Page 4 of Pack Apollo

A few of the stragglers overhear her as they walk by, and one of them giggles. My face feels warm again as my body is just the opposite. Even my hands have gone cold and clammy. Not a moment later, I feel a warmth at my back, and I'm overtaken by the scent of a spicy aftershave.The expression dies on the girl's face, and she quickly hightails it away from me.

I turn just as a voice says, "Don't listen to her. Or anyoneelse for that matter. If you want the job, then apply for it.

I glance over my shoulder to confirm what I kind of already knew. The voice belongs to the alpha from the class. If I'd thought he was breathtaking from afar, being this close to him feels like he's pressed a pause button in the air around me and froze time. Even my breath stills in my chest. Which might be for the best because it gives me time to compose myself for a second or two before sucking in a lung full of his heady alpha scent.

"I actually have good credentials for the job," I tell him, feeling the need to validate myself to him for some odd reason as I turn to face him. I don't say that I've been doing yoga for the past eight years. Nor do I admit that I've got a ton of followers that could possibly bring in more clientele. Somehow, I doubt it'd matter if I did anyway.

He gives me a curt nod. "Unquestionably. Otherwise, you wouldn't have asked."

And with that, he sidesteps me and strolls out the front door without so much as a peek back. Unfortunately, he's thrown his hoodie back on, but that doesn't mean there's nothing else to ogle. His shorts are skin tight and do a great job showing off his muscled thighs. The alpha hits leg day for sure. Or, maybe he's a runner.

I'm still watching him as he steps off the curb into a sleek, expensive-looking black car. Not until he's pulling away do I register the snickers coming from the two women behind the counter. One of them being the snobby application lady. Steeling my nerves, I lift my chin a smidgen as I walk out. It's been a long time since I let anyone make me feel inferior, and today won't be breaking that streak.

Of course, it might help if I had a sleek car to climb into and drive off in, too. Alas, I do not. I've always wanted one, but cars cost a lot of money. When you're living paycheck topaycheck, something like that is a luxury, not a necessity. One of the main reasons I chose to come here to North Five University is because of how close everything is. Literally, anything a college kid needs is within walking distance. If I need something beyond that, there's always Uber.

One of the great things about walking, too, is that it gives me time to ponder. After the way I was treated today, I can't help but wonder if there is another yoga place close. Is the reward worth the risk, though? Say I find another place, that'll mean giving up my eye candy and possibly never seeing him again.

Honestly, that might not be such a bad thing after all. I don't know what's gotten into me lately, noticing all these alphas that I have no time for. I've been sworn off anything serious for as many years as I can count. As many as my mom's been telling me how my sperm donor alpha ditched her once she got pregnant with me and I was old enough to understand beyond the scope of just not having a dad or a pack to raise me. Asshole better hope that we never meet. I'll have a few choice words for him, and not a single one of them will be ‘Dad.’ Especially with the spiral that mom has gone down after the accident.

Pulling me from my thoughts, I stop at the crosswalk and push the button to walk just as the sleek, black alpha's car pulls up to the light. The windows are slightly tinted, but does nothing to hide the people inside. His face looks as unemotional as I've ever seen it as his passenger passionately expresses whatever he's talking about with his hands. With dark-brown hair, if it wasn't for his tanner complexion, he could pass for a relative of the driver.

That's all I get to see before the walk sign flashes, letting me and the few others standing around know that it's safe to cross. I grab my bag's strap on my chest and look both ways out of habit before setting out. I try my best to keep my eyes forward and act like I have no other care in the world.

I fail miserably.

As soon as I'm almost directly in front of his car, it's like my eyes have a mind of their own and glance over. Our gazes instantly lock onto each other, letting me know that he was already watching me. The alpha might've had a weird hold over me when we're in the same room, but out here where we are practically worlds apart and I have fresh air to my advantage, I award him the same look as any other man I'd catch staring. I lift my chin a bit and one side of my lips pull up in a half grin. One of his eyebrows arch, and he gives my body a once over, obvious enough that I literally watch his gaze drop to my toes and crawl back up again. Then, that's it. I'm past his car and the light is turning green letting him carry on his merry way.

Maybe I will look into different locations for yoga after all. At this point in my life, the very last thing I need is any kind of distraction. Relationships are not even close to being on my to do list...probably ever. I'm likely the only omega that has never wanted a pack, and I don't see that changing any time soon.

