The Alpha’s Fight for His Omega by Jess K

Chapter 54

Winnie

“Hello, Winnie! Nice to see you!” Rebel holds up her glass for me with a big cheer. She has switched places with Logan to sit on my left side when I walk up to the table.

Alice, however, isn’t sitting down. She stands up from her seat and gets this sparkly look on her face before coming to hug me. “Winnie!”

“Hi!” I hug her back. “How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you?”

Before I can answer, Nathan speaks. “Here she comes, my biggest rival in love: Winnie. I swear there is a romance going on here…” he sighs but hides a smile.

“Happy to see you too, big guy,” I tell him and pat his shoulder. “Have you gotten thinner?”

He snorts. “Shut up! I’m working out harder than ever!”

I grin. “It shows—I’m just teasing!”

People around the table snicker, including Logan. I feel welcomed sitting by the large table the Plaza Hotel has assembled for us.

“Oh, and since you wondered, I’m feeling pretty okay,” I inform Alice and beam at her. “Mark won’t be joining us, though. He needed to take care of something urgent.”

“We saw,” Alice sits down beside me, grimacing. “But you’re fine, right? We kind of assumed it was a friendly date anyway.”

“Oh, it was,” my eyes flicker to Jake, whose cold expression turns less icy after hearing me confirm I’m not into Mark. Interesting…

“I

was probably mad because I told him, “I don’t date nice guys, and then I went

Kelly, who I’ve never met before, says in a rather bitchy

confused by the other woman’s attitude, before

Kelly claps her hands, and Alice looks at me questioningly. I shrug at her-I don’t know

I shake away all negative energy and jealousy and focus on my friends. I’m

***

hockey guys I don’t know well aren’t with us. It’s Nathan, Alice, Logan, Rebel, Kelly, Jake, and me—the single girl who feels awkward not cuddling with

so she is cuddling with Nathan.

And Kelly? She is drunk, clinging to Jake’s forearm and talking shit about me.

this idea that I can’t hear her. Jake is currently busy ignoring her. He called a cab for her. That, my friend,

weren’t exclusive or serious, and I will

laugh, and have fun, and once Jake is alone, Rebel smirks at me.

small of my back. While drinking, I told her of my plans, and now even Logan is cheering me on. “Tell him how you feel. It’s

swallow thickly. “Okay, here

corner of the bar. Jake is talking to some girl, and my heart pounds faster and faster. Can I do this? Yes. Yes, I

my blood is boiling when he is in the same room or paying me attention. I’m already dizzy, and when he looks up and tilts his head, smiling, I almost bail. My stomach does this unwelcome flip,

awkward standing in front of him. The girl

are

beats me to it by saying, “Winnie,

There you are!”

hug and lifted up from the ground while the girl stares at us. I’m shocked. The girl is shocked.

laugh. “What did you do that for,

was rude to you, so I made

Jake to do that for me, and he makes a smug face as I stare at

I’m embarrassed. It’s as if my brain just now realizes that we are practically hugging. My hands are on Jake’s broad shoulders, eyes locked onto his face. I don’t know what to say or where to go, and