Walking down the hall, I roll my neck, going to find my Pack mate Silas so we can go the hell home as the interaction plays on a loop in my head. I get closer to the locker room door, and I see Deacon and the rookie Malcolm rushing together to get out of here, probably because of their new mate.
Then next comes Chase, who was… also recently mated. And Kane and…
Holy shit.
Did she.. Did she know? About the shop owner?
Was I just set up?
CHAPTER THREE
SILAS
The too-hot-to-breathe shower steam of the locker room is beaten back by the rush of air conditioning in the corridor. I use my towel to wipe the building sweat at my hairline as my body instantly cools off now that I’m out of the locker room.
Nothing makes me more uncomfortable than sweatingaftera shower, and with everyone thinking the shower temperature needed to be set to 100 degrees, I needed to get the hell out of there, despite having time to kill since my mate is off doing something for our PR Manager, Marilyn.
Since our team was on a losing streak we couldn’t recover from, Marilyn was put in charge of getting our act together. Our issues went beyond the ice, I guess, and since she’s started meddling in things outside ofher role as a PR manager, we finally have a few wins under our belts.
Marilyn has a funny way of including us in this whole plan to rebrand our hockey team. She was unconventional, and maybe that’s why this was working?
My dark knight mate rounds the corner, with black hair and piercing green eyes, always filled with some sort of worry. He keeps it buried deep, but can’t hide it from me. He’s muttering as he walks, heading for the locker room, eyes wide as he stops, mid-stride, deep in thought.
My gut tingles as he comes closer. Thorne has been my rock since diapers. He lived in the same neighborhood growing up in Michigan, where we played before being traded here.
Living a few houses down made us close, but there was his scent, a hint to me that we were going to be more than friends. More than just Pack mates. My childhood crush turned out to be my scent match.
I knew from my first boner at 14, while we were practicing drills in the backyard, and he fell on me, Thorne was mine. We started as friends, of course, but then middle school feelings started to hit, and jealousy was crazy between us.
It wasn’t until high school that I finally admitted my romantic feelings for him. He took a while longer. His parents are traditional and strict, to say the least, so hehad a load to unpack there before he could be with me. He knew we were meant to be Pack, but being romantically involved was new for him.
I grew up in a bigger Pack, with four dads who loved the ground their omega walked on, so it wasn’t a far-fetched idea for me. Thorne had two parents, an alpha dad and omega mom, who both worked so much they rarely saw him. When they did bother to see him it was to ridicule him. Remind him he’d never be perfect enough for them despite him trying his hardest. The day Thorne went no-contact with them, was the day after I bonded with him. Since then he’s been working on reversing all the shit they put into his brain and I couldn’t be more proud of my mate. He doesn’t need them, he has me, and Havoc.
As I get closer to him, I hear a name. He just keeps repeating the name over and over again like it’ll manifest or something.
“Who's Noah?” I ask, sliding my arm around his shoulders. His strong cherry scent makes me want to take a bite out of him. I stare at where my bond mark is at the base of his neck under his shirt, and I’m half tempted to turn my lips over it.
My Pack mate was never the kind to share his thoughts outright, but for him to be muttering to himself, it must be something serious. “Whose ass do we have to kick?”
“No ass-kicking, she’s a–she… she runs the business outside the arena.” He hasn’t looked directly at me, and I can tell I’m not gonna like where this is going.
Noah is a she? Since when had he been into girls? Since when has someone had him muttering to himself like this?
“Which one?” I ask all the little shops on the street right outside the arena running through my brain, but none stand out.
“The blankets one.” Nope. Nothing comes up for me.
“I don’t know that one. What did she do? Is everything okay?” I ask. I let my gaze fall over him. He’s in his normal after-practice attire — sweats and a t-shirt. “Where’s your jacket?” It’s not cold by any means, but it isn’t exactly hot either.
“Left it in my locker. It’s just–” He cuts himself off and shakes his head. “Her scent.”
“Her scent? What about her scent? Spit it out, Thorne.” Panic starts deep in my core and spreads through my chest like a wildfire. Her scent?
Why didn’t I go with him? I scrunch my brows in frustration.
“She smells so good. No, fucking great, Silas.” I grimace as he talks. Anyone can smell good. I’ve come across scents that smell good, great even. But–
Thorne hasn’t acted this way since… Havoc
