Finding the Forward, Part One (HockeyVerse)

Chapter Fourteen

Jonas

“ T here you are.” Dean came up to me, nestling in my arms.

“I’ve got to go. Big game tonight. Thanks again for checking her out for me. Miss you, too.” I ended the call and wrapped my arms around my mate, inhaling his wooly, comforting scent. Shit, I adored this man.

It wasn’t love at first sight–or smell. Originally, I couldn’t stand him when he and Grif had joined the BosTec team as first years back when we were at university. I was a year ahead of them, and Dean was a cocky little shit.

Grif and I became friends, especially when he got a job at my work and we were often on the same shifts.

Eventually, thanks to Grif, the three of us got along. Then Dean and I became more. Much more.

“Your sister?” Dean asked me, nuzzling my cheek.

“Charlie was checking out Airplane Girl, given you two want to move her in.” I shrugged. One of my best friends worked in Canadian black ops. She and I had been friends since high school when her mom was my hockey coach.

It set me at ease to know that Verity didn’t have debts or scandals or obvious reasons to target us. Grif might not be my omega, but he was my friend and packmate and I cared about him deeply.

“We do not.” He rolled his eyes. “Because we didn’t know it was an option? Can we? We’d have to bring the little sister. What’s your opinion on teenagers who can bench more than you?” Dean laughed.

I made a little growl of annoyance. “Let’s get to know her first.”

Bringing someone into a pack was delicate. Especially when you had to be careful of things like potential scandals, public appearance, and people who sought to use you. While I wanted Grif to find happiness, as head alpha, I had to do due diligence first. Charlie had sent me a lot of information to look through. AJ should check out her finances further.

My primary worry was that while she and Grif were drawn to each other, only time would tell if she could truly be the alpha he needed.

But first we had a game.

Dean dragged me off to the locker room, where our coaches talked to us further. Then we got dressed and ready for warm-ups on the ice.

I skated out with Dean and Grif, waving to the fans that came early to watch us. On the ice, I went through my on-ice routine of stretches and stick work, watching my mate do his goalie stretches, some drills, avoiding Carlos putting pucks down my pants, and getting whacked in the ass with Dean’s stick.

We left the ice and returned to the locker room. Carlos was always last, after knocking over a puck tower one of the equipment managers built for him.

In the locker room, some players removed their shirts and pads. Nakey stripped, throwing his clothes at his packmate Pauley. He was shorter than Pauley and compact, his short brown hair a contrast to Pauley’s long blond surfer locks. Nakey always liked to wear as few things as possible. Which was how he’d earned his name .

Others finished their routines. Winston and Elias re-tied each other’s skates. Grif re-taped his stick. Dimitri, a grumpy Russian defender, read a book in Greek.

“Kiss the rabbit.” Dean came over so I could kiss the plush rabbit Grif had given him in high school. He then made other people kiss it for luck. Others pet Lucky the imaginary cat.

I didn’t have a lot of superstitions or rituals.

Coach Atkins went over a few more things we needed to do, to watch out for, and went over the players of the other team. We were playing my old team, the Carolina Lightening Bugs. As long as we stayed focused, we’d win.

Helmets on and sticks in hand, we piled out of the locker room and turned down the hall. I gave Dean a hug. “You’ve got this.” I turned to Grif. “You, too.”

Because he was still nervous that his playing wasn’t enough.

The Maimers clamored down the hall, leaving the ice after their promo for their upcoming season. We exchanged well-wishes as we entered the tunnel. You didn’t share a training facility without making friends.

“Are you supposed to be here?” one of the assistant coaches said to someone I couldn’t see as the Maimers were off to the locker rooms behind us.

“I’m with the Maimers. I just don’t walk as fast,” a southern voice drawled.

“Hey, Professor Mami, aren’t you going to wish us luck?” Carlos teased, giving her an appreciative look.

“Hi, Carlos.” Verity smiled as she waved at a few others.

Grif ran into my back. She wore a Maimers hoodie, a pass around her neck. Her gaze immediately fixed on him, and she gave Grif a wide, sappy grin. He grinned back. It was like they were the only two people here.

No, he wasn’t giving her up. AJ and I would have to make this work. We were still figuring out how to be a pack, so bringing in a new alpha so quickly would be tricky.

Not to mention, if it didn't work, it would devastate Grif.

“Good luck, Grif, you’re going to smash this,” she told him, leaning on her pink crutch, beaming at him as if he were everything.

