CHAPTER 49: A TEXT FROM THE BROTHERS

{Elira}

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My mouth opened, but nothing came out. The words tangled in my throat. I didn’t know if it was right—or safe—to tell them.

But Nari took my silence as an answer.

Her scoff cut the air. "Of course she doesn’t. What do you expect from an Omega?"

Cambria stepped in, her tone calm but firm. "Omegas are people too, Nari. There’s nothing wrong with them."

Nari turned her head, her ponytail swinging slightly as she scoffed again. "Even if she had a mate, he’d reject her. Who in their right mind would want an Omega for a mate?"

A small, almost breathless thought slipped through my mind, quiet and stubborn.

Maybe the brothers.

My heart thudded at the memory of them: Lennon’s easy warmth, Rennon’s quiet gentleness... and even Zenon’s coldness, which somehow still protected me in ways I barely understood.

But I swallowed the thought. It wasn’t something I could ever say aloud—not yet.

Instead, I lowered my gaze back to the books in my lap, the weight of them grounding me.

It didn’t matter what they thought.

What mattered was that I was here.

And no matter what they believed about Omegas, or about me... I had made it to ESA. And somehow, despite the odds, I wasn’t completely alone.

Suddenly, my stomach growled so loudly it startled even me.

And immediately, all eyes turned my way.

Tamryn shot me a glare sharp enough to slice through bone, then went right back to her book.

Heat crept up my neck and into my face. I kept my gaze low, wishing I could shrink into my bed and disappear.

Cambria, ever gentle, patted my shoulder. "You must be starving from all that walking," she said softly. Then she crossed over to her shelf, rummaged a bit, and came back holding out a slim protein bar. "Here. You didn’t even get to have lunch."

My lips parted. For a second, I thought of telling her that I had my own snacks in my luggage—but by the time the words reached my throat, she had already climbed back onto her top bunk, her back turned.

So instead, I just murmured, "Thank you," and accepted it.

But right on cue, my stomach betrayed me again with another low growl.

This time, it felt like the air in the room shifted. Juniper rolled her eyes so slowly it felt deliberate, like she wanted me to see it.

Tamryn glanced up again, her eyes cold and silent, before dropping them back to her book.

I swallowed hard, heat prickling across my skin.

Nari’s snort broke the silence. "What, are you waiting for someone to come feed you too?" she asked, lips curling into a smirk.

I said nothing. I just unwrapped the protein bar, turned my body slightly away, and bit into it.

It was sweet, chewy, nutty... It helped quiet the ache in my stomach, but it couldn’t do much for the sting behind my ribs.

When I finished, Cambria gently placed a cool bottle of water on the bed beside me. "Here," she said softly. "And when you’re done, the trash can is by the door."

I hesitated only a breath before accepting. "Thank you," I whispered, barely loud enough for anyone to hear.

The water was cold and tasted faintly of lemon. I tilted my head back, savoring it, then carried the empty wrapper to the trash can.

When I returned, my stomach felt settled at last—just enough to push away the edge of fatigue. But a small doubt still twisted inside me: was it really wise to accept kindness so easily from people I barely knew?

Still, hunger had spoken louder than pride.

Before I could wonder further, Cambria’s voice floated down from above. She had climbed up to her bed.

"This is siesta time, Elira. You should unpack your things and rest a little before dinner."

I nodded, grateful for her kindness, and pushed myself to get started

First, I unpacked my textbooks and notebooks, lining them neatly on the small private shelf above my study desk.

Then, I opened my luggage, lifting each folded item onto the bed: uniforms first. I hung them carefully in my closet, smoothing out invisible wrinkles. Then shoes to the bottom shelf

The casual clothes were next: folded into tidy stacks before placing them in the wardrobe’s drawers.

Next were the snacks Lennon and Rennon had insisted I bring. Just enough to last two weeks—if I didn’t devour them all too quickly.

Rennon had gently warned me about eating too much junk, as they weren’t healthy, but Lennon had winked and promised to send me more anyway.

One brother worried about my health, the other about my happiness. It made me smile faintly.

I placed the snacks carefully on one of the middle shelves, where I could reach them when I needed comfort.

The last of the items went away quickly: toiletries, spare socks, and the neat envelope of cash from Alpha Cyprus. I slipped that envelope into my private safe shelf, punching in the same code I’d used for my locker.

After, I turned to my study desk. The small reading lamp went into its corner, along with the smartwatch Professor Calven had given me. Its sleek black surface glinted under the afternoon light.

Then I dressed my bed with the new sheets and pillowcases the brothers had picked. The fabric smelled faintly of clean cotton, with just a hint of jasmine.

Each fold smoothed away a little of my tension.

Finally, I took out my spare keys and placed them onto the fancy keyholder Lennon had picked. It clipped perfectly to the little pouch on my phone case.

As I adjusted it, my thumb brushed the power button by accident, and the phone screen lit up instantly.

My heart jolted.

A flood of messages and missed calls notifications from the brothers, stacked over each other filled the screen.

I’d completely forgotten.

The brothers must have been trying to reach me since morning.

All day, I’d been so caught up: the orientation, the new faces, my first class and my unpacking.

I hadn’t thought once to check my phone or that they might be worried about me, especially on my very first day in ESA.

A rush of guilt bubbled up. I had even left it on silent.