Page 30 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

Gavin was allowed to handle his own trauma in his own way. I couldn’t even be angry for him sharing it with the guys. Part of me was even relieved that they knew the truth.

It might just help explain why I held myself back and refused to give into them. It put into perspective exactly what was at stake.

Maybe they would realize that I’m not the catch they seem to think I am and would simply walk away now. I needed them to let me do my time until I could get us out of that house and away from our mother.

The thought of them walking away had a whine bubbling up in my throat. I managed to swallow it down but the emotion was so strong it hurt. No matter how my inner omega felt, there was nothing I could do now to erase what they knew.

“Oh, honey,” Lydia said as she walked out of the kitchen. I’d barely made it in the door, and already she was giving me that ‘concerned mother’ look.

“I’m fine, I promise.” It was a fucking lie and we both knew it. Nothing was fine about this.

“And if I ask Gavin, he’s going to tell me the same thing?”

I knew damn well that Gavin wouldn’t say anything. Him telling August was an act of desperation. If he hadn’t spilled to Lydia yet, he wasn’t going to start now. At least… I didn’t think so.

“Seriously, I’m fine,” I said again, trying to put some conviction in my tone.

“If that were to change, would you tell me?” she demanded. Lydia was the closest thing to family I had. She was more of a mom than I’d ever known. But she couldn’t know the extent of what I’d endured.

“I would, Lydia. You know how she is. You know it’s hard. It was just a bad night. We got a ride home from someone last night and she freaked out.” It made my stomach turn with how easy those lies fell from my lips.

Anger boiled on Lydia’s face. “She would rather her unbonded omega daughter walk alone at night with her minor son than have them get a ride from someone she knew?”

“It wasn’t just someone I knew,” I admitted in a choked whisper. It was the first bit of emotion I’d allowed through so far. “It was August. He was a friend I had in high school. More than a friend, actually. The moment she realized that we were getting close, she got rid of him.”

She blinked at me for a second before shaking her head in disgust. Her curls bounced around as she did and she shoved them out of her eyes in a huff. “I swear that woman should be studied. She’s fucking insane.”

“She is,” I agreed without hesitation. “I didn’t even know that was why he left until a couple years later when she threw it in my face. She found his single dad a job through one of her contacts and got rid of him. Now he’s back, and he’s one of the few people that truly knows what she’s like.”

“Is he your scent-match, too?” she questioned.

“Yes,” I admitted, not feeling like lying anymore. I felt my shoulders relax as I admitted it out loud, even as I was still at war with reality. “None of that matters, though. What can I even offer them?”

“Why would you have to give them anything?” she demanded. “They don’t want you because you can give them things, Dhara. They want you because you’re their omega. They want to build a life with you and no one ever says that life is easy. Most alphas and deltas know that.”

“I’m defective at this point. I’m so stressed I can barely remember the last time I did anything for myself. They deserve better than any half-life I could give them. No pack is going to wait around for me to be ready.”

“Don’t you think your pack should have a say in that?”

My eyes went wide as August’s voice rumbled in my ear. I would blame Lydia for not warning me, but she looked just as stunned as I was to see him.

I spun around to face him. My chest tightened at the frustration on his face. Even when I wasn’t trying, it seemed I was forever hurting this pack.

“Look, I adore you, Dhara, but you’re taking the morning off. Have breakfast and talk to this poor delta that I’m assuming is this August you were just telling me about.”

August gave her a relieved smile. “That would be incredible. Thank you.”

“I’ll even have one of my alphas walk Gavin to the bus,” she promised. “The corner booth is empty. I suggest you take it. I’ll be along to get your breakfast order soon. She should eat something. She skips a bit too often for my taste.”

With that, she swept away, helping in the only way she likely knew how.

“I told you we were going to talk about this.”

Instead of answering, I turned and walked toward the booth, knowing that he’d follow. This wasn’t a conversation to have in the middle of the small-town diner. That and I was still worried that my mother would find out. If she saw August around me again she’d freak out worse than last night.

He gripped my hips and moved ahead of me before pulling me down into the booth after him, dragging me all the way to the back so we were nestled together. I winced, but didn’t let him see. The pain was familiar and I’d learned to deal with it.

The lime, cedar, and basil of his scent were so sharp and strong, calming the omega inside of me.