I just walk to the door, open it, and step through into the hallway.
The click of it closing behind me is my only response.
CHAPTER 9
The Chase
~ETIENNE~
The door clicks shut behind her, and the sound echoes through the apartment like a gunshot.
For a moment, none of us move. The silence stretches, thick and uncomfortable, filled with the ghost of her presence and the lingering sweetness of her scent. Vanilla sugar and frosted roses, now tinged with something sharper. Something hurt.
I stare at the closed door, my coffee cup still warm in my hands, and feel something inside my chest crack.
Then I turn on Rafe.
"Fuck, Rafe, really?" The words come out sharp, angrier than I have ever heard myself sound. "Why are you such a fucking douche? What the hell is wrong with you?"
Rafe huffs from his position by the kitchen counter, crossing his arms over his chest with that infuriating dismissiveness that makes me want to throw my coffee in his face.
"She is just a temporary roommate." His voice is flat, unapologetic. "She will be out by Valentine's Day. Gone. Back to whatever arranged marriage bullshit her family has planned. Why should I care about hurting her feelings when she is not going to be here long enough for it to matter?"
He shrugs, like he did not just emotionally gut someone who was finally starting to smile.
"Unless you are suddenly smitten for the Omega." His gray eyes narrow with something that looks almost like accusation. "In which case, feel free to go after her. Chase her down the hallway like a lovesick puppy. I do not care if I hurt her feelings. She needs to toughen up."
Smitten.
Is that what this feeling is? This ache in my chest when she cries? This need to protect her from everything, including my own packmate?
I open my mouth to respond, but I do not get the chance.
Cal moves faster than I have ever seen him move off the ice.
One second he is sitting in his chair, amber eyes blazing with barely contained fury. The next second, his fist is connecting with Rafe's gut in a punch that has the full weight of his body behind it.
Rafe doubles over with a wheeze, the air forced out of his lungs in a sound that would be satisfying if I was not so focused on Mae and where she might have gone. He staggers backward, catching himself on the counter, one hand pressed against his stomach as he coughs and gasps for breath.
"What the fuck, Cal!"
Cal does not back down. His hands are clenched at his sides, his shoulders rigid with rage that goes deeper than a morning argument about roommates.
"So you think it is funny?" His voice is low, dangerous. "You think it is amusing because you came from some rich prodigy family with your trust fund and your fancy cars and your never having to worry about where your next meal comes from?"
Rafe straightens slowly, still wincing.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"You forget, Rafe." Cal takes a step closer, getting in his face. "My family was fucking broke. In the dumps. Homeless once, too. Sleeping in our car for three months while my parents tried to figure out how to keep us fed."
The words land like stones dropped into still water.
I knew Cal's family had struggled before his hockey career took off. Knew there were years of scholarships and sponsors and grinding to make it work. But I did not know about the homelessness. Did not know the depths of what he had survived.
Rafe says nothing.
For once in his life, the captain has nothing to say. He just stands there, still clutching his stomach, his gray eyes flickering with emotions I cannot fully read. Shame, maybe. Or surprise. Or the realization that he fucked up worse than he thought.
