Page 100 of Finding the Forward: Part Two
The storm had slowed everything down on the legal front. As far as I knew, Chet was still in jail, waiting to see a judge. Though it wouldn’t surprise me if his family had gotten him out and he was under house arrest somewhere.
Or had fled the country.
Relief flickered through his face. “I’m so happy to hear that. What did you want to talk about?”
“Um.” How did I even say this? “I’m hiding my designation and I’m not sure how much longer I can. I don’t know what to do. People have enough trouble with a beta enforcer. I don’t want to leave hockey. It’s my life. I mean, Dean knows, he was there. My mom didn’t even know until last night. Stu knows.” It came out fast. “Still, what do I do, Coach? Being outed hurt Dean so much and…”
“Breath, Grif.” Coach took a deep breath. “What are you trying to tell me? That you’realsoa hidden omega?”
“Sort of.” Everything tumbled out. Well, most of it.
Coach patiently listened, nodding, but not saying anything.
“So there you are.” I held my breath, waiting to see what his reaction was, fully expecting anger. Because I’d been dishonest for so long.
“Thank you for coming to me, it means a lot,” Coach told me, no anger in his face or voice.
“I don’t want my career to be over. We’re finally together. Stu says it’ll be fine but…” I sucked in a breath, panic overwhelming me. I felt a squeeze of reassurance from AJ and Dean through the bond.
“I know. Could you give me a day or two to think this over? You not being a beta doesn’t mean your career’s over. You’re a valuable player and I’d like to keep you. However, whether you’re a gamma or an omega, you as an enforcer could be a hard sell to management. Even if you’re the best one out there,” he told me. “Unfortunately, stats don’t always override designation bias.”
“Thanks. I can’t guarantee I won’t ever get into fights. But I can hand over my enforcer mantle if that helps me stay.” I’d thought about it a lot during the storm, and I could compromise.
“I appreciate that attitude. I think coming up with a plan before something happens is the right call. You need to take care of yourself.” Compassion filled his face.
“True. I’m feeling good after the snow break.” Though Dr. Arya had been leaving messages. Tomorrow wasn’t just our game against the Royals, but Dean’s birthday. I’d call her after that.
Maybe by then I’d have a plan.
“Thank you for taking this so well. People got so angry with Dean and…” The memories made me shudder.
“I know. Thank you again for trusting me with this. I’ll see what I can come up with. You’re an asset to the team,” he told me.
I stood, feeling like this was a dismissal. “Thanks, Coach.”
Leaving his office, I went over to the administrative area and smoothed things over with legal. My stomach rumbled. Chef should be setting out lunch in our dining room.
My phone buzzed.
Jonas
Where are you?
Me
I was talking to Coach. Everything’s fine. Lunch?
“Grif Graf. I thought that was you. Can I have a word?” Mr. Longfellow appeared. He was an older man, hair completely white, though he still had a full head. He’d been general manager of the Knights for a long time.
“Of course.” I couldn’t exactly sayno,given he was the GM. So, I followed him into his office, not relaxing when he closed the door.
Had someone figured out I was an omega from my locker room encounter with Dean?
I took a seat as Mr. Longfellow sat behind his large wooden desk. Like Coach’s office, it was filled with memorabilia from over the years. His suit was very fancy, as was his watch.
“I don’t hold the Knights responsible for anything that happened,” I blurted. “I already spoke to legal.”
That’s what this was about, right?
