Chapter 42 Orion
ORION
Iprobably should have come up with a more unique date for my omega.
I thought about glass blowing—according to Rhodes, Italy is known for its glass artists.
There was a moment I considered pottery.
I’ve always wanted to reenact that scene from that movie…
what was it called? Ghost? Yeah, I think that’s it.
A fancy dinner was an option, but that seemed kind of boring.
In the end, there was only one thing that made sense. I knock on the side door of the arena and wait.
“I don’t think we’re supposed to be here.” Foster looks side to side, frowning.
“Don’t worry,” I reply. “I know a guy.”
Raven looks up, studying the mural on the wall.
She seems distracted. She and Foster were running late and ended up meeting me here rather than the hotel.
When they filled me in on what the doctor said, I was ready to ditch the date and go find answers, but Raven said she wanted the distraction.
The pills will still be there waiting when they get back.
I guess I can understand. Once she finds out, then she has to face the reality of it. If someone messed with her pills, then she has to confront what that means and who might want to hurt her. Right now, not knowing, she can still pretend it was just a fluke and that no one’s out to get her.
Is this how she dealt with all of our harassment back in high school? Head down, ignore it, and hope it goes away? Maybe I should have pushed back more, but if my omega wants a distraction, that’s what she’ll get. I’ll do anything to show her that her needs are important to me.
Fuck, maybe being out on the ice wasn’t the best date idea. It might remind her of her performance and the pressure of being an omega at the Olympics.
But before I can second-guess my decision any further, the door swings open. A gruff, grey-haired security guard greets us with a silent head nod and an open palm.
“What are we doing here?” Raven whispers as I use a hand on the small of her back to lead her inside.
“You’ll see.” I smile at her before slipping the guard a stack of euros.
“Be out by ten,” he says in broken English.
Taking Raven’s hand, I head down the hall. Foster follows a step behind, a silent sentinel. Wonder what it would take to get the man to crack a smile.
The lights in the locker room switch on automatically as we enter.
As much as I’d love to push Raven against a locker and make her come on my fingers, I keep up our pace and head straight through.
Most of the lights in the arena are off, the empty stands hidden in darkness. But there are lights over the cold ice.
I lead Raven to a bench, then pull a pair of curling shoes from my bag. I really hope they’re the right size.
“You need special shoes?” Raven asks.
Foster stands over her shoulder watching. I turn the shoes over and show Raven the soles. “One is smooth for sliding, and the other is bumpy for grip. It’ll give you more control on the ice.”
I set a second pair on the bench and look up at Foster. “I had to guess at your size. Hopefully, they work.”
The massive alpha looks surprised that I thought to include him. He glances at the shoes, then shakes his head. “I’ll watch.”
Raven’s expression drops for a beat before she forces a smile and slips off her boots. She’s wearing socks with little bananas on them. It’s both perfect for her and unexpected. Athletic tape peeks out the top of one of her socks, and I suddenly second-guess this date all over again.
I curse, running a hand over my head. “I forgot about your ankle. Are you gonna be okay doing this?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.” She smiles up at me. “It barely hurts at all anymore.”
I study her, trying to figure out if she’s really okay, then glance at Foster for confirmation.
He nods his head as if to say, ‘go ahead.’
I lower to my knees, pick up Raven’s delicate foot, and help her into the first shoe. She sucks in a sharp breath as my fingers brush her ankle.
“Okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, it’s just… um…” Her cheeks shine a rosy red, and she won’t meet my eyes. “Your fingers are cold.”
I grin, feeling exactly how turned on she is through the bond, and knowing she’s not cold at all.
Once we’ve both got our gripper shoes on, I help her to her feet.
The security guard left some stones and three brooms out for us just like I’d asked.
When Raven and I step onto the sheet, Foster hangs back.
I feel Raven’s disappointment, but I have to admit I’m grateful for the chance to have a moment alone with her.
I give the other alpha a tip of my chin.
He returns it, a moment of understanding passing between us.
“We won’t be playing a real game.” I pick up a broom and hand it to Raven. “But I’ll go over the basics, and we’ll throw a few stones.” I use my foot to slide a stone closer to the hack.
