Page 37 of Knot Only His

“Look, we can’t move forward with Harlow until she acknowledges what she is,” Coach says, leaning back in his chair.

The weight of it presses down on me. “What? It’s like you’re waiting for her to have this epiphany,” I reply, fingers drumming on the table. “Yet, she might be on a date with an alpha and he might claim her.”

Parker’s eyes flicker with frustration. “We still can’t push her.”

Anger fuels my gut. “We should have scent marked her. That would have made her reveal within days. We should’ve started when she came to the ice.”

“No,” Coach hisses. “Right now, her being an alpha is also her saying she doesn’t want a pack—she doesn’t want us.”

“At least she is closer to us than ever before,” Asher says.

“What do omegas suppress their designation with?” Coach asks.

“She might be a late revealer,” Asher adds. “Her sister revealed late. Maybe she’s going to do the same thing.”

“I don’t know,” I admit, shaking my head. “But when she does…when she accepts who she really is, everything changes.”

Ash’s brow furrows. “And what if she never does?”

“We have to find a way.” My voice hardens as frustration spills over. “We can’t keep dancing around this like it’s some cute little secret.”

Coach rubs the back of his neck as he leans forward. “You think scent marking will help?”

“It might,” I reply slowly, contemplating my next words. "And she deserves to know who she really is.” I sigh. “Just one problem.”

Asher and Coach turn to me.

“One other person believes she’s an omega.” I pause for a moment and say, “Carver Sinclair.”

Asher nods. “You mentioned that before to me.”

“How does he know?” Coach asks, taking a seat.

“It happened after a game. He knew I knew. I knew he knew. He saw me and warned me away from her, telling me she was his brother’s girl. That’s when I realized he knew. We argued…”

“Then time isn’t on our side,” Coach finally concedes. “It’s not an age thing, but I have been thinking about this for a few days now. I need an omega to safeguard Jagger’s future and, to be honest with you, I can't stop thinking about Harlow, but now I might have to give up on her. I need someone who protects Jagger's future. I can’t afford to wait for Harlow if Carver Sinclair will ruin everything.”

“He won’t ruin anything.” My chest tightens at the thought of our pack with another omega and not Harlow.

I’ve waited for her. I asked Asher to wait for her. I promised she was ours.

I sigh.

The wait gnaws at me like a wolf pacing outside its den, hungry for something it can’t quite reach. Harlow stirs something in me, a pull I can’t ignore, yet here we are, standing at this impasse.

A moment stretches in silence, as the tension hangs like smoke in the air.

Asher breaks the stillness, standing up to grab a bottle of bourbon from the cabinet. He pours each of us a glass, the amber liquid catching the light from the lamp in the corner.

I take a sip, letting the warmth wash over me.

It steadies my nerves, grounding me for what’s ahead.

I look at Coach Parker, who’s leaning back in his chair, deep in thought.

“I’m prepared to put in the application to be a fully fledged pack,” I say, my voice steady despite the swirling uncertainty. I’m the one who held back on the application, because I’d been in secret talks with the New York Bears to be nearer to Harlow. But now she is here. “And thatwill tell them we’re not only committed to each other, but to finding our pack omega.”

Coach’s gaze sharpens at my words. “You think that’ll help?”

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