by to help.” The coffee table is muddled with loose sheets. Sam sorts through them calmly, just like he always does.

“We know that, but we want to,” Atlas says. “We’re also here for another reason.”

Sam quirks an eyebrow. I take a deep breath before explaining. “Derek’s been harassing Stacia. She’s filed for a restraining order. We wanted you to be the first to know.”

It’s been a difficult week. We’ve spent the last few days helping Stacia compile every correspondence she’s ever received from Derek.

She wanted a lot of these texts to just disappear, but we all knew the more evidence the better.

Atlas found a local lawyer that handles similar cases and has a high success rate when it comes to her omega clients.

Atlas feels he can trust her, so we finally handed over everything so she can help Stacia get this dickwad out of her life.

We can only hope it’ll be granted as soon as possible, but for now, it’s all a waiting game.

Sam’s jaw clenches slightly, the angry expression looking foreign on his normally jovial face. “He’s been harassing her?”

“Sending her texts, mostly.” Atlas looks like he’s remembering what he read, trying to will the anger back down. “They were repulsive.”

“Fuck.” Sam rubs his head, the papers abandoned in front of him as he leans back. “I always knew he was a dick, but that’s a whole other level of messed up.”

Our prime heaves out a dark chuckle. “You’re telling me.”

Sam looks at each of us, seriousness taking over his face. “Well, okay. I’ll let you know if he comes back with good or bad news. And if your lawyer can’t get it granted, let me know. I know some people who might be able to push it through again.”

A surprised grin appears on my face. “I forgot you’re studying law.”

“Yeah.” He nods. “I feel like I have to. It’s a crazy fucking world.”

Ciro finally speaks up, his hands in his pockets as he sits up taller on his seat. “Is this event for our philanthropy?”

I wasn’t aware of this before pledging at Alpha Xi, but every fraternity and sorority on campus has a designated charity that they earn money for.

Our first year in Alpha Xi, the events were an absolute dumpster fire.

Our old president, Matt, didn’t put much thought into them, and we only barely scraped by when it came to raising funds for the charity he chose.

It used to stress Atlas out beyond belief.

He even offered to take over the philanthropy chair duties but Matt refused. We nearly lost our chapter.

Things changed when Sam joined the fraternity.

Matt allowed him to take over the charity planning so he could enjoy his senior year.

It was the most successful fundraiser Alpha Xi had organized in a long time.

It’s part of the reason why the Dean gave Sam the new presidency despite being one of the youngest members.

That and all the natural dominance that pours off of him.

Sam runs his hand through his blond hair.

“Not for this event. I wanted to do something for this local shelter for teenage runaways. It’s for all teens, but most end up there because they’re running away from designation abuse or homophobia.

I’ve already got the green-light from our advisor, we just have to figure out the details.

Do you guys mind assigning the booths while I do some calculations? ”

We sit there for a while, going through the different attractions that’ll help bring foot traffic to the event. Sam’s rented out downtown. With what money, I have no idea, but the area is nice and there’s surely going to be a lot of people gallivanting around considering the day it’s planned.

Ciro suggests we give Dax and Everett the water tank, which is genius.

They’ll have a good time and entertain anyone who walks by, which is their specialty.

Thatcher’s a bit of a grump, so I put him at the free water station.

And Atlas and Sam talk about a potential scavenger hunt for a couple of the guys who can’t sit still for eight hours.

“Okay, so. What should we do?” Ciro asks, skimming the page.

Sam takes the page to see what else is left before giving a haughty laugh. “Don’t worry, I’ve got the perfect thing.” He circles something on the page before turning it back to us.

Oh my god .

Ciro and I burst out laughing, while Atlas puts his hand in front of his mouth to hide his smile.

“Uriah is going to throat punch you,” Ciro huffs out between laughs.

Sam joins in, shrugging his shoulders. “He should have been here.”

The sentence makes me laugh that much more. “That’s kind of evil, Sam. I love it.”

“How do you even have this trick up your sleeve?”

“I have a friend who likes to give back, that’s all I’ll say about it.”

We’re still laughing and discussing the logistics of our booth when the front door slams. It stops us in our tracks as the room begins to fill with the scent of burning lake water.

Freaking Derek .

He walks in, fury rolling off of him in spades. It legitimately looks like smoke is coming out of his ears.

The silence in the room is heavy, so I decide to break it. “Hey, Derek. Send any menacing texts today?”

Ciro chokes on his water.

Derek gives us a cruel smile before walking closer. It’s only then that I notice he’s got some kind of paper rolled up in his hand. “That bitch of an omega sent me a restraining order? Really?”

My jaw tenses at his dig towards Stacia. But per our lawyer’s request, we all keep our mouths shut.

“Oh, so it’s official? Cool.” Sam smooths out his pants before standing up. “That means I can officially do this. Derek, you’re no longer a member of Alpha Xi.”

He balks. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”

Sam continues in the same calm tone, “You have two weeks to find alternative housing.”

I’m floored.

Sam interlaces his fingers and watches Derek, waiting for his response. It’s the wildest fucking stand-off I’ve ever seen.

And that calm exterior of Sam’s? It pisses Derek off even more.

“You can’t kick me out because some omega fucking lied about me.

I’m a legacy, my father and grandfather were in Alpha Xi, and you of all people are going to kick me out?

” he scoffs, but his eyes betray his confidence.

He looks terrified, like he’ll have to explain to his family why he’s no longer living in the Alpha Xi house.

“When you pledged, you signed a morality clause. That was before I was president, Kirkpatrick. If you get into any trouble with the law, especially when it comes to harassment and assault, you are no longer a member of Alpha Xi.” He gives a tough sigh.

“You shouldn’t have done it, man. What was the point?

These guys are her scent matches. Move the fuck on. ”

Derek huffs before spitting on the carpet. He looks over at us, giving Ciro an especially hard glance that stirs up a growl in me. “This is a load of bullshit.”

“Do you want to take it up with the Dean?” Sam quips.

There’s another moment of silence where Derek thinks over if that would work in his favor. “Maybe we should. I mean, two people in this pack have now given me nose issues, why not bring it to his attention?”

“ Her attention,” Sam corrects, and I can’t contain the snort that escapes me.

Derek looks dumbfounded. “What?”

“The Dean is a woman. Besides that, your argument won’t stand up. Both times, you were saying awful things about their scent match, the one who just filed a restraining order against you.”

He’s being pushed into a corner, and I’m a bit nervous for his inevitable breaking point. Atlas must notice this, too, because he stands up.

“It’s over, Derek. We have work to do.”

His head whips to my prime, his eyes wide with rage.

“I don’t want to hear anything from you.

You’re just another pack of omega-whipped alphas.

You’ve been looking down your nose at me since the moment we met.

” He scoffs. “Like you’re any better. You’re a fucking shame to alphas everywhere.

Your dominance is as fake as your supposed connection to an omega as dense as Stacia. ”

A growl erupts from my chest. “You’re always running your mouth, Derek. And it would be okay if you had anything of substance to say, but it’s always bullshit.”

“Let him say his piece,” Sam says. “So he can get out of here quicker.”