Page 9 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

“I think I’ll take the chocolate chip pancakes today. My diabetes be damned. What’s the point of living if you can’t enjoy it once in a while, right?”

“Exactly,” I agreed, writing it down before heading back to Max.

“Order in, Max,” I said as I slid the ticket across.

“Got it, Blondie. Thanks,” he said, tacking it up above his cooktop, reading the order, and then getting to work. His two packmates jumped in next to him, reading it before delegating swiftly.

They were a well-oiled machine. I couldn’t help but admire them. Their relationship always seemed so effortless.

I knew no relationship was without its hurdles. That was the point. They didn’t let anything bring them down, they simply worked together.

They made having a pack seem so nice. People that would always have your back. They’d be there for you when life got too hard to handle alone.

God, I wanted it so fucking bad.

My mind drifted to Conrad.

That was the fucked-up part. I knew I could have it if I wanted. He made it clear that he was only stepping back because of me.

If only he knew why.

I had a feeling he’d have no respect for me because what respectable person let somebody beat them down every day and just accepted it?

What omega didn’t stand up for herself?

The self-loathing was so strong that my stomach turned again.

I really had to get it together if I wanted to make it through this day. I had another cleaning shift tonight before finally getting a few evenings off thanks to a series of away games.

“Oooh, Dhara. There are two hunky men walking in. I think that should be your table,” Lydia said as she walked by, slapping two menus and two sets of silverware against my chest before walking away with a grin.

She promptly plopped her ass in the seat across from Gavin, who was already diving into his food.

I looked around to see the guys she was talking about.

The world came to a halt at the sight of Conrad settling into a booth.

He hadn’t seen me yet. He was too busy talking to another person.

A delta, by the looks of him.

His hair was long and shaggy. It would probably look messy on anyone else, but it suited him. It was dyed a deep burgundy red, spiking up in a way that only gel could accomplish.

I looked at Lydia for help but she was ignoring me.

Fuck, I had to face this.

Bracing myself, I hurried over, not wanting to make them wait.

“Welcome to South Lake Diner. Can I get you guys something to drink?”

“Oh my god, Dhara!” Conrad said. His entire face lit up like he was genuinely so excited to see me. I swear it only made the pit that was forming in the middle of my stomach worse.

“Hey, Conrad. Nice to see you.”

“This is another one of my new teammates, Lachlan,” he said, gesturing to the delta across from him. “He just transferred in from North Crossing.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said easily, giving him the same practiced smile I’d used all morning.