34. Harrison

34

Harrison

W henever I need to think, I go to the nest. The pack doesn't spend time there, so it's the most scent free room in the house. A sanctuary for me when I need a break from the pressure of carrying the weight of a pack on my shoulders.

The energy at practice today was off. Meggie was back to her scent free state, no longer reeking of kimchi and tuna like she did yesterday afternoon. But she stayed as far away from Ellis and Dante as possible. Oz still seemed pissed that Meggie had been with Ellis and kissed Dante, but not him. He turns into a bastard when he's jealous and takes it out on all of us.

To my surprise, Nils stayed glued to Meggie's side like a guard dog. Most surprisingly, she didn't seem to mind. Something's changed between them, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what.

McQuinn spent most of practice yelling at everyone to get their head in the game. He was extra riled up and the combination of his anger and Oz's was unbearable. To add to it all, Dante took out his frustration by making us run extra drills, which would have been good if everyone ran the drills with any kind of focus.

We can't have this kind of division and avoidance in the pack. Not when we leave for Paris in a little over a week. Whatever is going on with Meggie and my teammates needs to be resolved today. And it's my responsibility to ensure that happens.

I could say she's not allowed to date anyone in the pack. But I don't want to be that kind of alpha. It's not my job to control my pack mates. And a dictate like that might be driven by jealousy more than anything else. I can't explain what I feel for Meggie, but it's not simple friendship. It's not exactly sexual either, but it's not innocent. I wish I could just fucking smell her and know for sure.

It would be a disaster if we grew to care for Meggie only to learn that I despise her scent. I can't command someone to use scent blockers for the rest of their life.

I don't know what to do, but we need to settle this. If the night she spent with Ellis is going to create this much tension, I don't think it should happen again.

All of this is why I need to think. Quietly. Without interruption. Without distraction. Alone. Which means in the nest.

I swing open the door, only to be stopped in my tracks by a scent I've never smelled before. An irresistible scent. The scent of an omega. And not just any omega. I've smelled a lot of omegas before, searched for one whose smell wouldn't just be pleasing, but would turn me on—which not many scents do.

But this scent… fuck .

My cock immediately stands at attention. My insides liquify as desire creates a tight sensation behind my sternum. A guttural groan rasps out of me.

Apple pie. Fresh and warm and decadent. With a spicy undertone that makes my mouth water. It's like coming home after a long trip. Having sex on the kitchen counter, still clothed because we need each other too badly, too desperate to bother undressing or make it to the bedroom. It's eating dinner one-handed afterwards because we don't want to let go of each other. It's apple brandy on the back porch, snuggled under a blanket as the season wavers between summer and autumn.

Scent match.

As I step further into the room, I catch the light whiff of Nils's mint and eucalyptus. But it's the other scent I'm most interested in. I take a pillow from the center of the bed and hold it to my nose, inhaling deep.

There's only one person this scent could belong to. Only one other time I've smelled something even faintly close to this. Yesterday, outside Meggie's room.

The emotions whirling in me are a storm. Elation and joy that we've found her. Hungry desire to have her in my arms. Lust. Confusion. Anger at being lied to. Fear for her. For us. Worry that she'll be discovered. Worry that she'll leave the team if she's found out. Worry that she'll reject us if we don't let her play in the Olympics.

Uncertain what to do with it all, I sit down on the edge of the bed, clutch the pillow to my chest, and stare out the window, wishing for a solution that I know won't come.

***

"Pack meeting," I command when I come downstairs for lunch. They're all in the kitchen except for Meggie.

Maybe it's best she's not here for this. But I won't make this decision without her input. She's pack. I knew it before, and I know it even more now. No matter how angry I am that she lied to us, or how uncertain I am about how to handle the situation, I know I don't want to lose her.

"What's up?" McQuinn says as he pulls sandwich meat out of the fridge and sets it on the counter next to the bread.

"Ellis, go get Meggie." I close the fridge door that McQuinn left open.

Ellis jumps to comply, always eager to see our girl. Nils gives me an accessing look, his expression tense. "You know."

It's not a question. He's always been the best at reading each of us.

I nod.

"Know what?" Dante asks.

