Page 10 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

Lachlan held out his hand to shake mine. It was so formal that I let out a small laugh as I placed my palm in his.

Only, he surprised me by twisting my hand slightly and placing a kiss on the top of it.

“I promise the pleasure is all mine,” he flirted, giving me a smirk that had my cheeks flaming red.

Conrad groaned. “Can you not? I’d hate to have to kill my new roommate this early on.”

I started to pull my hand away, not wanting to goad the alpha.

Then the delta’s scent hit me. Pine resin, blackberry, and fresh rain. It was deep and tart, the slight delta sharpness buzzing through it and tickling my nose as I breathed him in.

The deep, rich scent twisted with Conrad’s coconut, ocean air, and vanilla scent. They were complete opposites scent-wise. Yet it worked. Both scents were multifaceted and equally tempting.

Fuck, this was so much harder than I ever thought it could get.

Lachlan froze as he breathed in again, coming to the same realization I just had.

“Holy shit,” he gasped. “We’re scent-matches.”

“Wait, what?” He had Conrad’s attention now.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with me,” Lachlan protested, looking genuinely offended.

“She’s my scent-match,” Conrad said. His voice held a possessive edge that had my omega perking up despite my best efforts.

“Can I get you guys a drink?” I asked frantically, not willing to have this conversation with all these gossiping people around me.

If my mom found out about this, it’d be the end of everything. She wouldn’t allow me to be happy and would be even worse to ensure it didn’t happen.

“Yeah, I’ll take a coffee with cream and sugar,” Lachlan managed, still looking startled.

“Water for me,” Conrad added.

I nodded once before rushing off, not trying to be rude, but I was freaking the fuck out and desperate to keep it under wraps.

Lydia followed me. “Tell me I didn’t hear what I think I heard.”

“I fucking hope not, Lydia,” I choked out, fighting off tears. “If my mom hears about this, she’s going to make our life hell.”

I never told her about the worst that Mom put us through, but she knew she was a narcissist and that I stuck around for Gavin’s sake.

She looked over before trying to reassure me. “No worries there, Dhara. There’s construction workers on one side of them and a bunch of kids on the other. You’re safe.”

“Thank God,” I breathed out, practically deflating. “I need to set some rules with these guys. Talking about that shit at work can never happen again.”

“But you have scent-matches, Dhara! This is amazing!” Lydia said, her hand on my arm now, eyes so wide and hopeful for me, like this could be the thing that changed my life.

I shook my head quickly, refusing to let that hope hit me. I couldn’t risk it. “It’s not like that for me. A pack isn’t in the cards for this omega, Lydia.”

“Bullshit. Fate gave them to you for a reason. Embrace that. Let them help you.”

My gaze hardened. “I’m not a charity case. I don’t need an alpha to rescue me.”

She let go of my arm and let her eyes close in frustration.

“Okay, it’s your call,” she said carefully. “Just know that life is never black and white. Find that gray area and embrace it. They seem like good men.”

“Look,” I said, my voice softening. “I appreciate you looking out for me, but this... it just can’t happen right now. I’m just going to get them their drinks and send them back to the hockey arena.”