I strode into the main hall, ready to prove to Jason and my dad that I was more than capable.
The university was sprawling, with three academic buildings, a sports complex, four dorms, and the fraternity houses. The files had told me that the two potential pledges were a guy named Tom and a girl named Kelly.
The files also had pictures, so I wouldn’t mix them up with anyone else.
The freshmen were all gathered in the main hall, waiting for the sophomores to come and guide them around the campus.
Our fraternity always stepped up to do the tour so we could scope out the pledges.
The guy was tall, as tall as Jason, with jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes, while the girl was of Asian descent with black hair and dark eyes. I spotted them chatting and made my way over.
“Hi,” I greeted. “Are you Tom and Kelly?”
“Yes,” Tom responded with a smile.
“Great,” I returned his smile.
“I’m Arya, a sophomore majoring in public law. I’ll be showing you around our campus today. I should also mention that I’m part of the Alpha-Omega fraternity, but we’ll circle back to that later. Let’s get going.”
I led them out of the hall to show them the three buildings where most of the classes took place. Then Tom asked me about our football team. Just what I needed.
“I got a football scholarship to come to this university,” Tom explained. “What can you tell me about the team?”
I glanced at my watch. Sure enough, they were practicing right now since classes officially started tomorrow.
Damn. I really didn’t want to see him again today, but I had no choice. It was my job to show the freshmen around.
“They’re practicing now, so if Kelly doesn’t mind, we can go watch them,” I suggested.
“I don’t mind at all.” She smiled. “I’m curious about the team too.”
“Okay then. Follow me.”
We left the science building and headed to the stadium. The school was crazy about its football team, and werewolves in general loved sports. Football gave them a chance to fight and run, satisfying our primal urges.
As soon as we walked in, all eyes turned to us. Great. The entire team was made up of werewolves, so they subtly showed me their necks in respect.
Jason was the quarterback and captain of the team since he was the most dominant wolf. My mate. I shot him a glare, and he lowered his eyes in submission. Finally, something was going my way here.
Chad approached me, a smile on his face. I smiled back, and the two pledges moved to talk to the coach.
“Hey, handsome,” I greeted him.
“How’s it going with the freshmen?” he asked.
“It’s okay,” I replied. “I think the guy could take the test. He’s pretty good-looking, too.”
I said the last part knowing that Jason would hear it, and he growled. Chad shook his head and sighed, clearly disappointed in me.
“Are you two ever going to stop fighting?” he asked, furrowing his brows.
“Nope. I’m hoping he’ll reject me,” I admitted.
“You don’t mean that!”
“I can still hope.” I shrugged.
“Chad!” the coach called. “Quit chatting with your girlfriend and get back here or you’ll owe me thirty push-ups.”
Chad laughed before pecking my cheek and returning to the field. I saw the two pledges walking back to me and waited for them to get close enough before speaking.
“Did you get all your questions answered?” I asked.
“Yeah. Thanks for bringing us here,” Tom said, flashing a smile.
He really did have a nice smile.
“Let’s head to the frat houses,” I suggested, returning his smile.
There was a hill near the sports complex where we could see all the frat houses. I led them there and explained the fraternity systems and how to apply.
Of course, I mentioned our very special AΩ fraternity.
“It’s a prestigious fraternity. We don’t have many members because the trial is tough. If you want to apply, I have a form you can fill out,” I explained.
“Do you think I have a shot at your fraternity?” Tom asked.
“I think you do,” I replied. “But I should warn you, only two people get selected every year.”
“Give me the form,” he said, smiling.
“Here you go,” I returned his smile. “Good luck. The trial is next week.”
“Can I get your number too? In case I have any questions…”
“Sure. Here you go.”
I scribbled my number on a form for another fraternity and handed it to Tom. He beamed at me as he took the form.
He was going to be so disappointed because I had no intention of dating him or any human. I knew that Jason would kill anyone he perceived as a threat.
Kelly turned to me and smiled.
“Do you think I have a chance too?” she asked.
“I think you should try one of the sororities instead,” I suggested, handing her the forms for the sororities on campus.
“Fine,” she said, a bit sharply as she took the forms.
After saying my goodbyes, the two freshmen left. I had to head back to the frat house to report to Jason.
I knew he wouldn’t be back from practice yet, but the other wolves would be at the house. Time to mingle with my pack.
I walked to the red-brick house with the golden AΩ letters next to the door. I walked in to find many wolves chatting in the living room.
They all looked at me and showed me their necks as I walked in. I saw Kristen there, chatting with one of the junior males, Paul.
“Hey,” she greeted me.
“Hey,” I echoed.
“So, are they good?” Paul asked.
“The guy, yes, but not the girl,” I replied.
“I think I’ll present both of mine,” Kristen said. “I think we’ll have a great hunt this year.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” I said, my tone grim.
She looked concerned, but she knew what I meant. I took her hand in mine and squeezed it, offering a smile.
“Too bad,” I continued. “The guy is cute. I hope I don’t eat him.”
Arya’s laughter echoed in the room, but it was cut short by a low growl from behind us. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was Jason. His presence was as familiar as the back of my hand, and his blue eyes were hard to forget.
“Do you really believe he’s up to the task?” Jason’s voice was laced with skepticism, his eyes narrowing as he looked at me.
“I do, actually,” I shot back, meeting his gaze head-on.
We stood there, locked in a silent battle of wills. My inner wolf was stirring, restless. Jason was my mate, but she didn’t take kindly to being challenged. After all, I was the most dominant wolf in the house.
A low growl rumbled in my throat, a warning. I let my power seep into the room, filling every corner. One by one, the less dominant wolves began to kneel, but Jason’s gaze remained defiant.
“Enough,” Chad’s voice cut through the tension, his teeth gritted. “We all know you’re the alpha, Arya.”
“Seems like Jason needs a reminder,” I growled back. “Or maybe you want to challenge me?”
“I don’t,” he growled, but the fight had left his voice.
Finally, he lowered his gaze and bared his neck, a sign of submission. He looked around the room, taking in the sight of the other wolves, all on their knees or all fours, their eyes downcast.
The hierarchy of dominance and submission in the werewolf world could be a real pain, but it was better than the alternative—chaos. And chaos was the last thing any pack needed.
