Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
Lachlan
“What the fuck was that?” I demanded as we watched Dhara and Gavin rush out the front door of the diner.
I came in to load up on carbs, and now I was scent-matched with a girl who looked like she was ready to vomit the moment she realized it.
Not exactly the reaction that I’d ever anticipated getting when finding my omega.
Hell, I’d expected awkward. Shy, maybe, if she knew who I was. I’d even take overwhelmed.
Not my omega being fucking terrified.
Nobody dreamt about finding their scent-match only to watch them look like they’re trying not to run from you.
Conrad looked equally as shaken by the encounter.
“I wish I knew. I met them last night,” he explained. “She was cleaning in the locker room when I got out of the shower. Scared the shit out of her. Gavin came busting in ready to throw down for her. It was adorable.”
“Her son?” I asked.
My voice sounded strangely calm, even though I was freaking the fuck out on the inside.
My omega had a child. Not just any child, but a preteen.
“No, her brother. Gavin’s great. You’ll love him, especially because he’s going to be at practice tonight with the juniors.
But she’s guarded. Dhara reacted pretty much the same way to me last night.
I told her I’d be patient, and I will be.
I just wish I knew what was going on. Something has her terrified and I want to know what it is. ”
I wasn’t sure what to do with this new information.
The other waitress walked over with our loaded-up plates, sliding them in front of us and effectively ending the conversation. From the look on her face, she knew what happened.
“Can I get you boys anything else?”
The omega was older and definitely the main character type. I’d seen her talking and moving around the room like it was her stage. Her pack gravitated around her in the stolen glimpses I’d caught since I’d been here.
I had a sinking feeling that would never be our pack.
Not if our omega looked like she’d rather be anywhere but where we were.
“Give her time. Go easy on her,” she said when we told her we didn’t need anything. The look she gave us reminded me of my own mother. It was protective and weighted. I wondered if we passed whatever internal test she was judging us on.
After a few long beats, she tapped the table once, as if to hammer home her point, and then she walked away.
Neither one of us made a move to eat our food.
I was stunned, uncertain, and not really sure where to go from here.
Dhara came back, but did the bare minimum. Honestly, if she was anybody but my scent-match, I think I’d just assume she was another rude waitress who hated her job.
Even as she avoided us, our drinks never ran dry. Anything we asked for she delivered with a smile.
The problem was that I wanted more than that.
I wanted to know what was scaring her away.
When we finished, Conrad and I both laid down more money than our check was worth, tucking it under the edge of our plates.
She was still out of sight as we walked outside. Conrad stopped on the sidewalk and looked at me.
“We have to figure out what’s going on,” Conrad said. “Something’s holding her back. I keep coming up with all these horrific scenarios in my head, and I can’t stop.”
“Maybe she just doesn’t want a pack,” I said, putting words to the awful insecurities that I was already feeling.
I’d never had anyone make me feel that way.
I was confident and could flirt with the best of them. I’d never had someone react to me like she did.
“Let’s see how she handles us both at the arena tonight. We’ve got to get to practice,” he finally said when neither of us could come up with an answer.
My phone started to ring, and he nodded.
“I’ll catch up with you at the arena,” he said, walking ahead and leaving me to answer.
My best friend Kota Mori’s name scrolled across the screen.
“Hey, Kota,” I answered, greeted with his face close to the screen. My best friend hated phone calls and would only do video calls. “How’s it going?”
“I can’t believe you’re my rival now,” Kota said, teasing me.
He was my best friend. The one I promised I’d never leave behind and then did. Yet here he was, all smiles like usual.
He took everything in stride, and now that he was a bonded delta, he was even more optimistic about life.
“Not too bad, even though I was abandoned,” he said dramatically.
Then his eyes narrowed and he leaned closer, as if he could somehow see me better even though we were on a normal video call.
“Why do you look like that?”
“Like what?” I deflected. “I just ate breakfast and now I’m heading to practice.”
“No, it’s something else.”
“Apparently, I just found my scent-match,” I found myself blurting it out.
My feet carried me toward the arena while I unloaded everything that happened during breakfast.
“Coming from someone who had two reluctant omegas to contend with, just give her time. Keep being yourself. Make her smile. You’ll wear her down.”
“Conrad thinks it’s something more. That whatever’s holding her back isn’t about us at all. She looks scared.”
“It might not be,” he agreed. “Do you think she’s safe?”
“I’m not sure. She’s got a kid brother that she seems to parent. She also cleans the arena at night so he can play for free in the junior league, so clearly money is tight. Dhara’s working at this diner in the mornings, too.”
“Tell me you did not leave an obnoxiously huge tip.” Roxie’s voice came out of nowhere, and her face popped into frame, eyes narrowed and accusatory.
“I may have.” I scratched the back of my neck. I’d stopped walking at this point, ready to hear what I’d done to fuck this up already.
“Look, even if she’s struggling, she’s not going to want to feel like a charity case. You can drop a bigger tip, just don’t drop something that’s so out of left field that she feels like she owes you something.”
