“No, Mason!” I screamed as my character rolled behind another barricade. Thankfully, my next shot was a headshot, dropping him before I could be hit again. That was a close one.
It went on like that. Me beating Mason, then Kieran, and finally Cade. Wilder never joined in, but his smile grew wider with each death on screen.
“Okay, I think I’m going back to my book,” I said, my eyes on the burly beta across the room. “Wilder, will you show me where the office is?”
No one bothered to protest as I passed my controller off to Conrad. Wilder nodded once, waiting for me in the doorway before leading me through the house. I’d cleaned most of the rooms, but I wasn’t sure which bedrooms were occupied and which was the study, so I skipped those.
“It’s a little chaotic in here, huh?” I said. “I probably didn’t help.”
“They could use a little game humbling,” he said, his smile warm. Now that we were close, and there wasn’t a mix of scents around me, his scent of books, ink, and pine was stronger. It was strange, as time went on, their scents seemed to be changing, growing stronger.
“I hear you like to hide out in the quiet. Is it going to bother you if I crash that space?”
“Sometimes quiet is necessary with this pack,” he admitted. “No, it won’t bother me if you join.”
He wasn’t the chattiest of betas, and that only made me want to know more about him. His scent was warm and inviting enough that I found myself moving closer until I caught it.
“Here we are,” he said, pushing open the door and holding it for me to go in first.
I stepped into the office. I’d briefly seen it the other day, but at the time it only looked like a big whiteboard and a conference-style table. I didn’t realize it curved around, almost like two rooms stuck together. This side had a big, plush leather couch, two huge bookshelves, and a large window letting in the afternoon light.
“Oh, this is nice,” I said, curling up in the corner of the couch and cracking open my book. I snuggled into the seat, and he surprised me by sitting on the opposite end. There was a book tucked on the side table already, and he picked it up, apparently resuming where he’d left off.
Eventually, as the night wore on, it got a little cooler. He stood and stretched, and my eyes caught on the sliver of pure muscle he exposed as he reached upward. He had the body of an alpha, though he was just a beta, and it had been so long since I’d been properly satisfied that I couldn’t help the wave of warmth that rolled through me, my body waking up.
His cheeks turned pink when he saw me watching.
“Sorry,” I said, not bothering to hide the fact that I’d been checking him out.
“It’s fine,” he said. “I’m just not used to that kind of attention.”
“Are you kidding me?” I was genuinely shocked.
“Most betas and omegas don’t want a beta of this size,” he said, adjusting his shirt. I should have seen his self-conscious mannerisms before. “I have to keep up with the alphas and deltas somehow, so I work my ass off for all this.”
“It suits you,” I said honestly. “And it shows an insane amount of commitment. Sometimes, between you and me, I think alphas rely a little too much on their size, so they don’t try as hard.”
“You’re right about that,” he snorted. “It’s definitely rewarding. I get out on the ice and hear the shit talk, then crush them. So damn satisfying.”
“You can crush me between those thighs anytime,” I said, before realizing I’d said it out loud.
Both of our mouths dropped before he let out a laugh, and I groaned. “Sorry. Clearly, I’m too tired to keep my filter up. I sounded a bit like Mason then, didn’t I?”
“Oh yeah,” he said, but it seemed to break the ice enough that he relaxed. Though, his cheeks never lost their tint.
“So how did you end up here with the Wardens? Are you from the area?” I asked now that we were sitting with our books closed.
“Not quite. I used to play out in Texas. That’s where I grew up. After playing for a couple of years, they decided to change up the rules. They no longer allowed betas on their team. It’s mainly an alpha league; the deltas and betas are lucky to even have a chance. I guess Coach saw something in me and gave me a shot.”
“As he should. Fuck that.”
“That first victory against them was pretty sweet. I have a feeling you’ll understand that soon enough.”
A wicked smile spread across my face. “If you happen across a couple of them, feel free to do a solid body slam into them for me.”
“You got it,” he said, before we both went back to our books.
Between his scent washing over me and the spicy book in my hands, my omega was purring back to life. It was a relief after the failed heat to know she was still there, even if subdued.
