“I think someone’s getting hungry,” Cade said. “I’ll leave these carts up front. Let’s grab food while Mason handles this.”
“Good,” Mason says. “Wilder and I can finish this ourselves.”
Honestly, they were the two best equipped for it. We should have sent them alone in the first place.
“I’ll keep them from going overboard,” Kieran offered, staying behind as Cade led me away.
I already knew what was coming.
“Care to share why you’re so angry?” Cade asked once we’d sat down with our food.
Did we have to fucking talk about every feeling?
Unfortunately, Cade knew better than anyone what it was like to grow up under strict expectations. I endured a whole lot less ass-kicking than he had, but just as much pressure.
“We’ve got a good thing going in the hockey house,” I admitted. “It’s mostly just us and Conrad. Now we’re throwing a broken omega into the mix.”
“We are,” he agreed. “But that doesn’t explain this.” He waved a hand at my scowling face, which only made it worse.
I hated how calm this alpha was right now, but that was just how Cade was.
“The hockey house is the one place I don’t have to perform,” I snapped. “I don’t have to pretend. I don’t have to be in control all the time.”
“And you think she’s going to change that?”
“Don’t they always?” I fired back with a sneer. Fuck, I sounded like an ass. “We know nothing about her. I’m not going to walk around on eggshells in my own fucking house.”
“She’s Conrad’s sister,” Cade said flatly. “It’s not like she’s going to care who you are.”
“I’ve done my research,” I shot back. “She’s notjusthis sister. She’s the princess of hockey. Her dads are legends. You’re telling me she’s not going to be high-maintenance?”
“Don’t you of all people know our parents don’t define us?” he countered.
Damn it. I hated when he was right.
He lifted a hand before I could argue. “Just give her a chance to exist. She needs a safe haven, and we can give her one. No amount of bitching will change that. She’s ours to protect for now, and we’re going to do it. Not just because I fucking hate the Narwhals, but because she deserves it.”
“Since when are we not assholes?” I muttered.
He huffed out a laugh. “We might be sometimes, but we at least have integrity.”
“I guess,” I grumbled, tearing into my slice of pizza. Whoever decided to stick a junk-food café in the middle of the department store was a genius.
I was supposed to be on a diet, but I barely followed it anyway. Deltas had it easier. We didn’t bulk like alphas. We were predators: leaner, quieter, but just as dangerous.
Which was why our first game against the Narwhals was going to be a bloodbath. They were the easiest outlet for my anger right now, and the idea of painting the ice red in Lana’s honor was keeping me from losing it completely.
I knew it wasn’t her fault. I also knew I’d never make her uncomfortable on purpose. If Conrad wanted her here, she would stay. Simple as that.
With a sigh, I shoved the last bite of pizza in my face, barely chewing before Mason let out a sharp whistle. I knew it was him without looking, because no one else would do that shit in the middle of a busy store. When I looked, he was waving us over, grinning like a madman.
Cade laughed and gestured for me to follow. “Come on. Let’s get this over with. We’ve got Conrad’s credit card.”
Everyone but me looked pleased with the haul. Maybe the others wanted chivalry points, but I didn’t give a fuck about that.
Five full carts was insane.
“Just think of her like a little sister,” Kieran said, clapping my shoulder. “You’ll barely notice she’s there.”
