Chapter 13
“Okay,” Cody said after they were stuffed full of pasta and potatoes and he no longer felt ravenous. He picked up his phone, which he hadn’t actually unlocked after the date on the lockscreen had freaked him out. “Calling Hen first.”
Leo gave him an encouraging smile. Cody tried to smile back and then unlocked his phone.
He was taken aback by the immediate bombardment of messages and alerts and missed calls. “What–?”
“What’s wrong?” Leo asked.
Cody shook his head, scrolling through everything.
Several texts from Hen, telling him not to worry but to contact her when he could.
A bunch from various guys on the team, all giving vague but rather alarming support.
A voicemail from Kim from PR, which according to the text translation, told him that the PR team was handling things and also not to worry, but that she’d really like a statement—
A voicemail from his dad, even though Cody’s father hadn’t actually talked to him in like five years. He just sent texts every few months asking for money, and then a thanks kid text when Cody deposited the funds.
“What the fuck happened?” Cody asked, jerking his head to look at Leo who was staring down at his own phone, expression grim.
“Fuck,” Cody said, already typing his name into the search engine. “It’s about me, isn’t it?”
The first search result was from Sportsnet.
CODY WALLACE TAKES ADVANTAGE OF HOTEL STAFF ALPHA
Cody Wallace (26) of the Detroit Cougars was in Mississippi for a game when he made advances on an alpha (38) who worked at Acres Lodge, the hotel where the Cougars were staying.
The alpha, who wishes to remain anonymous for his safety, reported that he was delivering a room service order to Wallace’s hotel room.
Wallace allegedly opened his door and asked the alpha to come inside and, upon entering the room, the alpha realized it was clear that Wallace was in heat.
This is quite a shock, readers, as Wallace has been insisting for years that he no longer experienced heats due to a suppressant implant.
The alpha reports that he attempted to leave the room so that he wasn’t affected by Wallace, but Wallace had other plans——
Cody’s throat closed up, and he just barely was able to fumble his phone to close the tab.
He stared blankly down at his phone screen, feeling sick.
How could he have been so stupid? He’d tried to block Vince from his mind, and now the alpha had gone and sold his story of how Cody had invited him into his hotel room while Cody was stinking of heat.
“The Cougars are going to kill my contract for this,” he whispered.
“They absolutely will not,” Leo snarled.
He took a deep breath, and, sounding a lot calmer, said, “It’s one guy’s word on some stupid paparazzi garbage fake news report.
I will speak up for you. Sergei will speak up for you.
Hen saw that bite mark that fucker left on you, and you already know she’s going to be fighting this. ”
“What if it’s not enough?” Cody mumbled, setting his phone down to press his palms over his eyes. He could hear Leo repeating alphas can control themselves over and over but… “What if the rest of the team—doesn’t want to play with me anymore.”
“I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” Leo said gently, sliding his phone across the table. “Take a look at this. Ricardo sent it to me. Apparently this clip has been going around.”
Cody eyed Leo’s phone with trepidation, but when he picked it up, it was to find a paused video on the screen. Leo must have been watching it silently with captions, gearing up for whatever it was about. Cody went to the description box, trying to prepare himself.
The video was of the Sunday game. Specifically a post game interview, with a pan shot of Tanner, Sergei, and Ricardo, all sitting on a locker room bench in various states of undress, surrounded by microphones, before it switched to a close up of Ricardo.
Cody winced as the first reporter asked Ricardo what he thought about Cody’s assault—and if he thought that he was safe as an alpha with Cody on the team.
He startled as Ricardo growled, loud and audible, echoed by two others. He then proceeded to stare in shock when the camera shot switched to a wider one that showed Sergei—normally taciturn and self-conscious of his English—who had jumped to answer, crowding in next to Ricardo to get at the mic.
“You think is funny?” Video Sergei demanded, face a stormcloud.
“Is what is taught in America, is big joke when omega get hurt? блядский мудак! I’m there, did you know?
Me and Leo, we pull fucker alpha off Cody, maybe try not to kill him!
” He pointed sharply at what had to be the reporter.
“You’re alpha like him, happy when hurting omega?
Maybe always say ‘is not my fault, omega, he’s wanting it. ’ You are alpha like this too?”
Then Sergei, amid more Russian swearing, started to get up off the bench.
The camera shot just fit Tanner grabbing him and pulling him back down while Ricardo said with finality to the silent reporters, “I think we’re done.
None of you have actual relevant questions, and the Cougars aren’t interested in feeding into your garbage sensationalism.
” He crossed his arms, biceps bulging obscenely since he wasn’t wearing a shirt.
Ricardo was one of the biggest guys on the team, after Sergei.
“I will say that I think it’s real damn telling how many people are so eager to paint an omega who was in heat as the villain.
Can’t say I’d trust any of those people.
Can’t say omegas should trust any of those people. ”
Sergei swore in Russian again, and he’s going to get so many fines, Cody thought, oh my god.
“Tanner?” came a woman’s voice from behind a mic.
“What?” Tanner said gruffly as he wrangled Sergei back into his seat for the second time.
