KRISTOS only had to survive two more weeks. Two more, goddamn fucking weeks of college before he would be able to ditch the wretched ass place. Father had insisted on a STEM degree if he wanted his trust fund, which meant failing out wasn't an option. Not that Kristos hated college. He just wasn't a fan of the strict rules that Father had set in place. Or just Father in general.
His parents believed that he was a screwup. His grades were never great. He never stood out. And he always chose the easy way out of everything. In reality? His parents knew so little about him because all of their attention was focused on his older brother – a Beta -, the heir to the company, the estate, and the one who was supposed to continue the bloodline. Kristos? He was just insurance. And as an Alpha, Kristos felt slighted.
Kristos wasn't dumb though. He just had no desire to major in toxicology, a degree Father had specifically requested. Episteme University was great and all with all its bells and whistles. It provided jobs to handfuls of hopeful students that wouldn't have had a chance elsewhere. Kristos just… didn't care. The STEM world was so abusive and one-sided to the biological dynamic. Alphas had it easy. Betas were easily forgotten. And Omegas had to fight tooth and nail just to be considered. Zetas… well, there just weren't that many of them.
Kristos was only here for the inheritance. Not that he wanted it, or even needed it. He just wanted to have something that his brother couldn't get his grimy hands on. His older brother had infected everything else of Father's. Kristos just wanted to have something that his brother wanted, but couldn't have. The thought warmed his cold heart.
So… for two more weeks, Kristos had to survive. Then he could disappear into the woods somewhere with a payday that would set him up for life. No one to answer to. No rules. Just freedom.
Knowing his luck, it wouldn't be that easy.
"Yo, we've been looking for you everywhere!"
Kristos jerked up to attention, wondering when he had drawn so far into his own thoughts. An Alpha's most desirable trait was his senses. His body always seemed to neglect those – allowing people to sneak up on him. A few of the frat brothers had joined him in the communal space, littering themselves along the couches and strange chairs that had been adopted over the years. Strange expressions clouded their faces. Kristos hadn't even heard them come in; the thought was terrifying.
He shook his head, "Hear what?"
He checked his phone, but there weren't any new messages. Nothing was even on the school board. It was Tuesday, which meant that the Chemistry final wasn't until Friday. Kristos shook his head again and peered over at one of the Betas. He had draped himself over one of the royal red ottomans they had confiscated from Beta Kappa Chi during one of their last all-nighters. Kristos had never figured out the Beta's name and at this point, he didn't think it would make any difference to learn it. He only knew most of the brothers by their scents – this one smelled like berries and ginger. It worked and he found no reason to change his system.
Kristos hated fraternities and all the fake camaraderie that they came with. It stunk like Alpha aggression all the damn time, but the constant chaos kept him occupied and made the time fly by faster. He only joined out of obligation as a legacy. And he only stayed because he had somehow managed to get out of the initiation trials.
The Beta that had settled next to Kristos, – forest and coconut – the scent confused him, jostled his shoulder. "Hear what." The Beta mockingly mouthed at him. Kristos didn't know what he was supposed to know. Even with all his pull around the university, he tended to be out of the loop more than he cared to admit. "As if you didn't already know."
Kristos frowned, taking a deep breath. He surveyed the Betas' expressions, realizing that they weren't giddy with great news. Their scents reeked of fear and uncertainty. Kristos turned his attention to his best friend – the only Beta that he could truly rely on and the only one who knew his family dynamic – Sanders. Sanders always smelled like a puppy to him, not enticing but not repulsive either.
Sanders wasn't smiling like the rest of the other Betas. Sanders shook his head and sighed, averting his attention to the other three Betas seated around the room.
Kristos leaned into the Beta sitting next to him, wanting to get this whole encounter over with. He bared his teeth at him, letting some of those Alpha pheromones reveal themselves. He knew that it was unfair to pull rank in a room full of Betas, but he wanted a straight answer. The constant back and forth was fucking annoying. "Treat me as if I didn't know." He hissed.
