Chapter 29
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
Lana
Kieran pulled me closer, his mouth brushing over mine before moving down my body. The water from the shower pelted down around us as steam rose in the air. It seemed to intensify our scents, his bourbon and pear, warm and spiced, mixing with my own white chocolate and raspberry.
I moaned as he reached my hard nipples. I’d already had a moment with Cade, but my body was always on board for more. I couldn’t get enough of my pack.
They all needed a little reassurance and a release after that loss. The game was close tonight, and every bit of it was painful to watch. Being a hockey player meant you wouldn’t win every game.
The Canines were some of the best in the league. Between that and the crowd losing their minds, it was no wonder it ended in a loss.
Kieran dropped to his knees on the shower floor, looking up at me with a level of admiration only an alpha could give his omega
“I’m supposed to be taking care of you,” I reminded him, my fingers gently running through his thick dark hair.
“Tasting you is taking care of me,” he promised as he lifted one of my legs over his shoulder. My hands fisted in his hair, holding myself steady as his tongue teased through my slick pussy.
He was moving slow, too slow. But the pressure he applied as he flicked his tongue over my clit had me moaning, head falling back and eyes drifting closed as I let my alpha have his fill.
Kieran was almost too good at this. My orgasm built so fast that it took my breath away. He didn’t quite let me fall over that edge, backing away anytime my body would tense, reading the cues as if we’ve been together for years.
After the third time backing away, I let out a groan.
“Patience, omega,” he purred. “I want you to come around my cock and it’s going to be so much sweeter if I work you up first.”
“Yes, Alpha, I panted. “But only if you do it soon. Otherwise I’ll get there myself.”
He let out a soft growl, standing up and nipping at my lips. I gasped as he lifted me off my feet. My legs instinctively wrapped around his waist.
He pulled back enough to reach between us, lining himself up at my entrance before slamming me down on his cock. I was already stretched from my other alpha and I took him easily, though the stretch was just as exquisite.
My alpha took exactly what he needed, fucking me hard and fast, his fingers digging into my hips as he continuously slammed me down on his cock. It ached in the best way, my body far too sensitive and my cries too loud, but neither of us cared. This was our form of therapy.
Thanks to his earlier teasing, I was already so close to the edge that it didn’t take long before I was shattering. My body clenched around his, encouraging the alpha to follow as I squeezed his knot. He was shuddering against his control as it slowly slipped away.
His thrusts turned shallow, shoving his knot deeper into my greedy pussy, his mouth falling open in a silent scream.
His mouth crashed into mine as he came, ropes of cum filling me, the low rumble of a purr echoing out of him, my own softer version joining.
I loved that he came to me after his game, that he sought me out and found comfort in our connection.
This was being a pack.
Still knotted deep inside my pussy, he turned off the water, carrying me around like I weighed nothing. One of his strong arms was banded around me, while he used the other to snag a towel.
Kieran dried my hair as carefully as he could with one hand and wiped off my body. Then his own. I grabbed another from the hook, drying his hair for him until he was capturing my lips in a kiss.
If we had a bond, I knew it would be full of warmth right now. I felt it radiating between us already.
“This is everything,” he said, resting his forehead against mine and just breathing me in. “You’re mine, Lana Flynn, and you always will be.”
“Always,” I promised, knowing that this time… this pack was the right one.
Shouting echoed out from downstairs, shattering the moment. We shared a look as he carried me to the bedroom. It was loud enough that his knot finally went down, releasing me.
As the voices grew louder, we hastily got dressed. I brushed through my hair before throwing it in a messy bun and following him down.
“I can’t believe this,” Lennon was yelling. I heard something crash, and Kieran quickly pulled me closer to his side as we entered the kitchen.
The crash was evidently a spatula. It was laying on the floor, bent almost in half.
“What happened?” Kieran demanded.
“Those people that got kicked out of the arena were an anti-delta organization. They’re using the breakup between Lana and her exes as ammunition, saying that the delta drove her away and that we’re no better.
Apparently, it’s only a matter of time before she’s chased away from us, too.
