Page 98 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

August claimed vegetable duty, but it wasn’t long before he let out a garbled protest.

“Who put me on onion duty?” His eyes watered furiously as he glared down at the offending vegetable. “I can’t even see anymore.”

“Don’t cry, August,” Dhara teased. Then she immediately burst into laughter. The sound echoed through the kitchen and soon Gavin was joining in.

God I’d missed hearing her laugh.

“So...” August sniffed dramatically. “Who actually likes onions?”

“Dhara and I don’t,” Gavin answered.

“I thought one of you did,” I muttered, waiting for his frustration to hit me and trying not to laugh.

August slowly turned toward Lachlan. “You?”

Lachlan wrinkled his nose. “Absolutely not.”

Without another word, August picked up the entire cutting board and dumped the onions straight into the trash.

“You guys are assholes. You made me cry over vegetables nobody wanted.”

“It never hurts to practice your knife skills,” I teased.

He flipped me off on his way to the sink.

I laughed as I layered the seasoned steak across one tray of nachos. Lachlan followed with the chicken. The ground beef covered the last. Maybe three trays was a bit much but with two deltas, an alpha, a preteen boy, and an omega who never got enough to eat, I knew we’d clear them in no time.

Gavin added another blanket of shredded cheese before sliding everything into the oven.

While the nachos baked, I mixed the brownie batter. The brownies went into the oven just as the nachos came out, the savory scent quickly being chased away by rich chocolate.

Before Dhara could climb down from the counter, Lachlan scooped her into a bridal carry, heading for the table. August and I snagged the trays and Gavin carried drinks. It was impressive how easy it all was.

Dhara squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck as laughter bubbled out of her. I wondered, briefly, if we were all going to smother her. Then I watched her melt into the affection.

She needed it as much as we did. Our omega spent far too long touch-starved. It went deeper than that. She’d never truly been touched with love before.

Now she had an alpha and two deltas eager to soothe her. To love her exactly the way she’d always deserved.

When she settled into her chair beside August, he rested a hand gently on her thigh beneath the table.

Without hesitation, she covered it with hers. Her shoulders relaxed and her scent softened. She melted into the contact without even realizing she was doing it. It was instinct now.

Her omega finally felt safe enough to accept what she’d been denied for so many years.

There would still be therapy. Likely a brutal custody hearing. Lots of healing. We had to learn what normal pack life looked like for us, but we’d face every single one of those things as a pack.

Now that we’d finally found this life together, I’d be damned if anyone ever threatened their happiness again.

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

Dhara

The only thing keeping me sane as my life turned to chaos was making sure Gavin and I had everything we needed.

The first thing I did was find us both a therapist. Thankfully, I found one who specialized in parental abuse and saw both children and adults. It felt like one tiny victory in the middle of everything else.