35. Storm
Chapter 35
Storm
Micha:
You need to make it very publicly clear that Kennedy is yours—the puck bunnies have been saying ugly things. She’s insisting it’s okay, but she has sad eyes. Make this right.
I stared at the text on my phone screen, letting the words sink in. What could the puck bunnies have said to upset Kennedy? It wasn’t like they could really say anything bad about her—she was beautiful. Painfully so. And what could I do to make it right? Seeing her and Charlotte while I was playing had been absolutely magical. I'd always enjoyed having my pack mates in the stands, but there was something different about having my omega and our daughter there.
When Charlotte had waved back at me, my heart had grown three sizes, and I was genuinely concerned I was going to have a heart attack for a moment. My teammates had given me curious looks when I had returned to the locker room for the first break, but they hadn't said anything. It wasn't completely unusual for me to interact with a baby, considering Sunny had brought Luka several times to see me play.
This time was different, though. This time, I was waving at my daughter.
“Hey, Coach,” I asked, not even looking away from my screen.
We had won the match, so he was in a good mood. “Yeah, kid?”
“Are we going to be needed for a meeting after the game?” I asked. Usually we piled into the locker room and had post-game debriefs on what we did right and wrong.
“Sure, same as always.”
I nodded, smiling to myself. That meant I could go meet my pack after the game, when there were still plenty of people around. I wanted the fans—particularly the puck bunnies—to see me greeting my omega and my daughter.
“You want to meet your adoring fans?” Roman, my teammate, asked. “I don't think I've ever seen you excited to get out to the rink while the crowds are still active.”
“Well, I have reason to now.” I smirked.
Roman raised a brow. “Do tell.”
“Did you see the omega I went up to after the first period?”
“Yeah, the cute one with the baby?”
I nodded. “That’s my daughter.” I beamed.
Roman’s face stilled as he absorbed that information before breaking out into a shit-eating grin. “Seriously? That’s amazing! Are you guys dating?”
“Kind of, it’s a whole thing. My pack is courting her, but let’s just say, I wasn’t the best to her at the start, and I need to send a clear message. It seems like some of the fangirls aren’t being nice.”
“That’s not okay!” Roman thundered, before turning to the full locker room. “Guys! Team photo in the lobby. I want to get a pic of all of us with Storm’s little girl! She’s even wearing an Avalon Knights jersey!”
A chorus of replies rang out in the room, most of them excited. Everyone seemed thrilled with the news that I was a father. My chest welled with an emotion that I wasn't sure how to identify. I was a good player—I knew I was a good player—but I had never been loved by my team.
“Fuck, yeah!” one player yelled. “Team baby!”
“We’ll make sure all the press is near as well—that’ll really send a message,” Roman said with a smirk. We didn't get anywhere near as much press as an NHL team, but we still had many players who had the potential to go on to an NHL career, so we got a decent amount.
“Thank you, it means a lot to me.”
Roman shrugged. “It’s no big deal, you’re team. Though, Hazel is totally going to want to meet your girl and kiddo. Now that Henry is getting a bit older, she wants to meet and cuddle all the babies.”
“Well, she’s in luck, then, because Kennedy is a few months pregnant,” I admitted.
Roman hissed. “No shit?”
“Eli’s fault this time!” I laughed. “So, Hazel can snuggle a newborn soon.”
“Perfect, and I bet after some newborn snuggles, she’ll be asking us for another, and I’ll be more than happy to oblige.”
We piled out of the locker room, all still in our jerseys. I loved the attention, and usually, I would bask in it, but I had other priorities. I walked straight over to Kennedy and the guys, who were standing by a far-off wall, waiting for me.
She was stunning, bundled up in a coat I was pretty sure belonged to Eli, her auburn hair tumbling over her shoulders and our daughter on her hip, wearing the cutest baby jersey ever.
I noticed the girls a few seats down from them, but I paid them no attention. Had I met them before? I didn't recognize them. My stomach clenched uncomfortably at the idea that something I had done in my past was causing Kennedy pain now. As soon as we were home, I was going to ask Micha for more details. I needed to know exactly what was said, so I could make it right.
The women in question were craning their necks, desperately trying to catch my eye as I stood with my pack. I was sending a clear message that my pack was important to me, and they weren't. I had zero interest in them. Sure, in the past, I would have paid them a little attention and enjoyed the praise, but now, the thought didn’t even cross my mind.
They were my past, and Kennedy was my future.
“Hey.” I beamed at her, pulling her in for a hug. She didn’t pull away, even though I probably smelled like sweat.
“Hey, good game.” She smiled shyly at me.
“It seems I have a little lucky charm,” I cooed, taking off my gloves and holding Charlotte’s tiny hand. “I guess you’re going to have to come to all of Daddy’s games, aren’t you?” I purposefully said it loud enough so people around us would hear. Word needed to get out that Storm Sanderson was a taken alpha, and he had an adorable daughter, to boot.
“She loved it,” Kennedy informed me. “She especially liked banging on the glass.”
