Page 17 of Protective Pucking Orc

Sofia tried, but her movements were sluggish, her breathing shallow. My chest ached like I’d taken a puck to the sternum without pads.

“Dakvaar,” Tessa said, her voice firm but not unkind, “we need space to work. You’re crowding her.”

I bared my teeth, my Kteer snarling at the idea of leaving her side.

“She’ll be okay,” Martha promised, her hand pressing briefly against my arm. “But we need to make sure. Go wait in the hall. We’ll call you the second we know anything.”

I didn’t want to. Every instinct screamed at me to stay, to guard, to protect. But the rational part of my brain—the part that had spent years honing discipline—knew they were right. I could do more for her if I didn’t get in their way.

So I forced myself to step back. Then another step. Then another, until I was outside the door, my shoulder pressed against the wall, my fists clenched at my sides.

Mine.

I told myself—my Kteer, my heart—that I could hear everything they were doing in the exam room, and I could be back at her side in a heartbeat.

The door hadn’t even fully swung shut behind me before I heard the rapid approach of footsteps.

“Dak!” Torrk’s voice was loud, as always, but there was an edge to it now—worry. “What the fuck was that? We saw you haul ass in here like the ref was after you, and—” The shorter male skidded to a stop in front of me, his dark eyes wide. “Who’s the female?”

I didn’t answer. My jaw was locked so tight I could’ve cracked a tusk.

Kardok appeared beside him, his usual smirk absent. He took one look at my face and exhaled sharply. “Shit. That’s her, isn’t it?”

I glared at him, but he didn’t even flinch when he elaborated. “Your Mate?”

The word hung between us, heavy and undeniable. My Kteer rumbled in approval, but the rest of me was too raw to feel anything but the need to do something.

Torrk’s mouth fell open. “Mate? No way.” He turned to Kardok. “You knew?”

Kardok shrugged. “I suspected. He’s been off for weeks. Distracted. Mopey.” He smirked. “Classic signs of a male who’s found his Mate but is too stubborn to do anything about it.”

I growled, knowing Kardok had been that idiot last year. I’d known, but I hadn’t been able to do anything about it. There was a difference.

Yeah, well, I’d fucking done something about it this morning, hadn’t I?

Torrk ignored me, grinning like an idiot. “Well, damn. Dak, you sly bastard. When were you gonna tell us?”

“Never,” I snapped. I hadn’t been certain Sofia would accept me. Still wasn’t.

Kardok’s smirk faded. “What happened?”

I didn’t answer. The images were too fresh—the way that male had looked at her, the way he’d hurt her, the way her scent had been thick with terror. My claws flexed again, and I had to force my hands to unclench.

Torrk’s expression sobered. “Dak…”

“Leave it,” I bit out. “And don’t call me that.”

“Not a chance,” the younger male announced. “And I’m going to keep asking.”

He would, damn him. Everyone knew goalies were just a little bit strange, and our first stringer was no exception. At times I thought he went out of his way to be as annoying as possible…or possibly he just did it to irritate me, since I was the one most likely to lecture him on restraint.

Kardok crossed his arms. “Tell us, Dakvaar.”

I turned my head slowly, meeting his gaze. I didn’t scowl, but only because I rarely allowed my emotions to show. Kardok was the only one on the team who could get away with pushing me like this, and even then, it was a risk.

But he didn’t back down. “You brought her here because you trust us,” he said, his voice low. In the last six months, his Mate had taught him how to soften his words, and I hated that he used that skill now. “So trust us now. What happened?”

The words tasted like ash. “A male hurt her.”