They weren’t make it or break it for a pack or omega. Plus, if you asked me… our delta knots were a whole lot better.
Someone else asked a question, and I had to tune back in just in time to hear Hayes explaining more about our new “babysitter.”
“When she’s around, you need to be on your best behavior,” he said fiercely like we’d already decided to fuck up on purpose. We weren’t high school players, we were all adults. “Don’t give her any reason to write bullshit about us in whatever gossip magazine she owns.”
A couple of the guys chuckled, but for some reason his reaction had me narrowing my eyes.
“Have you met this journalist?” I questioned carefully. I knew damn well I was treading in dangerous territory.
Maybe I didn’t trust his attitude yet, or maybe I was still sore as fuck from that workout, but hearing him disrespect somebody we hadn’t even gotten the chance to know yet felt way more biased than she ever could be.
“Yes. She’s some young omega who likely knows nothing about the hockey world.”
“We literally have fans that are children.” The words were out before I could stop them.
His eyes were on me instantly. The fire burning behind them would have most backing down but I wasn’t having it. He was new here and I wasn’t.
“You always this combative, Mori?”
“I’m not being combative,” I said, barely holding back a frustrated groan. “I’m just unsure what the animosity is about. It couldn’t hurt for our team to have some good PR. As someone who was here through the scandal, it was brutal and we are still fighting to keep fans.”
“Hence why I’m trying to mitigate the damage and not make it any worse,” he argued.
I held up my hands. “I’m not trying to make it worse, either. I’m just wondering if this could be a good thing. Couldn’t hurt to spin it that way. Regardless, it’s not like we have a choice, right?”
“Let it go, Kota,” Lachlan Evans warned in a low voice.
He was my best friend, and not just on the team. We usually avoided deeper connections. It was hard to stay friends with players constantly getting traded among teams. If you weren’t part of the starting line, you weren’t always given the chance to put down roots.
I’d already been here longer than I expected to be, and unfortunately for me, I really enjoyed being part of the Narwhals.
At least, until Coach Hayes found his way here. It was clear he was an asshole from this conversation alone.
“Don’t worry,” he said, letting out a humorless laugh. “You all get your own opinions because we’re meeting in the PR room in fifteen. She knows more about what management wants and she’ll explain all of that to you. Cooperate. Your place on this team depends on it.”
With that, he turned without giving us another look and stalked back to his office.
“Is there a reason you felt the need to piss off Hayes when he’s already in a mood?” Greer Abbott asked, giving me a side eye.
“That man has been in a mood since he signed on,” I pointed out. “He should be able to handle simple pushback. We aren’t fucking robots and that was out of line. Plus, I’ll win him back in no time. If not him, then at least her.”
I flashed him my best charming smile just to see him make that angry face again. I probably shouldn’t get so much joy out of it. The man’s ability to hate everything should truly be studied.
Evans shoved his shoulder against mine in warning. “Maybe we should watch what we say seeing as how we’re about to have a ‘babysitter’ as Coach Hayes so kindly put it.”
“Oh, come on. She’s absolutely going to understand that shit talk is part of sports. I’m downright tame in comparison to some of these assholes.”
“You’re not wrong about that,” Lach muttered.
The league had been almost painful with how much they hated the Narwhals. Every game was a new reason to roast us and try to push our buttons. We’d at least learned some impeccable self-control in the past year.
Thanks to the bullshit our former teammates caused, I couldn’t fucking blame them.
The shit they did to that poor omega was horrific. Nearly killing a bonded omega is not an easy task, they should have felt every bit of her misery. How far did neglect have to go to get to the point they didn’t?
I didn’t even know her, and I was livid. When I am lucky enough to find my omega one day, I’d treat her like a fucking queen from the start.
We told them they were shit packmates every time they stayed at the hockey house. Yet, they werealwaysthere. They’d give some excuse and brush us off. They had this high and mighty attitude like they were better than everyone else.