“Thanks, Kitten.” His face lit up in the way only an omega being delighted by their alpha could.

It was heartwarming and terrifying all at the same time. If Grif’s omega did come to the surface, we’d have to figure out what to do about it.

Verity looked at me and Dean. “You two as well.” She turned to everyone. “You’re all going to be magnificent tonight. Go team!”

“Verity, come on ,” someone called in an annoyed southern drawl. Possibly little sister.

“See you after the game.” With a wave, Verity left.

Grif practically glowed as we readied for the intro. One gloved hand hit the other. “I’m going to smash this.”

Good. Because if he got traded, everything got ten times harder.

“Grif Graf, that was some good playing,” Coach Atkins praised as we left the ice after the game. “Keep it up.”

“Way to go, Grif Graf.” Elias slapped him on the back as we headed to the locker room.

We’d beat the Lightening Bugs, 3-2. Grif had played well, but it hadn’t seemed different . He’d scored the same, fought the same, got a time-out the same.

Whatever. As long as they perceived that he’d done what they wanted, that’s all that mattered.

“What the fuck?” Elias sighed as we entered the locker room. Streamers in Maimers’ red and black festooned everything.

“I guess the rookies will be pranking their game tomorrow?” Nia took off her helmet and eyed our three rookies, a colorful scarf over her dark braids. She was a delta. Deltas had a bunch of alpha qualities and made excellent soldiers and security. Before the Knights, she’d played hockey for the army.

My eyes fell on the silver coffee cart decorated in our colors. Little hockey pucks on lollipop sticks, each one decorated, individually wrapped, and tied with black and silver ribbons, filled a big silver bucket. It also held wrapped and ribboned fruit skewers.

A large note written in purple, sparkly pen said: Great job, Knights! I made one for everyone, but there’s also fruit for those who don’t like cake. Love, Team Mom.

Clark reached out to touch one.

Nia slapped his hand. “Careful, rookie, something might pop out of it.”

“No. Professor Mami left them for us. It’s fine.” Carlos took one out and we collectively gasped, waiting for the prank.

Nothing happened.

Oh. Maybe it was just treats. Huh.

“They have names on them, dumbass. Take your own.” Nia handed another to him. It had a little tag on it that said Carlos.

“Who doesn’t like cake?” Sarah, another forward, snickered as she took off her skates.

Clark cradled his like it was precious. “They’re so cute. Can we eat them?”

“Why do the Maimers have a team mom?” Nia looked confused.

Carlos smacked him on the ass. “Team Mom makes the snacks.”

“The Maimers have a seventeen-year-old rookie. Verity’s the responsible adult. That’s why they call her Team Mom .” Dean took the one with his name on it.

Oh, that made sense. Seventeen? Fuck no. The nineteen- and twenty-year-old rookies were bad enough.

“Oh, Plant Prof. She’s so nice,” Jean-Paul added, taking his. “She’ll look at pictures of your dying houseplants and tell you how to fix them before your girlfriend comes home and gets mad.” His girlfriend was a flight attendant and went away a lot.

When had everyone met Verity and we hadn’t? But we’d been busy getting Grif situated here and doing everything necessary to start our pack.

Carlos had the whole thing in his mouth, nodding. “So good.”

Everyone took theirs. The more seasoned players watched as the rookies gobbled them up just to make sure nothing happened. Still, everyone looked happy.

Who’d have thought a bunch of professional hockey players would get excited over cake pops shaped like hockey pucks?

She’d made one for everyone . Even the coaches, trainers, and equipment managers. There were also some with no names. The fruit had been cut into shapes. Several players claimed the nameless extras. Yeah, someone’s alpha nature really leaned into caregiving, didn’t it?

A smile erupted across Grif’s face as he saw the treats. “Oh, Verity made us goodies. I think making snacks is how she cares for people.”

The coaches gave us the rundown and assigned press duties.

“Good game, everyone. Rookies, clean this shit up. I better not hear that the equipment managers had to do it,” Elias told everyone.

We all hit the bikes or ice baths to cool down, then the showers.

After we showered, Grif did a giddy little dance in only his towel. “Did you see her in the stands? She had a sign with my name and number on it.”

The Maimers stayed and watched the game. They’d had signs, funny hats, and silly dances. Verity held a sign that said Go, Grif, Go in sparkly paint and tiger stickers. She’d cheered and yelled when he scored a goal. Every time she did something like that, he stood a little straighter and skated a little harder.

