Chapter Twenty-Six
Jonas
T he team shared a special pre-game meal at a restaurant in Glitter City owned by some retired Knights. It was a city known for food, shows, and gambling. The desert city of decadence, originally named for its glitter factories. While I wasn’t a fan of the city, much of the team was.
I’d been texting AJ. We’d tried to get him to come out with us, but since he’d had yesterday off, he thought work would be too busy. Pity. Grif loved it when AJ attended his games.
“Are you doing okay?” I asked Dean as he dug into his food from the sumptuous buffet. His whining for Verity concerned me. He was getting attached.
“I’m excited. I’m going to play a shutout game tonight.” He took a bite of salmon covered in a delicate sauce. “Think we’re at the same hotel? I want my reward in person.”
“That’s not what I was talking about,” I murmured, fingertips grazing his shoulder.
Dean smirked. “I know. Are you two okay now?”
“I was never mad at her.” I wasn’t against her being in our lives. We were just still getting to know her. Reading her text messages had been enlightening. I hadn’t stuck to the one she showed me.
Grif joined us, plate piled high. Nakey, Pauley, and Sarah followed.
“This looks amazing. ” Grif sighed in happiness as he ate some shrimp pasta.
“Tastes even better.” Pauley licked a shrimp suggestively as he looked at his mate.
“No, you taste better.” Nakey snagged a kiss from him.
“Save it for the locker room,” Sarah snorted. The blonde forward was recently mated, though none of them played hockey.
“Nah, don’t feel like being fined today. But I am craving beef.” Nakey took a bite of steak, eyes on Pauley.
“How serious are you with that brunette?” Sarah asked, leaning in. “I mean, I know she sat with you on the plane, and I’ve seen her around...”
And there went the hockey gossip machine.
“I’m keeping her forever,” Dean proclaimed.
“Agreed.” Grif took one of Dean’s shrimp, grinning. Dean snatched it out of his mouth with his teeth.
The other night when I’d walked into the hotel room to see Dean’s cock down Grif’s throat while she gave orders and modeled it on a giant, colorful vibrator was incredibly sexy. It would be even better in person. Not only did I want to see how she treated them in the bedroom, there was something about her that intrigued me.
She could be our greatest strength... or our biggest downfall.
Hopefully, the former.
I needed her to believe in herself. Perhaps I got too aggressive back there in the kitchen. It tore me up that she had this potential to be amazing and her shitty parents took away all her confidence.
Also, I needed to figure out what AJ’s problem with her actually was. I’d tried to talk to him yesterday but hadn’t gotten very far other than him thinking she was unreliable. Something those text messages I’d read today refuted.
The only other thing I could think of was that he regretted asking Grif to wait to make their relationship more, but didn’t know how to bring it up without sounding jealous.
After we finished, we got back on the bus and drove to the arena to prepare for the game. I pulled Dean into a quiet corner for a moment as everyone went about their pre-game routines.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I held him to me, his cozy scent wrapping around me.
“I’m fine.” Dean leaned his head on my chest. “Why do you keep asking?”
“The whine took me by surprise.” I stroked his hair, which was getting long.
“Um.” He leaned in, lips brushing my ear. “It was Grif.”
“What?” My voice went raspy. Now that I hadn't expected. Grif had very few omega traits anymore.
“Yeah.” Voice low, he cuddled into me further, as if trying to become part of me. “Given he was practically in my lap, everyone thought it was me, and well, betas don’t whine like that.”
I sighed, resting my head on top of his. “I’ve been worried about that. That she’ll bring out the omega in him and our entire world will come tumbling down. Then she’ll run away, leaving everything in ruins.”
“Verity, run because he’s... him?” Dean snorted, eyes dancing with amusement as he peeked up at me. “No. Honestly, I’m getting scent match vibes. If both of them hadn’t ruined themselves with blockers, they’d be talking about mating by now.”
“Shit.” Now that was something I hadn’t considered.
Scent matches were soulmates. That perfect alpha-omega pair. While plenty of people married and mated those they loved, scent matches were rare, special, and often romanticized in books and movies.
Verity reacted like an alpha who’d found someone she wanted to be with. Maybe even an alpha who’d found her pack. But it wasn’t how I’d expect one who found their scent match to respond. But I didn’t know how her stroke had affected her beyond her leg.
“While I want him to be happy, and I’m for him being with Verity, this could complicate things,” I added as I rubbed his back.
No, I couldn’t stop this even if I wanted to. Especially since Grif didn’t seem worried about the repercussions. All I could do was nurture her the best we could and hope that when this ignited, we could all handle the flames. Grif’s omega coming out was his biggest fear. He showed zero hesitation about Verity, even though he should be wary.
But Dean might have a point. If AJ picked up on that, it could definitely be why he was so against her.
“It’s not his career I’m worried about. It’s him. That he’s going to realize what’s happening and freak out like...” Dean’s face buried in my chest and his eyes closed.
I peppered his face with kisses. “That’s not your fault, Love, you know that. Grif could have handled things in so many ways, and he chose to take an entire bottle of blockers in an attempt to get rid of his omega.”
“I know. I want to keep her. We can figure out his career if it comes down to this. I mean, there’s no rule that says we can only be goalies.” A whine tinged his voice.
“True. We’re going to have to fix this between her and AJ.” I ran my hand up and down Dean’s back, trying to settle him.
“AJ and Grif are due for a talk. Grif can have two alphas. They have to just figure shit out. Like we will when Verity’s mine, too.” Dean smirked.
“Dean, where are you?” Grif called from down the hall.
“Over here,” I replied.
Grif appeared, looking at us with longing. His omega was so buried that I often forgot to look after his needs. I should.
Because I was his alpha, too.
I opened one arm. “Bring it in. Then we’ll call AJ.”
Grif tucked himself under my arm, the best someone his size could, and put his head on my shoulder. Everyone assumed we were fucking anyway, since plenty of betas had alpha partners, so no one would care if they saw us being affectionate. It wasn’t like the other players with mates on the team weren’t some place getting it on.
Preferably without fines.
Holding my two omegas, I purred, calming them, letting them know I cared so much. Even if I loved them differently.
Grif had whined. In public. For Verity.
Fuck.