Page 22 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

Finally, Dhara shook her head. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get any more information from her right now.

Our conversation was cut short as the juniors started emptying out of the locker room. Gavin was at the end, heading for us instead of the crowd of parents by the entrance.

“You need to leave my sister alone,” he said as he eyed me.

“And if she doesn’t want me to?” I questioned.

The way his eyebrows furrowed told me he hadn’t even considered that.

“I better go change,” I said casually, tapping my omega once on the knee before getting up and leaving her and her brother to have whatever conversation they needed to have.

Plus, the faster I got out of the way, the quicker she could get her work done. Then she was all mine.

Chapter

Seven

Dhara

My little brother was looking at me as if he barely recognized me. He sat down heavily on the bench next to me before finally demanding answers.

“What the hell is going on?”

The fact that my brother was cursing meant he was overwhelmed. Gavin and I were both alike in the way that we needed at least some control over our lives. It was about all we had left at this point.

“August was our neighbor.”

“Yeah, I got that much,” he said, rolling his eyes. “But why are you being weird? Why are all these alphas and deltas hanging around you?”

“Maybe I’m someone worth hanging around,” I shot back, trying to go for lighthearted, but it definitely did not land. He stared at me evenly, waiting for me to give him the real answer.

He deserved to know what was going on and it wasn’t like I could avoid it this time. Not one of these men were going to give up on me.

“They’re my scent-matches,” I admitted. Once I started talking, I couldn’t seem to stop. “Mom sent him away because we were too close. I think she knew before we did that we were matches.”

“Of course, she did,” he said bitterly. “Hockey isn’t that important. We can go if you don’t want them. Mom doesn’t exactly have the resources to find us if we run.”

“No. We have to stay. This is your best bet at getting some kind of scholarship for hockey or start a full career,” I said. “I’m not taking that away from you. This is your future, Gavin.”

“I know,” he sighed, deflating. His shoulders slumped and he frowned up at me. “You matter, too, though.”

Lachlan and Conrad walked out of the locker room before I could find an answer. My chest ached as they cast looks our way. They’d walked away earlier looking defeated.

Even now I didn’t know what to say to them. I hated feeling pathetic and that’s all I felt lately. I wished more than anything that I was a different omega. That I could simply meet my scent-matches and let them sweep me off my feet without consequences.

But my reality was different. I couldn’t leave my brother behind, no matter how much he wanted to push me away.

“I have to get to work,” I said, giving his hand a squeeze. “Make sure you get your homework done. Otherwise, you have to do it during breakfast.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, rolling his eyes, but it was half-hearted at best.

I busied myself in the utility room, filling the large mop bucket with water and solution before filling the cleaning cart with everything else I needed. The familiar work didn’t help clear my head this time. It was too much of a mess.

Hoping that the guys would simply let me do my work, I popped in my earbuds and put on my usual cleaning playlist.

Only a few minutes in I could sense someone. The cleaning products drowned out the scent and I spun around to find August leaning against the wall right in front of the door, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

He was never good at giving me space.