A conversation I planned to have once all of this blew over.
My heat was only two weeks away, and I needed to talk to the guys about it. I’d considered suppressants, but now that I had a pack, I didn’t want to put my body through that hell again. They were brutal, and I never tolerated them well.
Kieran let our guest in. He promised we could eat first and get to know her before diving into the serious part of the night.
Roxie looked every bit as feisty as she sounded on the phone. She was shorter than me, but not by much. She had on a black band tee and ripped jeans. Her dark hair had a slight wave to it, and she had twisted two small space buns on the top while the rest hung down.
Heavy eyeliner and a deep red eyeshadow lined her eyes. The black lipstick rounded it out perfectly. All of it suited her.
“Hey there,” she greeted, waving at our pack as a whole. Her voice was raspy in the best way. She put me immediately at ease, which didn’t happen often with two omegas.
“Lana,” I said, stepping forward and offering my hand.
She shook it, amused. “I hear you’ve been through quite the ordeal. Plus, you have to deal with my cousin here. I’d say that definitely calls for wine.”
I laughed. “I never say no to wine.”
“Kieran, make yourself useful,” she said, handing him a bottle. He immediately went hunting for glasses.
“It may take a second, we just moved in,” I explained.
“So I heard. I saw they stalked you guys out of your house. That was wild.”
“Tell me about it,” I said with a shudder. “It felt like someone was watching us all the time.”
“How are you holding up?” She had genuine concern on her face.
“Moving was a solid distraction,” I admitted.
Kieran slid over two glasses of wine before leaving us to get to know each other. The guys fired up the grill while we chatted. I’d prepped most of the food already, but I was leaving them in charge of cooking. My brain could only handle so much in one day.
“Have you met Kieran’s pack before?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Kieran and I were close growing up, but it’s been a long time. Different careers. Different worlds.”
“I get that.”
“But I’m glad I’m meeting you all now, and that they found you,” she said. “I’ve been keeping up with the hockey chaos. I hear you’re causing quite a stir as the team nutritionist.”
I smiled. “I didn’t really get to use my degree before, but Coach took a chance on me. Everyone seems happy so far.”
“Understatement,” Kieran called out as he snagged the tray of steaks. “She feeds the entire team and spoils the hell out of us.”
My cheeks warmed at the praise.
I took a sip of my wine, but my mind was stuck on this impending interview.
“So, how does this process work?” I asked.
“Pretty casual,” she explained. “I’ll record it all as one whole, then edit it later. I cut out a few usable pieces, but never use most of it. That lets me keep it quick and pointed.”
I nodded like I understood any of that. Instead, I grasped onto an easier topic.
“Tell me about this online forum you’re building,” I urged.
“It’s a bit of a mixed bag,” she explained. “Online message boards, pages, video feeds, the works. I try to keep it inclusive and useful. Honestly, I bet people would probably love to ask you nutrition questions over on the health forum sometime if you’re interested.”
“That actually sounds fun.” I’d always loved being able to share what I knew.
