“Good luck with that,” I mutter.
“Whatever.” He rolls his eyes, flipping his hair dramatically before disappearing back into the crowd.
I exhale through my nose, irritated but not surprised. Omegas see an alpha alone and think he’s starving for attention. I’m not. Not tonight. Not any night, really.
I continue toward concessions; bright lights, loud chatter, the smell of fried food and cheap beer filling the air. I check my phone. No new messages, which means Korbin is still laser-focused.
Good.
I grab a beer and a basket of nachos, balancing them carefully as I head up the stairs from the concession level. The air smells like buttered popcorn and beer, fans shouting from every direction. At the top of the steps, the tunnel opens into a wide walkway lined with more food stands and merch booths.
I glance at my ticket, find my section number, and start toward it, weaving through the crowd.
That’s when a flood of fans comes pouring out of a nearby tunnel, jerseys flashing, voices rising. I sidestep fast to avoid them, the basket wobbles in my hand.
And then?—
Something soft slams into my side. Hard enough to knock the air out of me. Someone small. Warm.
A scent hits me before I even look down.
Sweet. Warm.
Omega.
Not syrupy and desperate like the last one?—
This one is… different.
Bright. Crisp. Like mint and green tea.
My heart slams into my ribs. I look down and catch a glimpse of wide green eyes, sharp and startled but not scared, framed by thick lashes and a dusting of freckles across her nose.
3
Bayleigh
We need snacks.I sign to James as we head to the entrance of the arena.
Agreed. He signs back.Pretzel and beer for me.My implant crackles at the wave of noise rolling through the entryway, but it never gives me anything useful. Too many voices, too much echo. I rely on James’s hands, not the tech buzzing in my ear.
I want popcorn.But as I think about it, popcorn dunked into some nacho cheese sounds even better. I wonder if they’d let me buy just the cheese?
I can’t wait to get to our seats. All those sweaty hockey players—shoulders like mountains, thighs that could crush watermelons. Forget the pads; I know what’s under them. It’s a smorgasbord out there. All I need you to do is get your fine-ass brother to hook me up with one of them.James presses a hand to his heart, eyes going dreamy, and I have to bite back a laugh.
Well, you have a better chance of him hooking you up with someone than I do.I sign, just as I trip over my own feet and James has to reach out and grab me before I crash to theconcrete floor. My eyes shift up and see a group of five women pointing my way and laughing.
My vision clouds, and I’m thrown back into the past.
“Look at her. She’s pathetic. Did you hear her talking to her brother? What alpha in their right mind would want her?” Amy says to her loyal followers. “Someone kill me if I ever sound like that.”
She knows I can read lips. It’s why she’s looking right at me, making sure she says each word clearly. Amy had her sights set on my brother. He’s an alpha, comes from a good family, and according to everyone, handsome. To me, he’s just my brother. She could’ve had him too. But she screwed up, and he overheard her making fun of me.
“Right? Can you imagine what an alpha would think with her begging for his knot sounding like that?” Erica speaks next, her face cutting over to me. I should look away and ignore them. But I can’t.
“That’s why her scent match rejected her,” Amy adds, and my heart cracks.
My scent match. I never imagined I’d have one, but then he sat down beside me at orientation my freshman year at college. Joseph was so handsome, and his blackberry scent wrapped around me. A week later he was with Amy.
