Rise of the Alpha
Chapter 34

Magnolia

My mind has been on a rollercoaster with what happened yesterday when I left home, last night with Jude and Wylla, and then this morning. Getting the okay that I could join the Stoneridge pack was a relief like a burden was lifted from me. But then the delivery came from Jeremiah with yet another warning not to return to the pack I grew up in.

I don’t know what to think, what to do. Do I trust him, or is it just a trap? I have so many questions and no answers. With everything going on, I almost took the day off from classes, but Wylla suggested I go to keep my mind busy and to make it look like I didn’t know anything, in case Alpha Johnson had more spies here watching me. I know there was one at the fight, and they saw my k**s with Zeke, but were there more?

The guys and I barely made it to Supernatural History on time, and I could see the frowning look on Professor Godrickson’s face as we came rushing into the classroom after it already started, causing an uproar of laughter and muffled comments, especially the guys who think we were in the throes of a gang bang that made us late. Blaine must have heard the same as he growls at them all, baring his teeth.

I slide into my seat, hastily pulling my book from my bag, before setting my bag on the ground and turning to the chapter I knew we’d be discussing from the syllabus. My mind is still playing everything on replay as I work to try to find an answer for what to do, who to believe, and who I can trust. Jude reaches out across the aisle and rubs his hand along my thigh, attempting to comfort me, but all it does is spiral me into memories of last night and his tail. F**k, that was the most erotic thing I’ve ever experienced. Which isn’t a lot, I know.

“Miss Holloway… Miss Holloway!” I swear I hear my name being called, but I can’t seem to focus on it. It seems like an echo in my mind, maybe a memory.

A gentle shake of my shoulder brings me back to reality, and I look to my right to see it’s Blaine. “Babe, the professor’s been calling you, are you okay?”

“Huh?” comes out more loudly than I’d anticipated.

“Ahh, good, it seems you’ve rejoined us, Miss Holloway. I was asking you your thoughts on the supposed extinction of some of our older supernaturals like Unicorns, Minotaurs, and Dragons. Do you believe they are truly extinct or merely hiding in plain sight for the day they can return to the public?”

“Oh… umm… I… Well, I think, since this is all so new to me, that maybe they’re still around. Some might even be our best friends. What made them go into hiding? I guess we’ll just have to hope that one day they’ll tell us when they feel comfortable enough to rejoin the world.”

“Well said, Miss Holloway, and please stay after class, so I can speak with you for a moment,” he says before continuing on with his lecture. The class was so busy acting like high schoolers with their oohs and ahhs that I don’t think they caught the wink he gave me, but the angered growl beside me tells me someone did.

Thirty minutes later, class comes to an end. I go to reach down for my bag, but Jude beats me to it and hands it to me. “Thank you,” I whisper to him.

“Welcome, babe. Wonder what he wants to talk to you about? He can’t be all tied up in knots because you were spaced out. Hell, most of us were, not just you.”

“It’s okay,” I tell him as I hang back, knowing Professor Godrickson wants to speak with me. What I wasn’t expecting was for the guys to stay with me. “Go, I’ll meet up with you when I’m done,” I tell them as I try to shoo them off.

“NO!” Blaine growls out loudly, crossing his arms over his chest as he glares in Professor Godrickson’s direction.

“Come on, man, she’ll be okay. See you at lunch.” Zeke leans in, giving me a chaste k**s on my cheek as he shoves Blaine out of the room, with Jude doubled over in laughter as he follows behind them.

Shaking my head at them, I head to the front of the room to talk to Professor Godrickson. “You wanted to see me? I’m sorry about spacing out during class…” He raises his hand, cutting me off before I can finish.

“You’re fine, I just wanted to see how you’ve been since our last meeting. I know you were a little anxious that day, and well, you seem to be very distracted in class lately.”

“Yeah. There’s just so much going on, and I don’t know what to think or do,” I tell him, really wishing I had someone I could trust, outside of everything, that I could spill my guts to and get their unbiased opinion. Could he be that person?

“I’m here if you need to talk, and I’ll give you the best advice I can,” he volunteers as he pulls a chair up to his desk for me to sit in, then takes a seat himself.

“Really. You’d do that for me, a student?”

“Of course. But only if you feel comfortable talking to me.” He reaches out, putting his hand on my knee, giving a slight squeeze, and electricity shoots through me, causing me to jump in response.

I regain my composure quickly as he pulls his hand away, and I spend the next half hour spilling my soul to him. Telling him about my home life, the plans to mate me to the Alpha heir and his Betas, what happened over the weekend, Wylla and the guys. Everything. Finally ending with the note and call from Jeremiah. He listens intently to every word, never once interrupting me. Not until I let out a deep breath at the end, just before the river of tears begin to fall from my eyes.

He reaches out, using his fingers to wipe them away, and then embraces me in a hug that’s not normal for a teacher to do. It causes tingles of electricity to float along my skin, making my hair stand on end. Not in a ‘psychotic killer is after me’, or ‘my skeevy uncle is making a pass at me’, but more of an ‘I need more’ kind of feeling.

Releasing me, he leans back, then takes one of my hands in his. “I think your friend Wylla has given you some good advice. Listen to what this Jeremiah has to say, but keep your guard around him and don’t divulge too much information. Stay with your friends and be aware of your surroundings and who’s around you. Can I see your phone?” I pull my bag into my lap. Reaching inside, I rummage around until I find it and hand it to him. He takes it from me and begins typing away, then hands it back. “Now you have my number. If you need me, call me. Night or day. Do you understand?”

I nod my head yes as I slide it back into my bag.

“No, Magnolia, I need to hear your words.” His voice is deeper and more commanding, causing my center to pool with heat.

“Yes,” comes out with a breathy m**n that has me embarrassed.

He grins at me. “Good girl, now go meet your friends. But remember, I’m here.”

I scurry from the room with a need between my legs, begging to be taken care of.