“I love you so much, Owen,” she tells me with a tight squeeze.
“I love you too, Piper.” We kiss, and the nest door opens.
“Can’t leave you two alone for more than two minutes, I swear.” Piper just shrugs her shoulders. She doesn’t release me right away, though I know she could if she wanted to. She just holds us there. It makes me more happy than it should that my Alpha wants more time with me and she wants to start her day being marked by my scent.
“We need to leave in five,” Alexi says, giving me a look that says I’m going to be spending the day smelling like Piper. At least between her scent and my suppressants, I won't have any issues today hiding my designation.
Piper rolls her eyes but unlocks me. A mixture of both of our releases drip out of her, and both Alexi and I watch with fascination. Piper is confident as she lies there with her legs open, letting us watch.
“That’s just mean,” Alexi says.
Piper laughs at his torture and slides her fingers down, dipping into her own cunt and presenting them to Alexi. “A taste for the road?” She arches an eyebrow at him in question, testing him.
He grabs her wrist in his large hands and unceremoniously pops them in his mouth, cleaning them dry, and his pupils widen. When he releases her wrist, he groans and adjusts his hard cock before turning around and walking out of the room mumbling about how we’re the death of him.
I grin down at Piper and give her a kiss before leaving for the day.
* * *
The first game in San Jose has my nerves completely shot. Thank God for Alexi, or I would probably be curled in a ball having a panic attack about seeing my brother and the importance of this game. Sure, I had some nervousness during all the other playoff games, but this is the fucking big one.
Not to mention these are going to be my last games as a professional player. Though I’m ready for the next phase of my life, this feels bittersweet.
It doesn’t help that I’m so over all the medication. My stomach has been hurting, and I feel so ridiculously tired; I’m not sure how I’m functioning. I’m constantly on the edge of needing a nap. At first I thought I was going to maybe go into heat again, but I haven’t been nesting, and even though I pushed my first heat by such a significant amount of time, I don’t think I would go into heat this soon.
It must just be the overexertion, being bonded and still on suppressants. I don’t know. All I know is that I feel unsettled.
“You feeling okay,so´lnyshka?”Alexi asks me while we wait to go on the ice for warm-ups.
“I’ll be fine,” I say, trying to motivate myself for this game. There’s no time to be tired or to have a fucking tummy ache. I’ve got to go out there and perform, I can’t let this team down.
Alexi fists my jersey the way he always does. If you were walking by, you might think it was aggressive. But I know it’s Alexi’s way of claiming me without being too over the top with it while we’re at work.
He leans in so only I can hear his words. “I’m not just your captain, I’m your Alpha on and off the ice. You tell me when something’s wrong, understand?” Alexi can joke around a lot, which I love. But when he’s serious and intense, I nearly can't contain myself. He looks at me like he’s analyzing me, and I sigh.
“I’m just tired, my stomach fucking hurts, and I just want to be home with Piper.”
He gives me a soft smile and looks around. Instead of hugging me, his hand comes to the back of my neck, and he squeezes softly.
“Thank you. Let’s get you some Tums and Tylenol. After we win the game, we’ll call our girl.” I nod, knowing a call won’t be enough. With the two first games being here, I’ll be farther away from her than I’d like.
We’re leaving the tunnels to go on the ice, and Johannson hands me my water bottle.
“Thanks, man.”
“No problem,” he says, skating out with me by the goal, both of us stretching and warming up with the team. I toss my water bottle in the back of the net. The effects of the Tums quickly wear off as I look at the packed stadium.
But what really makes my stomach sink is seeing my brother across the ice doing the same stretches as me.
While he hasn’t outed me, there's this deep sick part of me that needs to beat him during this series. I don’t know why I can’t seem to stop this competition I have with him. But it’s either going to be me or him with the Cup at the end, and I need it to be me.
CHAPTER36
Somehow we’re up in the series 3–1. The Sharks took the first win, and if I’m being honest, Owen wasn’t playing his best that game, and I was also distracted. But since then, we’ve been able to hold the lead. One win in San Jose and now two back to back wins at home.
But unfortunately, we’re back in California. I’m hoping that we take the win here, but Owen seems off again. He’s cutting the crease and stretching prior to the game. I never gave much thought to goalie stretches previously, but now I have to use all my strength to remain focused on my own task.
Piper and Owen’s doctor seem confused by why he’s so exhausted, but they are hopeful that once we’re able to wean him off of his medication and he isn’t doing such a high stress profession, he will have more energy and not feel sick all the time.
