She let out a soft laugh, the kind that affected me every time I heard it. It was a sweet sound that came a little easier these days. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”
She said it as if it was a good thing.
That wasn’t the general reaction I got from people outside of Conrad and the pack. Maybe a few guys on the team.
Everyone else wanted to comment about all the ways I wasn’t ‘typical’. Whatever the fuck that was supposed to mean.
Truth was, some people simply had bigger bodies. I was one of them, beta or not. I bulked up to keep up with the others in the league. It was my way of matching up to the alphas and earning my place.
If I didn’t work out, I might have less muscle, but I always carried a little extra weight than most betas.
Add in my love for reading and shyness, and it was enough for most omegas to turn up their noses at me.
But not Lana.
The assholes who fumbled her were insane. If she gave me half a chance, I would worship this omega like she deserved. And I knew damn well the pack felt the same.
Kieran had noticed that shift in her scent, and I didn’t realize until today what he meant until I was next to her.
She was sweeter now, the scent more decadent than before. Just being closer in the kitchen had my heart racing like a fucking teenager.
My body wanted her as much as I did.
“So, which book are we after?” she questioned, turning the music down so she could give me her full attention.
“It’s the second book in this fantasy series I’m reading. About a pack of dragons taking on a dark dragon king.” I shrugged. “I know shifters aren’t exactly a typical read for a dude, but I’m a sucker for the paranormal.”
“You don’t have to do that, you know,” she said gently.
She reached over, her hand finding mine. I swear, one touch and the rest of the world seemed to fade away.
“Do what?” I asked, shifting uncomfortably.
“Hide from me. Make excuses for not being what others expect you to be, I guess.” She tried to find the words for it. “Lennon was the same way. He assumed my mind was made up from the time I got here. I don’t want you guys to feel like thatabout me. Hell, I was the pathetic one who showed up on your doorstep, literally being forgotten by her supposed mates.”
“There’s nothing pathetic about you,” I argued, indignant. “That wastheirmistake. Not yours. You were loyal. They bonded you, and then abandoned you. The dicks should be in jail.”
As much as we were paying for it now, that last game was worth it. There was no satisfaction quite like slamming a smug alpha into the glass, something I planned to do again the moment I had the chance.
Seriously. Fuck that pack.
“Now, back to the series,” she said, eyes bright as she shoved those feelings away again. I hated that she had to do that. Maybe one day, with enough time and half a chance, we’d be able to drown it all out completely. “Tell me about book one.”
“Oh, it was fantastic,” I said, going full nerd mode. I started breaking down the plot for her. “The pack was rejected by their original clan. Leading was supposed to be their birthright, but because they refused to settle for an opposing dragon omega, they were shunned.”
“Wait, I think I read this one.” She perked up, turning in her seat to face me, tucking her hair over her shoulder. “Wasn’t one of them almost feral, but it was because he was the true bloodline?”
“Yes!” I said, excitement building. “Their true omega was from a poor clan.”
“Oh my god, yes!” she exclaimed. Her excitement was fueling my own. I never got the chance to truly talk about books like this. “Ugh, that pack was perfect.”
“They were. I really liked the way they stood up for what was right, even if they lost everything,” I said. That was the kind of man I wanted to be.
“It was books like that that got me through the more stressful times. The long stretches when my pack wasn’t home, especially.Having a pack like that around, as utterly and unapologetically devoted as she was, sounds like a dream.”
“You’ll have that someday,” I promised, barely holding back from offering myself as tribute.
She didn’t need some big beta drooling over her. Though, I had a feeling we were inevitable. Her scent alone told me that.