“Who’s going to Tito’s?” Carlos asked. Many people replied yes.

“Did AJ come to the game? I didn’t see him in the family section,” Dean asked, as he got back in his suit. This one was light green.

He said it brought out his eyes. I thought he looked like pistachio ice cream. My mate was lickable, though.

“AJ was in his company’s box tonight, making deals as usual. He’ll meet us there.” Grif looked up from his phone.

“Why were there tiger stickers on the sign?” I asked as Grif and Dean ate their cake pops in my SUV. I’d give mine to AJ because I didn’t like chocolate.

“That’s what she calls me.” Grif grinned like a goofball.

Tiger? Okay.

“Oooh, I want a nickname,” Dean added as we drove to the bar.

The packed tropical-themed bar served decent food and weak drinks. Some of the team had already gotten a couple of tables. Gwen, one of the usual servers, took orders.

“Wasn’t your team banned from Tito’s?” I asked Rusty as she came over to me, beer in hand. That eventful night last season involved dancing on the bar, spraying people with beer from the taps, and a brawl.

Usually, they preferred a trendy club owned by some former teammates.

“Seventeen-year-olds can’t go to the Arctic Toilet, so we made amends. We didn’t want to leave our littlest rookie out. It’s tough enough for her. Team Mom’s a good person. Huge heart. I could see her fitting in with your lot.” Rusty looked at Verity who was at a table, reading, as Gwen brought her a glass of something.

“Yeah? Seems a little skittish.” I thought back to how she reacted to Dean’s teasing.

“I’d be skittish too if I had parents like that. I don’t think she’s ever had the chance to learn to be an alpha–especially a decent one.” Rusty shrugged.

Someone called Rusty’s name and I took that distraction to join Verity. She sat there reading a paperback. Taken by the Orc Assassin. I liked orc books, too, but I had a feeling they were very different genres. Though, I’d read some romantasy. Smiling to herself, she highlighted something with a sparkly highlighter.

“You know this is a bar, not a library?” I slid into the other seat at the table.

She looked up from her book. “Hello, Alpha Jonas. Did you know that back in Research Circle, my hometown, we have a bar called the Library?”

“Where I went to university it was a strip club.” That way, you could honestly tell your parents you were at the library.

“You were the main act?” She gave me an appreciative look.

Or rather, my tattoos. I’d shed my suit coat and rolled up my button-down to expose my arms. My piercings were back in. Did she have tattoos? Or piercings?

“Bouncer. So was Grif.” It was a decent place to work–and we took no shit from patrons.

“Bouncer, I could see it.” She nodded appreciatively.

“I know you’re being proper, but you don’t need to call me Alpha Jonas.” It felt weird. However, I appreciated that she tried to go about this properly and not worm her way into our pack.

Or simply try to take him. Not that she’d be successful. But it told me a lot about her.

“What if I like calling you that?” She sipped her soda.

Now this sassy little alpha I liked–not the one filled with fear. Fear didn’t protect the pack. Sass, well, after growing up with my sister and Charlie, I knew better than to underestimate the power of sass.

Where was AJ? I looked at my phone and saw he’d texted that he’d be late . He needed to meet Verity.

I wasn’t sure what was going on with him and Grif right now. AJ had liked Grif forever, and while they sometimes slept together, I’d fully expected AJ to court Grif as soon as he’d gotten signed to the Knights.

They could be waiting for the pack contract, which made sense. It was difficult for an omega to be separated from their bonded mate. Dean and Grif were waiting to bite each other for the same reason.

There might be some initial jealousy from AJ, given he’d been waiting for Grif for a while. Still, I had a feeling that Verity and AJ would get along fine. There was plenty of Grif to go around.

Also, if Verity were a beta or omega, she’d be exactly AJ’s type. Smart, polished, educated, and easy on the eyes.

“Why are you reading in a bar? I love reading, but I prefer to read in silence,” I added. Like the library on the second floor of our place.

“They’re her team, not mine. I’m just the chaperone. It’s only for one year, but I have significant responsibilities to ensure my sister’s not in breach of contract until she turns eighteen. She might be emancipated, but they still have rules for her.” Her look turned wistful as she glanced over to the table of younger Maimers.

“Do you have to attend everything? Even away games?” Their schedule was as demanding as ours.

She shook her head. “Not everything. They do like me to attend what I can. Also, extra things keep coming up. Like rookie stuff. Or hanging out in bars with books.”