They used pictures of the fight against us,” Lennon summarized through gritted teeth.
“Are you kidding me?” I was horrified. Sutton being a delta had nothing to do with that breakup. Not a damn thing.
“To make it worse, they leaked a photo,” Conrad said. Something in his voice had me tensing, bracing myself for what was to come. He had a laptop in front of him. He spun it around and I was faced with a picture of me walking out of the hospital, leaning heavily on my brother.
Who the hell could have taken that photo? I looked horrible, yes, but no one knew I was there outside of immediate family.
“Now the tabloids are passing around all kinds of accusations. Not one of them is accurate. I’m not sure what they were thinking. Stuff like this could be damaging,” Conrad finished.
“Your phone has been going crazy. I’m assuming your pack found out.
They also had their faces leaked from us beating their asses, so that’s adding to the speculation.
It’s a whole media frenzy now. Even bigger news sites are jumping on it, and social media is full of videos talking about theories and passing the photos further around.
All in all, it’s a mess,” Mason summarized for us.
“Fuck,” I breathed out. “I’m going to have to talk to my exes. I don’t want them to think that I’m behind these rumors.”
My phone rang again as if on cue, but Conrad stopped me before I could snag it off of the counter in front of me.
“Answer it, but keep it on speaker so we can all be part of it. You don’t have to do anything alone anymore.”
I answered quickly, but didn’t give him a chance to say anything before I launched into an explanation.
“I never said any of those things, Milo.”
“I know you didn’t. You’re not that type.”
Tears burned my eyes at the unfairness of it all. I just wanted to leave this behind and the world wouldn’t let me.
“I’m not sure what I can do other than come out with some sort of statement,” I admitted.
“That should be enough,” he said. “I know we did a lot wrong, Lana. We have a lot to make up for, but they’re trying to take away Sutton’s career.”
“It’s not just his,” I reminded him. “I have two deltas.”
“You decided,” he said, quieter this time. The defeat in his tone was loud and clear. At least we were finally on the same page. “Did you get our letter?”
“I did,” I admitted. “But I haven’t read it yet. I’ve been busy.”
“Please, just read it for me. It says a lot that we couldn’t put into words, but we mean everything in there.”
“Keep an eye on Sutton. I know this can’t be easy,” I said without giving him a real answer. “I’ll make a post so they know this has nothing to do with him being a delta.”
“Thanks,” he said before hanging up. I’m not sure if he couldn’t handle any more of the conversation, or if he knew I couldn’t, but I was grateful as the call ended.
“I don’t understand something,” Wilder said. “Who would’ve been watching to take that photo of you outside the hospital? And second, why now? You’ve been here for months.”
I looked at my brother, but he didn’t seem to have any more answers than I did.
“Honestly, I’ve had a few angry fan confrontations over the years.
It’s been a thing since they joined the Narwhals.
It comes with the territory. Girls get jealous, especially omegas.
They’re territorial and, apparently, sometimes delusional.
With high-profile men like you and my exes, people get petty. They feel entitled to you.”
“You think this is some jealous fan?” Wilder asked. It was nice that they weren’t dismissing me, and I knew how crazy it sounded.
“A puckbunny,” Lennon deadpanned at the same time.
“It sounds crazy, but it’s true. I was with Milo, Dean, and Sutton before they made a name for themselves. That was enough for them to try and prove I didn’t fit into their world. That I wasn’t worthy of men like them.” I rolled my eyes at the thought.
“We’ve had our share of crazy. Like that one girl who broke into the locker room a few years ago.
Security had to confiscate her phone. All of our dicks would’ve been out there on the internet, otherwise,” Cade pointed out.
The territorial bitch inside of me wanted to tear anyone apart at the thought of them invading my pack’s privacy.
Honestly, that was just one of many stories I’d heard from both teams over the years. Omegas could get desperate, especially if they were nearing heat.
“I have to make a post,” I sighed. It was the last thing I wanted to do. Hadn’t my privacy been invaded enough?
