“See, exactly!” Tracy said, throwing her hands up. “This is exactly what I try to tell people. The genre gets a lot of flack, and if anyone would give it a chance, I bet they’d find things they love about it.”
“So true,” Lana agreed. “My brother used to tease me for reading it, but now that one of his best friends does, he can’t say anything anymore, can he?”
She had no idea that she’d just given Tracy ammunition.
“Brother’s best friend, huh?” Tracy said. “That’s a trope, isn’t it?”
Lana bit back a grin and nodded.
Thankfully, we were saved a moment later when Valerie came back with the second book in her hand and set them aside.
“Do you want to browse or just buy?”
“I’d love to look around,” Lana admitted. “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to shop for books. We’ll be back up here to get those, though.”
This time, she led me away, finding her way through the stacks like a pro.
“Don’t get me wrong,” she said to me, keeping the conversation going easily. “Romance isn’t the only thing I read. I’m a sucker for the whole Lovecraftian vibe.”
“Don’t tell Lennon,” I said. “One of his favorite games is a play on Lovecraft.”
Her eyes lit up, and I could practically see her making a mental note to talk to him about it later.
I’d heard that when a pack found their omega, there would be signs that it was right. Simple things that fell into place so there were no doubts left behind.
She thought she’d found it before, but that was the funny thing about scent compatibility. There had to be personality and commitment compatibility too, something her old pack seemed to lack.
With us, the chemistry started right away. I could feel the looks my packmates gave her, the way they interacted with her. She somehow brought Lennon out of his hate for omegas. Mason wasn’t just flirting, but showing her pieces of himself. Kieran shared his grief. Cade, our quiet leader, had even made it clear she was his mate against her brother’s wishes.
There was just a giant roadblock in our way, and I wished there was a way I could solve it. For now, I’d have to be content spending time with her like this.
“Have you read this one?” I asked, plucking a book off the shelf as we passed through the thriller section. “The twists in it were wild.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’ve tried to get into thrillers, but it gives me so much anxiety that I end up reading the last page first.”
I let out a real laugh, which only made her laugh too.
“Don’t get me started on movies,” she said. “Suspense is just not my thing.”
“You’re telling me you’ll watch the end of the movie first?”
“Maybe,” she said, hiding her face. “An omega has to do what she has to do.”
“What about horror movies?” I asked. “Is that different?”
“I love ghost-themed horror,” she said. “Books like that, too. I just can’t do the running-from-a-killer ones. That suspense ruins me.”
We went on like that, going through the shelves and pointing out our favorite books. I snagged a few she said she hadn’t read, and she did the same, insisting I had to read one she lost her mind over last year.
We might just have to build an extra shelf in the hockey house if this became a regular thing.
Valerie and Tracy were practically vibrating with excitement by the time we walked back up. Lana was completely oblivious to it, placing the books on the counter.
I didn’t give them a chance to question us as I passed over my card.
Lana gave me a look that said she would absolutely be paying me back one way or the other. I had a feeling it would be a game between her and any of us.
“I could really use a coffee,” she said as we stepped out of the store, a full bag in each of our hands.
