The conversation fell away as the guys moved in and out again, gathering more food and bringing some back in.
“How’s Aunt Lisa?” Kieran asked as he walked by with foil-wrapped potatoes.
“Still a pain in my ass,” Roxie said fondly. “Still hilarious.”
“I’m shocked she doesn’t have you married off yet. She was always obsessed with packing you up.”
“Oh, she still is. She keeps telling me to give packs a chance,” Roxie said with a huff. “Apparently being a successful omega is a turnoff.”
“Fuck that,” I said. “Keep your independence.”
“Exactly.”
Our conversation stayed light through dinner as the two cousins caught up.
“I like your omega,” Roxie said afterward. “I’m stealing her for girls’ night soon.”
“Once this blows over,” Kieran warned.
She rolled her eyes. “I need friends who don’t judge me for my career.”
“I’m so over the stereotypes,” I said.
“That’s why we’re doing this,” she said. “And when it’s done, we’ll celebrate.”
When everything was cleared away, she grew serious.
“Alright, let’s talk. I’ll be honest and blunt, and ask tons of questions, but this is your story. If you don’t want something said, I’ll respect that.”
“Okay,” I agreed, nervous still despite how comfortable I was around her.
She set up her camera, adjusted the lighting, and even fixed my hair once. Then she finally sat across from me.
“My name is Roxie Crane,” she started. “Founder and lead journalist forThe Gathering Place. With me today is Lana Flynn, who has found herself at the center of one of the biggest AHA hockey controversies we’ve ever seen.”
She looked at me then, offering an encouraging smile. “Lana, tell us who you are and how you ended up here.”
I took a breath. “Hello, my name is Lana Flynn, daughter of the Westrgrave Flynn pack. My dads were big players in the AHA, so hockey has always been in my blood. I have a degree in sports nutrition, and I’m currently the Westgrave Wardens’ team nutritionist and private chef. I moved here from North Crossing after leaving my pack. I didn’t expect to find scent-compatible mates here, but I did, and I’ve never been happier. But, it seems there are things I need to clarify.”
“Let’s start with the rumor that you cheated,” Roxie said, kicking it off strong.
I sighed. “I hadn’t been back to Westgrave in years before this. In fact, I left my pack before I even met the rest of the Wardens.”
“And what was going on during those years in North Crossing?”
“I spent most of it alone,” I said. “Bonding with hockey players comes with expectations. I understood that going in. But Milo, Sutton, and Dean were married to hockey, not to me. After they shifted to the starting lineup, our relationship crashed and burned. There was always something they had to do, a reason to stay away. I was fed excuses and eventually, they stopped coming home altogether. I spent almost three years begging them to give me even an ounce of their time.”
As I spoke, the pain resurfaced. She listened closely and didn’t interrupt, but it felt more like talking to a friend than being interviewed, which helped a lot.
“What was the final straw? The catalyst that had you moving back home?”
“They missed my heat,” I said quietly. “It nearly killed me.”
“They didn’t come?” she asked, trying to keep her voice even but her eyes were wide.
“No.”
I explained the whole ordeal. Spending the week alone until my body was ready to give out, the hospital photo that circulated, my brother saving me, and finally, how I ended up here.