Conrad shook his head. “Don’t go overboard. I would just say the tabloids are wrong. You don’t owe anyone your story. Whoever did this shouldn’t have the satisfaction.”
“It’s not like they haven’t already invaded my privacy,” I grumbled. I hated that someone had been watching me outside of the hospital. Was it by chance, or was it something deeper?
“I wish there was something I could do. And we still have the whole anti-delta coalition going on,” I said, looking at the others, hoping someone had something constructive.
“Speaking of,” Cade said. “What’s going on with this whole delta thing? The AHA hasn’t said a word.”
“It just happened,” Conrad explained, running a hand over his stubble-lined chin.
“They’re probably in a meeting right about now.
You guys are my best friends. No matter what they say or try to do, Lana and I at least have some connections.
Either way, for the next few weeks, you’re going to have to keep your noses clean.
They’ll use anything and everything against you to prove that you shouldn’t be out there on the ice. ”
“Nobody is taking this away from you,” our omega piped up.
“Conrad’s right, we have some influence and connections.
I’ve always hated my last name because I’ve always been seen as Conrad’s sister or my dads’ little princess, but they’re about to learn who the real Lana Flynn is if they don’t back the fuck off. ”
“Has anyone ever told you you’re hot as hell when you’re feisty?” Mason asked, rushing over and stealing a kiss.
“Can you guys not?” My brother groaned.
“No promises,” Mason said, kissing me again. Every time they kissed me like this, I melted a little more.
Conrad cleared his throat. “Actually, that is something I wanted to talk to you guys about. I just didn’t think it was the time.”
I glanced over, worried now. What did he have to say that would affect us?
“I’m moving out.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. My hands started to shake, my breathing erratic. I hadn’t realized how badly I’d immediately spiraled into panic until his hands were on my cheeks, his comforting smell filling my lungs. Macadamia nut cookies, warm and soothing.
“Lana, breathe.” It was a barked command. He was the only alpha who ever did it to me, and only in moments like this. “Let me finish explaining before you freak out, please.”
“Sure. Yeah,” I said in a shaky voice, my vision tunneling until I got a hold of my breathing.
Wilder pulled me closer, lifting me up and setting me on the counter, wrapping his arms around me. I looked at my brother as I let my mate hold me, his comforting scent helping calm some of the initial panic.
“I’m not leaving you, and if you tell me not to right now, I’ll throw the idea out. But we need to face reality. You’re packed up, baby sister, and I don’t want to see or hear anything that happens between you guys.”
Okay. That was a fair reason for leaving, and somehow something I hadn’t considered until now.
His expression softened when he saw the understanding dawn on me.
“No hard feelings. I’ve got a place I’ve been eyeballing downtown.
They’re holding it for me while I decide what I want to do.
I just happened to see the advertisement and went on a whim, but I really do feel like this is for the best.”
I wasn’t stupid enough not to see the truth behind it. We were packed up now, and we did have to be careful about when Conrad was home. At the end of the day, that mattered. My brother deserved to be comfortable in his house as much as we did.
“I never came here to chase you off.”
He looked at me and let out a soft laugh. “Of course you didn’t.”
Still, the idea of Conrad leaving scared the shit out of me. He was the one who saved me, and as eager as I was to figure out what it meant to be a pack, it was another leap of faith.
“Before we go any further with this conversation,” my brother said, voice hard. “Let me make it very clear. If you ever pull the kind of shit that awful pack did, I will castrate you with a rusty knife.”
It was a threat, but not one of them looked nervous, and honestly, that was reassuring. I knew as well as they did that we belonged together.
“You know we would never hurt her,” Cade said. “In fact, we will do everything we can to make sure that she’s not only safe and cared for, but loved.”
That answer seemed to satisfy my brother.
“Which means,” Cade continued, turning to the rest of us now. “We get to go house hunting. It’s time for a real packhouse.”
“Don’t worry,” Wilder said, squeezing me even tighter this time. “This time you get a choice. We want a house that makes our omega happy. ”
That sounded wonderful. The idea of no one knowing my new address was also reassuring.
This could be our fresh start. A way to move forward as a real pack.