Chapter 40
Chapter
Forty
Lana
The last thing I expected was for Coach to try to make the team have practice today. Everyone was still waiting on the judgment from the AHA board. Videos had been released showcasing the voices that spoke, not just in that boardroom, but all over the country.
We had the support, there was no denying that.
But reason didn’t always win in this world. That was the simple truth.
I stress-cooked up a storm. I had snacks waiting for the guys after practice while I waited in the kitchen, phone and TV on, desperate for news.
No more than ten minutes after practice started, it ended. The sound of voices echoed down the hall. Then the kitchen was full, the entire hockey team packing in, including several of the trainers, the team doctor, and even the coaches.
“We’re crashing your kitchen. Practice was useless,” Mason explained.
Murphy walked up, snagging a handful of cookies from the trays I had set out.
“I take it you’ve had no word from Mom?” Conrad asked, hopping up onto the counter and earning a look from Coach.
I shook my head. “Nothing. She promised to let me know if they said anything, but she said the meeting went well into the night and they were going to talk more this morning. The fact that it’s taking this much discussion isn’t exactly filling me with the warm and fuzzies.”
The oven timer went off, and I escaped the conversation to pull out a tray of fresh muffins I’d whipped up.
“Not exactly the healthiest lineup,” I said with a wince, glancing at Coach.
He just chuckled. “You don’t see anyone complaining, do you?”
He was right. The mood had lifted slightly. The food was a good distraction.
When my phone went off, the entire room fell silent in an instant. It was almost eerie.
My hands shook enough that I dropped it the first time, but the second time I answered quickly.
“Hey, Mom. Tell me you’ve heard something.”
“I just talked to your dads,” she said quickly, voice pitched low so no one would overhear, which meant she’d even gone down to the AHA headquarters with them.
“They wanted to make sure I let you know that, unofficially, you have nothing to worry about. They’ll be making a statement later.
Please don’t share this with anybody outside of whoever’s listening to this conversation, you know how they are about their public statements. ”
“Oh, thank God. Mom, thank you,” I breathed out. My stomach was rolling with nerves, followed by a sharp drop of relief.
“I’m proud of you, Lana. You’ve gone through so much this year, and yet you made sure someone fought for your deltas. I guarantee they enjoyed having you in their corner.”
When I hung up and turned back to the team, they were all staring at me, waiting for my grin before erupting into loud cheers.
We officially did it. We convinced the board to back off.
All I ever wanted was to enjoy time with my pack. They tried to take that from me, and they failed. Whoever this asshole was that tried to interfere in my life, I hoped Roxie swept the floor with them.
“It’s over,” Conrad said, shaking his head. “I guess I didn’t need to warn them about you. You protected him better than I ever could. You were always meant for this world, Lana. You belong here as much as the rest of us.”
“Alright,” Coach said. “Go out, celebrate, go home, do whatever you need to do. Practice is cancelled.”
Now that it was all over, I felt like I could pass out at any second. As if he sensed it, Cade pulled me close, pressing a kiss to my temple.
“Come on. You took care of us. It’s our turn to take care of you.”
“Can we just snuggle and exist in our packhouse and recover from all this nonsense?” I begged.
“Sounds perfect,” he said, leading me out of the kitchen.
I paused long enough to turn off the oven, knowing all the dishes would still be there when I got back. I was fine with that.
We were quiet on the way home, but not tense like we had been for days. This kind of quiet felt healing.
I’d spoken my truth and so had they. I was incredibly proud to be a member of this pack.
“How are you feeling after your heat, princess?” Wilder asked, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“A little tired,” I admitted. “We didn’t really get a chance to recover. I’m shocked I didn’t get thrown back into another round of heat.”
“Good thing,” he said. “Because I think your speech was the most impactful out of all of them.”
“My voice is no more important than anyone else’s,” I said. “The deltas’ voices mattered more. The betas’ did too. I just knew it was me who inadvertently started this, and I wanted to make it right.”
“Now it’s over, and we get you all to ourselves,” he said with a smirk.
“You know, something’s been bothering me since the heat ended so abruptly,” Kieran said carefully.
The rest of the pack shot him looks like he was about to ruin the moment, but I knew it had to be something important, even if worry started to bubble up within me.
“We didn’t talk about birth control with everything going on. We went right into that heat, unprotected. I’m sorry if we failed you.”
I hadn’t considered that at all. Pregnancy would absolutely explain the quick end to my heat.
Did I want that?
But the moment I imagined carrying their baby, I realized it didn’t scare me. My omega and I both swooned.
“I’m good either way,” I said. “If you are.”
“You’re going to look so sexy pregnant,” Lennon said, like it was already a done deal.
“There’s a chance I’m not,” I corrected him before he could get his hopes up.
“Bullshit,” Mason said. “The chances of an omega getting pregnant during heat after bonding are high. You’re probably growing our baby right now.”
The delta sounded smug, and I couldn’t help smiling.
“And what if I am, delta?” I asked.
“Then I’ll be gentle with you,” he said. “No more rutting until you’ve had our baby and recovered.”
I groaned, remembering how good it felt. It was freeing watching them give into those instincts. I couldn’t wait to experience it with my mind clear.
“It’ll be worth the wait,” I finally said. “But if I’m pregnant, and even if I’m not, I have one condition.”
“What’s that?” Cade asked, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.
I held his gaze. “I want this pack to be official. I need the paperwork.”
“Done,” Kieran said immediately. “Anything for you, princess.”
“I have a counterpoint,” Cade said, his smile widening.
“What’s that?”
“Marry us.”
The idea of waiting months or years after everything we’d already endured sounded unbearable.
“Only if we get married this weekend.”
Mason laughed, until he realized I was serious. “Wait. You want us to marry you this weekend? Like… three days from now?”
“Yes,” I said firmly. “I’ve waited long enough. Honeymoon can come after the playoffs. I bet a beach would be nice that time of year.”
“There are six of us,” Wilder said, getting on board like I knew he would. “We’ll split the duties.”
“This is insane,” Kieran said, laughing.
“I’ll probably have a bump by the time playoffs are over,” I joked, rubbing my flat stomach.
“I hope so,” Lennon said softly, placing his hand over mine.
Who would’ve thought the delta who couldn’t stand me in his house was now looking at me like I hung the moon and stars just for him?
“Then we should start planning right away,” I said.
For the girl who swore she’d never trust a hockey player again, I was ready to trust them with the rest of my life.