Chapter 31
Chapter
Thirty-One
Lana
The protests were getting worse at every game. After just a few short weeks of this, I was exhausted. We couldn’t get into the arena without an escort. Working in the kitchen meant a guard outside the door. There was also one standing guard at the clinic so Dr. Diaz and his nurse were safe.
It was wild.
Away games weren’t any relief either. The tension was rising in the hockey world, even if it started here. Every tabloid that covered sports gossip was blowing up. My face was being shared like wildfire, each new story more elaborate and more inaccurate as it rolled on.
The pictures of my exes’ beat-up faces were shared just as much as mine, only a few were close to the reason behind it, but they hadn’t said a word.
Any clip that showed a delta showing any sort of aggression on the ice was used against them like a weapon. It didn’t matter that the alphas fought ten times more, all anyone wanted to focus on was the deltas now. It was infuriating and discouraging.
Mason and Lennon had to cover their faces when they went outside. We couldn’t go anywhere without being stopped.
The team hired us security while we moved, and they quickly put the hockey house on the market. It wouldn’t be safe for any of the team now. They couldn’t risk someone harming the players by getting too close.
We still had no idea who had leaked the story, and no one seemed to be consistently following us. The best guess was a disgruntled super fan that thought I was disrespecting my pack by leaving, though this was hurting them just as much as it was hurting me.
In truth, it felt as if our entire world was falling apart, and we didn’t know how to keep up with it.
But now the last moving truck was loaded with the rest of our things. We were finally leaving this home behind for good. It stopped feeling safe to me days ago. It took a few days for us to get the proper inspections and paperwork passed, and then we had the final go-ahead.
A knock on my empty bedroom door had me turning around. Wilder was waiting, with Kieran by his side.
“Do we have everything of yours downstairs?” Wilder asked.
I nodded, giving one last glance at the room. It wasn’t that I was attached to this house. I was far more attached to them. They were the ones who put me back together, even Lennon, who I didn’t get along with at first.
“Come on, princess. The crowd’s getting bigger outside,” Kieran urged, holding a hand out for me. With one last glance around, I put my hand in his and let him lead me outside.
Not wanting anyone to follow us, he drove the moving truck in circles through town, cutting through places that were obscure until we were sure we didn’t have a tail.
Who knew hockey drama could get this big?
By the time we pulled up in front of the house, the others were already nearly done unloading. Cade, Lennon, and Mason waved us forward. Even they glanced behind us to make sure we weren’t followed.
“Come on, princess,” Kieran said. “Let’s get you inside. I can help unload.”
“You know I am capable of lifting things.”
“But why would you when you have muscles like ours around?” Wilder argued.
“I’d much rather you start building your nest,” Kieran said. “After all this stress, I feel like you’ll need somewhere to wind down tonight. We all will.”
“My first goal, once we get the boxes inside, is to get our library set up. Why not start with our cozy spaces? We all know Cade’s already started on the functional ones,” Wilder pointed out.
That did sound like our fearless leader. He’d make sure we had everything we needed to start living before focusing on his own things.
The guys hopped out, Wilder helping me out of my seat and sending me upstairs to the nest.
We’d spent the last week ordering furniture and anything else we might need. I’d done the same for my nesting materials.
The deltas had also picked out stuff for their dens. I couldn’t wait to break them in as much as my nest.
We’d also collectively picked out decor for the common rooms. My favorite was the new dining room table.
I could see us having family dinners here, my brother and one day his pack sharing the table with us, our kids running around like crazy.
This was the kind of packhouse we could build a life around.
The best part of all of it was that the house itself was cozy. It felt like this home had character. With a fire roaring in the fireplace, it only made it more inviting.
The nest was still empty. Someone had put the bags outside of the nest door so I could handle the decorating.
I took my time, slowly opening each new package before placing everything meticulously where it belonged. My nesting instincts were thriving.
The nest mattress was soon covered in beautiful silk sheets.
They were a deep emerald, so soft and buttery to the touch that I couldn’t help but rub my cheek against them.
The pillows were an array of greens, matching the sheer fabric I wanted to drape along the walls. The pack would handle that later.
