Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

I ’m sitting in my bland apartment when I get a text from Sloane.

Sloane

Hey, I’m at Bram’s. Well, I guess I kind of live here now. My dad fired me. Long story. But we’re ordering Chinese and unpacking my stuff. I’d love it if you came by. I know we have a lot to talk about, and doing it over text seems pretty ridiculous.

Nilsen is okay with me being at his house?

Sloane

Yes, and it’s my house now too, and I want you here.

Me: You do?

Sloane

Yes, Max. We all want you here.

Me: I’ll be there in twenty minutes.

I highly doubt Nilsen wants me in his home. But I don’t doubt his feelings for Sloane. How could I after everything I’ve seen? But it’s clear he doubts my feelings for the little Omega, and I’m just going to have to prove that I’m here to stay.

The whole way there, I just think about what I’m going to say. I haven’t been able to talk to Sloane after her heat. Not to mention her father fucking fired her and all, but claimed he would do the same to me if I hurt her, which I have no intention of doing.

When I pull up front, they’re moving boxes and containers from Ethan’s truck into the beautiful house.

I feel like a failure compared to Bram.

Sloane chose him. They were dating before her heat. He knows her better than I do. Not to mention his contract with the Foxes is a great one, and the roots he’s been able to put down here?

It makes me feel inferior. It makes me wonder if I even deserve to be Sloane’s scent match.

I sigh to myself. It’s not about deserving anything, it’s about fate, something I have no control over. But what I can control is becoming the kind of man and Alpha I think Sloane and Ethan deserve.

I get out of my car and head to the back of the truck and grab a box.

“Hey there, stranger. Well, not so strange considering how much we saw each other naked last week and the fact that we’ve had sex and that was unplanned and we haven’t been able to talk about it since you had to leave after Sloane’s heat,” Ethan says with a grin.

“How is she?” I ask, and Ethan shakes his head.

“She’s okay. Didn’t seem surprised about being fired. I think she’s taking a stand and letting her family realize she’s an adult and starting her own family, which Coach isn’t taking well.”

“Did he threaten to fire you too?”

Ethan swallows and tucks a box under his arm. “Uh, no. Oh, fuck. Is he going to pull me into his office next?”

“Maybe you’ll be safe from his wrath.”

“Being a Beta has its perks.”

“You seem relatively happy with your designation,” I comment, and as I speak, I can see my cold breath in the air.

“More than happy, especially now.”

“Should we talk about it?”

“What, how you fucked me while Sloane rode my face?” Ethan says. I can feel my cheeks getting even pinker, and he smiles. “I know shit’s complicated for you right now, and Sloane is everyone’s priority, as she should be. But just know, I’m not going anywhere either.”

“I needed to hear that,” I tell him honestly.

Ethan bumps into my side. “If it’s ever too much coming to Bram’s, just let us know, or you can just let me know, not Sloane. But I’m really hoping we can make this all work out.”

“Yeah, me too,” I sigh as we walk through the door and add Sloane’s box of stuff to the pile.

Let’s just hope the night doesn’t end with Bram and me at each other’s throats. Because first and foremost, I need to talk to my scent match. Who comes happily walking down the stairs with a huge smile on her face when she sees me.

Well, that’s a relief.

“Max, thanks for coming. Food should be here soon.”

I can’t sit through Chinese and act like nothing is on my mind for the next few hours.

“Can we talk for a sec?”

“Sure,” she says with a smile, grabbing my hand and tugging me to what appears to be a mudroom before shutting the door.

I’m even more shocked when she wraps her arms around me and squeezes tightly before taking a deep inhale of my scent. I do the same with her, and it calms me down easily.

“Should I start?” she says.

I’m a chickenshit because I nod my head.

“I liked you before I found out you were my scent match. I’m sorry for not telling you when I found out. In retrospect, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out so complicated.”

“Hey, I don’t blame you for that,” I tell her, and she smiles.

