Page 44 of In Deep
“They dragged you out of bed early, did they? I was wondering if you guys would show up at all.” He drops my hand and winks at me. “Hope to be seeing more of you, Rosie.”
And my stomach swoops.
He marches back up towards the boathouse, followed closely behind by the fourth pack mate. He couldn’t be more different from Ollie. His hair is jet black and his chin stubbled, his eyes a dark brown and his brow heavy. He’s older than the others and the tallest by several inches, with the strongest build. He wears a sleeveless top and over his arms trace a tangle of dark inks.
“Seb,” Zane says, reaching up to slap him on the shoulder, “this is Rosie.”
The alpha swings his gaze around to meet mine, and he glares at me with such ferocity I find myself wanting to drop my eyes to the ground. But they’re hypnotic too, dark and swirling. And his scent … his scent crackles on my tongue and my gland hums.
He holds me in his stare for no more than a heartbeat. Then, saying not a word, he stomps past us towards the boathouse.
“Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed,” Zane mutters, scrubbing his hand over his head.
“He didn’t seem very pleased to meet me,” I say, and I bite down on my lip to stop it from trembling, goosebumps running up my arms.
It feels as if someone just shoved me hard and tried to knock me off my feet.
I rub at my forehead.
Why should I care if their housemate doesn’t like me? He doesn’t even know me.
And yet, I’ve been riding high these last two days with Zane and Duncan. This is a punch to the gut.
“He’s not a morning person,” Duncan reassures me, rubbing a circle over my back. “Come sit down here, Rosie. We’ve got to get set up before we head out onto the water.”
He takes me to a bench that rests next to the water and I watch them carry down the oars from the house and fiddle with the seats in the boat. When they’re satisfied, they climb into the boat one at a time, the shell wobbling on the surface and sending ripples soaring across the river. On the other side of the river, a family of ducks emerge from the grass and sink into the water. Spying me, they swim over, quacking at me. I tear up the remains of my toast and toss it into the water. The ducks peck up the crumbs eagerly.
Finally, each alpha sits in position; Zane at the front, followed by Duncan and Seb, and then Ollie bringing up the rear. Each one grabs his oar, and they push themselves away from the bank. For a moment they are suspended, their reflections vivid beside them so that there are eight alphas, not four, out on the river. Then Ollie gives a low rumble of a signal and together as one, they dip the blades of their oars low in the water and drag them through, gliding forward on their seats as they do. They are perfectly synced, choreographed dancers moving as a single entity, a pack, mirroring each other’s actions exactly. If I ever doubted how close this pack was, I don’t now. The bond between them is as clear as their reflections.
I stand, hypnotised by the alluring scene, the slosh of the water, the glide of the boat, the grace of their bodies. They skate by me on the river and three pairs of alpha eyes turn to watch me as they pass. Not the fourth pair, though. Those eyes stare resolutely ahead.
Chapter 14
After I finish my shift at the museum and my assignment in the library, I return to my room. An unease has occupied my body, lurked low in my belly, since the river. Seb’s reaction to me knocked me off centre. I need space tonight to think and let my body recover. So, I’m annoyed when I hear that knock on my door. I told Zane I needed some time alone.
Except, when I draw back the door, there are two women standing there, not a man. Two omegas, I can tell by their fragrant scents. Scents they obviously aren’t trying to hide under blockers.
“Rosie?” one asks me with a smile. She’s small and curvy, with blonde hair that falls in waves around her face.
“Yes,” I say in confusion.
“Hi, I’m Paris and this is Francesca.” She points to her friend, who is slightly taller with chestnut hair and large brown eyes. She wiggles her fingers at me.
“Hi,” I say.
“We’re so sorry we didn’t come and introduce ourselves sooner, but we only just heard about you.”
“Heard about me?” I stare at them in confusion.
“You’re an omega?” Paris asks slowly, as if I’m dumb.
I shuffle from one foot to the other. There’s no point denying it. Most of the college must know by now. But it seems blunt to be asked like that. “Yes, I am.”
“We’re from OmegaSoc.” Paris grins. “I’m the chair and Francesca is the secretary.”
“Oh, I’m not really …”
“We always make it our business to come and introduce ourselves to all the new omegas, make sure you have everything you need and are safe and settled.”
