Page 68 of Puck & Her Blades

He cocks his brow, as I chase after him.

“Is this a game?” Then he grins. “I like it.”

He twists and leaps onto the bench.

I stare up at him. “What are you doing?”

“You’re hunting me, right? This is some type of primal kink? Don’t worry, I can dodge on dry land, as well as I can on the ice.”

He leaps to the other side of the benches with a laugh and then waits to see what my next move will be.

Why do I feel like the bad guy for letting him down?

Also, seriously disappointed not to be able to play along because hunting my own Beta…?

Shit, that’s one of my hardcore fantasies right there.

I shake myself.

Not now.

Later.

I hope.

I dart around the bench, and Asher darts back the other side to his changing station.

“Oh, you have to up your game, babe.” He smirks.

“How about this?” I make the sign of a heart.

Asher freezes. Then his cheeks tint with pink.

He looks adorable.

At the same time, his grin only widens. “Hear me out. My brother, Matt, showed me that move with his own Omega. It was this in-joke stolen from romance novels.”

My stomach swoops, and I try not to let the disappointment leak into my voice, but I know that it must do. “It was a joke.”

Instantly, Asher’s expression becomes earnest. “Never. I’m not great at explaining things. My bro was always better with words. He raised my sister and me, pretty much. Well, for as long as we were together. He was organized, to the point of color coordinating our socks. But off the ice, I’ve always struggled to even keep track of where my socks are. All my life, I’ve been beaten for forgetting things or being late. I’m more of a hot mess. Still, emphasis on the hot, right?”

Beaten?

I hate that his old pack punished him for things like that.

He should have been helped and not hurt.

I still smile at his teasing flirting. “Hot? You’re okay.”

He places his hand dramatically over his heart. “She likes me.”

“So, why did you do it?”

“I was rebelling too.”

“How?”

“By doing something that my guys needed, when they couldn’t.” Asher clenches his hands. “When that asshole commentator talked about selecting a new Omega, then I knew that I had to do something. Hot mess or not, I protect my pack. I claimed you because I want you and I can. The guys who I love can’t, however, and it’s hurting them. They needed you to be publicly claimed tonight. I’ll take the consequences for that because you’re all worth it.”

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