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

“I don’t date nice guys, and then I went here with Mark. He

who I’ve never met before, says in a rather bitchy tone. “I would like for us to order

blinks in surprise, seemingly confused by the other woman’s attitude, before

at her-I don’t know why Kelly dislikes me. Unless Jake told her about me or something?

away all negative energy and jealousy and focus on my friends. I’m here to have fun.

***

at the hotel anymore, but getting drunk at a bar. The hockey guys I don’t know well aren’t with us. It’s Nathan, Alice, Logan, Rebel, Kelly, Jake,

a babysitter, so she is cuddling with Nathan. He has called a

And Kelly? She is drunk, clinging to Jake’s forearm and talking

can’t hear her. Jake is currently busy ignoring her. He called a cab for her. That, my

confess my feelings. Mark said Jake and Kelly weren’t exclusive or serious, and I

and have fun, and once Jake

she pushes the 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 not wrong-the guy

“Okay,

Logan and Rebel by the bar and set the course for the corner of the bar. Jake is talking to some girl, and my heart pounds faster and

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

in front of him. The girl scowls at me and

who are you?”

but Jake beats me to it by saying, “Winnie,

There you are!”

know it, I’m squeezed into a hug and lifted up from the ground while the girl stares at us. I’m shocked. The girl is shocked. And

laugh. “What did you do that for,

soft. “She was rude to you, so I made sure to put

thudding in my chest speeds up. I’m speechless. I didn’t expect Jake to do that for me, and he makes a smug face as I stare at him. Eyebrows lifted, and a huge grin. “Your heart is beating really

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 his amusement grows.