Page 24

As she speaks, I steal glances at Darren. He's watching her with undisguised interest, a softness in his expression I've rarely seen. It makes my chest ache in a way I don't want to examine too closely.

I always knew I had feelings for Darren. But I've never been the type to pine after straight guys—or any guys, for that matter—especially not teammates. I buried those feelings deep, focused on the game, on being a good packmate. It was manageable.

Until he presented as an omega. Until biology threw a wrench into everything I thought I knew.

And now this, a beautiful woman who smells like home and autumn and everything good, who's clearly into Darren, who might become part of our pack. It's too much, too fast. I don't know what to do with any of it. Not without fucking it all up for him.

"Aidan? You with us?" Darren's voice pulls me back to the present.

"Sorry, what?" I blink, realizing I've completely zoned out.

"I asked if you'd ever been to Boston," Lexie says, her expression curious. "I went to design school there."

"Oh. Uh, only for games. Never really had time to explore."

She nods, and I can tell she's trying to keep the conversation flowing despite my awkwardness. "It's a great city. You should visit sometime."

"Maybe during the off-season." I take another sip of my drink, wishing the others would hurry up and get here. I'm making a mess of this, and Darren's increasingly pointed looks aren't helping. At least in a crowd of six, I can blend in easier.

As if on cue, the frosted glass door slides open, and the rest of our pack enters.

Jax leads the way, looking sharp in a gray suit that matches his eyes.

Dmitri follows, massive as ever in a black button-down that makes his pale blue eyes stand out.

And behind them, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else, is Zayn in designer jeans and a midnight blue shirt that probably costs as much as my car, even if it isn't exactly occasion appropriate.

I'm making bank now, too, but I've never been able to stomach the idea of spending as much as he does on that shit. Guess it's a side effect of growing up with next to nothing. Spoiling my mom comes easy, but everything else…

"Sorry we're late," Jax says smoothly, crossing the room to where we stand. "Traffic was a nightmare."

I watch Lexie's expression as she takes in the newcomers.

There's a flash of intimidation before she composes herself.

Can't blame her. Three alphas walking into a room with that much collective presence would make anyone nervous.

And I remember Darren saying something about her being wary of packs in general. Now I wish I'd asked for more details.

"You must be Lexie," Jax extends his hand, all captain charm. "I'm Jax Lawson. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Likewise." She shakes his hand, and I see the exact moment Jax catches her scent. His eyes widen fractionally, his nostrils flare, and his grip on her hand tightens just slightly before he catches himself.

He knows. Of course he knows.

Dmitri is next, his massive frame making Lexie look even smaller as he towers over her. "Dmitri Vinogradov," he says simply, his accent thicker than usual. Another tell that he's affected.

"The Wolf, right?" she says, surprising us all. She blushes and adds, "My brother-in-law mentioned you're his favorite player."

A rare smile cracks Dmitri's stoic expression, even through the shock I know he has to be feeling right now. "Your brother-in-law has good taste."

She laughs, and holy shit, it's the most magical sound I've ever heard. Like I needed one more reason to understand why Darren is so dead set on bringing this woman into our pack.

Even if I'm pretty sure he has no idea just what she is to us yet. He senses it on some instinctive level that goes deeper than the chemicals running through his blood right now.

And then it's Zayn's turn. I hold my breath, half-expecting him to say something inappropriate or revealing. But for once in his life, Zayn Copeland is utterly speechless. He stares at Lexie like he's seen a ghost, then at Darren, then back to Lexie.

"Zayn," he finally manages, shaking her hand. He holds onto it a beat too long, but that's the only sign he's as affected as the rest of us, despite the image he wants to put off of being Mr. Cool, Calm and Douchey. "Nice to meet you."

The lack of his usual snarky commentary speaks volumes, too.

Darren, oblivious to the undercurrents swirling around him thanks to the suppressants masking his senses, looks relieved that everyone's shown up and is behaving. If only he knew.

"Shall we sit?" Jax gestures to the table, taking control of the situation as always. "I believe our reservation includes a tasting menu the chef has prepared specially."

We arrange ourselves around the table, Darren next to Lexie, with Jax on her other side. I end up directly across from her, with Zayn and Dmitri flanking me. It feels strategic somehow, like Jax is positioning us for minimum damage.

The waiter returns to take our drink orders and explain the menu.

I barely hear a word he says, too distracted by the way Lexie tucks her hair behind her ear, the way Darren leans slightly toward her when she speaks, the way Zayn keeps opening his mouth like he wants to say something before thinking better of it.

I've never wanted to gag someone so bad in my fucking life.

The first course arrives, some kind of seafood appetizer that I'm sure is delicious but tastes like cardboard in my mouth.

Conversation stutters along, with Jax doing most of the heavy lifting.

He asks Lexie about her business, her background, her interests.

She answers thoughtfully, growing more animated as she relaxes slightly.

But there's an undeniable current of awkwardness in the air.

Dmitri is more silent than usual, watching everything with those intense blue eyes.

Zayn picks at his food, contributing only when directly addressed.

And I'm trying so hard to act normal that I'm pretty sure I'm coming across as slightly unhinged.

Darren notices. Of course he does. He keeps shooting me confused looks across the table, his brow furrowing deeper with each awkward silence.

"So," Lexie says during one such pause, "how long have you all been a pack?"

"Seven years officially," Jax answers. "Though Aidan came along recently."

"And you're all... alphas?" She glances at Darren, clearly trying to understand the dynamic.

"Except for Darren," Zayn finally speaks up, his voice tight. "As he probably told you."