“How do you know I haven’t played before? I could already know the basics,” Raven says, a note of teasing in her voice.
“Do you?”
“No.” She laughs. “I was horribly confused at the game.”
I smile, eager to show her everything I love about curling. “I know it’s not the most exciting date, but… this is a big part of our lives. It felt important to show you.”
“What do you like about it?” she asks.
“It requires team work and a hell of a lot of strategy. It isn’t just pushing a rock down some ice. We have to work together to outsmart and out-aim our opponents. The nuance makes it that much more satisfying when you win.”
“I like that.”
I hold her gaze for a beat, stepping closer and turning her toward the hack by her hips. “If you keep looking at me like that, we’ll end up playing a very different game, snowflake.” My voice comes out lower than usual, and she takes a sharp breath.
After showing her the basic positioning, we throw a few stones, casually sweeping as I explain some of the technique.
“You’re good at this,” she says after I explain some basic strategy.
“I love it,” I admit. And I really do. It’s not only a large part of my life, but it centers my pack. It gave us something to focus our young alpha energy on. But now, as I look at Raven, I think we’ve found a new center for our pack. In fact, I know we have.
“I can tell.” She smiles softly at me, her cheeks tinged pink from the cold air in the rink.
“I want to buy the old building on the edge of town back home. You know, the one that’s sat empty for years?
It’s massive. There’s room for ice skating, hockey, and a permanent curling rink.
I’ll set up an after-school program where kids can get free lessons.
A safe, protected space. I want to get pro athletes to come in and do guest lessons, teach the kids about sportsmanship and treating others right, and there could be—” I cut off when my omega gives me a goofy grin that lets me know I’m rambling.
“Sorry,” I say.
“Don’t apologize. I think it’s an incredible idea. I hope you can do it someday.”
“The guys and I are hoping if we can win gold it’ll help us attract some investors.”
She looks down and scrapes the ice with her toe. “If anyone finds out about… us, it’ll ruin your chances, won’t it?”
I’m quiet for a moment, before taking Raven’s hand. “Hey, look at me. You’re right. It would be bad if someone found out, but that’s a gamble I’d take again and again. I don’t regret what happened. I probably should, but I don’t.”
She doesn’t say anything, but the look she gives me is warm, if not a little wary. After a beat of staring at each other silently, she asks a question about the rules, and we go back to our little lesson.
Raven does well, keeping her balance better than most beginners, as I would expect with her experience on the ice.
But her throws don’t go far. Once all the stones have been thrown, we make our way to the house to collect them.
I glance at Foster, who’s looking down at his phone, his jaw tight, shoulders tense.
It’s clear Raven’s security guard wants her, and I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual.
What’s this like for him? Watching her out here with another man?
His alpha’s got to be pushing him to intervene.
I’m seriously impressed that he gave us so much space for so long.
There’s a part of me that wants to provoke the big guy, wants him to step in.
There’s something about him that appeals to me.
Call it attraction. Call it intrigue. I don’t know.
But I don’t think I’d mind having Foster D’Amico join our pack.
In fact, I get the impression I might enjoy it.
I bet he’d fight me for dominance. Would Tanner submit to him, too? My dick swells, thickening in my pants.
I grab Raven’s hand and spin her into my arms. “How do you feel about your security guard, snowflake?”
“W-what?”
“Your handsome, broody bodyguard. Do you want him?”
“I, um, maybe.” She won’t look at me, and something about that makes me smile.
“Good. I do, too.”
“Really?”
I shrug. “He’s not my omega, but if you want him, none of us will stand in the way.
I know it didn’t happen the way it should have, but you’re ours now, and we’ll do anything for you.
Even welcome someone else into our pack.
I don’t want you to worry about any conflicting feelings you might have, understand? ”
She looks slightly dazed. “I thought you might be mad.”
“Why would I be mad because you want someone that makes you happy?” I tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “When I say I would do anything to make you happy, I mean it, snowflake. If that means collecting packmates like Pokemon cards, well then… gotta catch ‘em all!”
She lets out a little snort at my nerdy analogy, but the smile she gives me is brilliant. It makes me think everything just might turn out okay.