Page 63 of Begrudgingly Yours
The alpha smiles at me. “I always thought I’d go into hockey professionally. It just seemed like the natural course. I got into college because of it, why couldn’t I make a career out of it?” he voices, reflecting back to his early adulthood. “But then Sam joined Alpha Xi. He was only a year younger than us, but he was radiating with dominance in a way I had never seen on anyone. He argued a lot with our president at the time, and that guy was a real pain. Because of him, we didn’t do right by our philanthropy and we didn’t contribute anything to Bensen like the other Greek houses were.
“After finally being allowed to take over Alpha Xi’s charity planning, Sam asked me to go with him to scout some local events. He wanted to see them up close, see what else he could offer when it came to our own events. Despite the fact thatmost were meant to be fun and a distraction, there was still a lot of sadness there. An unspoken elephant hanging around at these fundraisers. You could feel them thinking about what they would do if they didn’t hit their goal for the evening. It was devastating. But one day, we went to a call center downtown, and they were having a benefit to raise funds for other charities in the city. There were so many different types of social workers there that day, just wanting to lend a hand. It wasn’t like there was one specific thing that moved me, either. It was just the community of it, the empathy you could feel coming off these people. I wanted to be a part of it.”
The smile that I give is bright and vast. Sam has done a lot of good for people and charities alike, and it’s amazing to hear how much Sam’s personal interests affected Everett of all people.
“So, instead of applying for the draft or continuing my degree in sports medicine, I switched over to my BSW. I am enjoying my classes a lot more than I was before. I feel way more fulfilled.”
I look over at Jett and see that his smile is wide, showing just how much admiration he has for his new pack mate. I know what he’s thinking:I just want to play make-believe for money.I’m having the same exact thought.
“I think that’s amazing, Ev,” I tell him, and a bashful blush appears on his normally pale cheeks.
“He’s even thinking about going into habilitation. Well, I guess in some cases it could be rehabilitation, too, huh?” Dax asks as he eats another shrimp dumpling.
Every time I forget, they find some way to remind me of their long-time friendship. The amount of love they have for each other is one of my favorite things about them.
“That sounds like serious work,” I comment, thinking about how sensitive I am. But this is Everett, and he’s probably one ofthe most well-rounded people I know. “Can you promise me that you’ll take care of your own mental health, too?”
The short-haired alpha gives me a serious smile. “Of course.”
After that we talk a bit about Dax’s venture into physical therapy, and how he wants to help hockey players continue to play as long as they can. Jett tells me about some of Dax and Everett’s favorite movies, basically snitching to me because the movies he mentions areawful. We laugh about it, but the other half of our group isn’t deterred. They defend their choices, especially when they tell us about the first time they watched them together.
The natural way they recount these memories makes me fluttery inside. It excites me that they have so many memories together that they can recite for us.
I continue to eat but I realize soon enough that the soup may be comforting, but my real sense of comfort is from the company. Without them here, I wouldn’t feel nearly as secure or safe in my skin, and that realization sits in the forefront of my mind for the rest of dinner.
By the endof our meal, we’re all full and practically buzzing from the evening. I’m smiling so much that my face muscles actually hurt. I’m thinking of ways to extend the evening when something causes my ears to perk up.
“Do what you’re told and eat your food. I bought it, don’t be ungrateful.”
My eyes snap to the next table over, where an older alpha sits with their date. The woman trembles, but still doesn’t eat. Her eyes gloss over as she speaks.
“I don’t like fishcakes. The texture?—”
He slams his hand down on the table. “I don’t care. Don’t be a spoiled brat.”
The sharp lashing of the man’s tongue causes the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. My dates look over as the conversation grows louder and their jaws tense at the sight of the scared woman. Jett takes my hand, hoping to ground me but then something zaps at me with full force.
“Eat your fucking food.”
The bark isn’t even directed at me but it grips me by the throat. For two seconds I sit there traumatized, and then my temper flares.
I stand from my seat. “Hey, asshole!”
The neanderthal that barked at his date looks around for a second before he meets my eyes, surprise evident on his features.
“Who the fuck do you think you are barking at her like that?” I gesture to his date and then—before I can think it through—my hand scoops up the leftover kimchi on our table and throws it right at his face.
The place explodes. Not literally, but people start to stand up like the fire alarm is going off. Chairs scrap across the shiny floors and a few people call out in shock. I’m hauled off by someone and I start to fight them before realizing it’s Dax trying to put me behind him.
The alpha that I just yelled at is up and coming right for me, but before he can make it, I have a wall of alphas between us.
“I wouldn’t even fuckingthinkabout it,” Dax says and his voice is the deepest I have ever heard it.
The alpha starts to scream at him but I can’t hear it over the commotion of everything else, of people running like me throwing some kimchi is equivalent to a real threat.
A tiny part of me is pleased that an omega can cause so much uproar.
It’s absolute chaos after the first punch is thrown. Everett stands over the asshole that’s covered in food, and Dax cusses under his breath. “We need to get out of here.”
