A loud knock on the door echoed out in the silence. Everyone startled, glancing up before the two alphas rushed toward the door.
Of course, every single one of us followed, curious to see who was interrupting us.
No one knew we lived here outside of Conrad, who would just walk in, and the coach.
The last people I expected to see at the door were my old pack.
All of their faces still had a yellowish tint from the bruising and they looked rough. Their stubble was days old, and the circles under their eyes were prominent.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Kieran growled. “How did you find us?”
“Look,” Dean said quickly, holding up his hands. “We know that we’ve lost her. We just want to say our piece.”
He looked past my alphas and spotted me behind them.
“I’m assuming you didn’t read the letter?”
“I did read it,” I said, annoyed they were assuming anything about me now. “It didn’t change anything, though. Every one of your letters talked about how this affected you and how it made you sick, and while I’m glad to know you didn’t just see those pictures and call me dramatic, it doesn’t mean I’ll ever want anything to do with you again.”
“We know,” Dean said. There was defeat in his tone this time, and his voice cracked. “I just can’t believe we let it get this far. I understand that you’re done, and you have this pack now, but Lana, we’d quit hockey for you.”
“Oh, look,” Roxie said, unamused. “There goes the point sailing right over their head.”
Dean looked at her, confused. They truly had no idea how misguided they were, even now.
“It was never about hockey,” I said. “I’m with hockey players. It’s the fact they balance having a pack and the game. You chose to marry your job and to neglect me, and that’s a decision you now have to live with, whether you like it or not.”
Tears finally spilled down his cheeks at my harsh words. Sutton looked just as upset, but didn’t argue.
“Look, I truly forgive you,” I said, softening my voice a little while still staying strong. “I forgive you for the pain you put me through, even if Conrad never will.”
“Wait… you forgive us?” Milo asked, confused.
“I do,” I said with a shrug. “But forgiving and forgetting are not the same things. I forgive you because I don’t want to hold onto a grudge. I forgive you because that pain isn’t going to getme anywhere in life. But I won’t forget how that felt. All the lonely nights. The times you made me feel like I didn’t matter. The pain of spending a heat alone on the floor of my nest, waiting for you to walk through the door.”
“You didn’t tell us you were going into heat,” Sutton argued, his frustration loud and clear. My pack let out a warning growl, and he stepped back again, his anger cooling instantly.
“That’s not true. It was in your calendars, and I reminded you the week before, but you didn’t want to listen. You spent that entire time barely talking to me. You were so caught up in your life that you didn’t have room in it for me, and you don’t get to find the room now. It’s too late.”
“Okay,” Milo croaked, looking at me, begging me to reconsider.
It wasn’t going to happen.
“If you ever want to find another omega again, one that you want to fucking keep, I strongly suggest you work on yourselves first. Take a step back from hockey and learn to have a life that’s more than your career.”
Roxie called out to them before they could turn away. “I have to know. What did you guys do all those nights you left her at home?” Her tone sharpened like a blade as she finished her question. The rest was left unsaid, but I needed to put it into words, especially as guilt took over all three of their expressions.
“Did you cheat on me?” I demanded. “All those times you left me at home for months… were you sleeping with other people?”
“No,” Milo said firmly. “Everyone knew we had you at home.”
“And yet they didn’t question that you literally never came home?” I laughed, throwing up my hands. It was all so fucking absurd.
“They gave us shit all the time for it,” Dean admitted, his voice thick with tears and shame.
I found a bit of satisfaction in that.
“Well, now you don’t have me, so you can live in that fucking hockey house with all the other bachelors. I hope you enjoy it. But we’re done here. Stop contacting me. Stop trying to convince me that this is right. There will never be any going back. It’s over. Forever.”
