Slater
I jog over to the sideline and grab a towel. I rub it over my head and the back of my neck, relief filling me. It was a win; not a solid one, but a win, nonetheless. We only scored that first goal in the first half, but we kept them from scoring. It's enough that we’ll advance to the next round. “Good game,” I tell Ben when he gets close. He had a few really good saves, keeping us in this game and on the road to the cup.
“Thanks, Man. You too.”
I scowl. We both know it wasn’t a great game for me, but a win is a win. Diego jogs over to where we’re gathered. “Hey, good one.”
He grins, still flying high from being the only one to score in today’s game. “Thanks, Man. Thanks for the assist.”
We head into the locker room, where Coach has a few choice words for us. I know they’re mostly directed at me. Finally, he finishes, and the guys start celebrating. I grab my towel and head to the showers. I’m ready to find Tessa. I’m starving and hope she’s up to grabbing something to eat. It will take me hours to wind down, but I’m hoping to convince her to come over to the house or something. I don’t care what she wants to do; I just want to be near her. I’m the first one to finish showering. “Whoa, Thorne, you got a hot date or something?” Diego calls out.
“He’s with that blond girl now. Didn’t you know?” Adam, one of the freshmen calls out.
“Oh yeah, she’s hot.”
I turn around, but Ben’s already there. “Hey, don’t talk about somebody’s girl that way.”
Ricky, another of the newest players, raises his hands. “Sorry.”
I grab my bag and throw it over my shoulder. “See you guys on Monday. Have a good weekend. And remember, no drinking and no partying.” Groans follow my parting comments, but I don’t care. We haven’t made it this far to fall apart now. They can refrain from drinking and partying for just a little while longer. I throw open the door and step out into the hallway. I’m instantly aware of the power coming from behind me. I don’t even have to look to know that Alpha Blackwood is in the hallway.
“Slate, good game, Son.”
I turn around and shake his hand. “Not my best.”
“It wasn’t.” That’s the thing I love about Alpha Blackwood; he always tells it like it is. He would know this wasn’t my best game because he’s come to more than a few, over the years. He’s certainly been to more than my own parents have. I take in his stance and the fact that Joe, our enforcer is right behind him. I’m instantly alert. Something happened during my game. “Where’s Tessa?”
Alpha puts a hand up. “She’s okay.”
But it’s the way he says it that has alarm shooting through me. “Did something happen to her?” I search my senses for anything that would indicate if she’s okay or not. But we don’t have a connection yet, and while I would never push her to mate before she’s ready, I hate it in this moment.
One of my teammates comes out of the locker room, and Alpha Blackwood tips his head to him. “Good game, Silas.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
I don’t wait for him to get out of earshot. “Where is she?”
“I’ll take you to her in a moment.”
“What happened?” I ask. There is no mistaking the threat in my voice right now.
“Sam, Evie’s old roommate, showed up tonight.” Every muscle in my body goes on high alert. “She approached Tessa in the bathroom.” A curse rips from my throat, and Alpha gives me a warning look. “She didn’t hurt her.”
“What did she do to her?” I growl.
“Put a bracelet on her wrist.”
Of all the things I thought he would say, that was nowhere close. “What?”
“She put a silver bracelet on your mate’s arm.” My mind whirls, trying to process what that means. “She’s obviously not a shifter, so it’s not hurting her at all.” I flinch at his words, hating the thought of Tessa possibly getting hurt.
“So, what is it?” I growl.
Alpha shakes his head. “We don’t know.”
I eye him, knowing he would never lie. “Why would they do that?”
“I don’t know, Son, but we’re going to figure it out. Let’s get you to your mate.” I follow him and Joe down the hallway, anxious to lay eyes on Tessa. I can already feel my wolf beginning to rise, even though he doesn’t usually surface for a few more hours after a game. He must feel my panic. We make our way through the building and outside. I sniff the air as soon as we’re outside. I catch a whiff of her scent. Even that has me calming down just the tiniest bit, but I push myself to walk faster. I need to see her now; I need her in my arms. I need to make sure she’s okay. Her scent gets stronger when we get near the parking lot. And then, I finally see her. She’s surrounded by Zane, Reid, and Quint. Evie’s standing next to her as well. Normally, I would rage at the guys for standing so close to my mate, but knowing they’re protecting her right now beats out everything else I’m feeling. I lock my gaze on her and run my eyes over her, noting every detail. Her face is pale, and her large, expressive eyes are larger than normal. I can see the fear in thema mile away. I jog towards her, needing to wipe away that fear. She sees me coming and moves towards me. My long legs eat up the distance between us. In the next instant, too many things happen at once. I pull her into my arms, breathing in her scent. But the moment I touch her, her body locks up. She screams and throws herself backwards, landing on her backside in the dirt. A growl rips from my throat, and I frantically search for the threat. Quint tries to reach for her, and I slam into him, knocking him to the ground.
