Page 1 of Roommates
P R O L O G U E
LUCAS
WHEN I RETURNED to the dormitories at the start of my sophomore year at college, I was confident that I knew what to expect from life on campus now.
Until I stepped into the room I'd been assigned and came face to face with my new roommate.
He was bent over a box he was unpacking and locks of dark hair half-obscured his face, but I didn't need to see his features to know who he was. Adam Mills. One of the star players of our football team.
I didn't know anything about football, but everyone else on campus was so obsessed with sportsball that I couldn't make it through a year of living here without getting to know who was on our team—
and though I didn't appreciate the sport, I appreciated what the training did to their bodies.
I appreciated it maybe a little bit too much, because when Adam turned to look at me, my tongue somehow got stuck in my throat.
“Hi,” he greeted me with a bright smile. “I guess you'll be my roommate this year? I'm Adam Mills.
Physical fitness major.” Letting go of the box, he approached me and held out a hand.
“Lucas Schwartz. Pre-law,” I managed to say, shaking his hand. His grip was firm, and I swallowed as a whiff of his scent entered my nose, confirming for me what I already knew—my new roommate was all alpha.
Holy hell, I was going to be stuck in this room with an alpha.
I'd always known that was going to be a possibility, I just hadn't given it any serious thought. Because it wasn't going to be aproblem.I could keep my hormones under control, right?
Even around an alpha as hot as Adam—who didn't seem at all bothered to be rooming with me. But why would he be? He didn't know that I was an omega—and he could never find out.
Letting go of Adam's hand and trying to get my thoughts in order, I set my bag down next to the door. I had more stuff to carry in, but for now, I watched Adam return his attention to the box he'd been opening when I came in.
“You know anyone who would want one of these?” he asked, grabbing something from the box and holding it up. It was a small plush penguin.
I was so lost I didn't even know what to say.
“You don't have to look at me like that!” Adam said with a little laugh. “My parents insist I spread these around campus. They're advertisements for their company, really.”
“Your parents produce plush penguins?” I asked, eyeing the small toy in Adam's hand. It was cute all right, but I was still so confused.
“Not really, no, they mostly make baby clothes. I told them no one at school would be interested in baby clothes but they only laughed and said we had omegas on campus now.” Adam shrugged as if he didn't quite understand what his parents were implying but he didn't care too much either.
“I see,” I said, because I did understand. His parents assumed that at least a few of the omegas on campus would find themselves pregnant before the end of their college career. I tried not to let my irritation over that show on my face. I hated all these stupid stereotypes people associated with omegas, even if they were rarely associated with me personally—since the world believed I was a beta.
“So you want a penguin or not?” Adam asked, holding the plush doll in his hand out to me.
“Sure,” I made myself say, because I knew he was only trying to be friendly and I didn't want to start our cohabitation on the wrong foot.
“Cool.” Adam handed the toy to me and I tried not to notice the way his fingers brushed mine. If I was going to be living with him, I had to stop all fantasies about his fingers on my skinimmediately.
We were going to beroommates.
Nothing more.
1
L U C A S
“Are you sure you don't want to come?” A text from my friend Conner appeared on the phone. He and a couple other members of the Omega's Rights club were heading down to a demonstration in town about half an hour from now. I'd been to a couple of demos with Conner when we roomed together in our freshman year, but we were sophomores now and I was living in a different room...
with a different roommate. A roommate who needed my help today.