"We should all sit down for this." I direct my teammates to the large wooden table in the kitchen. The one we each carved our initials in when we became a pack. I have the sudden urge to find a pocket knife so that Meggie can add her name to the sturdy wood.

My pack sits down in their normal places. I'm at the head of the table. Dante and Ellis, next to each other on my right. Oz and McQuinn on the left. Nils at the other end. When Meggie moved into the house, we added a seat next to Oz and closest to me.

I stay silent, waiting for Meggie and Ellis to join us. When they come into the kitchen, he pulls out her chair and then sits down next to Dante.

"What's going on?" Meggie bites her bottom lip, no doubt sensing the peaked alpha energy I'm letting off. She's nervous. Rightfully so. One part of me wants to yell at her for the lies she's told and the way she's put us all at risk with the IOC. Another part wants to pull her into my arms and never let go.

Nils stands up. "Switch with me," he says to Oz, who's sitting next to Meggie.

"No way."

"Switch. With. Me." Nils growls. It takes all of us by surprise. Nils doesn't usually make demands. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever heard him make one. He's surprisingly easy going for an alpha. He'll state his opinion, ask for things calmly, but he's not doing either right now. This isn't a request or a suggestion or a gentle prompt.

Oz grumbles, but he gets up and switches places. Nils immediately takes Meggie's hand. Something I wish I could do.

"Meggie," I let my eyes burn into our omega, "do you want to tell them, or should I?"

She looks at me for a long beat. I see the exact moment she realizes what I'm talking about, the moment she knows I know. Tears brim her eyes. I want to wipe them away and offer her some comfort. But I stay rigid. A pack can't be built on lies. Even if she is my scent match, possibly our scent match, I can't just excuse what she's done.

"I should do it," she whispers.

Nils scoots his chair closer and glares at me. "Are you sure you want to do this? The second they all know, they're complicit."

Dante speaks for all of them. "Know what?"

Meggie takes a deep breath. The tension in the room is a living, breathing beast, strong enough to touch, impossible to fight. She looks at each man around the table, then says in one quick exhale, "I'm an omega."

Nils pulls her into his side. Oz's mouth drops open as he leans back. McQuinn curses.

"I knew you were different." Ellis smiles.

"Really? An omega?" There's so much hope in Dante's voice it makes my chest ache.

Meggie swallows a small whimper. She can't even look at us. Tears flow down her cheeks as she stares down at her lap.

Ellis gets up and squats down at the corner of the table between Meggie and me. "It's alright, sunshine. This is good." His eyes meet Dante's across the table and a wide grin spreads across Ellis's boyish face. "We've always wanted an omega."

"But what about the Olympics? Fuck!" McQuinn gets up and starts pacing the length of the room.

"We'll just have to replace her on the team," Oz says.

"No!" Meggie gasps and looks up, but she immediately drops her head again, shaking it like she's chastising herself for the outburst.

"You can't play as an omega," Oz says. "It's against the rules."

Meggie's shoulders curl in and silent sobs shake her body. I want to reach out to her, but she's already surrounded by Nils and Ellis, both offering her what she needs.

Nils levels McQuinn with a rare, powerful look while rubbing Meggie's back. "She's part of this team, part of this pack, and she's going to Paris with us."

"Fuck no, she isn't!" McQuinn stops his pacing and slams both hands on the table. I've never seen him this angry, but there's something like hurt in his eyes as he stares at Nils. "We should kick her out right now for lying to us."

At a loss, I look to our coach, our team captain, for guidance, but Dante is still stunned, blinking at Meggie like he's not sure if she's a mirage that will disappear.

Our omega wipes her eyes with the back of her hand and whispers, "I'll go pack up my things."

That snaps Dante out of it. "No!"

The room irrupts in arguments all at once. Why she should stay. Why she should go. I honestly don't know what to think. The emotions inside me are too tangled to understand, but I can't take any more of this. The smells are pungent and thick. The noise, too loud.

"Quiet!"

Everyone immediately shuts their mouths. It's the first time I've ever used my alpha bark on my pack, and I regret it immediately. "I'm sorry. I just need… to think."

Dante shakes off the command first. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know." I sigh. "For once, I really don't know."