I WOKE UP AS MY HOCKEY ALPHA'S GIRLFRIEND

CHAPTER 12

Mary

Emily Carter was ruining my reputation. And the worst part was that she didn’t even realize it.

Defending an Omega in front of the cheerleading squad?

I would have genuinely preferred she dumped spoiled milk on my head, let Joye claw my face, or started a public fight instead.

But no.

She stood there preaching morality like some rejected saint.

I was Mary Saint Laurent.

I was not an Omega defender.

I was not some scholarship charity case begging for social equality.

I was rich, influential, and dating Ethan Sparrow, the future Alpha. I had absolutely nothing in common with Omegas except unfortunately sharing oxygen with them.

Honestly, if Alpha King Darius hadn’t decided to start accepting scholarship students, half the people in this school wouldn’t even be here.

Northwood High was built for powerful wolves. Not weaklings who had wolf issues. And yet Emily stood there acting like I was the villain for understanding how the school worked.

And now school was over.

Emily had already left in my car, probably enjoying cooled seats and luxury while pretending to hate my life. Meanwhile, I stood outside the school building trying not to lose my mind. Because I had missed the stupid school bus.

Not that I wanted it anyway.

That bus ride this morning had been traumatic enough. The seats were cramped, the noise level was criminal, and Grace spent half the trip trying to talk to me while I ignored her with headphones. I could already feel myself nearing my limit.

Another two days in Emily’s life and I might actually snap and tell Grace to take her Omega energy somewhere else.

I folded my arms tightly and glanced around the nearly empty parking lot. Maybe Emily’s family could afford ride apps. Then again, judging from that house, maybe not.

I was still debating whether walking home was going to be possible and how the hell I was going to find the house when headlights flashed into the compound.

A black car rolled toward me slowly.

I straightened slightly, frowning, and ready to curse at the driver whose life mission looked like they wanted to kill me. Then the driver’s window rolled down.

Col.

At least, Emily Carter’s life wasn’t completely tragic. She had a crush who was sensible enough to remember she had extracurriculars today and would miss the bus.

Her brother?

All he thought about was playstation.

I watched him pull up beside me, one hand resting casually against the steering wheel.

“You look stranded,” he said.

I walked toward the car carefully, pretending I wasn’t excited about the fact that he came to pick me up.

“I didn’t order a ride.”

“A little birdie told me you were stuck here.”

“Well,” I said smoothly, opening the passenger door, “That little birdie was correct.”

I slid into the seat gracefully, reminding myself that I was only doing Emily a favor.

Honestly, Omega girls like Emily rarely attracted decent mates. They were Omegas. Who wanted an Omega? Absolutely no Alpha wolf.

And Col?

Col was attractive enough. Very attractive, unfortunately, for an Omega. So, I might as well help the poor girl upgrade her life, and give her a man. Maybe she won't be too focused on chemistry like she shared a bond with it.

As I adjusted in the seat, I caught him staring at me slightly.

Amused.

Like he was trying to solve a puzzle.

“What?” I asked.

He smiled faintly and started the engine. “You’ve changed.”

I leaned back casually. “How?”

“For starters…” His eyes flicked toward my hair. “You’re finally wearing your curls properly.”

I smiled slightly. Emily wore her hair like she hated them.

“These curls?”

He nodded seriously. “Yeah. They look good.”

I stared at him briefly.

“Great things happen after one concussion, maybe.”

“Did Dylan tell you I had a concussion?” I asked suspiciously. It had to be him.

“Adrian,” he corrected with a laugh. “And yes.”

Oopsie.

I couldn't even remember my brother's name.

Before he started driving, he suddenly leaned toward me. I froze immediately like someone pressed pause on my body.

My breath halted slightly.

Col was close enough for me to notice how unfairly attractive he looked up close. His cologne smelled warm and annoyingly addictive.

And the worst part?

I didn’t move away.

I couldn't.

I genuinely thought he was about to kiss me. And stupid me. My eyes squeezed shut, ready to kiss him too. But I didn't feel his lips brush against mine. Instead, he reached past me calmly and pulled the seatbelt across my body.

Click.

“There,” he said easily, still looking at me with amusement. “Wouldn’t want trouble with the cops.”

I opened my eyes after realizing it was just the damned seat belt. Heat rushed into my face instantly.

Gods.

That was embarrassing.

And judging from the tiny smile tugging at his mouth, he definitely noticed.

Good thing he saw Emily Carter, not Mary Saint Laurent.

He still hadn’t moved back fully. The distance between us remained painfully small that I could feel his uneven breath. Then his hand lifted again.

My stupid heart—no, Emily’s stupid heart reacted immediately. This time he definitely wanted to kiss me.

There was no logical reason for him to keep leaning this close otherwise. His fingers brushed gently against my curls for a few seconds before he pushed them away from my face, and tucked them behind my ear carefully.

“I always liked your hair like this,” he said softly. “Looks like your concussion version is better.”

I stared at him.

What kind of strange flirting was this?

“The old Emily barely let anyone talk to her,” he continued.

His hand lingered slightly near my ear. Then his gaze drifted lower, toward my lips. My breath stuttered again.

For one ridiculous second, the entire car felt too small. Then he straightened casually and started driving like he hadn’t almost caused me hypertension.

I stared out the window immediately, trying to recover from whatever had just happened.

Absolutely not, I thought.

There was no way Emily Carter’s brother’s best friend had secretly been in love with her this whole time.