Page 111 of Puck Your Friend

The screen glares at me, my laptop camera shows too much ceiling and the soft curls framing my face. I adjust the angle until it’s level with my eyes, then force my spine straight in the Lazy Boy, laptop propped up on my outstretched legs. I wear a nice blouse to look like I care, but I have sweats on for comfort.

The living room’s too quiet. We need a clock or something for in here.

I’m waiting for the HR Compliance agent to enter the meeting. She’s made me wait for nearly four weeks. Between the hormone rollercoaster and waiting to hear about my job, I’ve been an emotional mess. The poor guys have had to deal with me through all of it. They never complain, which only makes me feel worse.

Deidre Carr’s name pops up before her camera switches on. An older woman in a navy blazer, rectangular glasses perched too low on her nose. Her mouth stays still for a beat before she speaks.

“Miss Francesca Darian?”

I nod. “Yes.”

“Please state your employee badge number.”

I pick it up from the table and read it off to her.

Her lips purse as she double-checks her records. “Thank you for making time for this call. Before we begin, I need to inform you that this conversation is being recorded and documented per our internal ethics and classification review policy.”

My chin dips. “I understand.”

She looks directly into the camera, tone clipped. “Miss Darian, you knowingly applied for a position with Victory Newsline Media using falsified designation records. Is that correct?”

My throat tightens. “Yes.”

Her glasses catch the light as she glances down at her notes. “How did you falsely present as a Beta?”

I keep my voice even. “I used chemical suppressants. They helped me pass as Beta for the pheromone screenings when I went for the classification documentation. I presented at fourteen, but my designation didn’t go into the system until I applied for my state IDs at sixteen.”

She lifts her head again, gaze unreadable. “And you continued this throughout your employment?”

My hands tighten in my lap. “I did. Until my body wouldn’t let me anymore.”

Her jaw tightens. “Why?”

The truth isn’t easy, but I’ve carried it too long to pretend it’s not mine. “I was ashamed of what I was. I didn’t want to be an Omega. I wanted to be part of sports. If I couldn’t play, then documenting it, telling those stories, was the next best thing.That job was my only way in. A decade of suppressants wrecked my system.”

Deidre doesn’t blink. “Do you understand that what you did put others at risk? Had you gone into spontaneous heat, it could have triggered a rut in any Alpha on-site. That opens our company to litigation, harassment claims, safety violations across the leagues. It was reckless.”

I press my hands into my lap. The pressure helps me stay still. “I never meant to become a threat. The suppressants worked for so long, I expected it to go on forever.”

“You became a threat. And now we have to assess whether keeping you on violates workplace stability agreements. As it stands, your return to the office isn’t viable. We can’t have an unbonded Omega on location. Not in enclosed environments with dozens of Alphas around.”

I flinch. “So, what does that mean?”

She sighs. “It means the only path forward is proof of being a bonded Omega. If you obtain certified bonded status, and it’s checked by a third-party company, you may resume in-person work.”

I blink. I can’t believe it.That’s it?

She lifts a gray brow at me. “Yes. If bonded, and the certificate is confirmed by an independent party, you can return to the office. Until then, your work remains remote. Are you pursuing a bond? If not, you’ll have six weeks to bond with a pack of Alphas or Victory Newsline Media will consider you terminated.”

Pressure builds in my chest. The guys’ faces flash behind my eyes. How they held me when I broke, how they didn’t let me fall.

I nod. “I am. I’ve found my Alphas. I plan to bond.”

Deidre doesn’t smile. “Submit the certificate as soon as you have it. We’ll move forward from there. The only reason this wasn’t an immediate termination is because both your boss Mr. Richard Govin and Mr. Doug Larsen spoke on your behalf. Theyargued your work deserved a second chance. You owe your position to them.”

She ends the call before I can speak.

I sit there, staring at the screen. My hands tremble in my lap. That’s it? All that dread. All that hiding. And the solution was to be a bonded Omega?