“Prof—Professor C-Carter. What are you doing here?” I hate that my words are stuttered, but with how nervous he makes me, it’s a miracle I’m still upright.
His beautiful brown eyes are warm and earnest, a complete contrast to the way they were the last time I saw this man. He’s not crowding me in any way, but his presence and the cloud of salty-sweet kettle corn scent around us makes me feel like I might start gasping for air. “I’m here to watch Mack play,” he says quietly, eyes never leaving mine. “But I’m also here to apologize.”
My jaw drops. I’m sure I misheard him. “Apologize?”
He nods, one hand moving underneath his pullover to stroke his chest. The movement draws my gaze to his chest,and I almost choke when I see he’s wearing the scarf I made him. Who is this alpha, and what did he do with the one who rejected me not even a week ago?
“I’ve been a complete asshole to you, Primrose. I won’t make excuses, and you don’t need my sob story, but I’ve been dealing with some things that made finding my scent match terrifying rather than exciting. I handled it poorly, and I can’t apologize enough for the things I said and the way I made you feel, especially given that I am already in a position of power over you. That alone makes my behavior towards you even more deplorable.”
I don’t think I could be more stunned if he grew a tail and started singing show tunes. My mouth opens and closes several times, but no words come. My omega is still angry about being rejected by our scent match, but mostly I am just plain hurt. I appreciate the apology, but I’m not sure if forgiveness is something I’m willing to give him just yet.
His smile is sad but understanding. “You don’t have to say anything. I know words don’t mean anything without action, and I intend to show you how sorry I am for as long as it takes until I earn your forgiveness.” The words are a vow, one I feel all the way down to my toes.
The next few moments are quiet as I process Professor Carter’s declarations. Deciding to be brave, I turn towards him and hold my trembling hand out with a small but sincere smile. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Primrose, but everyone calls me Posey.”
His lips quirk, but he doesn’t question me, instead gripping my hand in one of his and placing the other on top. His hands are soft and a spark from our contact sends a shiver down my spine. “It’s a pleasure to officially meet you, Posey. I think you might know me as Professor Carter, but I’d really like it if you called me Jude.”
“Jude.” I repeat the name and his body shudders, scent increasingexponentially.
He clears his throat, shifting in his seat. “Is this your first baseball game?”
I bounce in my seat, excitement making it hard to sit still and offering a welcome break from the tension. “It is, and I was reading up on the rules all morning after McKenzie invited me. Back home my dads would drag me to college football games and I never could fully grasp the rules. Compared to those, the rules of Baseball seem pretty simple.”
Jude snorts, relaxing back into his seat. “Don’t let Mack hear you say that. There’s a fierce rivalry between our baseball and football teams over which sport is better. It’s mostly harmless teasing, but you never know what will start a war.”
I mime zipping my lips, making him chuckle. His laugh has an instant effect on my body, perfume leaking out of me and filling the air around us with the intense sweetness of my arousal. Judes scent rises to meet mine and we lock eyes. Neither of us breaks the charged moment until someone curses a few rows behind us, startling me.
“So do you go to all of McKenzie’s games?” I ask curiously. I don’t have a ton of experience with unbonded packs, and I’ve been wondering how theirs works. My parents are one of the few packs in Honeybrook, with most of the population consisting of beta couples or single alpha-omega pairs.
He nods, smiling when he spots Mack across the field. “We all try to make every game, but even if one or more of us is busy we make sure there’s at least one of us around to support the big guy. Also makes things easier if there’s ever an emergency, since we’re his next of kin.”
My brows shoot up. “Really? I thought that was only a thing for fully bonded or legally married packs?”
Jude turns in his seat, knee brushing mine. The casual touch sends a cascade of butterflies through my belly. “We registered as an official pack a couple of years ago and have all the same legal benefits of a bonded pack. None of us were looking for an omega, instead content to just let it happenwhenever the universe decided.” He glances sideways at me with a half smile. “Can’t say I’m upset that it finally did.”
I try to fight back a blush, but it’s useless. I’m struggling to understand how we got here after two weeks of his miserable attitude towards me, but Mama always encouraged second chances, so I’m going to do my best to give Jude a fair shot.
Plus… I’ve always secretly wondered what it would feel like to have someone grovel for me.
Clearing my throat, I look away and pray my cheeks aren’t as red as they feel. Luckily I’m distracted when McKenzie points at me from across the field. As soon as we lock eyes he makes a heart with his hands, winking at me. I make one back, earning me a massive grin as he bounces on the balls of his toes like an excited little kid.
My teeth dig into my bottom lip to hold back a laugh. Jude bumps his shoulder into mine, making me look at him in question. “He really likes you, you know. I’ve never seen him this happy.”
That surprises me since the big goofball is one of the most upbeat people I’ve ever met. My face must be showing the skepticism I feel because Jude just chuckles, shaking his head. “I know it seems like he doesn’t take anything seriously, but there’s a lot of depth you don’t see beneath that beefy exterior. He feels everything hard and loves even harder, and once he decides you’re his, he’s a beast to have in your corner.”
My heart twists at the pride radiating from Jude as he talks about his pack mate. I already knew there was more to McKenzie Madden than meets the eye, but hearing it confirmed by someone who I have previously only seen as critical really drives home just howgoodMack actually is.
I nod, placing a tentative hand on my companions arm. “He’s lucky to have you guys in his corner, too.”
I’m still unsure about forgiving him until I know thewhyof it all, but I have a feeling resisting Jude Carter is going to be a lot harder than I originally thought.
Posey is here. Posey Hale is at my game andwearing my jersey. Walking into the dugout and catching a glimpse of her gorgeous face behind the backstop is the highlight of my college career. There have been plenty of games where I had friends and family in the stands, and my pack attends almost every game, but I’ve never had a girlfriend in the stands watching me play. My adrenaline is through the roof, which is the only excuse I have for making heart hands at the girl and bouncing around with an idiotic grin when she does it back.
The need to impress my omega surges through my veins and drives my alpha mad with fierce competitiveness, muscles bunching in anticipation as I shake out my arms. It doesn’t matter anymore that this is just an exhibition game and the score doesn’t count. The Harbor U Surge are going to win today because I’m feeling the need to show off and show my girl why I’m the top prospect for next year’s draft.
I dress for this game faster than I ever have before and sprint out onto the field to warm up, gulping when I spot Jude talking to Posey. They bothseemcalm, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the conversation is going well. I’ll have to cop to the setup later, and I’m praying she isn’t too upset with me. After all, I did say someone would be with her the entire game, I just didn’t saywho.
When I finally make itto the backstop they’re locked in an intense staring contest, so I slap my hands on top of the short half-wall and whistle long and low, grinning widely when Posey blushes. It’s all I can do to keep myself from vaulting into the stands to maul her. My alpha is preening in my chest seeing my number on her perfect body, and I can’t wait until we’re close enough that I can ask her to wear the jersey and nothing else after a game.
