Page 4 of For What It's Worth
“I’m Koda.” I managed an introduction. “And it’s been really nice talking to you all—”
“Well, I’m Eloise.” Sharp Lines introduced herself, cutting me off before I got to the ‘but I really need to study’ part of my sentence. “That’s Amy.” She pointed to my right. “And that’s Laura.” She then pointed to the one on my left. “Are you seeing anyone, Koda?”
I ignored the side look Eloise gave her friends when she said my name. “Um, no. I’m sort of just focusing on school.”
“No interest in joining a pack? You should really consider otherwise. Betas have just as much a right to a pack as an omega. Oh, hold that thought.” The girls got up, grabbing their drinks.
As much as I wanted to just put my headphone back on, social rules dictated it would be rude to start ignoring the pack. Even if I didn’t want to engage in their conversation. In their own way, they were trying to be supportive, and it wasn’t their fault I was actually an omega—and one pining after all three of their alphas. I went the next best route and turned my attention back toward the textbook in my lap, not comprehending anything I was reading but hoping to look distracted enough to be excluded from the conversation. Then I could low-key put my headphones back in.
My plan only worked long enough for all the females to take their first sips.
“Not as good as the Preppary,” Eloise said, shaking her head in disappointment.
“Nothing is,” Laura said in agreement.
“Our males asked us to meet them here,” Amy said in my direction, voice hushed like she was telling me a secret.
“Speaking of which,” Laura said, sounding giddy, “the males have arrived.”
Well, that piqued my attention. Then reality came back when I heard Professor Jenson’s voice.
“Shouldn’t you be out partying on a Friday night?”
I looked up to find Professor Jenson standing next to me, looking over my shoulder. His packmates were across from me, staring at the two of us like they were trying to figure out how we knew each other. It was easy, then, to confirm Aidan with Laura—the friend cackler—and Lorenzo with Amy—who had the better sounding voice—since the girls were clinging to their arms in their own version of a public claim.
I wrinkled my nose at what I assumed was a joke but came out more like an insult. “Seems very hypocritical of you since we are literally in the same place.”
Jenson was wearing a dark brown suit and dark red tie but with his coat still on, drawing my attention up to his wide shoulders and broad chest. He looked the most elegant of his packmates, but I wasn’t one to overlook Aidan’s all black outfit containing a button up shirt with a loose collar or Lorenzo’s black sweater with a deep V showing off the curls of hair on his chest that made me want to beg him to take his shirt off so I could see how far the trail of hair went.
Jenson didn’t answer, but then I realized he was looking over my personal notes outlining the paper for his project. I slammed the book shut before thinking it through all the way and glanced up to see Jenson smirking at me.
“It’s not like I’m going to cheat from you.”
“Ha-ha. I just don’t need you judging me on work that isn’t completed yet.”
A deep line appeared between his eyebrows. “The project isn’t about judging you. It’s about ensuring you’re understanding the concepts enough to put them into a life-like practical use. Let me take a look. Who wouldn’t want their teacher’s opinion?”
“Like everyone at one of those Friday night parties,” I muttered, but I still opened the textbook and showed Jenson the outline I had hidden away with different starting ideas. He made himself comfortable on the arm of my chair, pulling up his pants leg before almost straddling the fabric. Had a thigh ever been sexy before? Because I was pretty sure there was an unusual amount of muscle in this male’s body, and I had the very real urge to squeeze his leg.
Jenson’s scent was clouding around me. It was clean, like fresh linen.
I managed to catch myself as I inhaled a second time. Once might be excused since it wasn’t unusual to scent others when meeting, but I didn’t have any reason to continuously scent someone I knew. But his scent was calling to me to take more, and I hadn’t realized how diluted my nose had become after breathing in coffee fumes, random strangers, and the chemical smell that came with new textbooks. It was like I could finally relax without all my senses being slammed.
“Jenson, dear.” Eloise tapped Jenson’s knee to grab his attention. “I think the young beta would like some peace and quiet so she can study. We’ve already been distracting her for too long.”
Jenson sighed, like the entire conversation had gone on too long.
I didn’t bother to agree or disagree with what Eloise said since it wasn’t directed at me. She was barely older than me but managed to treat me like a child that thought she was one of the adults. But I wasn’t playing dress up, and Eloise scented of jealousy, burning away Jenson’s better scent.
“We came here to talk, Eloise,” Jenson said, standing from his seated position and handing me my notebook back. I might have purposefully brushed my fingers along his. “Let’s do that.”
The three couples left without saying another word to me. I replaced my headphones, restarted my playlist, and got ready to make a more in-depth outline before I gave in to the temptation to peek a glance at the couples talking outside.
Eloise had her lips pinched as Jenson spoke with her. Never had Jenson looked more like a teacher rebuking the actions of a student than in that moment. Lorenzo was looking mighty awkward with the tearful Amy as she used the back of her hands to wipe away tears despite never letting go of her drink. Aidan looked like he was having to hold himself back from laughing as Laura appeared to be speaking rather aggressively with him.
It was obvious, even from an outsider’s perspective, what was going on. It wasn’t unusual for packmates to get into and out of relationships simultaneously. Without ever being in a pack, I wasn’t sure if it was simply a biological thing or a code of loyalty, but either way, seeing as the three females that held the interest of this certain pack had formed their own pack, it would make sense for the males to give them all up if they weren’t willing to mark one. Tensions could rise if only one female remained in the relationship, destroying that pack from the inside.
I glanced over at the quickly dwindling line of customers. Everyone who came in had at least one person they were talking with, and the baristas never glanced toward the commotion happening outside. No one was looking my way. Or bothering to watch the free show.