Page 24 of The Devil Takes

“Excited you’re moving into the house, man,” Stinky said with a grin. “There’s not enough betas. All the alpha stink is enough to make me gag.” Again with the whole “alphas stink” thing. Was my nose broken? I’d never really thought much about the dirty sock smell, but I guess guys like Tommy and Stinky were less attuned to it.

Maybe they’d grown up with sisters.

“My sisters started gagging when they visited for fall break. Too bad I’ll be moving out when you move in.”

Ah, that answered that.

“I’m pumped too, dude.” I flashed him a grin, which I hoped was the correct response. Apparently, it was because he slapped me on the back five times and ruffled my hair.

I’d be taking Stinky’s spot in the house when he moved off campus and I couldn't be more grateful he’d decided to take the leap.

“Can’t believe I’m going to have my own place. It’s gonna be sick!” Stinky grinned.

“Hell yeah!” I slapped him back five times, as was expected, and his grin multiplied in size before he shoved me away playfully and rose to his feet. Stinky was nice, I decided. I liked him.

Never trust a man named Stinky, Tommy’s name popped up in the back of my mind and I flipped him off.

Stinky walked away, and I watched him go till he turned a corner and disappeared behind a line of books, then I opened Google again and started all over.

* * *

Dad hadn’t ever visited me at college. That didn’t mean I didn’t see him, though. I’d go home at least once a month to get shoved around by my brothers, whoop their asses at Mario Kart, and wait painfully for Dad to let his vitriol out. He was like a kettle sometimes, just bubbling up inside until suddenly the pressure got too much and whoosh, eeeeeee, the world had to deal with the fury he hid on an everyday basis.

I was the biggest disappointment out of the three of us for obvious reasons, so I always got the majority of his barbed words. Not that Buck and Marvin—Marv—ever escaped entirely unscathed, either. We just knew that’s how it was. When things were good, they were real good, though. Sometimes, Dad would get this look in his eyes, a sparkle, and that night would be filled with laughter, spilled beer, and nachos hot out of the dirty microwave.

I never knew what to expect with him.

Which was why I shouldn’t have been surprised when walking home from the library, my phone began to buzz and his name popped up.

The asshole always had to keep me on my toes.

I answered quickly, since I’d already kept him waiting for a ring or two, my heart thumping till my blood ran sluggish. Campus was waking up, sleepy students meandering around, and I dodged their wandering eyes as I ducked off the path so I wouldn’t block traffic. The early class-goers were still tucked inside their lecture halls and classrooms, so it was the hungover students that were out and about now, nursing their hangovers in cups, greasy hair crusted to sweaty heads.

It was times like these that I was actually grateful for the scent blockers and suppressants. Meant my nose was blind to their stench.

“I’m coming by next week,” Dad’s gruff voice echoed from his end of the line, and I shuffled awkwardly, his words not processing. No hello? Nothing? Jesus.

Coming to campus?

To visit me?

His words hit like a sledgehammer and I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to walk through the pain as my breaths came quick and my heart began to stutter. Why would he come to campus? Why now? It didn’t make sense. He’d never visited me before—

Fuck.

This was why I’d done the whole stupid fucking dare in the first place. Because I’d known at some point, I’d get unlucky enough he’d visit. Not because he cared, no. He wanted to check up and make sure I wasn’t spending the money he was sending on shit he didn’t approve of. I was the dumb omega. Couldn’t be trusted.

“Yeah, sure, Dad.” Shit, that wasn’t enthusiastic enough. I tried again. “Whatever you want.” I wasn’t sure what I expected. Once again, he surprised me as the call ended and I glanced down at my phone in confusion, only to realize that he’d fucking hung up on me.

Whatever.

I shoved my phone in my hoodie and calculated the merits of stopping by a vending machine for a bottle of Mountain Dew before I dove into studying for my next class. It was only when I got halfway home that I fully processed what the hell my dad had said.

A startled laugh burst from my throat and the dude I was passing on the sidewalk gave me a confused look. I just waved him off and continued toward my dorm building, well aware I was muttering like a lunatic.

Shit.

The omega dorm.