Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
Lana
The guys had only been off for a couple of days, and they were already losing their minds.
I, on the other hand, was loving it.
There was always someone in the house now that was more than willing to watch a movie or hang out.
I had yet to go to the arena alone. There was always a sexy hockey player tagging along with me. Not all of them helped, but I loved the company.
Wilder followed the most. The once-shy beta was growing more comfortable with me every day, and I felt the same way.
Coach had already talked to me about not wanting to push too soon and have me go to the away game that the Narwhals were notorious for crashing. It was a ploy to throw opponents off and stir up attention from their fans, but without the guys there, he didn’t want to risk me.
I was honestly grateful. I thought the same thing and was trying to put on a brave face. They wouldn’t have hurt me, but they very much would have made a scene. Milo had never barked at me, but that might be the first time, and I wasn’t going to risk them barking me into a car.
The last thing I wanted was to seem like a needy omega who depended on alphas, but I was very much starting to rely on the Wardens.
I didn’t want to seem like I depended on them too much, even though I was starting to.
I’d gotten my midday meal and practice knocked out of the way, but I found myself back in the kitchen again at home. Everyone else seemed to have something to do, and I was trying really hard not to be needy and go curl up next to them.
I knew I was touch-starved. My omega thrived every time someone held my hand or hugged me. Even Kieran had picked up on it. But it seemed like it got worse every day, which I couldn’t make sense of.
A loud knock on the door startled me enough that I dropped the cup I was washing into the water, accidentally splashing myself. It continued, downright thunderous in the quiet afternoon.
“Geez, do they have to be so rough?” I muttered, grabbing a dish towel and drying myself off.
Raised voices carried in from the entryway, angry alpha pheromones leaking into the kitchen already. My heart pounded as I moved closer.
“And then I get a call saying my son has been banned for a week! You have nothing to say about that? You’re miraculously just silent?”
“Yes,” Cade said, voice even. “I’m an adult and don’t need to explain every aspect of my life to you.”
“You’ve embarrassed me, Cade Oliver Briggs. Not only that, you’ve embarrassed the company and our family name. I put all my backing behind you, and this is how you repay me?!”
Their angry scents were now so overwhelming, to the point bile rose in my throat.
“I never asked for your backing,” Cade said, his voice harder now. How he was keeping his cool was a mystery. I was barely holding on.
A loud crack echoed, like a fist hitting something.
There was a sharp intake of breath that I recognized as Cade’s, and I was moving before I even realized it, fury burning through me. My omega had her teeth bared before I even pushed open the door.
It smacked against the wall as I rushed through, the crack gaining their attention.
“Who the hell are you to come in here yelling at him like that?” I growled, squaring off with an alpha easily twice my size. “And if you hit him, you better fucking hope he doesn’t press charges. That’s assault and there’s a witness.”
“This is no matter for an omega,” Cade’s dad snapped, mouth twisting into a sneer.
Cade tried to pull me out of harm’s way, but I wasn’t having it. I stood my ground, shoulders squared. Even my fingers were curled into claws, ready to fight back if he stepped any closer to my mate.
“Did he hit you, Cade?” I didn’t turn to look at him, simply glared at his father as I waited for him to answer.
“No, princess,” Cade said calmly. “He didn’t. And he will be fixing the wall with his own money.”
“Like hell I will,” the man thundered like an angry toddler. He was so different from Cade, outside of their shared blue eyes. I had a feeling this exact argument was why the alpha was so quiet.
When we didn’t back down, he crossed his hands and shot another verbal barb. “You have time this week anyway, right?”
I let out a growl that rumbled through me. My omega was already on edge, and she had decided the guys were hers. She was ready to go to war for her alpha.
“Last time I checked, Cade is a full-grown alpha. What he does with his time is irrelevant in this case. You put your hand through our wall, and you will fix it, or expect a bill from the fucking team,” I shot back. “Also, consider this your last visit.”
“Who the fuck are you to decide how I talk to anyone?” he challenged.
I crossed my arms, tilting my head. “My name is Lana Flynn. Ring any bells?”
He opened his mouth to argue, then recognition dawned on his face.
