Making a sour face, “But these are happy tears, right?”
“Of course they are. I didn’t know I could make those ones at all.”
She straddles me and peppers kisses across my face, shoulders, and mark.
We end up tangled back together two more times—thoroughly tasting and touching now—before her stomach starts to growl and we finally break for our breakfast feast.
December
18
Anya
“It’s beginning to look a lot like—”
“PUCK THIS!” I interrupt my team happily singing Christmas jingles, as we clean up from practice. Their loud voices echoing against the locker room and tiled walls.
They know what little love I have for the holiday, which seems to make them even more insistent to help me love it. It’s not that I never wanted to love Christmas, but it’s really hard when it’s never been the magical experience for you that it has been for everyone else.
Every day I come in, one of them has decorated my locker and added a new Christmas card. I know they mean well, and it’s not done in an attempt to piss me off, but it’s just not the same. These girls are my teammates, barely friends. They don’t love me. Granted, I have someone who loves me now, but I don’t know what that will mean for Christmas. Hell, I don’t even know if he likes Christmas.
I shoot off a text to Carrie and toss my phone in my locker. Since meeting her, other than Kodi, Carrie has become my best friend. We text daily about anything and everything.
“Oh, come on, Cap. Try singing along. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!” Icelynn wails with her arm wrapped around my shoulder.
When she pulls away, the movement pulls my shirt to the side and she gasps at me. Her eyes dart between my eyes and my mark.Shit.I don’t say anything. I wait for her to say something, but now everyone’s watching us.
“You’re his mate?” she asks, and everyone perks up even further.
I’m floored by the revelation that she has any idea what that means.
The room breaks into absolute chaos. Girls are yelling and jumping and tossing “I told you so" around at each other when Coach comes in and finds me standing there with absolutely no idea what’s going on.
“Y’all can’t do anything gently can you?” She shakes her head at them and pulls a stupefied me into her office. “Here, sit. Let me grab a water.”
She walks with purpose to her small fridge, grabbing me a water, screwing off the cap, and handing it to me. “Drink.”
Not in the mood to argue with her, I drink half the bottle and set it on her desk. “What’s going on?”
“Yeah, I’m not gonna beat around the bush here, Red. So, Kodi is your mate?” She waits for an answer with serious eyes on mine.
Without directly answering her question, in case this is some kind of trap, I pull my shirt away from my shoulder where you can see my snowflake marks.
I’m not prepared for the sappy smile Coach gets on her face, one I’ve never seen.
“I’m happy for you both darling. He’s a polar bear ain’t he?” She tosses it out there so casually, catching me off guard that my jaw drops and words evade me. I nod.
“Wonderful. Now I can tell you that you’re the only human on the team. It’s been hard keeping this from you for all these years, but you were so good the organization let us take a chance on you.”
She must notice the confusion marring my features and goes back in to explain.
“The very large majority of all college and professional athletes aren’t human. They’re shifters. All animals you can imagine. Werewolves dominate hockey. Our team is all wolves other than Ice. She’s an Arctic fox.”
My mind is reeling with this information, but it feels like finding missing pieces to a puzzle you thought you’d given up on understanding, all clicking into place. One specific piece hitting me in the gut with the revelation.
“Is that why I wasn’t selected in the draft?” I ask with as much professionalism and strength as I can.
Coach’s face brightens further. “Well, it was. We can file the appropriate paperwork now and see if you’ve got a chance.”
