Page 2 of Knot Dead Yet

“Whatever.” Maddox rolled his eyes, but he didn’t say no. He was the quietest member of our pack, but he was also the most generous.

I gave Maddox a fist-bump and walked into the hall. “Anyone hear anything else about the new owner? Mirk?”

“It’s Marcos Birk.” Kane joined us and gave us a look to remind us not to forget the name. “He’s the brother of that ex-governor on the west coast who was involved in that big scandal. Shot up the downtown of an Oregon city, kidnapped his own daughter, and a whole lot of other shit before he was shot by the bodyguards he hired to protect his daughter.”

“I remember that.” Ewan nodded. “Fucking politicians.”

That didn’t bode well. I shouldn’t judge the guy based on his family, but damn. That was fucked up. At least he wasn’t the serial killer that had been terrorizing Manitoba. It had been thebiggest news these past few years, but I was going to make sure our team stole all the headlines with our league win.

We passed windows that looked out onto the rink. The zamboni was slowly going along the ice, leaving a steaming trail in its wake. A desire for a clean slate. That’s what I hope the new owner brought with him.

“If I was him, I’d want far away from that mess. And Winnipeg is pretty far away from most everything.” Alderic joked, waving to the zamboni driver, and got a laugh from everyone except me. I didn’t want Birk to bring any of that drama to my team or my hometown. While I knew I’d get signed on to a team in the NHL at the end of this season, and it wouldn’t be the Winnipeg Jets since they didn’t have spots for our whole pack, my heart would always be here.

We filed down the hall toward the executive lounge where the coach and owner usually talked business with us. I worked my jaw from side to side as I chewed on the new information. It didn’t matter who owned the team. I wasn’t going to let him or any of the mess he brought deter us from a victory. We were too close to the Calder Cup. I’d wanted to win it since I first picked up a hockey stick, and as the senior goalie, it was on me to get us there.

As we neared the lounge, I spotted the coach exit his office at the other end of the hall. A tall man in a dark blue suit followed. Salt and pepper hair, wide shoulders but lean build. An Alpha too. I could tell by the way he held himself. Interesting. Teams limited the number of Alphas on the rooster because we tended to want to lead. We were unusual in that all our Alphas were together on the first line, except for Alderic and Ewan who were Betas. Four in one line was typically a recipe for disaster, but since we bonded as a pack and Kane was our leader, we worked more effectively together than any other team in theleague. Even with Casimir—who wasn’t part of our pack—on defense with Maddox.

Maybe Birk would be sympathetic to us Alphas, or maybe he would try to be more of a dominating prick. It could go either way.

I noticed Kane and Maddox in front of me were staring at the new owner, too, as everyone else entered the lounge. Ewan hollered something about breaking into the closed bar, but as I was about to go into the room to tell him to stay away from the booze, my feet locked in place as a third person exited the office.

Bubble gum pink. That’s the first thing that registered in my mind. Her hair as bright as the phlox in the spring.

And it framed the most beautiful face I’d ever seen.

Every muscle in my body was rigid, and my cock was fast on its way to being so as well. Half hidden behind Birk, she crossed her arms and frowned. My heart hammered. This girl should not ever be unhappy. Fuck, I needed to take her in my arms and kiss her until joy bloomed on her face. I desperately had to see her smile.

Birk turned and said something to her. She held her chin high, not backing down from the Alpha looming over her. Was she his mate? No, too young. She had to be a little younger than me.

She was wearing a big puffy dove gray winter coat which hung open, giving me a brief flash of her bright golden yellow sweater that matched the embroidery on her black boots. The brilliant color made her seem even more magical, having cast a spell over me. If she was coming to the meeting, fuck, there would be no way I’d be able to concentrate on anything Birk said. My dick ached, it was so hard.

My nostrils quivered, making me breathe in deep. I couldn’t smell her from this distance, but at the same time, my body reacted like I could. In front of me, Kane and Maddox werefrozen as they watched the owner and his… daughter? The age difference was right, and there was a resemblance in their facial features.

“Come on, Dad. This is ridiculous.” Her exasperated voice rolled down the hall.

Oh fuck, the new owner’s daughter was an Omega, and my Alpha instincts demanded I go over there to take what was mine.

Nope. It would be the end of my career if I ever considered such a thing.

I spun around and almost slammed into Casimir. He stood staring at the Omega too and didn’t even blink at me.

Shit. Each Alpha on our team had locked on to the girl as his target. If any of us even said a word to her, we were fucked.

CHAPTER TWO – Kienna

Screw my dad, his stupid hockey obsession, and this whole damn trip.

I stormed out of the arena into the parking lot, meaning to wait in the car, but instead, I got behind the wheel and turned on the engine. In a blink of an eye, my fury had me on the road and heading out of Winnipeg. I wasn’t staying here a minute longer.

My dad had promised me Ireland. Ancient castles, cozy pubs, and time to reconnect. He’d been away overseas for nearly a year, and after the nightmare that happened with my uncle Julian and cousin Callista where he kidnapped her and tried to kill her to advance a sleazy senator’s career, we both agreed we needed some father-daughter time. I was his only child, and he was my only parent. I missed the days when I was little and we were so close.

But nope. He bought a hockey team. In the most boring place on the planet.

I slammed on the brakes, barely stopping in time for a red light.Fuck my life.Slapping my hands against the wheel, I threw back my head and screamed.

The elderly couple in the car beside me glanced warily my way.

“Yup, that’s me, the crazy girl stealing her dad’s rental and… What?” I pursed my lips and then sighed. And now what?

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