Chapter 7

Allie didn't come back to her room until late in morning. The omega was distracted for the better part of the day, so she did one thing that made her focus. Kill a hellhound. Her hands were stained with the blood of that nasty creature and jeans covered in dried up mud. She tried to make her way through the trees without being caught by any of the students out in the morning. The last thing she needed was to be investigated about her whereabouts.

The Pure Omega wasn't exactly the best at making excuses, especially when she uncomfortably stood covered in blood and grime. She tried not to grimace in disgust with every inhale and exhale as the sun broke through the trees above her.

On the way back, she found herself jumping and tumbling over large, broken trees and protruding roots. Small, spiky burs were sticking to her pants and shoes, making her wince with every step she took.

"Why must there be so many of you?" The omega murmured as she bent down, picking off a tiny bur from her pant leg.

Also, she noticed that her jeans reeked of blood, Hellhounds blood which was stronger and foul. She tried to rub the blood off on her pants; nose scrunched up in a cringing expression as she caught a glimpse of her hands. They smelled of a metallic scent, almost like rust, and burned her nose as she looked away. The crimson liquid was now a darker brown, dried up between the creases in her palm, making her palm itchy and cracking under the substance.

"Hey! I've been looking for you." She felt a hand slap against her upper back, making her eyes widen. Immediately she tucked her hands in her jeans. The omega sniffed loudly, calming down once she inhaled that soft familiar scent. Rachel. Her roommate.

Rachel, the beta, had her eyes narrowed. The large, open window next to Allie allowed a breeze to drift through and run along with her hair. Her face was hot, and the cold draft felt nice.

Her friend took a seat on the nearby couch while resting the plate on her lap. The voices of people passing by outside the window were Allies only form of distraction, and it was as entertaining as one could find it. They were also allowing her to come up with an excuse to answer the question.

"You know me. Running" The lie smoothly rolled off her tongue.

"And somehow that made your clothes dirty and bloody?"

Allie laughed nervously, scratching at her neck. She hid her secret from her roommate as well because no one can be trusted. No one in the university knew her secret, and she hoped to keep it that way. "No. I slipped and fell"

Rachel made a sound. "Aww, that sucks. Go shower we have class in an hour."

"On it" The omega sound, letting out a deep exhale. Allie was sure that she's going to be caught.

***

Even though Allie got her admission through the sports quota, she attended every class. She was interested in psychology, so it wasn't difficult for her to select it as her major. Rachel, her roommate, also enrolled in the same class, fortunately, so they got along pretty well.

The left side of their seats were always empty because most students preferred to stay in the cafeteria rather than attend lectures.

As they got settled in, a sharp knock sounded on the door. That's strange. Allie leaned forward, confused at the disturbance only to notice the Alpha. Nate. He was standing outside the class, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Good morning Mr Logos" He smiled charmingly addressing their senior teacher.

The professor stuttered, adjusting his glasses while asking the Alpha to come in. He had a proud gleam in his eyes as if Nate attending his class was some kind of an achievement.

What was he doing here? Allie thought, her lips twisting wryly.

"What a wonderful surprise Mr Harper!"

"Call me Nate."

The professor almost creamed his pants at that, nodding his head along. "Oh! O-of course Nate. What can I do for you?"

"I have taken Psychology as my elective this year. So attending my lecture."

Allie scoffed. "You are in the wrong class. This class is for first-year students."

"I know, but I heard that Mr Logos is an excellent professor and can teach anything. That's why I specifically asked to be transferred to his class."

"Oh my!" The professor chuckled. "Its an honour. Please, feel free to sit wherever you'd like Nate."

Allie tried not to roll her eyes at that. That's made up and so see-through. Why was no one else objecting to it? The Alpha gave him a thumbs up before started walking towards the steps of the lecture hall. His smile widened at the sight of her with an empty seat next to her.

"Please, no," She slouched lower in her seat, hiding her face behind the laptop. Her effort to disappear failed as Nate happily shuffled into her row and sat down right next to her.

"Hi, stranger."

Allie should stop glaring. They were in class. The omega should be paying attention to the professor instead of wishing her eyes could suddenly develop the power to shoot lasers and kill the Alpha.

"Alright, everyone," Professor Logos said from the front of the room, clapping his hands. "Let's get started."

Suddenly he dimmed the lights and pulled the white projection screen lowered from the ceiling. Students started muttering something under their breaths before they fell into a trance.

Few minutes into the lecture, Nate propped both boots on top of the chair in front of him. Allie rolled her eyes.

Nate leaned across the seat, "So what is he talking about?"

See? The omega knew that he was bullshitting the entire time. Nate had no idea about Thorndike or his learning experiment for that matter. He simply wanted to annoy her.

"Allie?" She took a smooth breath in through her rounded lips, her fingers never stopping their typing the highlighted text on the screen.

"Hey," He whispered, poking her shoulder with his pencil eraser. "Allie?"

"What?" She hissed over him, swatting at the pencil. Some nearby students glanced their direction, and she shifted in her seat. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"Why is everyone so quiet?"

"Because we're in class," Allie said in a duh tone before she let out a sigh and refocused on her notes. That wasn't enough. He needed to hear more. "Also you don't even have a laptop. Be quiet. You're distracting."

"Where's the fun in that?" He huffed.

***

Somehow she managed to sit through the entire class without killing him or herself. As soon as the professor was done, she outran the Alpha and pushed through the locker room. There was only one sitting on the bench, packing his things.

"Hey" Ashton waved at her. "Do you need any help?"

Her gaze snapped up to her friend.

"I'm okay," She huffed out. Her cheeks felt red and hot, which was annoying because it was such an Omega thing to happen. Betas rarely did, but in Omegas it was an appreciated attribute.

"All right," He ruffled his dark blond hair casually, and she followed the movements, a bit transfixed. "I have to ask you something."

"What?"

"This Friday it's our annual footie party to celebrate the start of term," He explained. "You're invited! And before you say no it's not Nates idea. I'm just making the rounds to let the newbies get the hang of it and know each other. Also, bring Rachel along with you."

This was not what Allie had been expecting, but it was excellent news, especially if it didn't come directly from Nate. "Cool! I'll tell Rachel tonight," She nodded, smile wide and bright.

"I'm surprised you didn't say no."

Allie shrugged. "I'm sure Rachel will drag me anyway so what's the point."

Her friend grinned. "That's true. The party starts at nine. I'll text you how to get there."

He waved and walked away, back over to his locker. Allie stared after him for a second, before catching herself and hurrying to get out of the locker room.

***

She awoke on Friday morning with a racing heart and a heavy sigh. It was while she was still blinking her eyes open, lazily thinking about the day ahead and the stuff she had to get done. Just then Allie realised attending a football team party meant that she would have to face Nate. That probably should have been obvious to her from the very start, shouldn't it, what with Nate being the team captain and all. Funnily enough, it hadn't come to her mind before, but it was so thoroughly hitting her now that she groaned out aloud, just as if the weight of the world had just settled atop her shoulders.

The omega hadn't planned on seeing Nate, grateful to have gotten a day of quiet after that lecture incident. But she honestly had no choice.

***