I knew he was still in the training room. I could smell him, even through the closed glass door, even through the moist odor of warm, wet wood. His scent was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Like a field of honey-soaked lavender sprinkled with rosemary and thyme, spiced with oak and leather. It was a delicious smell. A plate of the finest, most exquisite ingredients whipped together to make the most tantalizing dish imaginable.
I wanted to devour every inch of him, only so I could lick the plate clean.
That wasn’t all I wanted to do, though. Yes, there was a sexual attraction that was undeniable, but underneath that was another thread that was beginning to wrap itself around my heart. Eli intrigued me. I wanted to know more about him, and not just if he was a top, bottom, verse, or side. I wanted to learn what made him tick. What were his pet peeves, what brought him joy, did he have any hobbies? What kind of shows did he like to watch? Did he like to sit down with a good book, or was he more of a brain rot on social media kind of guy? His humor seemed quick and dry, which was exactly my style. What did he sound like when he was cracking up? The kind of laugh that brought tears to his eyes?
All of these were questions I wondered if I’d ever have answered.
Judging by the fact that the doorstillhadn’t opened, the answer to that was likely a big fat “fuck no.”
I leaned forward. The warm steam swirled around me. Beads of sweat rolled down my forehead.
Maybe it was better that Eli stay far away from me. I couldn’t give him anything beyond empty hookups anyway. A relationship for me was completely off the table. I’d made my peace with that and wasn’t going to change my mind.Especiallynot now when there was either a bloodthirsty hunter in the area or a pack war beginning to brew. The last thing I needed was more attention in my direction. It was a sacrifice I had to make for the good of the pack.
Even if that meant giving up my fated mate.
I had done my research in the last few weeks on the fated mate situation. It was real, and it might have been what was happening, but the eternal and unbreakablebond required commitment and consent frombothparties in order to become fully realized. Right now, it was just a vague(ish) and persistent (as fuck) tug toward Eli, whether it was in the way I kept stealing glances at him in the locker room and on the ice, or the way I just felthappyknowing he was simply in the same room as me.
It was still early. And it was still possible to cut it short before things got even more complicated between us.
Sacrifices weren’t new to me. I’d made many of them throughout my life. Growing up in a single-parent household with a special-needs sister meant I had to step into a caretaker role before I knew how to solve for X in an algebra class. I didn’t blink an eye if someone asked me for something, whether it was family, friends, or teammates. I moved the sun and the moon to make something happen for someone, even if it was at the detriment of my own well-being. It was just part of me.
So if I had to snuff out the flickering flame in my chest that ignited the moment Eli crossed my path, then so be it.
Back to darkness I went.
I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind. It worked for a moment before the empty space was filled with thoughts of Eli. His damn smile, his laugh, his bright hazel eyes, his slightly furry butt that I had to pry my eyes off in the locker room. His prowess on the ice and his smart and strategic mind. He was new, and our first game may have gone to shit, but I could already tell he was going to help lift us up to championship status by the end of the season.
Stop thinking about him.
The door opened, and steam rushed out of the room. It shut again with a heavy thud. The wood floors creaked as a shape moved through the dense fog.
Elijah Sager appeared, wearing a loose towel wrappedlow around his waist. Sharply defined oblique muscles formed a V down his hips that made me want to stick my tongue out and lap like a fucking dog in heat. A light brown trail of hair climbed down from his belly button and disappeared underneath the towel.
I scooched over and patted the empty space next to me. Eli smiled at me and sat down. Only a few inches separated our knees.
“This is nice,” Eli said. “We didn’t have a steam room with the last team I played with.”
“It’s pretty new. Something Emmy pushed for. He heard there was a surplus in the budget and wanted to make sure his team was being treated right.”
“He’s a solid captain. I can tell he’s not just focused on the game but that he cares about us. That’s important.”
“It is. Yeah, we’re a tight team. Like family.” I looked over at him. If only he knew just how much like family we really were.
Not a family. A pack.
Not everyone on the Bobcats team was a shifter, but a good chunk of us were. It helped when it came time to cover for things like full moons and why some of us just didn’t really bruise much. If someone commented that Emmy seemed to have bounced back quickly after a pretty bad knee injury, I’d wave it off and dismiss it as good genetics and a healthy workout routine.
Nothing else. Certainly had nothing to do with the enhanced healing and regenerative abilities inherent in every shifter.
Eli had his hands resting on the bench. I inched mine closer to his. Our fingertips touched, but he didn’t jerk away. “You feel like you’re fitting inokay, right?”
“Oh yeah. Well, I mean, Idid. But after yesterday’s performance, I wouldn’t be surprised if that changes.”
“What do you mean?”
“I messed up last night. So many mistakes. I mean, I even forced a cross-ice pass and took an offensive-zone penalty. Rookie mistakes, but it cost us the game.” His expression scrunched together. His hand balled into a fist before he relaxed it again. It was clear he was still beating himself up about his performance, and that tore me up. I didn’t like seeing him this down on himself.
“Hockey is a team sport. This isn’t tennis, this isn’t chess, it’s not Olympic breakdancing. There are six of us on that ice at a time. We’reallresponsible for yesterday’s loss. Not just you. And besides, it was the first game of the season. Doesn’t mean shit. We just fix our fuckups and win the next one. That’s all.”
