Jean scoffs and looks at her perfectly manicured nails. “Convenient, is how it sounds. A poor Omega from nowhere Vermont finding three Alphas headed for the NHL and getting a free ride.”
I gape at the incredibly rude and offensive woman. “I would love for them to be anything other than hockey players.”
“I’m sure. Hockey is the only thing Eli has excelled at. While we may not understand it, we understand his potential for success. Perhaps we could come to an arrangement?”
“An arrangement?” I ask, baffled.
“What would it cost for you to break up with Eli? I don’t really care about the others.”
I blink at her, and I can barely close my mouth.
“Nothing, there’s nothing you could give me to leave Eli.”
Jean hands me a rectangular folded piece of paper, and I open it. It’s a check for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. “Perhaps that number might change your mind?”
“It doesn’t. Are you two going to move seats, or do I need to?”
“Very well. If you won’t see reason, perhaps Eli will.”
“Perhaps,” I say, ripping the check in half and handing it off to her. It’s then a buzzer sounds, and the teams take the ice. My eyes immediately catch Eli's, who looks furious as he sees his parents looking down on me as they leave their seats. I watch him skate over to Anders and Mikael, who all look pissed. I give them a watery smile and a thumbs up to ease their nerves. Eli shakes his head in frustration but skates off as they do their warm-up.
I wrap my arms around myself and focus on the hot goalie stretches that Anders does. I’ve missed watching him do his splits and the hot humping thing on the ice. I really hope they're not too tired to fool around some more tonight.
The announcer shouts at the starting lineup, which is all of my guys. I do my best to shrug off the encounter with the bitches next to me and Eli’s parents as I cheer as loudly as possible for each of them.
The game is intense. Far more violent and fast than the one I watched a few months ago. I watch how Eli commands the ice. It’s obvious why he’s the captain. He’s the one everyone on the front line looks for to make the shot, and he just steals the show. Mikael knocks multiple people onto their ass, and I probably shouldn’t like watching that as much as I do, but it’s kind of hot.
I get so excited every time Anders stops a goal, and I love the smile he gives me when my voice carries over the ice. By the time the first period is over, it’s still 0-0. I’m hoping that I get to see a win. It would suck to have to go home with them after a major loss.
When they come out for period two, it seems like their coach has lit a serious fire under their asses. Everyone skates faster, the hits are harder, and the communication improves. The opposing team ices, and Mikael and some guy are in a faceoff—that Mikael wins. The other player hits him with his stick, and Mikael pushes him up against the glass. He doesn’t hit him, just manhandles him a bit. I know a relative amount about the rules, but I’m not sure why they are both sent over to the bad boy box. Mikael, his coach, and other team members look pissed by the call. He squirts water into his mouth and spits it out.
That… that should be illegal, and I feel like it awakens something in me.
Both teams are down a player, and Eli takes that opportunity. He passes back to a defender, who passes to Eli’s right wing, who passes to him. Like a bullet train, Eli reels back and knocks the absolute fuck out of the puck, then sirens blare that he made a goal. I’m jumping up and down and screaming before I can even think about it. All his teammates hug him, slap his ass with sticks, and grab his mask. I definitely don’t miss his grin in my direction before he skates over to the bench.
“Lucky bitch,” the girl next to me hisses.
Yup, that’s me.
The guys won their game, not by much. It was a close game, and I can’t help but feel like I was a distraction. It was like Eli, Mikael, and Anders kept gazing over at me. I’m not sure if it’s because Eli’s parents were there, or if they were just worried about me.
I try not to overthink it as I drive back to their townhouse. Relief hits me when there are two spots together, and I’m able to manage parking the van myself. I only have to back up two times. It should probably feel weirder than it is to just unlock their front door and walk right in, but it doesn’t. But now I just have to wait for them to get home, and I don’t know what to do with myself. The box from Anders’ mom is in the corner, so I decide to spend some time opening that.
With a knife from the kitchen, I open the box. There’s pink tissue paper and a gold envelope on top with my name in cursive on top. I use my thumb to open the letter, and I’m so fucking thankful I decided to open this today. Especially after that horrific encounter with Eli’s parents.
Charlotte,
It is our pleasure to know our son has found his scent match. He makes us so proud every day, and we worry about him being so far away from his family. To know that he has you is the sincerest blessing. I have some Finnish treats and items in the box along with some pictures of Anders as a boy. We hope that we will be able to meet you soon.
Thank you for bringing so much brightness to Anders’ life.
With love,
Eevi, Kal, Askseli, and Eino
I read the note a few more times, realizing the startling differences between Eli’s and Anders’ parents. Smiling, I fold the note back up and put it in the envelope as I dig into the rest of the box. There are a few pairs of the most comfortable looking socks I’ve ever seen in my life, as well as a colorful knitted hat. There’s something called Salmiakki in a black-and-white checkered box. I open it and take one of the black squares out. As soon as I chew on it, I have instant regrets.
“What the fuck is that?” I say, spitting it into my hand and throwing it in the trash. I eye the rest of the snacks suspiciously. There’s a pink wrapper that says ‘Geisha’ on it, and I take my chances, peeling back the wrapper and taking a bite. I hum as the chocolate washes out the taste of whatever the fuck it was that I just ate.
