Page 6 of Daughter of Garnet

“And the other two with me,” Warren notes. “You’ll never be left to your own devices.”

I take a bite of the cookie I got for dessert and point a finger at the two of them. “Good. The last thing I want is to have to pair with a stranger for group projects. I need you both to commit to being my partner if we need one. With my luck, I’d end up with someone who refuses to pull their weight.”

Warren launches into a tale about the time one of our partners didn’t even bother to show up to a presentation while we were in university. I let my eyes wander around the dining hall.

It’s a plain space that takes up the entire first floor of a building called the Hub. According to Warren, who apparently did loads of research before we came here, the first floor is reserved for dining, the second for the library, and the third for a student lounge.

Before I got here, I naively assumed the only structures outside the chapel were the dormitories. I don't know why I did. Where would they hold classes if that were the case?

The two buildings that resemble observatories house all administrative offices, including those of our professors. The Hub is directly behind the chapel, and the instructional buildings surround it. Apparently, if I continue out of the rows of dormitories and head toward the forest, I’ll find the gymnasium and sports fields.

Warren is just finishing up his story when Viv makes a pleasant sound and waves at someone behind me. “Oh, guys, this is my brother, Ray. Ray, this is Zoe and Warren.”

Before I can turn in my seat to look at him, he circles the table and sits next to Warren. “Pleasure to meet you.” Our eyes lock, and my heart stutters.

This is the first time I’ve met an Alpha. I’ve seen them in passing, of course, but their high-profile jobs mean they don’t spend much time in the smaller towns. He’s large, and I can tell he’s easily a few inches taller than Warren. He’s fit in the way I’ve been told all Alphas are. They’re built for battle, after all.

It should be no surprise that neither Warren nor I were Blessed to be Alphas. We don't look the part. But maybe the muscles come with the Blessing.

Ray looks like Viv, in the way siblings do, with molten brown eyes and straight brows. He's got flawless, golden-tan skin, and his dark hair is short, with a textured fringe. I catch a hint of a spicy, masculine scent from him. I bet his cologne is expensive, because his clothes certainly are. Both he and Viv are dressed in rich fabrics, with watches and jewelry that scream luxury.

Ray’s presence is overwhelming, setting him apart from Viv in a key way. It will be evident to anyone who meets him that he is an Alpha.

“Nice to meet you both. Glad Viv found some friends.” His eyes skate over me, barely taking in my appearance at all before he turns to his sister. “I wanted to see if we had Designation Hierarchy together.”

He shoves his schedule toward his sister, and she glances down at it. “Yep, with all three of us.”

“Cool. It’ll probably be the only class that has mixed designations. I was hoping you’d be in there.” He rests his elbow on the table and props his chin on his hand. His biceps flex beneath his green overshirt. “It's gonna feel weird to be without you.”

“You’ll get used to it. We knew this could happen.”

“Are you two twins?” Warren turns his body to face the Alpha, but Ray only glances at him out of the corner of his eye.

“We’re ten months apart,” Viv answers. “Mom got pregnant with me right after Ray was born.”

I feel like I’m intruding on their conversation, but I cannot pull my eyes away from the Alpha. There is something about him that draws me in, making it hard to focus on anything else. It must be frustrating for Alphas to know that everyone feels drawn to them for reasons beyond their control.

“I’ll see you later.” Ray pushes to his feet, barely glancing at me. That initial moment of eye contact was all we had, and a part of me holds my breath, hoping he’ll turn all of his attention on me again. “You two as well, I suppose.”

CHAPTER 4

Zoe

I spent most of the last few days before classes unpacking and getting familiar with the campus. By the time we were finished with dinner, my things had been delivered from my university dorm. It was a delicate balance getting all of my clothes hung up; the bar fell several times before I figured out the right way to distribute the weight, but I got it eventually.

As I finish pinning the front pieces of my hair back, I catch my reflection in the mirror in my tiny bathroom.

I look the same. Exactly as I did before the ceremony. My hair is a plain, dull brown and wavy, my eyes copper, and my skin a pale, dull tan. Nothing about me screams, “Hey, look at me, I’m an Omega!”

I'm certain now that I imagined that voice, because if Ray, a newly designated Alpha, had such a strong 'Alpha' presence, wouldn't I have an Omega one?

That’s probably what it is. It is significantly more likely that I am a Beta and was imagining things than that I touched the garnet, was Blessed by Ilota, who does not Bless people, and was deemed an Omega.

Also, I didn’t shift. If I had shifted, I’d believe she Blessed me, but I didn’t.

I need to push that voice from my head, forget the purring, pleased murmur that called me an Omega, and embrace the fact that I got exactly what I wanted by being designated a Beta.

A knock on my door drags me out of my thoughts, and when I pull it open, Warren is waiting for me.