Part 4
As soon as the question rolled off the Alpha's tongue, I knew we were done. My shoulders sagged in defeat, head falling and eyes clenched tight, hands clasped together. It would only be a matter of a few seconds before Avon fails to answer the question.
"Emma", My name rolled off his lips, voice almost a whisper that I missed it. I could feel the Alphas eyes settle on my side, gaze softening as he stared. As if he had read my thoughts, Avon tightened his grip and slurred my name again. "It's Emma."
I audibly choked, wrapping an arm around my mouth and looking away. How did he know? Panic gripped my insides for a second, teeth sinking on my bottom lip. What if I was trusting the wrong person?
Leon crossed his arms, motioning for the omega to check my ID, which she forcibly did. To my surprise, her lips broke into a broad smile, turning around to meet the Alpha's eyes. "It's true. Babe, they are dating..."
"Oh," His voice echoed, eyes narrowed together.
Hastily I pulled the ID card from her hands and turned to meet Leons stare, my lips twisting. "Now that it is proved, I am innocent. Can you let me leave?"
"Your identification doesn't prove your innocence."
Avon let out a groan, taking a step further and standing in front of me. He crossed his arms together, head tilting. "Come on; this is ridiculous, Leon. Let us go. I will vouch for her. Alright?"
Silence settled over us like a blanket, my arms coming to wrap tighter around my body, breath held in. Leon appeared as if he was pondering over it, his eyes shifting between us. He let out a huff and took a step back, nodding.
"Fine, I can let you off with a warning." Leon said, glaring at me. "Next time, be careful. Others won't be merciful like me."
Merciful? I almost wanted to laugh at that; instead, I rolled my lips in between my teeth and held in. Bowing down at the Alpha, I looked away in another direction.
"Thanks, Leon!"
“Take care, Avon.” The beta girl whispered.
“Yeah, see you around.” With that, Avon grip slipped, and he wrapped his fingers around my wrist. I jolted at the touch, breath held in as we slowly turned on our feet and started walking towards the back door. All the while, I could feel Leon and others stare boring into my back.
“Hey…Are you alright?”
“Mhm”
"Did I pass?" He asked, still smiling and friendly, letting go of my hand, but our sides were pressed together. His smell hit me, that deep pine scent that immediately made me think of woods, of running without direction, for the pure joy of it.
Whipping my head around, I stared into his eyes, a bit lost in the mixture of colour in them. They were a blend of grey with black around the edges and gleaming under the starry sky. That's the first thing I noticed, clearing my throat awkwardly a second later.
The wind blew gently and zigzagged along the red-bricked walls, making him blink and shake his head gently, hoping to get the fine chestnut-coloured strands out of his face without having to use his hands. In the end, he brushed his fingers along its curve, tucking its end behind his ear.
“Sorry, you were saying?”
I swiped my tongue over my lip. “How do you know my name? Did you guess?”
A chuckle burst out of him, the sound rich and smooth, eyes crinkling by his sides. I watched as he came to a halt, turning to me and raising his brow. “So you don’t know me?”
“No?”
Avon shook his head. “Not your fault. I was sitting on the opposite row in the class.”
“Wait, you are in my class?”
My eyes widened at that, stomach sinking as I tried to think about it. His face did not seem familiar at all, but I did not talk to anyone today except for the girl sitting next to me.
“Emma?” Avon said cautiously.
I jumped, snapping out of my thoughts. My cheeks coloured when I realised that he must have said something, but I was too busy thinking to catch it. "Sorry, what?" I blurted, before adding hastily, “I was trying to recall the class from today….”
“I think you almost went blank after that introduction and forgot others existed.”
“Hey!” I nudged his side, cringing as I thought back to my embarrassing moment in the class.
“I am kidding! Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I sucked big time.” I let out a sigh, kicking at the tiny pebbles in my way, hands falling by my side.
“No, you did not! It’s the first day it happens. Besides, you are a good storyteller. Trust me.” Avon winked at me, giving me a thumbs-up, and we proceeded in silence, much warier of our steps. It's dark, but it seemed like the Alpha knew the layout of the place very well.
I cleared my throat; my hands wrung together awkwardly as we continued walking. “What’s the deal with Alpha Leon anyway?”
We were closer to the destination, leaving stillness and inching towards a faint blaring sound. The trees growing were more abundant than previously, next to the towering blocks they were planted too close to.
Avon rolled his eyes, hands tucked in his pockets as we came to stand still. “His stepbrother is in talks for becoming the next Pack Alpha. It’s Leon’s way of rebelling against his father's decision.”
“How do you know so much about him?”
“We are in the same pack, unfortunately.”
“Oh”
The Alpha gave me a tight-lipped smile in return, followed by a shrug. He gestured out into the darkened alley leading to a door. “Uh… do you need a flashlight or something?”
"I think I'll be fine," I whispered. “Thank you for all your help.”
“Don’t thank me; instead, buy me a meal someday.” Avon chuckled.
“I will!” A breath whooshed out of my lungs as I waved at him. “Bye, Avon,” I whispered exaggeratedly, grinning, my eyes latching onto the dimple that appeared on his cheek.
Fortunately, I managed to find Allie snuggling against the couch, cradling a drink in her hand. A guy racing towards the door turned on his shoulder, letting out a sigh upon noticing me.
“You are her friend, right?”
“Yes.”
“Jimmy.” He introduced himself, thrusting a hand in my way, his cheeks flushed under the lights. “She got wasted after two drinks. Can you take her home?”
My eyes automatically shifted towards my best friend, mumbling something to herself, mouth turned downward in an upset sigh. Rushing to her, my hand came up, and I pet the back of her head in comfort.
“I told you we should have stayed home.”
My best friend made a disgruntled sound in protest, head lolling back on the couch, her eyes rolled. Leaning down, I put her hand on my shoulder for support so I could pull her with ease. She tilted her entire body weight as we walked towards the exit door.
The following day I managed to reach the class before time, immediately spotting Avon among the students. He raised his hand and waved at me, two cups of coffee placed on the desk. My lips twitched as he pointed towards the empty seat.
“Hey!”
“Good morning.”
He beamed at me, pushing the styrofoam cup towards me. “Hope you like latte.”
“I thought I was supposed to buy you something.” I raised my brow, taking a whiff of the coffee, my eyes rolling back at the mild aroma. “Mhm, it smells wonderful. Thank you.”
“You can buy me lunch. Technically this is not a meal.”
Before I could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed inside, almost alerting me in the process. I held my breath as soon as I was hit with the familiar scent, freezing in my seat. Professor Abel stood on the podium; his eyes narrowed into slits as he stared in my direction. The Alpha was dressed in a black button-down, the sleeves rolled till elbows.
My eyes clenched tight, a curse almost slipping past my lips as I realised I forgot to wash his shirt. Oh, moons! Colour drained my face, but I still managed to sit up right, grip tightening on the cup.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Huh?” I whipped my head to the side, dumbly nodding. “Y-Yes.”
“When I enter the room, I want all the students to stop with mindless chatter and pay attention. Don’t make me teach you proper etiquette” Abel cleared his throat, his arms crossed, setting his eyes towards us for a second before looking around.
My nose flared, lips pressed in a line as I glared at him. The lecture went smoothly after that, with Abel rambling about our course modules. An hour passed, and the students started filtering out, but Abel stopped me in tracks.
“We need to discuss something in private, Miss Emma. Please follow me to my office.”