Page 134 of Scrum Heat

“And the decision,” Gray Hair says, leaning forward slightly, “to allow this…situationto progress within club property—who authorized that?”

“No one,” I reply. “Because it wasn’t planned. None of us anticipated bonding.”

He raises an eyebrow. “And yet you’re now fully integrated into a professional team’s living arrangements and scent profile.”

JesusChrist.

Tom clears his throat gently. “It’s worth noting that since the full pack bond formed, there’s been a noticeable decrease in conflict indicators. Scent volatility’s down, territorial flags are resolved, and the squad’s functioning as a stable unit.”

“Convenient,” mutters the woman with the glasses.

One of the men—tall, with a permanent frown carved into his forehead—leans forward slightly, eyes narrowing.

“Forgive me if I’m not reassured. This is the same ‘stable unit’ that opened a match three weeks ago with Mr. Rivera throwing apunchshortly after the anthem, and Mr. James receiving a formal warning for his team’s on-field conduct.”

“That was different,” I say, my spine straightening. “The winger made an…inappropriate comment.”

“About?”

“...Me.”

“Ah.” He sighs. “And Mr. Rivera chose to respond with violence.”

“Mr. Rivera responded withrestraint,” Evie cuts in crisply. “I’m sure we are all aware that if he hadn’t, then the other player would’ve left the pitch on a stretcher, and the punishment would have been far worse than a delayed start and a warning.”

There’s a pause, then Tom coughs again.

“Regardless, there have been no incidents since the full bond formation. In fact, training performance is measurably improved! The group’s displaying coordinated behaviour and clear communication, both onandoff the field.”

“And how long do you expect that to last?” the woman with the glasses asks. “How long before another player on another team says something about her, and one of them snaps again because they can’t control themselves?”

“That’s not going to happen again.” I meet her gaze. “We’re bonded now.Properly.”

“And we’re supposed to takeyourword on that?”

Evie steps forward smoothly before I can respond.

“We understand your concerns—truly.But the club has monitored the situation since initial notification, and while the complaint made to OSC was valid at the time, the circumstances have since…evolved. We now have a bonded pack, no heat symptoms, no pheromonal interference, and a zero-incident record during training. We’ve also run scent checks on the B-team during a mixed session this week, who’ve confirmed no disruption.”

One of the board members—balding and unpleasant looking—interjects. “And yet the optics remain a problem.”

“There’s nothing in the OSC guidelines that forbids multi-alpha packs in semi-professional settings,” Evie replies coolly.

“No,” he concedes. “But there’s also nothing in them that prepares the public for it either. The pack has been trending online.”

Right.Here we go.

“It’s worth mentioning,” I say carefully, “that the attention hasn’t been negative. There’s been a massive uptick in match interest and social engagement. The semi-final this weekend is now sold out.”

Gray Hair tilts his head. “Because of a viral video of two players lifting each other on the training pitch.”

I nod. “Which we filmed, edited, and posted strategically. Because fans are watching, and they’re excited.”

There’s a pause.

Then another board member leans forward. “Do you understand how risky this is?”

I blink. “Excuse me?”

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