Those thoughts sit fresh in my mind for the rest of the week. Even when Professor Brent tries to get my attention a few days after our first encounter. I never let it get past a quick hello, much to his disappointment seemingly.

By the time Thursday rolls around, I'm mentally shut down from blocking everything out all week, and I'm ready to get my first shift at the bar over with. One of the good things about it is that I don't have time to think about anything other than dancing and serving some drinks for hours.

Slipping into some skin-tight, faux-leather pants and a top that's more of a vest than a shirt, I let my hair down out of the messy bun I've had it in all day and paint my eyelids and lips. When I'm done and standing in front of the mirror, I almost don't recognize myself. I look older, but only just enough to drive people wild. Almost as wild as my hair looks with its voluptuouswaves hanging down past my shoulders.

My phone dings, and I pick it up to find a notification for my Uber saying they're here. I don't need anything other than my keys and my phone so I stuff them both in my pockets before grabbing a light jacket and heading out.

As instructed, my ride waits on the curb, and as I get closer to the car, a cute young guy named Palmer, according to the app steps out to come around and open my door for me. "Billie?"

"Yeah, thanks," I tell him as I slide into his car.

His smile is sweet as he says, "You're welcome."

When he shuts the door, I'm surrounded by his beta spearmint scent that makes me want to breathe it in deep. One of the best things about the app is that it gives the option to choose what kind of driver we want. I guess because some are more comfortable one way or another. Most of the time, I don't bother picking an option. However, with the way that the beginning of my week went, I didn't want to be in close quarters with an alpha and stressing out before heading into the bar. So, tonight I took the easy way out and chose to have a beta driver.

A small decision that seems to be paying off as his scent is relaxing. Even as he gets in the driver's seat and turns the music up a bit before pulling out of the parking lot. I really hate the ‘Chatty Cathy’ drivers who want to tell you their whole life story or know yours as they're driving. It's been so bad before that I've had to put my earbuds in just to get a moment of peace. Lucky for me, Palmer isn't one of those. It's a quiet twenty minute ride, no conversation or awkward silence as the music from the campus station plays through his speakers.

We pull up to the bar, but I don't give him the chance to step out and open my door this time. "Thanks a lot. I appreciate you."

"No problem," he replies over his shoulder.

I pull out my phone as I'm stepping out, so that I can adjust the amount on my tip for him. I leave him the same as what it cost for the trip. Worth every penny for it, too. A short trip in his car has gone a long way in making me feel more relaxed than I have all week. It'll be worth it to check later to see if special requests can be made for drivers, too. Never had a reason to until now.

Of course, the moment is fleeting as soon as I step foot in the bar. It's crowded tonight with still more people wrapped halfway around the building waiting to get in. With my phone still in my hand, I raise it and hit record to start a video from the back of the mass of bodies. The lights flash over their heads and across the bodies of Trinity and Fran already dancing on the bar. It's loud with people shouting to be heard over the music. Perfect conditions for a promotional video. The girls look good from back here, too. Trinity is tiny, but still easy to see as her platinum-blonde hair flashes with the lights every time she spins. Her hot-pink halter top, mini skirt, and cowboy boots match the pop country twang of the song playing perfectly. Fran is on fire, too. The leopard-print tube dress she's wearing really sets off the dark tone of her skin. They look like sirens up there, only beckoning people to their death through dance rather than song. Kind of makes me wonder if that's how I'm seen.

Satisfied after twenty seconds of recording, I start making my way through the throng of people as I switch over to the bar's account and post the video with some hashtags and a caption saying this is the place to be this weekend. Ever since I started here, Ross, the owner, pretty much handed all of the social media stuff over to me. Dude barely had the ancient site that no one uses anymore still functioning. Once I told him how many followers I had and begged him to let me be the bar's social media manager, he agreed to try me out on a trial basis and only because he knew I needed it for my resume. Once the bar'sonline presence doubled and so did the customers, he started paying me for it.

Squeezing between two guys trying to yell orders across the bar to Ross, I hop up and slide behind it. I quickly stash my phone and keys in the basket before turning around to grab the orders for the guys I'd heard shouting. It's a quick trade off of drinks and cash.

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