Page 101 of Vicious Kings
I look up from my textbook and find Olivia watching me with a violently arched eyebrow. Clearly, she has zero faith in my ability to study in an overcrowded cafe.
To be fair, I have been reading the same page for the better part of an hour. "I'm…putting my eyes on the page."
She purses her lips and hums, looking back down at her own book. "If you say so."
Great. Corvinusfinallygives me the space I asked for and I've spent the entire week waiting for something to happen. Now I'm starting to crack and even my roommate is noticing.
A burst of laughter erupts from a nearby table, and I don't have to look to know it's Isabella's crew. The passive-aggressive bullshit has ramped up since Tallon's intervention.
There haven't been any more physical confrontations—they're not stupid enough to risk his wrath again—but they've switched tactics to harsh whispers, pointed stares, and "accidentally" blocking my path in the hallway.
Omegas are creative, I'll give us that.
Olivia kicks me under the table, hard enough to make me wince. "They're staring again."
"Let them stare." I take a sip of my coffee, which I'm pretty sure the barista just dumped sugar in even though I told her I wanted it black. "Not like they can do anything about it."
"Says the girl who got jumped in an empty classroom last week." She grimaces, rubbing her arm. "I still can't wear sleeveless dresses after those catty bitches sunk their claws in."
"That was before Tallon used his alpha bark on those bitches." I turn a page I still haven't read, giving up. "Pretty sure Corvinus threatened to put a hit out on anyone who touched me after that because no one has since."
"No, but they've been makingmylife a living hell," she huffs. "Brittany 'accidentally' spilled her entire lunch tray on me yesterday. In front of everyone."
Guilt twists in my stomach. "Fuck. Olivia, I'm sorry?—"
"Don't." She waves a hand, cutting me off. "I'm not asking you to apologize or fix it. Just stating facts."
"You don't have to hang out with me," I point out. "We're roommates, not joined at the hip. You could easily tell them you can't stand me and?—"
"Oh, please. The damage is already done," she says with a bitter laugh. "They've decided I'm your ally, which makes me guilty by association. Might as well own it at this point."
I study her across the table. Pink sweater, perfectly curled golden hair, makeup that probably took an hour to apply. Everything about her screams traditional omega except the steel in her eyes. Princess Pink has claws under all that glitter.
"You're tougher than you look," I say.
"Obviously." She flips her hair over her shoulder with a dramatic flourish. "You think I survived this place for a semester before you showed up by being soft?"
Fair point.
"Speaking of surviving," I lean forward, lowering my voice even though the surrounding tables are too busy gossiping to pay attention, "how's the shifter situation going?"
Her entire face lights up and I have to resist the urge to shield my eyes from the sheer wattage of her smile.
"Everen set the date to meet his pack," she gushes, and yep, there it is. Girl's already in love. "It's tonight!"
My stomach drops. "Tonight? Already?"
"Is that bad?" Worry creeps into her expression. "You think it's too soon? I don't want to seem desperate."
"I think..." I choose my words carefully, because the last thing I want is to sound like an overprotective parent. "I think shifter packs can be intense. Territorial. You sure you're ready for that?"
"No." She laughs, fiddling nervously with her coffee cup. "But he says they're excited to meet me, so I can't exactly back out now."
"You absolutely can. Just say the word and I'll help you fake a sudden illness. Food poisoning. Heat cycle. Whatever you need."
She reaches across the table and takes my hand. I freeze, because I'm not used to human contact. Especially not the kind that doesn't come with a dagger in the back. "I appreciate that. Really. But I want to go. I'm just nervous."
Of course she is. Meeting an entire pack of supernatural predators who've probably never had a human let alone an omega in their den before.
