“Oh, you surely did. I hate the way they did you at the Olympics. You deserved gold more than once.”
She offered me a sad smile. “Girl, don’t I know it, but it’s okay. I know it’s coming soon. Are you ready to get started?”
I nodded excitedly. “I mean, yes, but I’m realizing I don’t have any skates.”
Her laugh echoed around the rink. “No worries. Sym took care of that already. I have a custom pair for you.”
She bent down, rummaging around on the bench in front of her. When she stood back up, she held a white box that I assumed held the skates. She handed me the box, and I ripped it open like a kid who’d never gotten a gift in her life. I shrieked when I saw the pink skates and leg warmers waiting for me. I glanced over my shoulder at Sym. He winked with a sly grin.
I took a seat to put the skates on. They were a perfect fit, but this was my first time on blades, and I didn’t feel secure. Soulan immediately went into teacher mode and taught me how to properly enter the rink. Once I was safely on the ice, our lesson began. I had so much fun and cherished every word out of her mouth. She was so knowledgeable and skilled that I knew I would always remember this moment.
Sym moved from his seat to lean against the wall for a better view. He cheered me on and encouraged me, even when I fell. I knew I wasn’t going to master it in one day, but it surely gave me something to look forward to. I couldn’t wait to come back to the rink to practice everything she’d taught me. I couldn’t tell you the last time I was so excited for something like this.
I rushed over to Sym when I was back in the stands. He allowed me to hop on him. He held me up in the air with ease. “You had a good time, Squirt?”
“The best time. Thank you so much for doing this. It was like a dream come true.”
He nodded. “I could tell. You looked really happy out there.”
“That’s what you did.” I pouted because this man was really making it hard to keep my walls in place. I tucked my face in thecrook of his neck so he couldn’t see how delusional he had me feeling or the tears rapidly sprouting to my lash line. It felt so good to be considered in such a thoughtful way. “Let me find out you trying to be a part of my pack,” I whispered.
He chuckled. “Your pack? What the fuck that mean?”
I sat up and looked at him. I subconsciously began to play with his facial hair. “You ever heard of a werewolf?”
He eyed me suspiciously while nodding slowly. “Yeah. . .” He nervously looked around like he was looking for the exits in case I was about to shift into one or something.
I giggled. “Okay, so I’m like obsessed with the supernatural, and I call my family and friends my pack.”
He sighed in relief. “Oh, shit. Okay, I’m definitely trying to be in your pack. What I got to do?”
Unable to resist the urge, I pecked his lips softly. “More of this,” I whispered honestly, heart just wide open and susceptible to whatever came next. Symphony was either going to be the love of my life, or he’d break my heart into a million pieces. There wouldn’t be an in between with us.
He nodded proudly. “Oh, yeah, I’m about to be all up in that muthafucking pack. Gon’ be my pack in a minute. What would that make me?”
I giggled because I knew he was serious. His eyebrows were drawn together like he was really brainstorming on how he could take over my heart, my life, my everything. “The Alpha.”
He nodded his head slowly while a satisfied smirk appeared on his face. “Yeahhh, the Alpha. Can I take you somewhere else?”
Leaning closer so our noses were touching, I said, “You can do whatever you want with me.”
“Whatever?”
I nodded once, tucking my bottom lip. “Whatever,” I confirmed.
“Okay, fuck the rest of my plan then ’cause I need you bad as fuck right now.”
“I need you too.” And I wasn’t saying that just because. My body was yearning to feel his body heat against mine again. Not to mention, he knew exactly what to do with that package he was blessed with. I was going every single time.
“Let’s head out.” Sym set me down then proceeded to bend down and take my skates off for me. My feet were actually a little sore. I would have to get used to the sensation. “I have to break those in. My feet hurt like crazy.”
“I’ll massage them when we get to the crib, baby,” he said without a second thought.
I smiled down at him. “Okay,” I replied sweetly because, what else was there to say?
Once he had my Uggs back on my feet, he reached a hand out for me. We walked out of the rink with him carrying the box with my new skates under his arm. I felt like someone important, walking out of the rink that day. Even though I wouldn’t go on to be an Olympian figure skater, it felt good to pursue a hobby I was interested in all my life.
One second, Sym was pushing the doors of the arena open, and the next, there were multiple flashes of lights, nearly blinding me. Multiple people stood outside the arena, waiting for us with their cameras. They shoved microphones in our faces while shouting questions about Sym's next album and the scandals attached to his name.