The Beta next to him shrunk back before smiling again as if nothing had happened. "Fine, have it your way."
"We're having The Lockdown this year." The third Beta blurted out. Kristos grimaced at his scent – mostly because he smelled like he hadn't taken a shower in a few weeks, which was apparently typical and accepted of the fraternity.
Silence filled the room. Kristos wasn't sure what to make of that information. Lockdowns only happened every five years. He hadn't even managed to calculate that his graduating year was the year of the Lockdown. Surviving a lockdown was nearly impossible, but if a student did – the world was their oyster.
Kristos didn't want to think about it. He couldn't fail out. Not now. Not when he was so close. No one here even knew what a lockdown consisted of – just two or three days of silence to the outside world and then poof, a new product released to the scientific community. All the students assumed that it contained sleepless nights, endless studying, and lots of fieldwork. But none of the graduates ever talked about it. It was one of the most exclusive, yet undesirable clubs that existed in society.
There was only one thought on his mind right now, though. "Shit."
The Beta next to him nudged his shoulder again, "Like you even have to worry about it. You're loaded."
Kristos threw him a dark look, "Fa- my dad's loaded." He grimaced, almost revealing to everyone that his home life was not all glamour and sparkles. He didn't need anyone knowing that Father was absolute at home and that he had to answer to his Beta older brother for everything else.
The Beta chuckled, "What's the difference? I-"
Sanders clasped his hand over the Beta's mouth, "Shut it."
Kristos was really glad for Sanders at times. Sanders had a mouth on him and had a hard time reading situations, but he also made it easy to not get in fights. Kristos wasn't as aggressive as some of the other Alphas on campus, but the constant badgering from people who either wanted a piece of him or a piece of his money made it difficult to keep his fists to himself. Even now, Kristos felt his Alpha rumbling in his chest, begging to start something.
Not to mention the constant Omegas going into heat all the time. Sure, the nurse's office helped them through it with heat blockers, but this was college. Omegas that had never been knotted wanted in on the experience. And Alphas were more than happy to oblige. If he hadn't trained himself and bought a shit ton of scent blockers, Kristos wasn't sure that he would have survived. Much the chagrin of his frat brothers. The frat prided themselves on their 'conquests'. Kristos had brought all of one Omega to the house, before realizing that he despised the way the brothers categorized a one-night stand.
Kristos headed for the cafeteria, hands stuck in his pockets, as he braved the afternoon chill. The Betas followed in tandem. For some reason, Kristos felt safer in his pack of Betas, rather than with the other Alpha brothers. It could have been a power dynamic thing, or just the fact that they weren't all constantly trying to outdo each other. It had a sort of calming effect. Or maybe he was more comfortable around Betas because of his older brother. He hoped that that wasn't the case.
All of his broodings had made him forget that he had wanted to grab lunch before his next class. Instead of the leisurely two hours he had planned to relax and forget about the worries of college, Kristos had thirty minutes left. And that included walking halfway across the campus just to get to the cafeteria.
Shit.
Kristos was beginning to feel really irritated and couldn't figure out why. He had noticed it earlier, his nerves pulled tight. It couldn't be The Lockdown news. He rubbed at his chest painfully, trying to hide his grimace. Kristos sniffed at the air and his body stiffened as he slowed his pace. He felt warmth settle in his stomach before it rushed to his dick. He felt himself growing hard, his dick beginning to press at the zipper of his jeans. A moan slipped through his tight lips before he could squash it. Kristos clenched his fists and tried to take short, calculated breaths. The scent blockers were wearing off.
Kristos could feel the unmatched desire growing within him, as he took another swig of the air and confirmed his suspicion.
A Zeta. Going into heat.
Which didn't make any sense, he knew that. But it was just another strange quirk that Kristos had buried as soon as he found it. He could smell Zetas. Like everyone else could smell Alphas, Betas, and Omegas. And a Zeta's scent turned him on a whole heck of a lot faster than an Omega's did. Their scents were richer, spicier, more mysterious…
Shit.
