Page 30 of The Rejected Omega

“Morbid as ever, I see.”

Ihaveto get more suppressants. This morning I was met by a dwindling orange bottle in the medicine cabinet behind my mirror. If he affects me like this on a double dose, I can’t risk finding out how intense it will be on a lowered one.

Thirty minutes into our session, Connor’s tipped back in his chair, feet resting on the windowsill, reading a book. It’s not one assigned for his class. He makes this room feel small. His presence is too big—impossible to ignore.

There’s a knock at the door.

Connor glances at me, then folds his limbs back into place and stands up.

I ignore it. Probably just some lost freshman. The library’s got rooms labeled 27Aand 27B, but half the letters are weathered or missing.

Connor opens the door, keeping one hand on it and the other on the door frame, almost completely blocking my view.

He looks whoever’s at the door up and down. “Who are you?”

“I’m Lance. I’m here for Alanna.” Lance sticks out his hand for a shake, and Connor ignores it.

Fuck. I thought my complaining to Lance in class the other day about my lost lunch break went unnoticed.

“Are you now?”

He glances at something in Lance’s hand. “That for her?”

I stand up and push my hair behind my ear, bending to the side to give Lance a little wave through Connor’s mass blocking the doorway.

“Hey, Lance. Come on in.”

He performs a similar duck and wave. “Hey, Lani. I was picking up food before class and thought I’d bring you some. I know you're always running on empty.”

“Lani?” Connor repeats the nickname like it’s left a disgusting taste in his mouth.

He turns to me, still blocking the doorway. “What is this? We have thirty minutes left.”

“Twenty-five,” I correct.

Connor’s eyes light with fire.

“Let him in. He’s just dropping off my lunch.”

That does nothing to calm him down. He slams the door in Lance’s face.

“Connor!”

There’s a loud knock on the door, and Connor’s lip curls. He leans back against the door and focuses that molten glare on me.

“Why is he here?”

“Lance?”

“Another alpha.”

I sigh. “I mentioned that I was tutoring during my Wednesday lunch break now. Guess he took it upon himself to bring me food.”

“This is your lunch break? Why didn’t you say anything?”

I shrug. “I can always eat at the grill.” Not true, after Francine’s recent staff lecture about coming early if we want to take advantage of our ‘generous’ twenty-five percent employee discount, but he didn’t need to know that.

“You throw the coffee I bring you away, but you’ll eat his food? Are you seeing him?”

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