And they weren’t the pack for me.
Everybody in North Crossing knew my face. They knew, not only that I was a hockey princess, but that I was also the North Crossing starting lineup’s omega. There were always questions.
Eventually, I got tired of explaining myself.
Oh, your alphas let you out here alone?That was one of my favorites. Funny that they thought my pack cared enough about where I was going.
Then, of course, there were the jealous betas and omegas who were fake nice to me, always reminding me how lucky I was to have the hottest men in hockey. They were North Crossing’s golden boys, but to me, they were really terrible mates. But no one wanted to hear that story.
Not that I’d ever shared it. It was my business, and now I truly didn’t care. Eventually, someone would figure out they weren’t worth their namesake.
“Come in.” The gruff voice had my heart rate picking up, but I took a calming breath and pushed open the door.
As much as we heard about coaches, especially those of us involved with hockey players or close to them, it was always the harsh side. To their players, they were brutal, pushing them when necessary.
When I opened the door, Coach Fallon’s bright smile greeted me, and all my nerves dissipated.
“Ah, the infamous sister returns,” he teased. His eyes crinkled around the edges and he exuded fatherly energy.
I had to laugh. “I see my name precedes me yet again.”
“It’s hard not to, kiddo. But don’t worry, you won’t be facing the masses. You’ll be dealing with the players. Although, I’m not sure which is worse.” He huffed out a laugh.
“They can be a group of stubborn alphas and deltas,” I agreed, smiling back easily.
“And betas,” he added. “Wilder has his stubborn streak once he’s comfortable. It took me months to figure out he hated me calling his last name.”
“I’m not surprised,” I said, shaking my head. I’d get the beta to open up to me yet. At least he told me he hated olives.
“Now, I’ve already seen your resume and went over your credentials,” he said as he sorted through the paperwork. “Conrad didn’t give me many details, but he said you’d previously taken time off with your pack, so I understand the absences.”
“Yes,” I said. “But that part of my life is past me. I want to focus on work. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to spend time in a kitchen.”
“Well, you’re certainly driven, and I feel like that’s one of the most important aspects in someone who works on my team. I also think your connection to your brother is an asset. You’re personally invested in the team.”
“I am,” I agreed. “Before I moved away, I oversaw my brother’s meal plan in its entirety. A lot of misconceptions linger around food, and I do think that hockey players, because of their need for recovery and carbs, get a chance to be a little more playful with their diet. With seasoning and creativity, I feel like we can achieve both health and something the players actually want to eat.”
“Now,” he said. “It’s not that I don’t trust you’ll do a good job, but I would like to do a trial run. We can see how you like the team, and how the team likes you. Make sure it’s a good fit on both sides.”
“That would be wonderful,” I said, determined to make sure I won the whole team over.
“I understand you don’t want to show your face much with North Crossing around, and I’ll do my best to shield you from that,” he promised. “If you want to wait to do your trial until after we play North Crossing, we can absolutely discuss that.”
“No,” I said quickly. “I want this.”
His smile spread a little at that. It felt like a test more than anything, to see if I’d be able to handle being near them. Because, unfortunately, avoiding them would be impossible if I truly wanted to do this work.
The stubborn part of me couldn’t wait to someday show them I was thriving. For now, I’d lay low the best I could. For the simple fact that they still had no idea their omega cut ties with them. Not even a call when I stopped responding to texts and hadn’t bothered to call.
For all I knew, they were discussing how stubborn I was for ignoring them.
“In that case, let me show you to your arena,” he said, giving me a wink. It was a cheesy line, but I loved the dad energy he brought to the table.
Curiosity got the best of me. “Why was this position open? They mentioned you didn’t have a set nutritionist on staff.”
He rolled his eyes. “The team owners were trying to save money, I suppose. It took some convincing for them to listen this time, but frankly, when they heard your name, they were ready to consider it.”
I groaned. “I’m not really the type to use my name to secure a position.”