“There it is,” I said coldly. “If I ever hear you talking to one of the Wardens like this, let alone your own son, again, everyone will know your name. And I promise I have far more pull than you think. Your money means nothing here. I’m not only the daughter of some of the most influential people in hockey, I’m also connected to several members of the AHA board. ”
He started to open his mouth, but another growl ripped from my throat, deep and guttural. His final warning.
“Now apologize for coming in here and being an asshole, and then promptly leave. Your opinion isn’t needed, nor is your presence.”
His skin turned an angry red, veins bulging in his neck. His hands flexed at his sides. He wanted to hurt me.
He wasn’t used to people standing up to him, especially omegas. I could tell that from his reaction.
The pack filled the room behind me, ready to grab me at a moment’s notice. Honestly, I was shocked they hadn’t already.
“You have no right to tell me anything,” he snapped. “You mean nothing to this team. You’re just the sister of a pathetic goalie, and a hot piece of ass for the others.”
His lips twisted in a smug smile as if he’d won.
“Actually, I’m employed by the team,” I said, not giving him a reaction outside of my already angry glare. “And don’t ever talk about my brother like that again. If you think me backing up Cade is bad, you have no idea what I’d do for Conrad.”
“This isn’t over,” he said to Cade, pointing a thick finger at him over my head.
I stepped around him, opening the door and waving him out. “You’re not welcome here again. In fact, you’re banned. I’ll make it the arena next if you can’t control yourself. This display is childish and unbecoming of someone your age.”
The moment he stepped over the threshold, I slammed the door hard enough to shake the walls.
Fury still burned hot in my veins. My fingers were locked tight around the handle, my body so tense I couldn’t move.
“Well,” Mason drawled, breaking the tension. “That was hot as fuck.”
I barked out a startled laugh and finally turned around. Now that the rage was ebbing away, I worried they would be angry.
Cade’s face was unreadable, eyes wide as he stared at me. Mason looked gleeful. Kieran and Lennon were smug. Wilder seemed startled, but grateful.
I had a feeling this wasn’t the first time Cade’s father had stormed in swinging his weight around.
Thank God my brother wasn’t back from practice, or he would’ve murdered someone.
“Cade,” I said, voice unsteady as the adrenaline started to drop. “I’m sorry if I overstepped. I thought he hit you, and my omega moved before I could stop her.”
“Give us a minute, guys,” Cade said quietly.
I swallowed hard, bracing myself for his frustration.
The others filtered out and the door shut behind them. Silence fell over us, heavy and making it hard to breathe. We stared at each other for a moment that dragged on forever.
Then Cade moved.
One hand slid along my neck, the other cradling the back of my head as he pressed me into the wall. His mouth found mine in a hungry kiss.
My omega was already on edge. There was no hesitation as I kissed him back, my body lighting on fire, every nerve buzzing with need. I jumped, and he caught me, my legs wrapping around his waist as he devoured my mouth.
The kiss was hard. Possessive. Unspoken emotion poured into it.
He didn’t need words. Standing up to his father had been long overdue, and this felt like the aftermath of something breaking free.
As much as they protected me, I was protective of them now too. They’d made their intentions clear, and I was ready for them to show me they were exactly the pack I needed.
If I was honest, they already had.
No one forced me into anything. They were patient… so fucking patient.
But right now, I didn’t want that. I needed to be claimed, to feel his touch.
“Take me up to my nest, Cade,” I whispered. “I need you.”
He pulled back, chest heaving and lips swollen. His eyes were burning with heat.
“You’re making it really hard to say no to you,” he murmured, starting to lean in for another searing kiss.
“Then don’t,” I said. “I’m an adult. We can pretend this has no strings attached if you need, but we both know that isn’t true. You guys brought me back to life. Every one of you treats me like I deserve. You fight for me as much as I want to fight for you.”
I let my hand trail between us, my fingers wrapping around his hard cock through the fabric of his sweatpants.
“We both know that this is real, so give me what I need, alpha.”
“Fucking gladly, princess,” he growled, his mouth finding mine again as he moved toward the stairs. Just before we reached them, he swept me into his arms. He carried me up the stairs and through the house effortlessly.
He kicked my door closed before moving into the nest. He didn’t even let go of me as he laid me down, his mouth following me down before roaming over me.
His body was hovering over mine, pressing into my skin and washing me in his warmth. My omega let out a small purr at the feeling. I wanted more pressure, but he was kissing me too hard to beg for it.