“Sounds like a good social media channel,” I joked. “But I understand. We have a lot of that, too.” It was why I was so happy that we all lived together now.

Her smile lit up her face. “What sort of books do you like?”

“I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi. I also love mythology. As a kid, we traveled a lot for my dad’s work. I love comparing stories across cultures.” My soft spot was for Norse mythology and the Korean folklore my pop used to tell us.

Verity nodded. “Mythology is great. I’m teaching a plant mythology class next semester.”

“That sounds fun. You’re a teacher?” I thought she was a student.

She laughed. “No. But I’m teaching a little while I’m getting my PhD. One day, maybe.”

“My little sister’s a teacher. History,” I replied. She taught at a fancy boarding school upstate. I’d tried to convince her to teach at one here in the city, but she loved it there.

“Mercy would love her. That’s my sister’s plan for after retirement: teach high school history and coach skate smash.” Verity glanced over at her sister and her friends again.

“Not a bad plan. I think I’d like to coach hockey, maybe even my old university team. Or do something with stats. Dean’s thinking of going the trainer or physical therapist route. He’s taken some classes in the off-season,” I told her. “I’m not sure what Grif’s plan is now. I hope you enjoyed the game. You made Grif so happy tonight.”

“I did?” Relief washed over her face. “Part of me worried that the sign and cake pops were too much. I wanted to show I cared, but I tend to go overboard. I don’t want to make it weird. This is all new to me.”

Alphas did go overboard. It was our nature.

“It was perfect. Overstepping would be if you were in his stall in the locker room wearing nothing but the sign–and only because it would get the both of you in trouble,” I smirked. The team had rules about locker room shenanigans.

The Knights had three packs on pack contracts. There was nothing like catching Nakey and Pauley going at it in the showers.

She laughed. “That would be a sight. Not sure I can fit in there.”

“As long as you’re not after him for the wrong reasons, please make him happy. What are your intentions? Did you just want to date him and see what happens? Do you intend to court him? Not sure?” I asked. “I’m curious.”

Courting was traditionally between alphas and omegas–a way for alphas to prove they could care for an omega with an intent to mate with them. Nowadays, some alphas wooed their betas the same way. Just like more alphas and omegas were dating first. Seeing if they worked, finishing their education, and getting their careers going, before mating.

Verity thought for a moment. “The first for now. I’d like to take it slow, and the season will be busy.”

“Jonas, do you want anything?” Gwen appeared in the cutoffs and Hawaiian shirts the servers here wore. Her pink hair was in some sort of trendy, lopsided cut, with a little braid in it.

“Dean was supposed to get me something,” I told her. Gwen was a NYIT student and part of the Knight’s goalie development program, where students worked with our coaches and acted as emergency backup goalies for the team.

“Okay. Oh, Carlos gave me a cake-pop, and it was amazing.” Gwen bounced off to another table.

“Verity, I'd like to invite you over so we can all get to know each other better,” I told her.

“I’d love that. Thank you.” Verity visibly relaxed. “I haven’t met AJ yet. Maybe I should make an appointment at his work since that’s where he spends all his time?”

“We’ll figure something out. AJ’s a good guy. You played fútbol, didn’t you? He loves to watch it.” We compared calendars and found a day that would work.

Verity’s head turned and her hand moved out slightly. In a moment, Grif was at her side, her arm around him.

“Hey, Gorgeous, your cake pops were delicious. Did you enjoy the game?” He gave her a kiss on the temple as he set down his drink.

“You played so well, Tiger.” She beamed, and Grif ate up the attention.

This was amusing. I wasn’t used to him being like this. Dean, but not him.

“Would you know a bad game?” I asked, curious if she knew anything about hockey.

“No,” she laughed. Her entire face lit up. It was almost magical.

Dean joined us and handed me a beer, half-perching on my lap. He waved. “What do you drink, Verity?”

“Tonight, soda. When I’m not a chaperone, vodka pineapple or white wine,” she replied. “My big sister’s into bourbon and has been teaching me about it.”

Grif nodded. “That peach bourbon was nice.”

We sat and talked. Well, Dean and Grif attempted to teach her about hockey by using her sparkly highlighter to draw pictures on napkins. It was nice. Natural. While I knew we might need another alpha eventually, I hadn’t expected it to happen like this.

I’d need to build her up a little. Encourage her more. Alphas were born, but good alphas were made.

Considering the game Grif had just played, we’d take whatever we could to keep the pack together. Including a little alpha who liked plants and romance novels.