Darren's jaw clenches. "Yeah, I told her. About my recent change in status."

The clipped tone in his voice makes it clear he doesn't need Zayn elaborating for him.

"It must be a big adjustment," Lexie says carefully. "For all of you."

"You have no idea," Zayn mutters into his wine glass.

The awkwardness ratchets up another notch. I kick Zayn under the table, but he just glares at me.

"It's been a learning experience," Jax says diplomatically. "But we're figuring it out. As a pack."

Lexie nods, but I can see the uncertainty in her eyes. This isn't going well. We're all being weird, and she can tell, even if she doesn't understand why. I need to say something. Something normal, something to ease the pressure.

"So, uh, do you like pumpkin spice?" The question tumbles out before I can stop it, and I immediately want to crawl under the table and die.

Everyone stares at me. Zayn looks like he's torn between laughing and strangling me. And here I was worried about him. Darren's expression is pure what the actual fuck?

But Lexie, bless her, just smiles. "I do, actually. Fall is my favorite season. Pumpkin everything, sweaters, the whole cliché."

"Mine too," I admit, feeling my face heat up. "I mean, fall. For the... hockey."

"Right." She looks amused now, which is better than confused or uncomfortable. "Hockey season."

The second course arrives, saving me from further embarrassment.

Some kind of pasta dish that I barely taste as I try to get my frenzied thoughts under control.

Suddenly, the only thing I really have a taste for is pumpkin spice, but I'm pretty sure that's not happening anytime soon as badly as we're all collectively bungling this first date.

Second, I remind myself. We stood her up for the first one.

Fuck .

Halfway through the course, Jax suddenly stands. "I'm going to check what's taking the risotto so long."

"We didn't order risotto," Zayn points out, earning himself another not-so-subtle kick under the table, this time from Jax. Little did he know he'd need shin guards for tonight even more than this morning's practice.

"Oh. Right." Zayn's eyes widen with sudden understanding. "Better go see."

He stands too, following Jax toward the door. I catch on immediately. Jax wants to talk to us, away from Darren and Lexie. Pretty easy to guess what it's about, too.

"I need to use the bathroom," I announce abruptly, standing as well. I tap Dmitri's shoulder. "Come with me."

Dmitri looks utterly confused. "Why would I?—"

"I need support," I hiss, trying to communicate with my eyes.

Dmitri blinks. "In the bathroom ?"

"Yes," I grit through my teeth.

Dmitri stares at me warily, like I've lost my fucking mind, but the behemoth of a man gets up from the table and follows me.

Darren is now outright glaring at us. If looks could kill, I'd be a dead man.

Lexie looks between us, understandably bewildered. "Do alphas… usually go to the bathroom in a pack?" I hear her asking as we leave the table. "I thought that was more of a girl thing."

"It's an alpha thing, too," I call back, the words tumbling out in a panic. "Strength in numbers and all that."

She blinks. "Oh."

Darren's expression promises murder when we return, but I can't worry about that now. We need to regroup, figure out how to handle this impossible situation.

Dmitri follows me out, still looking confused but willing to play along. We find Jax and Zayn in a secluded alcove near the restrooms, heads bent in urgent conversation.

"Strength in numbers? Really?" Jax says as soon as we join them, running a hand through his hair.

"About as realistic as you and Zayn both needing to check on the nonexistent risotto," I counter.

Jax sighs heavily. "Look, clearly we're all a little flustered."

"No shit," I say, my voice pitched low despite the privacy. "Lexie is our fucking scent match. What are the odds of that?"

"About as nonexistent as the risotto," Dmitri rumbles, speaking for the first time since we left the table. "Statistical impossibility."

"Well, impossible or not, it's happening," Jax says, glancing back toward the dining room. "And we need to figure out how to handle it."

"Does Darren know?" I ask, though I'm pretty sure of the answer. "Can he smell it?"

Jax shakes his head. "The suppressants. They're blocking his senses almost completely. He has no idea. He would've mentioned it." He hesitates. "Probably."

I hate that he's right. There's so much distance between us lately, because of the way we've been reacting to his omega awakening, that I'm not sure if Darren would have told us.

"So what do we do?" I look between the three of them. "Tell him? Tell her?"

"Not tonight," Jax says firmly. "This is already complicated enough. Darren said she's wary of packs, especially ones with omegas. Finding out she's our scent match would just add another layer of pressure she's not ready for."

He has a point. We're already a lot, even when we're trying not to come on too strong.

"So we just... pretend everything's normal?" Zayn finally speaks, his voice strained. "When she smells like... like..."

He trails off, unable to articulate what we're all feeling.

"Pumpkin spice latte," I mumble before I can stop myself. The others all look at me, but I can tell she smells the same way to them. We're all on the same page.

For once.

"For now, yes," Jax says. "We get through dinner. Try our best to act like normal fucking human beings. Then we talk to Darren privately, as a pack."

"We could just text him," I suggest. "Let him know now, so he's not completely blindsided."

Jax glances through the frosted glass toward our table, where Darren and Lexie sit in awkward silence. "No, that could make things even weirder. We need to just get through the night without any more incidents."

I nod, though I'm not sure I can pull it off. My world has been turned upside down twice in a little more than the span of a month. First with Darren presenting as an omega, and now this. It's too much, too fast.

"Let's go back," Jax says, straightening his jacket. "And try to act normal. For Darren's sake, if nothing else."

I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the rest of this impossible evening. Normal. I can act normal. Even if nothing about this situation is normal at all.

The frosted glass door slides open, and we step back into the lion's den.