Kristos let out another guttural growl, reaching down to palm himself through his jeans, the pressure beginning to become uncomfortable. Sanders gripped his elbow and began guiding him towards the cafeteria faster. The Beta was the only one who knew this secret too. And the only one who knew that if someone else ever found out the truth, things could go horribly wrong. "Let's go. I'm starving!" He shouted over his shoulder to no one in particular. The other Betas were just as hungry as the rest of them and making a statement of it didn't increase their need to make it to the cafeteria any faster.
Still, Sanders picked up the pace, making sure that Kristos didn't try to follow the scent. Kristos tried to ignore the desire to find the Zeta. He had seen what had happened when an out-of-control Alpha had found an Omega's scent and found himself in a heap of trouble. The blind desire, rage, aggression – it all just spilled out. Some situations turned out to just be a steamy night. Others had turned out to include expulsions, restraining orders, and worst-case scenarios – death. Kristos promised himself that he was not going to be one of those Alphas. He couldn't afford to be.
Yet, he wasn't sure that he was going to be able to ignore the bulge in his jeans if this is what he had to look forward to.
As they queued in line at the cafeteria, Sanders stood in front of Kristos before leaning into him. He was a head shorter, but still held every ounce of Alpha aggression that made sure no one fucked with him, "Really? You usually can keep a better handle on that."
Kristos resituated himself in his jeans, glad that the Zeta's scent had dissipated a little. They must have passed her location. He just shrugged, placing his hands on Sander's shoulders, "I know. The blocker is wearing off."
Sanders frowned, whipping himself around so that they were standing face to face, "Seriously? You put some on yesterday."
True. The blockers usually lasted a whole week. Kristos knew that an Omega's heat could rip through a scent blocker if it was strong enough. But Zeta's weren't known to have heats. He nudged Sanders forward in line, "It's just… she's in pain." Kristos stopped, forming a thin line with his lips. He knew how this sounded and he didn't like explaining this part of his quirk to Sanders – the fact that he not only could smell Zetas but that he could smell their emotions. Sanders wouldn't understand, especially as a Beta.
Sanders groaned with disapproval, reaching out his plate for the dinosaur chicken nuggets. Even at 19, Sanders still ate like a child. He faced Kristos, "You sound like those hot-blooded Alphas that just wanna fuck the heat out-"
Kristos shook his head in disgust. He hated the fact that he had been aroused by the Zeta's heat scent. She didn't need that. He could feel it – she didn't want that. "No – I can't explain it. She's physically in pain. And-" Terrified. His gut wrenched and he could feel his Alpha starting to rage again. Kristos rubbed at his chest, trying to calm down.
They had made it to the end of the line and Kristos still hadn't chosen something. Nothing seemed appetizing at the moment. He wanted to fill his nostrils with that Zeta's scent. He wanted to bathe in it. He wanted to soothe her pain. He shoved his plate at the lunch lady and haphazardly pointed to the soup of the day. It was gray. He definitely wasn't going to eat it, watching as the mess was slopped onto his plate. He fought the urge to retch.
Sanders chuckled, "Brave choice man." The Beta led him to the table with the other frat brothers, but Kristos' mind wasn't anywhere in that room. He sniffed at the air again, trying to find the Zeta's scent – trying to read her emotions. Sunflowers. Honey. Spice. Even hindered by her emotions, the scent lingered in his nose before traveling straight to his groin.
Kristos resituated himself again under the table, trying to block out Sanders' scowl. He couldn't get the Zeta's scent out of his head – so enticing. And all he wanted to do was drown himself in her scent, to be near her, to hold her. Kristos knew from watching the other Alphas, that this was how they got in trouble. One scent – too delicious – and one bad choice ruined their entire academic career.
He stared down at the gray liquid in front of him and pushed it away. Kristos had a lot of questions right now, like why health class hadn't taught this part of the curriculum. Or why a Zeta was going into heat at all. But mostly, he just wanted to know who this Zeta was.