Page 39 of Daughter of Garnet

Am I okay?

No.

But I believe this feeling will be my new norm.

"I'm alright. I have a study group." One led by Dominic, but I don't share that tidbit. I imagine if I did, Cliff would whisk me away.

"Can I walk you there, at least?"

I nod and let him wrap my hand around his elbow as he guides me to the study area. I like the way I feel against him, as if our bodies were made to fit together. My group is there, all waiting for our Alpha Aide to arrive.

Warren catches sight of me, and his eyes zero in on where my hand rests on his roommate's arm.

"What's going on here?"

I wave away his concern. "Nothing. I got a little lost in here, so Cliff brought me where I needed to go."

Warren doesn't believe me. If anyone can tell when I'm lying, it's him. He's lied alongside me enough times to recognize my tells.

But this isn't about who ripped the sapling from the ground, and I don't know if he'll be standing by my side in this next phase.

He narrows his eyes at his roommate. "Well, she's here now, so you can leave her in my very capable hands."

Why does he sound pissed at Cliff? Does he feel possessive over me after that kiss?

It's a bullshit double standard, because I know he's been hooking up with people since we got here, yet I can't touch Cliff without him getting weird?

Fuck that.

In a moment of defiance, I turn my back to my best friend and wrap my arms around Cliff's neck. He reacts, as if on instinct, by wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer.

"Thank you." The words are whispered against his ear, so only he can hear.

"Anytime you need me, you know where to find me."

When he releases me, most of the tension has drained from my body, and the pain I felt over Dominic's rejection is a whisper, not a scream.

Until I look over Cliff's shoulder and see the Alpha, eyes darkened with fury, and a snarl curling his upper lip.

What right does he have to be mad when I hug someone? He's the one who walked away from me. He's the one who taunted me about my need for touch and affection and then left. He has no say in how I go about getting what I need.

"Sit the fuck down unless you want me to kick you out and let you fail." His voice is little more than a growl, drawing the attention of the rest of our group.

Cliff excuses himself as Warren and I find our seats, wedged in between Jeanette and Alec.

As Dominic launches into a mini-lecture on identifying Alphas Blessed by each God and how that changes the way we approach them, he keeps looking at me out of the corner of his eye, and I can tell he's struggling to hold back his beast.

I'm the first away from the table and out the door when the group is over.

CHAPTER 20

Zoe

My body is changing in subtle ways that others probably wouldn't notice, but I do. I can't handle it, and it's making me ill.

It's been over a week since Dominic left me on the floor of the library, and I'm starting to feel like that was a completely different person.

I empty my guts into the toilet for the third time today. It's getting worse. I wasn't even able to make it through Calculus. I couldn't say for a fact what is wrong with me, but I have a feeling it's the same thing that made me miss my period.