Page 11 of My Pucking Mate

He nods and walks me down the hall, up a flight of stairs, and into a party room overlooking the ice rink.

“These are usually used for birthday parties, but I thought it would be better than the locker room with all their rank-ass gym bags.”

I giggle another small thank you as I begin setting my things back up.

Only a few minutes later, Benny comes into the room with that sunshine smile of his, which is also so much better in real life.I bet he gives the best hugs.That was random.

“Hello, Mr. Bucur, my name is Leera,” I say as strongly as I can while extending my arm for a handshake, hoping he can’t tell how nervous I am.

His large hand swallows mine as he replies, “Hello, Leera, nice to meet you. Please call me Benny. Mr. Bucur was my grandfather. In fact, go ahead and call us all by our first names. None of us answer to our last names off the ice. The rest of the guys are on their way. Andrei and the boss will be a little late, and they told us to go ahead and get started.”

Nodding my head, I turn back to my resources.Roman must be the boss.As I turn back around, Slate takes a seat in the back corner of the room. “Hi Slate, I’m Leera. Thank you for making time for me today,” I say in my nicest voice, hoping not to upset the hulking giant of a man.

I’m still setting up a few things when the twins stumble into the room, shoving each other through the doorway.“Coach warned me about you two. Which one of you is which? I’m sorry if that’s rude, but I can’t tell, and I’d rather be sure.”

They give each other a look that says they’re thinking those ornery thoughts Coach warned me about, but I’m saved when Benny sets one on each side of the room. “This one is Eris,” he says as he sets him on the right side, “and this one is Dolos,” hesays as he shoves him to the left. He then sits between them, and I try to convey my thanks with a small smile.

Half an hour into the interview, everything is going great when the most curious sensation washes over me. It renders me speechless and a little lightheaded. “Are you okay?” Benny asks, immediately noticing my discomfort. It almost felt like that initial wave of anxiety when you know it’s about to be a long day, but this is different. It’s soft and warm, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

I hear the doorknob, and my breath hitches in my chest when Roman walks through the door. The smell of cherry and leather washes over me, calming my nerves, but I can’t breathe. Not like panic-attack-can’t-breathe. It’s different. When I’m finally able to gulp down some oxygen, I notice the room has gone unnaturally still, just as Roman’s knees hit the floor.

8

Andrei and I finally finished up a meeting with one of the coaches for the youth league to iron out how and when the team can help, and we’re headed to one of the party rooms to do this interview for some college kid’s assignment. I usually don’t mind this stuff, but I’m just really not in the mood. Frankly, I’ve been in a bad mood ever since my father dropped the king’s bomb on me at dinner the other evening.

Just as we’re about to walk through the door, I stop and take a step back. My wolf is whining and pacing relentlessly. I can’t tell if something is wrong or if it's anticipatory. He feels like he very much wants what’s on the other side of that door. Andrei’s wolf seems to be having his own feelings because, as I look over, he looks like he’s seen a ghost. His skin is white, and he’s sweating.What the fuck is going on?

I open the door, but I don’t make it two steps past the door frame when the world stops and the room starts spinning. My knees hit the concrete floors, and I can’t breathe. There’s a scream building in the back of my throat.

This can’t be happening.

This isn’t possible.

I’m struggling to catch my breath.

Am I dreaming?

Did I pass out and fall into a nightmare?

Benny looks between a gorgeous young woman at the front of the room and me with concern etched into his features, noticing we’re both in some state of distress.

Mate.My wolf cries beneath my skin.

That’s not possible. We already had a mate, and we lost her.I wasn’t thinking, and my walls were still down. Benny’s eyes take on the size of hockey pucks while he lowers himself into his seat, feeling the grief radiating from my body.

“What is this?!” I roar, causing the poor girl to flinch. This in turn causes my wolf to snarl viciously, as he has decided to have some form of attachment to this small human. I’m not able to calm down as the room remains silent and no one responds to me. All you can hear is heavy breathing from myself, maybe her, and a few of my men.

“I said, what is this?! Is this some kind of fucking joke?!” I continue to roar as I level the twins with a glare, noticing another flinch from the girl.

Slate rises from his seat, also looking concerned, when he nears me, where I’m still kneeling on the floor. I still can’t breathe. I’m trying to gulp down oxygen, but my brain isn’t listening, and my lungs feel like they're full of concrete. My wolfis raging now. The small woman in the center of the room is trembling, but she still doesn’t look away from me.

Alpha, what’s going on?Slate asks.

If it’s what I think it is—Benny begins, but I cut him off.

My wolf thinks she’s my mate. I feel it—the mate bond.I finish, shaking my head.This can’t be happening.

All eyes in the room snap to my face. They all know my history. They all know about Imogen. About everything. They all know that she was all the good things in this world and in me. They know that I couldn’t protect her. They know she was murdered. They know we never found out why she was killed. They know we never found her murderers. They all know I failed her. They all know I failed my only child. They all know this isn’t possible. You only get one mate.Right?

---