Page 9 of Rock Pucking Bottom

I looked at the open thermos and gulped the rest, since there wasn't much left. By some miracle of God, it didn't taste nearly as vile, and I was feeling better since the hangover was easing.

Logan poked around under the sink and grabbed a couple of trash bags. He threw me one bag. "It's time to clean this place up and for you to start talking."

I took the bag and opened it. Bottles clinked off each other as we dropped them in, but I stayed silent. I didn't know what he wanted me to say.

I messed up by drinking too much in front of my teammates.

Logan was tossing some of the empty bottles into his bag. There was something about an heir to a massive fortune and an alpha-light to clean up my trash that made me want to laugh.

Logan then did something atypical and slipped into his alpha voice, which basically forced me to do his will. "Talk. What the hell is going on with you? This isn't the guy I knew back in Minneapolis."

I couldn't look him in the eye. I hated telling him how much I hated being away from the pack. Yeah, I knew my drinking was out of control and I wasn't playing like the guy that I was. But life in Vancouver sucked. "It's hard being here."

He gave me that look where that answer wasn't going to suffice. So I took a deep breath and leaned back against the counter to put everything I'd been feeling into words.

"I'm not built like you. It's been so fucking lonely without my brothers beside me. I hate having to deal with all the crap the human world puts on us. I need to numb myself from the noise and smells. From everything."

Thanks to cleaning off the island some, there was a bit of amber liquid reflecting off the surface. I could have kissed it. I reached for the bottle, and I fell to my knees in pain from the fact every nerve ending was on fire.

"Ugh."

Logan dropped his trash bag and lifted me off the ground. "Best not to be thinking about drinking any alcohol for the next forty-eight hours. Give or take."

What was he talking about? Sure, the restorative differed from normal, but it shouldn't do anything like this. As the pain subsided, I asked, "What did you do to me?"

"A little magic to force you to get sober, at least until it wears off. It's only a few days, but it's your first step to saving your spot with the Legacy and your career."

He was probably right that I need to get sober.

No. He was right. I needed to get clean, if only to save my reputation. Why else would he put so much emphasis on the part about saving my career.

Although to fully get treated the human way, it would take me away from the game. "I can't join the player assistance program. Not when I'm so close to getting everything. I'll do anything to stay part of the team."

I folded my arms and tried to gather my thoughts. They hadn't been clear in so long, and it sucked since every feeling of being inadequate seeped back into my body.

Logan said, "Normally, I would recommend it since it's there to help you. But you have to want it. I would be happy if you just stayed sober from now until the end of the playoffs. But the drinking is only a symptom, so what's the actual issue here in Vancouver?"

It was time to tell him some of my problems.

I hated admitting my problems, but I wasn't fixing them with alcohol. It was time to try to something new. Besides, thanks to whatever he and Dino did to me, it might kill me if I resorted to the old way.

"I already told you. I just can't handle the human world. I thought I could, but everything is so damn loud. It's smelly, and it's just hard."

It was just a small piece of the story. Although it was something that could be fixed if I got off my ass and asked Dino to help me. But with the time difference and him being constantly on patrol, Jameson was just easier.

Logan also tossed me a gold chain. It wasn’t too different from a lot of other gold chains that guys wore. But this one had a spark of magic to it, which meant it was something else that Dino had his hands on.

"I figured."

I noticed that as I held onto the necklace, things felt better. The noises from the outdoors lessened. So did the smells. I realized what it was. It was one of those personal dampeners that Dino would make the new wolves, including Logan.

I put it on properly.

There was another knock on the door. I sniffed the air. I could just barely get a sniff of my guests. It was the wedding boy and his best friends on the team, Spencer Suzuki and Carter Carmichael.

I opened the door and just sighed.

It felt like a fucking intervention even before they showed up.

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