AllFreeNovel
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Just five words.
But they’re everything I ever wanted.
And Remi? She’s everything I’ll ever need.
chapter
sixty-one
There’s a moment at the beginning of every game.
The lights go out. The music swells. And some disembodied voice says my name.
I’ve lived for that moment for as long as I can remember. But this time? It barely registers.
This should be a big deal. We’re in the playoffs for the first time in my career. And I’m playing for my life, so to speak.
None of that touches me. I’m too busy watching the tunnel I just skated out of, waiting for Cassian. We agreed, since he’s the last one on the ice, that he would do one final check of our phones before coming out. They’ve announced his name, but he hasn’t appeared.
When he finally shows up, he isn’t in his pads or even his skates. He thumps our second-string goalie on the back, practically shoving the kid out onto the ice. With his free hand, he waves me in.
Which can only mean one thing.
Remi.
I had a feeling this might happen. She practically climbed me in the shower last night. Then she cried when we had to leave for practice this morning. It was torture to leave her. Smith told me the only way he calmed her down was by getting both of them undressed and taking her back to bed for an hour.
Turning to our coach, who’s huddled with Gunnar over a clipboard. They both glance up, freezing when they see the look on my face.
I smile at them and take off my helmet. “Well, I guess I’m about to make this way easier for all of us.”
Coach scowls, opening his mouth. But I cut him off. “Heat leave. Oh shit, did I not mention that our omega was near her heat? Yeah. Sorry about that. Cassian’s going to have to come with me, too. But best of luck to you guys. Really.”
I hand my stick to Gunnar, patting his shoulder while I push past them, back toward the tunnel. He may be the guy who’s replacing me, but he’s still a good teammate and a hell of a player. I don’t want any of this drama to put him off his game.
“It’s all you, kid,” I say, meaning every word. “You’ve got this.”
Coach Rolly sputters, his face turning red. I clap his shoulder, too. “No hard feelings.”
The lights haven’t even come back up yet, but I’m already skating off the ice, leaving the game behind me.
It’s funny; I thought this would be hard. I thought it would gut me to walk away from everything I was before. But now I see.
I’m not leaving my future behind. I’m running straight into it.
chapter
sixty-two
The stabbing pain between my hips tweaks tighter with every passing second.
Everything itches. Tingles. Burns.
But the alpha is here, kneeling with me on the floor of the nest. I’ve arranged it all and dismantled everything more than once. He never questions me. And every time I pause to whine or whimper, he wraps me into his body until his purr unspools the cramps in my core.
It’s been a slow process, but his patience never wavers. He helps me roll and stack all of the fabrics until the scents are right. A layer of dark chocolate swirled into even darker bitterness. Cinnamon spice with toasted hazelnuts. Brown sugar to sweeten the earthy coffee.
I mix them in every imaginable way. They all have to make sense.