“We’ll make a hockey fan of her yet,” I said, keeping one arm wrapped around Kennedy as I spoke. There were plenty of people around, and I knew photos of us would be circulating the next day. “Can I hold her?” I asked Kennedy, who nodded, handing me the baby.
“Oh, that is cute! I need a photo of you two,” Charlie said, pulling out his phone. I wrapped one arm around Kennedy and held Charlotte on the opposite hip, pulling them both close to me. We probably looked like the perfect little family unit.
“We need a pack photo,” I insisted, looking around for someone to take the photo. As my eyes landed on the perfect person to not only take the photo but to make it clear that Kennedy was a permanent fixture in my life, I opened my mouth and yelled. “Hey, Coach!”
He turned his head to look at me. “What do you want, pest?” he yelled good-naturedly.
“Can you take a photo of me and my pack?” I shouted back. We were far enough away from each other that the back-and-forth shouting was being heard by a good number of people.
It wasn’t official yet, but as far as I was concerned, Kennedy became a member of our pack the moment she had Charlotte.
The coach grinned at me. “Sure thing, kid,” he said as he ambled over to us, taking the phone off Charlie. We all gathered around, Kennedy in the middle and Charlotte still in my arms as we grinned for the camera.
There were plenty of people milling around, so I knew news of this would get out. The coach handed Charlie his phone back and only had time to throw a smile our way before he was dragged off by someone else wanting his attention.
“Okay, we better get home. It’s getting late. Kennedy, I assume you’re staying at our place tonight?” Eli asked.
I was planning to show her the nest tomorrow, so she could see where she would be staying and have her own space. Part of me was excited to show her what I had been working on, but part of me was terrified. What if she didn’t like it?
“Storm!” a grating voice pulled me out of my thoughts as a blonde beta wearing a maroon jersey ran up to me, grabbing my arm. She smelled like charred Italian food, and my body desperately wanted to recoil from such a repulsive scent.
“I’m sorry. I’m busy with my family right now,” I said diplomatically. I didn’t want to behave like an asshole without cause.
She paused, glancing between the rest of my pack and me, a look of confusion on her face. Had I ever liked people like her? Her smile was meant to be sweet, but it was so obviously fake. It lacked the genuine warmth of Kennedy’s.
“You know,” she said quietly, so only I—and possibly her friends—could hear, “it’s really nice for you to play family with your pack mate’s charity case and bastard, but we can take care of you. We like to share,” she insisted, batting her eyelashes and looking at the brunette friend next to her, whose top was so tight, I was shocked she could breathe. It was plainly obvious that Charlotte was mine, so why were they insinuating she was Eli’s?
“You don’t have to keep slumming it with your pack mate’s bad choice…”
My body stilled, and I saw red. Had she really just said what I thought she had? It was so hard to believe those words, that they took a moment to fully sink in.
Behind me, Kennedy and my pack had stopped talking.
They had heard.
No. There was no way in fucking hell I was going to let a puck bunny talk badly about my omega.
I turned to my nearest pack mate, who happened to be Eli, and handed him Charlotte before turning back to the puck bunny.
Roughly, I grabbed the hand that was clinging to my arm and shoved it away with such force, she staggered back a step.
“Listen, and listen good,” I growled, taking one step forward. The confident expression that she had been wearing mere seconds ago faltered and gave way to one of concern. “I will not stand by and listen to someone talk shit about my family, my omega, and my child. How fucking desperate do you have to be to paw at me in front them?” Every word was dripping in disgust.
Was it overkill? Probably, but I wanted to send a very clear message. “They”—I pointed behind me—“are my family, and I don't know about you, but I never want to associate with someone who would have the audacity to talk badly about my family. Especially about the woman I love and our child. She is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Her face dropped farther, and she tried to stammer out a reply. “W-well, I?—”
“I don't give a fuck what you want to say,” I snarled. “As far as I’m concerned, the only person ‘slumming it’ was me, when I thought hanging out with girls like you was a good idea.”
Everyone nearby could hear what I was saying. I had no doubt that I was going to get slapped with an improper conduct reprimand from the coach, but it was going to be worth it.
What had I ever seen in women like this? Ever since Kennedy and Charlotte came into my life, my eyes had been opened to how catty and cruelly they behaved. There was nothing wrong with being a fan of the sport or the players, but did they really have to tear everyone down to make themselves feel better?
“I think you need to leave the rink,” Roman said pointedly as he sidled up next to me, giving the puck bunny a no-nonsense look. “We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to the bullying of players and family members.”
“I wasn’t!” she started to cry indignantly. She was focused on me. Once upon a time, Roman had been just as familiar with the puck bunnies, but ever since he had met his omega, Hazel, he had eyes for no one else, and they had stopped trying long ago.
Thank God for Roman, because he was able to maintain his cool when I couldn’t. “If you really want to keep it up, we can always bring this to the board of student conduct, because this is a university facility, and their policies apply.”
The puck bunny closed her mouth, shooting Roman a withering look before stomping off, her friends scampering after her.
As I turned back to my pack, Kennedy looked up at me, eyes wide, unable to form words as I pulled her into my chest, hugging her tightly.
“Mine,” I muttered.