“She is,” Nick says. This poor unfortunate soul doesn’t stand a chance. I give him a smile that I hope is friendly and doesn’t scream that I pity him. Hopefully when Piper breaks his poor little heart, she does it softly.
Eli and Piper come crunching back in the snow with wristbands. Piper hands Nick his, and Eli puts mine around my wrist before kissing the side of my head. I may not be able to feel his lips through the material of my hat, but I feel cozy just from the gesture.
Eli takes my hand, and we all walk as a group over to the ski lifts. The lifts are set up for two people. Piper and Nick gracefully get on the lift first, neither of them stumbling or looking like idiots. Eli lets go of my hand and leans in to whisper in my ear. “Sorry, baby.”
“What?”
I barely have a moment to figure out what’s going on as Anders and Eli get on the next lift together. Anders glares at Mikael in a way that screams don’t be a fucking asshole, while Eli gives me a look that says he’s sorry.
“Looks like you’re stuck with me,” Mikael grumbles next to me. We walk to the waiting area, and the next chair swings around. I’m a little slow to sit, and Mikael steadies my arm, making sure I’m stable before dropping the top rail. “You good?”
I nod my head and watch as the ground gets farther and farther away from my feet. Not a great moment to remember that heights aren’t my favorite thing. I scoot just a little closer to Mikael.
“I wonder how many people die from falling off of these things every year.”
“That’s fucked up,” Mikael says.
I shrug and take in the view. A thick blanket of white surrounds the area. Massive pines are weighed down with heavy snow, and skiers glide down the mountain. But as pretty as it is up here, I can’t help but look at Mikael. I thought for sure that he would take in the scenery, but nope, he’s staring right at me. His deep brown gaze analyzes me, and I can’t read him at all.
“Why do you hate me?” I say it so quietly I’m not even sure he hears.
“I don’t hate you.”
“It feels like you do.” That’s when his gaze breaks away and a hand goes to his face.
“I don’t hate you, Charlotte.”
Should I be getting wet from the Alpha who has been nothing rude to me saying my name? Probably not. But here we are. I wore special panties, but I can tell he scents me when he groans.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No.”
“Do you not like women?”
He glares at me, and he scowls. “I like women.”
“Do you not find me attractive?”
“For fuck’s sake. You know you’re pretty, Charlotte.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s either you or hockey.”
I blink at him, trying to decipher his words, and I remember what Piper said earlier—that if she found her scent match, she might not continue medical school.
“I’m not asking you to pick.”
He groans and looks away from me.
“Do you know how many packs there are in professional sports?”
“No.”
“None. Anders and Eli are so caught up in you they aren’t thinking logically. How do we make this all work when the three of us get drafted to different teams? Huh? Pass you around like the fucking brotherhood of the traveling Omega? That’s not fair to anyone.”
I blink at him as his hard stare meets mine. “Hockey is all I’ve ever had. The one thing that’s mine, what I’m good at. The only thing I know how to do. I’m not smart like Anders or well off like Eli. This is literally all I have. I have nothing to offer you if I don’t make it in hockey.”
