Page 81 of Slick Handling

It’s of Apollo on draft day.

The hat pulled down over his blonde hair but his dimples are on full display as he smiles widely. He looks so much younger and it’s only been a few months since the picture was taken. Being the leader of his pack is taking a lot out of him. Aging him and turning him from that boy to a man quickly.

“Apollo is so handsome. He looks like he should be on the cover of magazines.”

“It’s all my good genes.” Henrik jokes with me as Joy rolls her eyes. She leans in to kiss her Beta though.

The easy affection between them is so nice.

He stops, opening a door, and letting us enter the space we will be watching a game.

It’s a lot different from college hockey games.

Instead of being small folding seats, there are two couches of gray leather. They have soft turquoise pillows made from a hockey jersey material, and fuzzy blankets with the team’s logo are thrown over each couch.

On one couch is a box wrapped up with a silver bow. On top of the box is the Orion Otter’s mascot. It’s a stuffed otter holding a puck. The otter is in the dark turquoise green color of the home jersey and a little black hockey helmet made out of shiny black fabric.

He is the cutest thing in the world.

“Looks like our son is making sure to take care of his Omega.” Jean comments. He has a soft accent as he speaks and looks affectionately at Joy when he talks. It’s like he’s remembering what it was like to court her.

My cheeks blush as I walk over, picking up the stuffed animal and giving it a squeeze before setting it back down. Opening the box up, I gasp at everything inside. There’s two jerseys inside. One is white with the dark turquoise green otter on the front and the other is the turquoise color with the grey otter on the front. Both of them have the last name Mathers on them with the number 28 stitched on the back.

Also inside the box is a white hat with a gray pom-pom on top and the otter stitched on the front. A few other pieces of merchandise are inside for me to be able to wear to games. It’s showing me that he wants me to attend more in the future and I love that

I see a card and tug it free.

Cherub,

I hope you enjoyed your day out with Mama. I hope you spoiled yourself like we plan on spoiling you in the future. This is my first courting gift to you. I want you to always have something to wear to my games or around campus to show everyone that you’re mine.

I also want to ask you on a date tomorrow night with the whole pack.

Would you do us the honor of going to dinner?

I’ll save the puck from my first goal tonight for you.

Always,

Apollo

A date.

Arealdate.

With the whole pack.

Biting my lip, I tuck the note inside the jacket that Vaughn gave me yesterday, and pick up the winter hat Apollo gave me from the box. Wearing gifts from the Alpha’s makes me feel good. It makes me feel cared for in a way that I never have before.

“Are you Clover?” A woman is guiding people in with trays of food that are being set up on a bar top in the suite. I nod my head and she holds up a dark green turquoise tumbler. There is a sticker of the Orion’s team logo and ’28’, Apollo’s number on there, “Mr. Mathers said to bring this for you. He didn’t want you to be dehydrated.”

Alpha’s and their obsession with having Omega’s drink water.

I take the tumbler with a smile, just as the rest of Pack Mathers stroll into the suite.

McKinley is in a grey shirt and jeans. A beanie with the mountains and university name stitched on the front. He stops to say hello to Apollo’s family. His eyes drifting to me once, but being pulled into the conversation with everyone before he can get to me.

Vaughn pauses in the door, his hand rubbing at his jaw as he takes me in wearing the coat he gave me. He’s wearing a pair of gray sweatpants, white shoes, a white shirt hanging out the bottom of the gray hoodie he is wearing, and a backwards baseball cap.

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