The Unknown Alpha

chapter twenty-one

"This is lame," Emily moaned, rolling her head back as she shifted slightly in the chair to get access to as much sunlight as possible from the nearby window. She stared longingly at the open window, nearby branches softly swaying in the breeze. It was as if nature was just calling her name.

     "Just think of it as an improv study group," Adam suggested helpfully, prompt up against the side of his bed, textbook surrounding him. Above him, laying on the bed with a phone glued under his nose, was Brent.

     The dorm Adam and Brent shared on campus wasn't overly big, just enough for two bed, a couple dressers and a small work desk each. There wasn't much floor space left, but somehow, Adam had managed to lay out a Star Wars rug that somehow avoided all the furniture.   

     "You could use the extra study time," Adam pointed out, as he watched Emily tilting the chair back even future, her heels kicked up on the desk. She was about ready to come crashing down soon if she was not careful.

     "Nah," Emily said in a drawl. "My grades are good enough."

     "Aren't you flunking two classes?" Brent looked up from his phone long enough to raise his eyebrows, before he was back to his screen.

      "Hey, history and psychology doesn't count," Emily grumbled with her arms crossed. "Who needs those subjects anyway?"

     "Apparently, you do," Adam said. "To pass."

     Emily kicked up from the desk and straightened on the chair. She narrowed her eyes on Adam, before settling on Bailey. She sat at Brent's work desk, staring down blankly at the unopened book in front of her. "Bailey, you okay? You feel okay . . .?" She didn't know much about newly developed alphas, but she had a long chat with Joseph and Amelia over the weekend, and she was warned to be weary of any possible changes or side-effects. Staring off into nothing certainly counted, right?

     Bailey didn't look up, only lowered her head. There wasn't much time left until fourth period began, but the thought of going into the cafeteria had almost sent her into a frenzy, so Adam suggested hanging out in their dorm until classes began again.

     "Bailey?" Now, Emily sounded worried.

     Worried enough that Bailey looked up at her. She tried to smile, to reassure her friend, but the muscles in her face refused to cooperate. "Just tired. Stop fretting."

     Emily scowled at her. "Stop making me fret."

     Adam looked amused, pushed his textbooks to the side and scooted closer to Bailey. "I still can't believe it."

     Bailey looked away from him. She didn't need him to elaborate. "You and half the town, buddy."

     "Oh, c'mon, Bailey," Adam exclaimed. "I mean, it's not like inheriting a car from a family you never knew. You inherited a bloody pack. And a lot of power to go with it. That's awesome."

     Brent sat up on the bed, his interest peeked. "He's not wrong," he said, his phone now gone from sight. "Even from a weak pack, you'd still inherit the normal traits of an alpha. Speed. Strength. Agility."

     "Hey," Adam suddenly exclaimed, a spark igniting in his eyes. He swung towards Bailey, his mouth gaping. "That's why you suddenly got so much faster, isn't it? That's cheating!"

     Bailey felt a pang but didn't say anything. She had hoped ditching lunch and hiding in the dormitories would make thing easier, but she was just as much of a freak no matter where she hid.

     Emily, however, didn't appreciate Adam's tone. With a rough thud against the side of his head, and a nasty scowl to match, she stood and gathered her backpack into her arms. "We should go, anyway. Lunch is almost finished."