“But like I was saying, there were already feelings there, complicated ones, but I always liked you, Max. I’m not upset in the slightest you’re my scent match. I know you and Bram have a confusing history, but I am really hoping that everyone can learn to get along and we can be a pack. You and Bram don’t need to be romantically involved in any way, but I’m hoping that you two can learn to be friends.”

“I’m hoping for the same thing. Finding out you are my scent match is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I want to spend more time with you and get to know you better. I want to be in your pack no matter what it takes.”

“You did a good job taking care of me during my heat.”

“I did?”

She laughs and nods her head. “It was literally sprung on you that day. Yes, Max. You’re a good Alpha; you’re an Alpha I want. I know things won’t be smooth sailing, but all I ask is that everyone tries.”

“I can do that.”

“Good, we’re all just figuring this out as we go.”

I kiss the top of her head, and she melts into me. Being hers is worth whatever hell Bram, her father, or the world wants to throw at me.

This is my chance to be important to somebody. Well, somebody outside of my mother, which makes me wince and pull back.

“My mom wants to meet you. Well, officially. She remembers you from the games last year.”

She grins. “Your mom is awesome. I can’t wait to meet her as your Omega.”

As my Omega.

I kiss the top of her head and hold her tightly, knowing I probably won’t get her to myself like this again this evening. I try to fight down the festering jealousy that she lives in Bram’s house. Even though I was invited over, I’m not sure how welcome I’ll feel.

“Let’s go eat and spend time with each other when we’re not all naked and barely functioning,” she says, and I follow her out to the living room.

Because the truth is, I’d follow Sloane anywhere.

The night was going fine.

Well, as fine as things can go when the house smells like another Alpha and I’m trying to keep the peace.

Yet I find myself getting more irritated as the evening goes on.

It’s not that Bram is hostile, it’s almost that he’s smug.

Sloane chose him. Sloane is living in his house. Sloane knows him better.

I’m simply here because of some cosmic fate, and it brings up so many of my insecurities.

It doesn’t help that he’s been so difficult to get along with, even if he’s being moderately pleasant right now. We still haven’t discussed why he doesn’t like me or why he has such negative feelings about me in general.

So we’re all just going to ignore this underlying tension as we eat our fried rice and noodles.

Sloane wants us all to get along, so we’ll fake it till we make it. Or at least, that was my intention. Until the permeating stench of Bram makes me open my stupid mouth.

“So how are we going to do this? Are you going to stay at my house sometimes?” I ask.

“No,” Bram replies sharply, and I glare in his direction.

“You’re being unreasonable. Do you really expect me to only come here when I want to see my scent match?” I’m a dick for throwing out the scent match card, but I really don’t give a shit.

“It’s her house now too. You can get over it,” Bram says.

“Like you’ve gotten over whatever issue it is you have of me. An issue I don’t even fucking remember, and you won’t even talk about it.”

“It’s in the past.”

“It’s clearly not. God, I can’t even think in this fucking house. It smells like you.”

Sloane bites her lip.

“Do you need to get some fresh air?”

“I’m sorry. I just… How? Sloane. How do we work when he’s hoarding you like he’s the only one to have a claim on you? I want to get to know you better, but how do I do that when this house smells like him and I don’t feel welcomed? We’re both on the same travel schedule, so it’s not even like dividing time is easy either.”

I’m shocked when Bram opens his mouth.

“We can go to pack therapy?”

“What?” Ethan says before anyone else has a moment to.

“Pack therapy,” Bram says simply like we’re the idiots here.

“You’d do that for me?” Sloane asks.

All three of us give resounding yeses.

“I’ll look for a therapist with openings around your schedule. I’m also going to do my best to make sure everyone feels like they have even time. I don’t ever want any of you to feel you’re getting less attention. We can make this work.”

We eat the rest of our food in silence, and I wonder if therapy can really fix this fucked-up pack.