Margin of Error Part 1
Masterlist
Word Count: 579
Summary: When Ella Wilson's friend goes missing, and a stranger shows up looking for her, Ella is dropped into a dark underworld of drugs and criminal connections. Can her book smarts keep her safe on the streets?
Warnings: a/b/o
Ella looked around the science lab. Her partner and roommate had been missing for almost a week now. It was not unusual for Katie to miss class or to not come home for several days, but this was getting extreme. Ella sniffed the air inconspicuously, seeing if she could pick up the beta’s scent. Ella had started to wear one of Katie’s hoodies in an attempt to find that gentle linen soap smell that seemed to follow Katie around.
Ella worked through her chemistry lab grabbing a few “sample” cards as she liked to call them and sliding them into her backpack with the rest of her workbooks. She would use the sample cards later to strengthen some of the side effects of her suppressants when she was back at her dorm. With any luck Katie would be back from her bender only a little hung over and she could help Ella get the dosage right so as not to fuck her up too long.
As Ella turned down the hallway to her dorm room, Katie’s linen soap scent wafted to her, clinging to an overpowering and foreign scent. Ella’s head snapped up from her phone as she saw the tall dark-haired man standing in front of her door. She stood there like a deer in the headlights, until to man caught her scent and turned to look at her. He had Alpha written all over him, and his lip lifted in growl as looked her over. Ella wasn’t going to wait to find out what he had planned. Katie had a reputation for not being the best judge of character and had some unsavory friends. She turned and bolted, dropping her phone as she ran into her RA.
“Ella, are you okay?” he asked as he reached to grab her cellphone. But Ella was back on her feet and out the door, her reflexes and senses heightened by the tweaking she had done to her suppressants.
“Wait!” The alpha shouted as he came sliding around the corner.
“Nope,” Ella muttered to herself as she got out of the dorm and booked it for the parking garage.
“Hey, Ren, did you find the girl yet?” a pasty red-haired man called. Ella nearly tripped as she skidded silently to a halt and crouched behind a car.
“Listen, Hux, all you beta’s smell the same, how am I supposed to find her if you’re constantly under foot and touching everything?” Ren- the dark-haired alpha from the dorm room- replied with so much sass and dismissiveness that she thought Hux was going to explode.
“Just remember who is in charge of this outfit. Snoke brought you in to get this done quickly, I don’t like your kind.” Hux snarled.
“Jealousy is really your color, Hux,” Ren growled. “Go look somewhere else for her, I’ll finish up this side of the campus.” The alpha stood there catching his breath waiting for Hux to leave.
“I know you’re here. I won’t hurt you,” he called quietly to Ella. “What’s your name?”
“Ella.” She decided to trust Ren, Ella stood from behind the car after picking up something that had fallen off him as he had rushed past her.
“I know you’re not what they think you are,” he said taking a deep breath. “There’s something wrong with your scent.”
“I know you’re not what they think you are. Ben,” Ella held up a badge with his picture on it. “Are you undercover or something?”