VANN
“Have you seen this?” Rhodes points at his computer screen as soon as I step into the small kitchen in our Olympic Village apartment. He’s sitting on a barstool at the counter, his lips turned down, dark brows pinching inward.
Rhodes has a knack for finding bizarre shit online. I wonder what it is this time. The history of Mothman? The mating habits of pink fairy armadillos? If the strength of a peacock mantis shrimp could break glass? The man watched not one, buttwothirty-minute videos on how dishwashers work. I’ll say this for him: he’s got range.
Walking past Rhodes, I catch the name of the website, but don’t pay much attention to the rest. “Since when do you readOmega Weekly?”
That’s new, even for him. As a beta, there’s not much reason for Rhodes to be reading a magazine dedicated to omega drama.
“Are you trying to tell us something, Rhodes?” Orion says in a teasing voice as he comes down the hall and takesthe stool next to our beta. “Any urges to nest recently? I did notice I’m missing a couple shirts…”
Rhodes shoves Orion off his stool, then scoots back his computer, turning it so we can all see better. “Read the damn headline.”
First American Omega to Openly Compete in the Olympics: Raven Novak.
My heart stalls before picking up faster than ever. I can’t take my eyes off the picture of Raven on the screen. Her hair is longer than it was in high school, falling across her shoulder in dark waves. Her skin is pale, like she doesn’t get enough sun—she never did. She was always more of a bookworm than the kind to spend hours outside. There’s a slight rosiness to her cheeks and her lips are painted a tempting red. Damn. She’s not quite looking at the camera, rather just past it, a genuine smile lighting up her face. A pang of jealousy that someone else could make her smile like that jolts through me.
“What’s going on?” Tanner asks as he joins us in the kitchen. His hair is still wet from a shower, and he shoves a well-worn ballcap over it even though we’re inside. He’s had that hat since we were in high school, back when we screwed everything up.
“Did you know about this?” Orion asks Tanner, pointing at the screen.
Tanner takes one look at it, then walks calmly past where the rest of us are gathered at the counter. “Yes.”
He knew? And he didn’t tell us?
Tanner opens empty cupboards, probably looking for coffee. The man can’t survive without the stuff. The caffeine likely accounts for half of why he’s wound so tight. But right now, I’m the one feeling jittery.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” My voice wavers at the end. I can’t believe he kept this from us—fromme. He knows what she is to me.
Tanner keeps his back turned while he opens the small travel bag on the counter and pulls out a packet of instant coffee. Of course he brought an emergency stash with him. That stuff is gross, but as long as it has caffeine, Tanner doesn’t seem to mind.
“It doesn’t matter,” Tanner says. “We’re here to focus on a medal, not a woman.”
I get up so fast my stool topples over. “She’s not just any woman.”
He ignores me and dumps the coffee into a mug. “What we should be talking about is the article published this morning about that bar fight you got into.”
“Who fucking cares about me whooping some jerk’s ass?”
“Everyone.” Tanner spins around and glares at me. “You represent your country. Our team. Our pack. You know that.”
“The guy was being a creep to Rhodes!”
Rhodes gives me a small smile. “I was fine, Vann. It bothered you more than me.”
He’s downplaying it now, but I could tell he was upset. And I have no tolerance for bullies. Not anymore. I learned my lesson. “The asshole deserved it,” I mutter.
“I don’t care if he deserved it.” Tanner slams his palm down on the counter so hard I jump. “You told me you would be on your best behavior, and now I’ve got to clean up this mess.”
Orion gets up and moves around the counter to stand next to Tanner. He puts a hand on Tanner’s back in asoothing gesture, but it does little to calm the tension in our packmate’s shoulders.
“You need to issue a public apology,” Tanner says. “We’ve got to do damage control. We already have a reputation for being impulsive and getting into brawls. This was supposed to be our chance to change that. Not lend credence to it. So, no more fights. No bothering Raven. Keep your head down and your mind on the game.”
Tanner’s always cared too much about what other people think. But this time, I know he’s right. If we don’t want to get kicked out of the Olympics, we need to keep our cool. Our careers are on the line, as well as our sponsorships and Orion’s dream.
“I won’t bother Raven,” I grumble. “I just want to apologize.”
“Now’s not the time.”