“Fuck,” I groaned. She wasn’t wrong. I just hated the thought of Dhara struggling while I sat on my ass and watched.
“You’re a star hockey player, but at the end of the day, you deltas are all the same. Impulsive and possessive.”
“Well, if she needs the money,” I said, throwing up one hand as I glared at her.
“Okay, I’m getting out of this conversation, but I agree with what Kota said. Just be genuine. She’ll eventually feel comfortable enough to share. Then maybe her issue is something you guys can conquer together.”
She waved bye before she was gone, Kota looking after her like she walked on water.
I wished I could borrow some of his optimism right now, but I was already feeling out of sorts between this new city, a new team, and a new roommate.
Kota went on about the latest drama with the Narwhals. I nodded and did the best I could, but my heart wasn’t in it.
Thankfully, he had to leave for practice, and I had just arrived at the arena, so he said a quick goodbye.
I thought the Narwhals were my forever team. I’d planned to stay and told Kota that we’d play together until we retired.
Hell, after my rookie season and Greer Abbott retired, I was the star center. The one everybody talked about.
Until I wasn’t.
One slip-up at one game was all it took.
I’d heard the fans turning on me, and it was getting in my head. I was a better player than that, but it was hard to prove it when there was already so much angst against our players and our team. It felt like one problem after another.
It wasn’t like I asked for faulty skates and a rut a little too close for comfort.
I felt like I’d let everybody down. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t bounce back from it. The moment my mental health took the hit was the moment I knew I had to make a change.
It wasn’t that I was running from hockey, I was running from hearing forty thousand people cheer me on one day and turn on me the next.
I couldn’t give up what I loved, but I could put distance between me and the Narwhals.
The Renegades had a few players retire. The openings were there, and the moment my agent put my name in the ring, they were quick to snatch me up.
I wasn’t the only one who transferred, either. The infamous Conrad Flynn had come, too.
I was just glad to have another person who wasn’t from the tri-state area here facing the same thing I was.
Starting over after already making a name for yourself.
“How are you doing, rookie?” Fairgrave asked as I walked into the locker room. He shot me a teasing grin, taking any chance he could to goad me.
Despite the fact that we truly were rivals seasons ago, now we were teammates. There was no awkward hazing on this team. Just the usual teasing and shit talking.
It was already starting to feel like my team.
The new colors were growing on me, too. The deep scarlet and silver made my hair look even more fiery than usual.
“Good. Got settled in the new place,” I said.
They had what they called Hockey Row here in South Lake. It was what I expected a small-town version of sorority row to look like. Small, nondescript houses. Sometimes, the guys shared them and a few lived alone.
Conrad and I were sharing one with the third new guy, August Steele. We’d heard his name, but he hadn’t shown up yet. We were still in pre-season, and, apparently, he had some loose ends he had to tie up before flying in.
Conrad walked into the locker room, distracting Fairgrave for a minute.
“It’s the prince,” he sang out, sweeping his arm dramatically. At least we got equally teased here.
“Sorry I’m late. I was talking to Coach about the juniors. I volunteered to help out.”
“Better you than me,” Fairgrave said. “It’s nothing against kids. I just don’t have the patience for it. We definitely threw you guys under the bus, telling Coach that he should ask the rookies to help out more. You’re welcome.”
He shot us both a grin, but Conrad didn’t look put out at all.
I was indifferent. I’d never worked with kids before, but I wasn’t against the idea. Especially now.
“He’s got all three of us on the schedule for coaching tonight. I guess we get to meet the newbie,” Conrad told me as he sat down on the bench.
“Be careful. I hear that one’s got a temper,” Fairgrave warned. For once, he wasn’t joking.
“He must be a delta. I swear we always get that reputation.”
“Hey, if it fits, it fits,” Conrad said before clearing his throat. “Do you guys know anything about the night crew that cleans the locker rooms? I think I freaked out the omega working.”
Fairgrave perked up at the word ‘omega,’ because, of course he did.
“They get rid of old Agnes? She was there for years,” Fairgrave asked, turning to the rest of the team now.
“She retired,” Braxton said from next to him. “She’s out there living her best life. I’m sure it beats dealing with all of us.”
Fairgrave laughed and shrugged. “We’ve always had one person that handles the locker room.
They’re all about giving back to the community here in South Lake, so usually a senior member of the cleaning crew gets assigned the locker rooms. Not exactly ideal since their job is cleaning up after us, but the pay is insane for a few hours of work. ”
Coach walked in and blew his whistle before we could ask more.
“Alright, crew, we’ve got a few things to cover,” he called out. “First of all, let’s welcome our newest member of the Renegades, August Steele.”
The guy walked in and looked around. He had a slight smirk on his face as his eyes roamed over the group. Only time would tell if he was the kind of roommate and teammate I’d get along with.
Coach went over the plays before sticking us out on the ice for drills.
I tried to focus on practice, but my mind kept drifting to the omega who’d stolen my attention.
Instead, I was counting down the hours until I’d see her again, completely unaware that by the end of the night my entire life was about to get a hell of a lot more complicated.