A ton more towels and curses headed in his direction, and the happy fucker just laughed in response. Kenz dropped his head back against the wall and grunted. “He’s even cheerier than usual. What’s going on? Did he get laid?”
His question brought the omega’s face to mind, and I decided then and there that I hated freckles. They were as annoying as she was, and I didn’t need that shit in my life.
“He moved the omega in this morning.” I lowered my voice in an attempt to keep this between us. It wouldn’t take long for the rest of the shifter city to hear the news though, and then I’d never escape their scrutiny.
Kenz snapped his gaze to mine, eyes wide and concerned. “Are you doing okay, man? I don’t even have to guess that this might be somewhat triggering for you.”
The fact that I wanted to remove my skin along with my training gear to wash the irritation away told me he was right on the mark. “Makes no difference to me,” I scoffed, desperate to believe the lie. “It’s a big house, and I plan on ignoring her until she runs away again. We know it’s inevitable.”
She was weak and pathetic, and I’d had enough of that in my life to hope that this time the trash would take itself out.
After I was showered and dressed, I found Kellan sprawled in front of my locker. His bag was at his feet, and he held a small package. “No!” I growled, pointing my finger at him. “Don’t even start.”
His lips twitched as he peered up from under his blond locks. This pretty asshole used his looks far too often to get his own way, but it didn’t work on me. “I mean it, Kel. I will release spiders through your entire room while you’re asleep.”
His eyes grew super wide, turning the blue even darker against all the surrounding white. “You wouldn’t dare?”
“Try me,” I snapped back.
He slapped a hand against his chest, a feigned look of hurt on his face. “How could you use my greatest fear against me? I thought we were brothers.”
I covered up a laugh with a cough, rubbing my hand over my face. He looked so indignant that I couldn’t even stay mad. “We are brothers. You know that.”
A scent-bonded pack was the strongest bond outside of blood relations. It was everything. I’d die for this fucker in a heartbeat.
I knew he’d do the same for me.
Kellan, sensing my weakening, held out the package. “For the new season,” he told me, like we weren’t both aware of what was inside. He did this every season, and while it had never let me down before, I remained suspicious of his surprises. He’d used my superstitions against me far too often.
With a resigned sigh, I opened the package and pulled out the expected pair of socks. They were the teal, gold, and white of our team logo, but instead of the snarling wolf’s head with crossed sticks, there were tiny bears printed across them andThe Eliminatorstitched around the top elastic. “You can’t start the season without your lucky socks,” Kellan crowed, looking pleased with himself.
Grateful that his gift had nothing to do with the omega, I slapped a hand on his shoulder. “I love them, asshole. Want to grab some drinks and a bite to eat before we head home?”
His expression softened. “I know you promised you wouldn’t go out of your way to torment her, but I didn’t expect you’d do that by never seeing her at all. You can’t avoid her forever.”
I could and I would. “You’re going home to make sure she’s okay, aren’t you?”
She’d only been in our house for half a day and was already stealing my pack. “Come with me,” he said, begging with his eyes.
I shook my head. “You know that shit won’t work on me when it comes to her.”
Turning toward the showers, I called out to Kenzo to see if he could make dinner. He was bonded to two betas, but he always had time for a quick meal and a few drinks.
“Fuck yeah, bro,” he called back, rubbing a towel over his short dark curls as he emerged from the showers.
Kellan landed his meaty hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “I’ll see you later,” he said. “Don’t get too fucked up tonight. Coach might be giving us a day off tomorrow, but we’ll be right back into it the next day.”
“You got it, Dad.”
Kellan smirked as he flipped me off, then strolled out of the locker room like the golden child he was. No one would ever challenge him for that title.
Kenzo got dressed fast, and when he was ready I hauled my bag over my shoulder and led the way to my black RAM 1500 TRX. My brother lived in the compound too, so we usually drove in together.
“Where do you want to eat?” he asked as we jumped into the truck.
The supercharged V8 roared to life and I enjoyed the calming sound. If skating was my first escape, working on cars was my second. I loved the way this beast of a truck fit my height and muscles comfortably, but tonight I almost wished I’d brought my custom Ferrari SF90. A little speed went a long way to easing stress… it was science.
And if I couldn’t have the speed, there was only one other solution.
