Alpha Erased (Alpha Girl 9)

“Good. Okay. We have plenty of time. Can you get Van, babe?” Chris said the last to Cosette.

I heard Cosette yell for him.

“We’ll be there in a few to help shop. We’ll be ready for whenever she comes. We’ll make it a party. I’ll eat a ton. You’ll eat a ton. She’ll take our cues that it’s okay to eat her fill. Her wolf is tough. She’s fought this hard to keep her alive under all that magic. She’ll keep doing it. The important thing is that she’s still alive, which means you’re there in time. We’ll save her.”

“We have to.” Because if she left this world, I would follow her.

Tessa was my True Mate. I’d doubted it while she’d been gone, but I knew it was true the second I saw through all the layers that were hiding her. True Mates didn’t survive the death of the other. We would pass into the next realm together. That’s just how our magic worked.

“Gotta go pack,” Chris said. “We’ll stay in your guest room for as long as this takes.”

“Okay.” That made me feel better than I could admit.

“Finish your run. We’ll be there within the hour.”

The line went dead, and I wished I was as sure as Chris. I wanted to believe him. But he hadn’t seen what I’d seen.

Because in the elevator—when I was truly seeing her and breathed in deeply—I didn’t catch her lavender, honey, and vanilla scent.

I smelled her death.

Chapter Twenty-One

TESSA

I drove to campus in a mental fog. Somehow I got there in one piece, parked, and talked to my professor, but I didn’t remember any of it.

I was sitting in the empty classroom staring at my test booklet—reading the first question for the millionth time—when I finally snapped out of the shock of what had happened.

I’d agreed to dinner.

With my hot neighbor.

At his apartment.

Tonight.

Had I lost my mind? Why did I agree to that?

And I knew why. Because Dastien was hot and I really wanted him, even if it was so stupid. There was no chance he’d be interested in someone like me.

I glanced up at the clock. It’d been over thirty minutes since I left my apartment. That was thirty minutes I’d lost completely. That was bad, even for me. It wasn’t bad enough to check in with my doctor, but it was something I needed to be aware of in case it turned into a trend.

I pulled my water bottle out of my backpack and took a long drink. It’d probably work better if I dumped it over my head, but I felt someone watching me.

My professor was staring. He was a kind-of-handsome guy in his mid-forties. He always wore jeans and a button-down, but also a tie. Always oversized and with some bright print on it. It was like—really? Why not just go casual and skip the ugly tie?

“Are you sure you’re okay enough to take the test?”

I took another sip of water, hoping that would calm me. “I think I’m okay. I was studying when I collapsed, and I just want to get this test done.”

He pressed his lips together as he watched me. “If you don’t do at least as well as your average test score, I’m going to give you a redo.”

That was incredibly understanding, and much more generous than I’d expected from him. He had the reputation of being a total hard-ass.

I let out a shaky breath, and I wished it was nerves because of the test. “Thanks. I appreciate that, but I think I’ll do okay.” At least I hoped that was the truth.

“All right. You’ve got forty-five more minutes. Get started.”