I don’t want to do this here, not with so many people around. There’s going to be press, and the last thing I need is the world to find out who Carson and Reid are mated to like this. And then add a scandal revealing that the goalie of the Royal Alphas is in love with his stepsister? Yeah, that wouldn’t go over well at all.
My mother is going to kill me. She’s going to bury me six feet under in the middle of nowhere so no one can find my body.
The one thing I wanted was to stay out of the spotlight, to live my life without having the world judge me for who I am or what I look like.
And then I have to go and end up mated to two famous hockey players. Now Damien? It’s too much.
I can’t think. I can’t breathe. I need to go.
I text Nina first to let her know I’m taking an Uber home.
After ordering the car, I text my Alphas and Damien that I’ve left. I don’t want them to worry if they come looking for me after the game and can’t find me.
The whole ride home, I stare out the window, confused and anxious. I have no idea what I’m going to say to Damien, or to my Alphas. This is a mess. A big mess.
When I get home, I trudge into the house and up to my room. Throwing my bag onto the ground, I crawl into bed, pull ablanket up over my head, and unlock my phone. I pull up the live feed of the hockey game.
It’s almost over, only five minutes left. I should have stayed.
The Royal Alphas and Scented Scorpions are tied, three to three. I’m sure the crowd is going crazy right now.
I watch as Carson and Reid move along the ice like they were made for it. They’re quick, catching the puck, passing it back and forth between their teammates.
Over the next few minutes, I watch as the two teams steal the puck back and forth from one another, everyone determined to get that win for their team.
Minutes tick by like quicksand, and yet I feel like it’s never going to end.
Then I see it, thirty seconds until the game is over. It looks like it’s going to end in a tie.
My heart pounds, eyes all over the screen as I try to take in everything that's going on. Then someone on the Scented Scorpions has the puck and races for Damien.
I focus on him, watching, waiting. The guy is open, no one else is around to take the puck from him. The Royal Alphas aren’t fast enough. The guy goes for it, taking the shot. I watch as Damien crouches down and waits for it.
My heart stops, my breath stuck in my throat. Is this going to be a win for my Alphas?
Five. Four. Three. The puck flies through the air, and at the last second, Damien’s hand shoots out and goes for it.
I wait. And wait. From the sound of the quiet crowd, so does the rest of the crowd. The buzzer sounds, ending the game.
That's when Damien opens his glove and tosses the puck into the air, letting it fall to the ice. He caught it, blocked the goal.
The game is tied.
The crowd goes nuts, and they get ready for sudden death.
Players get back into position, and the puck drops. Royal Alphas get the puck right away, pushing their way toward the Scented Scorpions’ net.
The other team tries but can’t steal the puck. After some passing back and forth, the Royal Alphas take their shot. The Scented Scorpions’ goalie isn’t fast enough, and it just manages to make it into the net, giving the Royal Alphas the win.
Everyone loses it, cheering and pounding on the glass. I watch Carson and Reid’s shoulders slump in defeat, then the camera is on Damien and his team. Damien takes his helmet off, his smile from ear to ear as he looks up to the crowd, in the direction I was sitting. When he sees I’m not there, the smile falls.
Guilt tightens in my chest, making me curl into FooFoo as I hug her tight to my chest.
The team crowds Damien, celebrating their win. I throw my phone down, burying my face into FooFoo’s soft fur.
Can’t my life just be normal for once?
Why do I have to feel big things so damn hard? For too many people?
