11. Harrison

11

Harrison

I should be happy to see my girlfriend, but that's not what I feel when Ava struts in and joins our group. Ignoring Emily, Meggie, and my pack mates, she lifts on her toes and gives me a kiss that she tries to deepen. I step back. This isn't the time for shows of affection, not that I like public displays at any time.

"What are you doing here?" I ask too quietly for anyone else to hear.

Her response is loud and directed at the group as much as at me. "Thought I'd come support my fiancé ." She gives Emily and Meggie a territorial grin.

Dante's jaw muscles tighten and his fists clench at his sides. Ellis looks like he's about to fall off the bleachers, but he composes himself first and forces a smile. "When did that happen?"

"It didn't." I say, furious. "Meggie, Emily, this is my girlfriend , Ava."

Dante gives me a pointed look, the one that says end it , then stands. "I've got to set up for the next round."

It's a lie, there's nothing to set up, but I don't call him out.

Ava's scent changes, reflecting her anger at my response and Dante's evasion, but I don't care. It's inappropriate for her to claim our relationship is something it's not. She's been dropping hints for a while. But the more she does it, the less appealing the idea becomes. Besides, I'd never commit myself to someone the rest of my pack doesn't like, and I know how they all feel about Ava.

I don't want to string her along, so I've tried to make my stance on marriage and bonding clear to her, but she doesn't seem to listen. I think she believes she can change my mind, convince me she's the one. She's even started being extra nice to my pack mates in an attempt to win them over. It won't work, though. At least, not on all of them.

While I know none of them are repelled by her scent, none of them feel the kind of natural connection with her that's needed for someone to become pack.

"I know you, don't I?" Ava says to Meggie. She snaps her fingers. "That's right, you're the girl who almost made it on the swim team."

Meggie shifts and looks down at her food. Her response is barely loud enough to hear. "Yeah."

"What are you doing here?"

"She's Emily's best friend," Ellis says.

Emily confidently hooks her arm over Meggie's shoulder. "She's gonna be on the team."

"She's trying out," I say diplomatically.

Meggie's holding her own, but as much as I understand why Ellis wants her on the team, I'm not sure if she'll make the cut. I don't want to give her false hope.

Ava looks Meggie up and down, frowns, then flips her hair off her shoulder and laughs. "You think you can just switch sports and compete at an Olympic level? You're delusional."

A growl rumbles in the back of my throat. It's a surprise to me as much as to Ava. Even though I don't know Meggie, I feel the immediate need to defend her. "Meggie's good."

My eyes go to her, and she gives me a soft smile. It's clear she appreciates the praise. I immediately back pedal. "I can't guarantee anything, but she's doing far better than I expected."

"See," Emily beams and squeezes her friend's shoulder, "you've got this in the bag."

I can't help smiling at Emily's confidence and her clear love for her friend. It's endearing, if a little misleading. I find myself hoping, for Emily's sake, that Meggie does exceptionally well in the next round of tryouts. I think she might fit in well here, and I'd like to help Ellis make his sister happy. She's like a little sister to me, too.

Ava chuckles. "We'll see. Most people aren't so greedy that they can't wait for the next Olympics."

"You should leave, Ava," I say.

"Yeah, we're going to start soon." Ellis stands up and crumples the wrapping from his sandwich into a tight ball. Emily and Meggie do the same.

"I thought we could spend the afternoon together," Ava whines.

I give her a puzzled look. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, you don't have practice today, and the rest of the guys can run the tryouts, can't they?"

I shake my head, shocked at how she could ever think I would leave my teammates—my pack—on their own during tryouts. I'm their leader. Their pack alpha. The final say on who makes the team lands on me. "I'm not leaving. But you should. Go home, Ava."

She pouts in an entirely unattractive way. I wince. I don't mean to be harsh with her, but she's been grating on my nerves more and more lately. To soften the blow, I add, "I'll call you later."

Ava does as I ask and sulks off back towards the locker rooms.

"Well, she's a barrel of laughs," Emily says, rolling her eyes. Meggie tries to suppress a giggle. Ellis puts his hand on her back in a possessive way that surprises me and leads her towards the pool.

I step in front of them. "Actually, can I talk to Meggie for a minute?"

Ellis looks at her, like he's checking in, but she says, "Sure. Of course."

Emily goes to throw away the trash from lunch, and Ellis joins Dante by the edge of the pool.

"I just want to apologize for Ava." I tilt my head toward the locker rooms.

"No need." Meggie goes to step around me, but I stop her with a hand on her arm.

A surprising current of energy zaps across my skin when I touch her. I let go, clenching and unclenching my fingers.

I clear my throat. "You're doing well."

She studies me like she's trying to see inside, and then her head drops suddenly. Like she just realized she was staring. Or found what she was looking for.

"Not well enough."

"I didn't say that." I offer her a smile. "You have a better chance than you think."

The betas don't know that they have to pass more than just on the merit of water polo performance. I've been making the rounds during lunch, scenting each of them to weigh how likely they are to fit in with the pack, not just the team. Especially when it comes to their scent.

Most scents repel me, and I refuse to have a team member living in our home who is constantly making me want to wrinkle my nose and run out of the room.

I've already eliminated the two girls who performed best in round one, though they don't know it yet. Their scents made me gag, and I could barely finish a conversation with them. There isn't anything wrong with their individual scents, one smelling of strawberries and cream, while the other had a floral rose aroma. Strawberries and roses are both wonderful. But I would vomit if I had to share a house with either of those beta's scents.

Dante will eliminate the two who performed the worst. That just leaves Meggie and four others. Those four weren't as bad as the two that I couldn't stand, but I still didn't enjoy their scents.

Meggie, on the other hand…

At first, I thought I just couldn't get a good whiff of her because she was sitting too far away and there were so many other smells around. But now that she's standing right in front of me, and it's just the two of us, she still smells like nothing at all. It's… like a breath of fresh air.

"You should know, I don't want to make the team because of favoritism." She wrings her hands, fiddling with her swim cap. "I mean, just because of Emily and Ellis."

"I understand." I offer her a reassuring smile, but I'm not sure if that's how she interprets it. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Do you always use blockers, or did you just do it for the tryouts?"

It's like Meggie has erased her scent completely. She has to be doing more than just deodorizing soaps and shampoos. She must be on blockers. And strong ones. Possibly illegal ones, but I honestly don't care about that. It actually feels considerate, like an added courtesy in a world overpowered and ruled by pheromones. It also seems smart, strategic. Eliminate the scent factor, and you can compete on your own merit.

I wonder if Ellis told her to do it for the tryouts because he knew I'd judge the girls on their scent.

"Oh, um…" She twists her swim cap and then realizes she's doing it and stops, forcing her hands to be still. With more confidence, she finishes, "Yes. Always."

"Good." I smile.

She looks confused, which makes me think Ellis didn't warn her about me. I'm glad. It means it's more likely that she's telling the truth about always using blockers.

My gaze holds hers a little longer than necessary before we're interrupted by Dante yelling, "Everyone in the pool! It's time to play some water polo."