Page 66 of In Too Deep

I glance over, and my heart squeezes painfully as I take in his vulnerable expression, his silver-blue eyes shiny with moisture at the edges. Oli leans across the table and takes Eli’s hand in a firm grip over the wooden surface.

“Of course, I’m going to tell them to shove it. I’m not leaving you, any of you,” he says emphatically, not looking away from his lover even as he addresses the rest of the room.

Eli’s shoulders drop several inches as he breathes out and nods slowly. Oli looks up and his nearly yellow gaze locks with Logan’s, a silent conversation passing between them. If Logan didn’t know about Eli and Oli before, there’s no denying it now. We all wait to see how he’s going to react, but he doesn’t move from his pensive look. Not even when Spencer reaches over and takes Eli’s other hand in his. My eyes dart between them, a silent chuckle escaping my lips at the sight of the Swede's rosy cheeks. I catch Logan’s eyebrow twitch up curiously, but he doesn’t speak.

“You two?” Oli asks, looking between his linemates.

Eli nods. “On the road trip.”

Spencer flushes and sits back, looking down in an effort to hide his shy smile. I giggle and smile fondly at them. I’m notsurprised, as he fully admitted that he isn’t straight, but I can’t deny the flush of heat in my core when I think of them together.

“Despite how close all of you are, that won’t stop St. Clair from being a dick and trading you anyway.” Logan speaks the truth as gently as he can.

“I know. But I think there might be a way we can stop it,” Oli says, turning to look at me for confirmation.

Nodding, I move closer to Spencer as Oli explains the plan he and Rita discussed. Doing a surprise announcement makes sense, especially if we can time it right. Oli will have to toe the line, dragging things out to make it seem like he’s really considering the trade, but not actually agreeing until we can make our announcement right before the trade deadline. We send out a sticky-sweet love story in a press release, making sure to craft it in such a way that the public will fall in love with the idea of Pack Mystic. At that point, designation rights kick in, and the team can’t move any of my alphas without my consent, which I obviously won’t give. And even if they try to challenge that in court, there won’t be enough time before the trade deadline expires. And then hopefully by the time the season is over, the fans will be on our side, making it that much harder for Gideon to get rid of us without a major scandal.

When Oli’s done speaking, the other three are quiet, faces pensive. Logan sighs as he rubs a hand over his face.

“There are a lot ofifsflying around in that plan,” he says, picking his words with care.

“I know Gideon as well as I think anyone can really know him professionally. I think he truly cares about this team and wants what’s best for it,” I say.

Logan bobs his head, not a yes or a no, but an acknowledgement of my point. And I’m fairly confident in my statement. I don’t know if anyone actually knows Gideon St. Clair, but I’ve seen enough of him over the years to be able topredict his response to something like this. When the Tristan King scandal broke, he was there, sweeping it under the rug and doing damage control to preserve the team’s name, as well as his family’s name. He’s got his finger on the pulse of the fans, more so than many of his subordinates.

“I’m not convinced it’s the best plan we could come up with, but considering the time crunch we’re under, it’s good enough for me,” Eli says with a note of finality.

I turn when I feel Spencer’s stare on the side of my face, assessing my reaction. I give him a small smile and a nod.

“I’m in. If anyone can get the fans on our side, it’s Tori,” he says.

We all turn to look at Logan, who’s still staring at the table and thinking hard. But after several tense heartbeats, he finally sighs.

“Yeah, I guess this is the best shot we have. And if this is what you guys want, then I’ll support it,” he says.

Everyone nods, and I tense, pulling my hands into my lap and twisting my fingers. Four pairs of eyes turn to me, and I sigh. It’s now or never.

“In the interest of being upfront about our future, I should tell y’all something,” I start, avoiding eye contact.

No one speaks, letting me stew in silence until I can’t stand it. Taking a deep breath, I brace myself for the worst.

“I’ve stopped taking my blockers, and my hormones, and I’m going to go into heat very soon,” I blurt out.

“Why did you stop taking your blockers?” Spencer asks. He sounds more concerned than angry, which is a small comfort.

“After the hurricane, something didn’t feel right, so I went to get checked out. Apparently, my body was starting to reject them anyway, and continuing would have caused more harm than good,” I explain, summarizing the last few weeks of appointments as succinctly as I can.

“Are you okay? Like, mentally?” Eli asks. Turning in his chair to face me more fully, he takes one of my hands in his.

I nod, tears burning the backs of my eyes. I feel silly for worrying about this for so long, now that it’s out in the open. And hearing them be more concerned about my well-being than anything else soothes me enough to explain everything. Logan asks plenty of questions about the whys and hows of my medical history, and I do my best to tell him about my past with Spencer without blaming him. We’ve moved on from that, and I’ve forgiven him, and Logan, thankfully, respects that. When I’m done, the room is silent as everyone takes in this news.

“Are you likely to go into heat before we go public?” Spencer asks seriously.

I shake my head. “My hormone levels aren’t that high yet. But it’s going to be before the end of the season, especially if we make the playoffs.”

“I’ll do some research, see if there are any supplements you can take to prepare for it,” Logan says, not missing a beat.

“And I’ll let Rita know when I call her. She’ll be able to get something written up so we can get the leave to be there for you. But I think we should focus on the announcement,” Oli says with an air of finality in his voice.

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