Page 45 of Finding the Forward: Part One
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 youdon’tneed 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 beexactlyAJ’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.
