Chapter 3.

I get to my room, shut the door, and lean back against it.

“What the hell was that?” I say to myself. “Maybe he didn't see me?”

But deep down, I know he did.

I walk to my dresser and place my breakfast on it, take out my phone, and then plop onto the bed. I shoot Jax a quick text.

Me: “Hey babe, Gm. Are you good?”

He reads it. I see a text bubble, but then it disappears.

I wait a full five minutes, but no reply comes in. At this point, I can feel my hands getting clammy and my body getting hot. I send out another text.

Me: “Did I do something wrong? Pls talk to me.”

I wait a few more minutes, and still no response.

I take a few deep breaths, toss my phone to the side, and grab my coffee. I take a few sips, but I've completely lost my appetite.

I hear my notification go off and immediately dive to grab my phone. But it's a text from Briana and my departmental group chat.

I feel my heart sink even further. I think of hurling the phone to the side, but I decide against it. I open our text thread.

Briana: “Yo, we've got Prof Claude in like 30 mins and you know he doesn't play about attendance. Get here now!”

I immediately spring up and rush to change. I completely forgot that we had Professor Claude today. He's one of the many werewolves from my clan who work in the school. He's a Beta and is very ruthless.

I spend the next ten minutes cleaning up and getting ready for his class.

His lecture hall is on the other side of campus, and that's like a 25-minute walk. There's no way I'm gonna make it, so I make a run for it instead.

I fly down the stairs and into the lobby, taking care to avoid the other students there. I run as fast as my legs can carry me, my werewolf stamina aiding me, but I'm no speedster, so I resign myself to being late.

I get to the lecture hall with eight minutes to spare, but Professor Claude is already there. I try to sneak in, but his wolf senses make it nearly impossible.

“And Ms. Vee, where do you think you're going?”

I stop in my tracks.

“Good afternoon, sir. I was going to my seat, sir.”

I can feel his eyes on my back.

“Your seat? What sort of Omega comes to class after their professor?” He says while looking at me pointedly with his dark eyes.

“I'm sorry, sir. I had a terrible headache and…”

“I don't care about your excuses.” He says, cutting me off. “I expect you to act right and come correct. An Omega from a respectable family does not dilly-dally.”

“I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again.” I say while looking down, showing submission and reverence.

“Get to your seat. And I better have a ten-thousand-word essay on Omega coordination, pack laws, and mating cultures on my desk by Friday.”

He says it and turns his back to me, signalling the end of the conversation.

I make my way to the seat beside Briana, and she gives me a look that says, ‘We're definitely talking after this.’

I sit through the class half-paying attention. I keep checking my phone constantly, but I still don't have a text back from Jax.

The class eventually ends, and the professor walks out. I make to get up, but Briana grabs the hem of my top and pushes me down.

“So what's wrong with you? You look off. Did the date go well?”

“It did. I'm fine.” I say curtly.

“You're not, Dawg. I can legit see it on your face.” She says, her translucent eyes boring into mine.

“I'm fine, Bri. Just drop it already.” I say, slightly louder than I intended.

She looks hurt, and I look around, but thankfully nobody spares us a glance.

“Okay, I'm sorry.” She says while looking down.

“I'm sorry too, shortie. I'm just exhausted from last night. Wanna grab lunch together?” I ask with a small smile.

“Sure. It's fine.” She mumbles.

We head out together in an awkward silence.

In the hallway, I can see two of Jax's friends arguing with an Omega cleaner. She looks down in submission, but the boys still look enraged, so I walk up to them, hoping to diffuse the situation.

“Hey, boys. What's wrong?”

They both turn in unison to look at me, the cleaner's head still bowed.

“Nothing of your concern. Leave. Now.” Says Darrell, the taller of the two boys.

“She's already submitted. Can you just leave her alone? Please.”

They both look at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter.

“And who's this Omega slut talking to?” Says Peter amidst fits of laughter.

“Definitely not me.” Says Darrell, every trace of amusement gone from his face.

He walks until he's less than a foot away from me. I look down and avoid eye contact.

“Just because you're fooling around with an Alpha doesn't give you the right to talk to us. I would not condone an Omega talking to me like that. Am I clear?”

Briana comes between us.

“Yo, back off, asshole. You don't talk to her like that.”

“It's okay, Bri. I'm fine.”

“No, you're not, and I won't stand by and watch these arseholes talk to you like that.”

“I said it's fine, Bri. Please stand down.”

“Yes, listen to your friend. Ghoul or gnome, whatever the fuck you are, and back down.”

“I'm a hybrid, I'd have you know. We exist, and I don't give a fuck what you are. I'll make thorns grow out of your arse if you don't fuck off now.”

Bri's hands glow green, ready to carry out her threat.

Darrell looks at her hands and takes a step back, his eyes still fixed on me.

“This isn't over. Come on, Peter. Let's leave these Omega sluts to their wretched fate.”

With that, they both walk away.

Bri turns to me.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I am.”

I walk past her and go to the cleaner.

“Are you okay?” I ask her.

“Yes.” She whispers. “Thank you.”

“It's nothing. Don't worry.”

“We'd better be on our way then.” I say, turning around to leave with Bri.

The cleaner grabs my arm.

“Don't trust anyone.”

Then she walks off.

I'm confused, but I dismiss it.

“Why are you wolves so obsessed with hierarchy? It's so archaic and frankly redundant.” Says Bri with a look of disgust.

“It's not. It keeps order in wolf society. You just won't get it.”

And I was right.

Both sides of Bri's family are liberal, and that's why she's a hybrid. They don't really care much for tradition, but my pack upholds it by casting out deviants.

“You're right, I don't. Let's go, I'm starving.”

I chuckle, and we both leave the building.

She tells me about her roommate and their constant quarrels, but I only half-listen. My mind keeps going back to my encounter with Jax and now to the warning from the cleaner.

We get into the restaurant and pick a seat close to the window.

Just when we sit, Bri's notification pings alongside everybody else's in the restaurant, and suddenly I feel everybody looking at me.

I turn to see Bri looking at me with pity.