“Not as far as I know. I’ve got some friends on the team, but no one I would consider pack.”
I swear the two of us collectively slumped in relief, and he just shook his head.
“You two are going to be so much fun.”
Our food was dropped off and we dug in, the quiet taking over for a moment. It was, thankfully, not tense.
When we finished, Kota gathered our things and tossed them in the nearby trash. He sat down and leaned forward slightly as if he wanted to breathe us both in again. “Can I at least get your phone numbers? How can I properly charm you if I can’t get a hold of you?”
The way he pouted was adorable. Rylan was cracking just as quickly, which was the most surprising part of this lunch. This delta had a way of putting you at ease.
I slid my phone over to Kota so he could put his number in before turning to Rylan. The omega stared for a few beats before doing the same. Kota looked so damn pleased it was hard not to crack.
“I have to get back to work before Karen steals my soul,” Rylan said when Kota slid his phone back, his mood taking a further dip.
“Coworker troubles?” Kota asked gently. Fuck, he was caring, too.
“You could say that.”
“She’s got it out for Rylan. I swear, the sooner he can say ‘fuck you’ to that lady, the better.”
“Which will be never,” Rylan groaned. “It’s literally the only place I could find within a thirty-mile radius. At least she’s close to retirement age.”
“I could always come over after work and cheer you up,” Kota offered.
Rylan rolled his eyes and gathered his things, dropping some money on the table for a tip.
“I’ll see you at home,” he said to me, not even sparing a goodbye for our newly found delta.
Kota didn’t look offended in the least. He looked excited, like this was about to be the best game of cat and mouse of his life.
“Are you heading back to the arena?” he asked me as he stood, throwing his own tip on the table, which was about triple what either Rylan or I put down.
Another point in his direction. I judged people a whole lot by how they treated service workers.
“I am. Coach and I need to have a little chat.”
“Then I get the pleasure of driving you and walking you back inside,” he grinned, leading me out.
His hand hovered just behind my lower back. I could feel the heat of it searing through my shirt, but he kept his distance as if he knew I needed time to come to terms with this first.
I had no choice but to let him take me back to face off with a coach that would rather see me crash and burn than his team succeed.
It was going to be an interesting season.
Chapter
Seven
Hayes
God, omegas were infuriating. This one especially. She walked in here not bothering to look professional, and had the audacity to poke at me in front of the team.
A low growl rumbled out of me as I started to pace my office. I was restless and I couldn’t fucking shake it.
My alpha was even unsettled in my chest. He’d never reacted to anyone and he almost seemed against my frustration.
Which only made it worse. She was even driving a wedge between me and my alpha, something she shouldn’t have the power to do.