I even planned to have them hang some of the fabric over the lights so it would cast the room in a greenish hue.
Once I added the vines I’d picked out to wind around the room, it would be even better.
This nest was the perfect mix of whimsy and cozy, and I could see myself reading in here for hours, nuzzled under my covers, feeling safe and secure.
When I was finished with everything I could do for now, I went off in search of my pack.
I could hear movement upstairs and headed for the attic. Mason was already working on his den. It looked almost identical to his old one, but I couldn’t fault him for that. There was comfort in the familiar.
He was so in the zone, fully captivated by arranging his space, that I didn’t want to disturb him.
Instead, I moved across the hall to check on Lennon.
My poor sweet delta looked out of his element.
He’d picked out his own things for this room and it was perfect.
Instead of the dark colors of Mason’s den, he chose a mix of blues.
It reminded me of the ocean at night. He had a small TV to one side and then a mattress on the other.
It was just big enough for the two of us, and I couldn’t help but picture the things we could get up to in here.
“What’s my omega thinking about?” Lennon husked as he moved closer.
I guess I wasn’t as subtle as I thought, my scent gave me away, as it always did.
“Just thinking how fun it’ll be when you rut me in that bed there,” I said, not bothering to hide my thoughts.
“I’ve never given into those instincts, but I’ll rut you right now, princess.” Lust burned bright in my delta’s eyes as he stared me down, a direct challenge to my omega to see if I was going to give in.
It sounded perfect, and honestly, what better way to stave off the stress than a couple of orgasms?
I lunged forward, pulling him to me, holding on tightly to his shirt as I pressed my mouth to his.
He backed me toward the bed, deepening the kiss.
Then our names were called from downstairs.
He let out a defeated groan, and I chuckled. “Rain check, because I’m not gonna be able to get that out of my head.”
“You got it, princess,” he said, placing a sweet kiss on my forehead before guiding me down the stairs to join our pack.
I was such a sucker for those forehead kisses.
Mason walked out of his room at the same time we did, giving us a look and a smirk, but not calling us out.
“You know you would’ve done the same,” Lennon grumbled.
Mason didn’t bother to deny it. We all knew it was true.
When we walked into the kitchen where the others were waiting, Cade caught us up to speed. “Everything’s unloaded. Kieran and I are getting ready to take the trucks back. Lennon, Mason… Coach called and they want a meeting with you.”
We all froze, but he waved a hand between us. “Don’t freak out. It’s literally just about security protocols. You shouldn’t be gone long.”
That left me with Wilder.
“Wilder and I’ll handle dinner. Hurry back to us,” I said.
“Sure thing, princess,” Cade said, walking over and giving me a kiss before snagging the keys off the counter and heading outside. Kieran followed suit, his kiss lingering this time, nipping at my lip.
“You smell divine.”
I blushed, my scent perfuming again, and he chuckled. “You’re too easy, princess.”
Mason and Lennon were so nervous that their goodbyes were quick and hasty before they were out the door.
When I glanced over at Wilder, he looked tired.
“What do you say we find the box with our new books and snuggle up in my nest?” I asked. “We can order pizza when it’s closer to time. I would guess we’ve got at least an hour or two.”
“Say less,” Wilder laughed, hurrying up to our library on the second floor.
Wilder had already made progress in here.
The books weren’t neat on the shelves, but they were spread out around the room in piles, as if he was figuring out how to organize them.
He quickly navigated the wreckage to find the books in question before holding them up with a triumphant smile.
Then he moved toward me, throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me up the stairs.
I swear they loved to show off their muscles.
Especially Wilder.
It felt nice to laugh like this, to soak in my beta’s scent and presence. It was something I knew I could never go without now.
He pushed open the door to my nest and smiled. “Doesn’t smell like us in here, but you did a good job. It’s so cozy.”
And then I was flying over his shoulder before landing on a soft pile of pillows and blankets.
He looked down at me with a playful smile on his face, but all I could do was rake my eyes over him, taking in every brilliant inch of my bulky beta. Lennon had me worked up already and my omega wanted her beta now.
I was no longer thinking about reading.
He must have read something on my face because the book dropped to the floor.