I knew that was a lie. Omegas had a way of getting under your skin, settling in like they belonged.
I wasn’t going to let that happen. Not again.
I kept quiet as we loaded up the two SUVs and Wilder’s truck. Everyone gave me space for the rest of the day, letting me be an asshole without calling me on it.
I knew once she arrived, that grace would disappear.
The moment the furniture was assembled, and Mason, Wilder, and Kieran started fussing over her room, I slipped outside and stalked down the block toward the arena.
It should be empty at this hour.
There was a light on in Coach’s office, but I ignored it and went straight for the locker room. It was blessedly empty as I changed into workout gear and laced up my skates.
I hadn’t realized how tight my chest was until I hit the ice. The cold air burned my lungs, grounding me in a way nothing else ever did.
My skates glided over the pristine ice, carving my path. My muscles warmed up easily as I picked up speed, flying in a way that made me feel alive.
It didn’t take long for my mind to empty into a silence that was both familiar and healing. Coach never protested when he found me here after hours. My body could handle the extra work and my mind needed it. We all knew my fight records rivaled anyone in the AHA, and this kept it from soaring into numbers that would get my ass benched.
Minutes passed as sweat started to make my gear stick to my skin. I knew without looking my face was red. The fucking joys of being a red-head.
I slowed down until I was gliding, cooling down from the rigorous skating I’d just done for who knows how long.
It was in the quiet of that moment that I let everything process again. I still wasn’t happy about our space being invaded, but I knew Kieran was right. I had no reason to judge her. I was projecting my past onto someone I hadn’t even met.
Conrad didn’t exactly talk about his parents like they were the doting, loving type. She likely felt the same. This rooming situation was something she needed.
If she kept to herself and I did the same, we could coexist just fine.
The Flynn Cup was all that mattered and this season was going to be even better than the last.
I had made hockey my life a long fucking time ago. I was confident in who I was. Settled. I knew that being a delta meant we had to prove ourselves, and it usually didn’t bother me.
But everything this ice princess represented did. She had connections I could only dream of, and one wrong word from her could end my entire career.
Omegas are sensitive. Deltas are blunt, and I don’t filter for anyone… that’s a recipe for disaster.
Chapter
Five
Lana
“Is that everything?” Conrad asked as he put down the last box on the pile by the curb. It was stacked high enough that I had to look up to take it all in.
Clothes. Pictures. Bedding. Nesting supplies. Almost everything I owned was here and already doused in de-scenting spray. Mom had stepped up and had her assistant send messages to all of the charities in the area to pick it up, then scheduled trash pickup to take the rest away in a week.
The only thing I had with me now were my documents, the clothes on my body, and a few small things I couldn’t part with. Mainly my books, and that wasn’t changing. I had them long before my pack.
The front doors were locked already, and I was officially leaving this godforsaken mansion behind.
“Yes,” I finally answered, giving him a smile that was subdued but not fake. “Thanks, Con.”
“I’ve got you,” was all he said as he guided me to his waiting truck. He was just as eager as I was to get the fuck out of here.
There were no tears threatening to fall now. In fact, I felt perfectly numb and indifferent as I turned away and buckled my seatbelt.
I hated how even the simplest things like buckling were hard. My muscles were still weak, and that bone-deep exhaustion lingered, even though Conrad did all the work. He refused to let me do any lifting or carrying.
