Page 5 of Vallaverse: Noir
“Good. Listen. I'm just going to come out and say it. I'm sorry, but I can't be your mentor.” Her face falls and I rush through the rest of the explanation before she has time to think it has anything to do with her. “I'm leaving the mentor program, that's all. I didn't want to start mentoring you and then have you start all over with someone else in a few weeks.”
Her face switches quickly to excitement. “Oh! That's right! The Selection. I wasn't going to go this time. I wanted to work on myself a little bit before I stepped into that arena, you know?”
“Definitely. I did the same thing when I first enrolled here. It's always better to know yourself a little better before you try to give yourself to another person. I'm glad you understand.”
“Look at that,” she says with a grin. “You came down here to turn down a mentorship, but ended up mentoring anyway. Maybe I'll see you around sometime?”
“For sure.” I return her smile.
Her friend comes back to sit next to her on the couch and I offer her another smile. “Hello. You must be Tara's friend. Nice to meet you. Are you ladies enjoying your time at CCOE so far?”
The friend nods, and Tara answers for both of them. “It's nice to be around so many Omegas. I can't believe we're at an actual lounge without a chaperone.”
I chuckle. “It's nice being around all these Omegas until our heat cycles start lining up. I'm glad you're doing well. Alright, I'll leave you and your friend to enjoy the lounge. See you later.”
~
My vegetarian dinner was a success. Karli said the fig flatbread was delicious and gave me extra praise because I managed to use figs that were the perfect ripeness. Justin's only comment was that the roasted cauliflower I made as a required side dish was as palatable as the other two hundred versions he's eaten since starting this course. I can't argue with him. I've noticed that cauliflower is one of the most overused vegetables when peoplestart talking about recipes. Cauliflower rice. Roasted cauliflower. Cauliflower soup. Mashed cauliflower. There's only so much cauliflower a person can eat before they start to get tired of it.
I'm glad to have a little free time before the Selection, even if it's only for a week or two and riddled with heat spikes. They haven't gotten too bad, just sporadic uncomfortable blips that make it very apparent that my heat is coming on soon. Thankfully, they have all happened when I was in my room. The last time I was surprised by a heat spike when I was outside of my private quarters was embarrassing to say the least. I've been having cycles long enough that I shouldn't be caught unaware by a spike out in public.
Embarrassing. Ha. I was mortified. I had to be escorted, basically carried, to the infirmary to ride it out. I tried to rationalize it. I was already going to have to go to the medical building anyway to fill out the heat service form and select the scent cards, but everyone we passed knew what was happening despite my struggling to keep it discreet. The scent of a heat spike tends to take over an area and it was very, very obvious. That experience further solidified the fact that I need to find an Alpha of my own, and the sooner the better. Now, if I know I'm approaching a heat cycle, I do everything I can to stay in my quarters. The only reason my door will open until the Selection is for food deliveries, or a heat service if I really can't handle waiting until the Selection.
Chapter Four
Beckett
I can't wait until the Selection.
The spikes are too much. I've tried to work myself through them. I've tried all of the toys and tools in my collection. My skin is still on fire and crawling off of my body, and the urge to nest is almost overwhelming. I need an Alpha. Today. Before another spike has me crying and writhing on the floor. It's an extremely good thing that I can send a quick little text and within fifteen minutes, a collection of scent cards based on my preferences that they have on file will be delivered right to my door.
Thirteen minutes later, a large envelope slides under the door. There are four individually sealed plastic packets inside, each with a different scent card. They aren't labeled. I understand the reason they aren't, but sometimes I think a name would help me make the decision; which is likely one of the reasons they aren't labeled. An Alpha could have the most appealing scent in the world, but if his name is Herbert or Wilfred, I might not be very inclined to choose him. I also changed my preferences to notinclude the gender on the cards. I've learned a lot about myself since being here and one of those things is that I don't have a gender preference.
I've also noticed that there are far more male Alphas registered with the heat service than there are female Alphas. I went through the female Alpha roster within less than a year. My only experience had been limited to the three female Alphas I knew locally so I wanted to stay with what I was comfortable with. Once I realized I was making my way down the female list for the second time, I decided to try a male Alpha. Completely different experience in more ways than the obvious.
Male Alphas tend to be louder than females, and much larger. I'd say they're more aggressive, but I've been with female Alphas who are every bit as aggressive as males. It all comes down to personality. My first experience with a male Alpha opened my eyes to needs I never knew I had. I started choosing males as regularly as females, and after a while I just changed my gender preference to none on the paperwork. Every now and then I'll have a need for one or the other, but for the most part I'm happy as long as the scent is right.
The first scent card is flowery, heavy on the lavender notes. That has appealed to me in the past, many times, but not now. I close the packet and put it to the side then take out the next one.
Pine. No. Not in the mood for pine.
The next packet is cherry with hints of floral. Not quite a cherry blossom, but not like cherry pie, either. That's nice. Warm and sweetly spicy. A definite maybe.
I open the next one and a strong, smoky scent flows around me. I can't place the exact notes, but I know this is the sort of scent that clings. It's aggressive. In the past, I've always leaned away from aggressive scents like this one. I didn't want anything to linger. I wanted the Alpha and all traces of that Alpha to be gone as soon as my spike was relieved or my heat lifted.
There will be lots of different Alphas at the Selection, with a multitude of different scents. It's inevitable that I will have a heat spike during the ball, ideally the proximity to all those Alphas will push me right into heat. I won't be in a position to calmly pick through scents, avoiding the ones that are foreign or the overly aggressive ones. I'll crawl to the Alpha with the strongest scent that doesn't make me gag and that will be that.
I hold the card under my nose and draw in the scent.
I've never chosen an Alpha with this sort of scent, I just know that the smokiness appeals to me. It always has. I'm not sure why, but it does. I pick up the other card, the cherry one. If I could combine those two scents, I think it would be perfection.
But I can't choose two Alphas. Not for a spike. I can't. It would be ridiculous.
Wouldn’t it?
Lots of Omegas want two Alphas during their heats. Lots of Omegas need a whole pack. I could be one of them. I've never had that before. And I am leaving CCOE and its heat service soon. Now might be my only chance to try. I stack the cards together and press my nose against them, deeply drawing in the scent.
Perfection.
