“Beckett?” She looks surprised. “Beckett,” she says his name again, almost to herself. I can see her wheels turning.
She leans back, letting the booth steady her as she scrapes me up and down with her eyes. I try to look as hurt and innocent as possible. Just a poor, defenseless omega who has no hidden agendas. Nope.
“Beckett is a sweetheart,” she says, but her eyes narrow. “And he’s…” She doesn’t finish the sentence. “Well, never mind. I don’t know much about his pack, however. They’re not very involved with the team.”
My mouth waters like I’m about to be sick. His pack. Packs are bad. One alpha is a jerk, but together in a pack they’re worse. His packmates are the worst of the worst.
“Well, it’s just a dinner, right? Just with Beckett? You owe me a fun night in my pretty dress.”
Marilyn folds her hands. She’s quiet for too long. I need this to work.
“I’ll be honest with you. Beckett is a doll. But he’s not in a great place right now. He’s going through something with his career, and I suspect in his personal life too.” Then she says almost to herself, “He really does need the stabilizing force of an omega in his life.”
“Or,” I counter, “maybe he just needs a normal dinner? You told me you wanted to avoid ‘puck bunnies.’” I drop my death grip on the coffee cup long enough to throw air quotes. “I don’t care about him being famous. It’s just dinner, right?”
She isn’t going to go for it.
“Timber made a huge scene. He made me feel like dirt.”
I don’t feel guilty about exaggerating. I’ve been replaying that moment over and over for weeks now. Timber was just flustered. We both knew we were there for the food. He thought he was making things better by introducing me to a teammate, and all his words got jumbled. Relatable, actually. It wasn’t his fault that his teammate has murderers in his pack.
When I saw them across the room with Beckett, two faces I thought I would never see again, my heart shattered. Liam. Pierce. The ones who should have protected my brother, should have protected me. The ones I’ve blamed ever since.
It all collided at once.
Timber then caused a scene, or I did. I can’t remember the details. Things got foggy.
I slump forward and make myself look as defeated on the outside as I usually feel on the inside.
Marilyn takes a steadying breath and pulls her phone out of her giant bag, tapping it a few times.
“The team’s on the road.” She scrolls for a bit. “They have an away game tomorrow.”
I do my best weak smile and cross my fingers under the table. Marilyn taps rapidly with her thumbs. I’ve never seen anyone text that fast.
“I’m going to be straight with you, Ash, so that no one has mixed expectations. I’ve known Beckett for a bit, and he’s never once shown interest in an omega. As a matter of fact, I think he’s avoiding it on purpose.”
“Great, I’m not looking for a pack anyway,” I lie. I’m not looking for a pack. I’m looking forthatpack.
We talk logistics for a few minutes. She scribbles my availability on a blank sheet from my receipt book. She doesn’t really need to make a note. My availability is wide open except for the three mornings a week I work here. It’s not that complicated. I’m not that complicated.
I try hard to focus on the last details and her drawn-out goodbye. She gives me another round of apologies for Timber, and I mostly just smile through the conversation.
As she leaves, I watch her go, my panic mounting. I don’t even clear the table, afraid I’m not going to make it as I bolt down the hallway to the bathroom.
I push open the door and brace myself against it. It’s like I’m twelve years old again, all the fear and anger rushing into me. If I close my eyes, I can picture Reed lying in his own blood.
Stumbling forward, I grip the sink. I cup my hand under the faucet and take a mouthful. The metallic taste of the water is better than the bile burning my tongue.
I wipe my hands on my butt. My fingers hit Reed’s pocket knife.
I’ve been running through the plan for days and days. Go out with Beckett. Seduce him. Make him like me. Make him leave his pack. Hurt them like they hurt me.
Chapter three
BECKETT HANSEN
Ihittheiceso hard, my sight goes black, and it rages back with sparkles around the edges.