“With both Cody Wallace and Leo Blanter absent from the game,” she started, and Cody saw Tanner bristle, “you were missing a power duo. How did that affect your strategy for the night?”
Cody watched Video Tanner relax a little at a question about hockey, not about Cody’s fucking omega wiles or whatever.
“I mean, Cody’s the fastest of all of us,” Tanner started. “So we had to account for missing his speed—”
Cody paused the video and glanced up at Leo, not sure what to think. Or say.
Eventually he said in disbelief, “Sergei was like three seconds away from punching a reporter on national television.”
“Sergei’s got a lot of strong opinions on omega rights,” Leo said, taking his phone back when Cody slid it across the table.
“He’s got two younger siblings back in Russia who are omegas, and he’s very protective over them.
And I mean…like he said, he was there. I probably would have had some words for that reporter too. ”
Cody picked up his own phone and scrolled through his texts again. He’d gotten something from almost all the guys. Plus the stuff from Hen, plus the voicemail from Kim from PR, plus the one from his dad, which Cody was maybe not going to listen to until he was feeling less off-kilter.
He took a deep breath and let it out. “Okay,” he said. “I’m going to throw another load of bedding into the laundry because like everything I own is…dirty, and then I will call Hen and then Kim, make a group chat to text back the guys, and from there start figuring out the rest of my life.”
“And I’ll be in your corner the whole time,” Leo promised.
Cody conjured up a smile, because certainly Leo deserved one. “Yeah. Yeah, I know.”
***
Hen was…almost unbelievably understanding. She assured Cody that Vince was already experiencing severe repercussions, including both having been fired from the hotel and the Cougars suing him for libel.
Plus, someone else who worked at the hotel and who was a Cougars fan—as well as an omega—had come forward and given her own interview about how Vince had been pushy and aggressive, and that none of the omegas on staff had felt safe being alone with him.
She had given the paper Vince’s full name. So there was that.
Hen also asked again if Cody wanted to press charges for assault, but was quick to say he didn’t have to.
The conversation about the inhibitors was harder, since Cody had to come clean about the fact that he’d been lying both about taking them, and that he experienced heats.
Mostly Hen was horrified that Cody worked while he was experiencing heat, from playing to doing media.
She did add that it might be good press if Cody actually gave some interviews about it.
That he could talk about the pressures of trying to exist in an environment hostile to omegas, make a point of the fact that he’d been playing through his heats for six years, and being damn good at it too.
Just think about it, and we can discuss it with PR.
As for Cody’s health…that was the only time Hen sounded angry.
Why the fuck don’t we have a doctor for you on staff?
Cody let out a big sigh when he’d finally hung up the phone. Overall, the call had gone really well, but it had still been draining.
He called Kim next, who basically gave him a rundown of what the Cougars’ team had been doing for damage control, making donations, releasing statements, giving interviews.
Typical feel-good stuff. Like Hen, she also asked Cody if he’d be willing to release a statement or give an interview, suggesting that he do so before the next game he played, so the press were at least slightly less ravenous with their questions.
“Or if you’re not up to it,” Kim said, “and don’t want to relive the assault, we should prep you on a stock answer to say and repeat. As for, um, telling the world about the heat thing—”
“Yeah,” Cody said, already tired. “Hen talked to me about it. I’ll get back to you later today, if that’s cool?”
“Oh yeah!” Kim said. “Yeah, no worries. Think about it, just let me know how you’re feeling on it so I can arrange stuff if it’s a go.”
“Okay,” Cody said. “Thanks, Kim.”
After Kim had hung up, Cody opened a group chat and got to adding everyone on the team. Not all of them had sent him a message, but he figured better to add everyone just to be safe.
He had just finished sending essentially thanks, I’m okay, I’ll be back at practice soon, when Leo walked back into the living room.
“Heard you were done with the phone calls,” Leo said with a smile. “I moved the laundry along and threw another load into the wash.”
“Oh my god, thank you,” Cody said, flopping onto Leo when he sat down on the couch. “Fuck, why does heat have to be so messy?”
Leo laughed and started petting Cody’s hair, which mmm Cody could get used to that. “I mean, if it helps, it’s supposed to be the alpha’s job to clean up.”
Cody squinted up at him. “No shit, really?”
“I wanted to wash you, remember?” Leo said. Cody nodded, since yeah—Leo had joined him in the shower pretty much every time during Cody’s heat. And it had felt so nice too, to be taken care of that way.
“So aside from helping the omega feel clean, it’s everything else too.
Providing more bedding for the nest, if it needs it.
Washing said bedding after it’s no longer needed if it gets soiled.
Making the omega’s space neat again, because most are wrecked after a heat, and the last thing they want to do is straighten up or put their room to rights.
The alpha’s supposed to do that for them.
Hell, a good alpha will fall over themselves for the privilege. ”
“It’s kind of unfair I don’t know all these rules,” Cody grumbled, eyes sliding shut as Leo continued to play with his curls.
“Well hey,” Leo said lightly. “That’s what you’ve got me for.”
That made Cody smile, eyes still closed. “Yeah. A lot of stuff has been really, really hard…but I’ve got you. Which makes me really lucky.”
He fell asleep without really meaning to, tucked up against Leo and all the better for it.