“Ash!” I whirl around when I hear my name.
Liam’s careful posture and Pierce’s broad shoulders are unmistakable, even from a distance. My stomach drops to my knees. Pierce stands with his arms crossed, scanning the crowd. When his eyes land on me, his whole body goes still. And mine lights up like a pinball machine.
Shit.
“Hey,” I manage as I reach them, my voice barely carrying over the crowd noise.
“You made it,” Liam says, leaning in to kiss my cheek. His hand at the small of my back makes me want to melt into him.
Pierce, bouncing on the balls of his feet, leans in and kisses my cheek too. It’s awkward and his lips burn my cheek. I take a deep breath like I have to confirm what Bella said, but back up immediately.
“Beckett’s already with the team,” Liam explains, his hand at the small of my back to guide me forward. “We’ll watch from Alexei’s box.”
I nod, hyperaware of Pierce’s proximity as we navigate through the security checkpoint. The arena is a concrete maze of corridors and staircases, filled with the smell of nachos, beer, and too many bodies. Liam efficiently leads the way, checking his phone periodically, while Pierce walks slightly behind me. I can feel him there without looking, like a physical weight against my back.
It doesn’t mean he’s my scent match. He’s just… in my head.
A group of alphas in Scorpions jerseys pushes past, loud and already drunk. One bumps into me, nearly knocking me off balance. Before I can steady myself, Pierce’s hand presses against the small of my back, firm and warm.
“Careful,” he murmurs with a growl in his voice, like it was my fault.
“I’m fine,” I snap, more harshly than intended.
Liam glances back, eyebrow raised at my tone. Pierce’s expression doesn’t change, but his hand drops immediately.
We pass a concession stand selling corn dogs. A vivid memory flashes through me. We went to the state fair. Pierce flirted with the girl until she gave us all corn dogs. Reed loved them.
Reed loved Pierce.
And Pierce left Reed bleeding on our living room floor. There’s something not right about that night.
“You okay?” Liam asks, falling into step beside me. “You look like you’re about to bolt.”
“Just crowds,” I say. “Not a fan.”
“It’ll be quieter upstairs.”
Pierce trades one of those complicated hand-shake-half-hug things with the security guards stationed at a set of velvet ropes blocking off a bank of elevators. When the door opens with a happy ping sound, Pierce holds the door, motioning me inside first. The space is small, too small even though a dozen more people could fit in. The second the doors close, I know Bella is right.
Pierce’s scent, like fresh laundry, cozy sweaters, squishy nests, birthday parties, and summer days is everywhere. It makes me believe everything might be okay someday. And then, like his scent claims me, a wave of lust runs up my spine, making me shiver.
Pierce rubs his nose and blinks rapidly.
“Get punched lately?” I want to snatch the words out of the air and stuff them back into my mouth.
He looks me up and down and smiles.
“The day is young.”
Liam snorts. “Don’t you dare get us blacklisted from Alexei’s parties.”
“Alexei loves me, that will never happen.”
The elevator door slides open, and Liam steps out first, holding a hand out for me. Suddenly, my body remembers what it felt likeriding him, his cock deep in me. Pierce gestures for me to follow. I step into the hallway, not taking his hand because I can’t trust myself. My borrowed heels sink into the plush carpet. We approach a set of double doors with “Volkov” etched in gold on a sleek plaque. Liam knocks once before pushing them open, and I’m hit with a wall of scent that makes my lungs seize.
I freeze in the doorway, overwhelmed. The luxury box is something out of a movie. Dark wood paneling gleams under recessed lighting, sleek leather seating arranged in tiers facing floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the ice below. A private bar stretches along one wall, staffed by betas in immaculate uniforms. The gentle clink of crystal and ice cuts through murmured conversations.
And alphas, huge men, are everywhere. That’s what stops me in the doorway. The room is filled with alphas in tailored suits. Their collective scent forms a suffocating cloud.
