Page 126 of Scrum Heat

Finn’s halfway through rolling his neck out, still blinking sleep out of his eyes. “Coach also likesnotknowing we’ve been illegally bonding in the middle of heat week. Pretty sure we just hit the compliance gray zoneandthe morality one.”

“Yeah, well, to hell with it all. I don’t regret a thing,” Theo shrugs, bending to stretch. “We’re bonded, she’s safe and happy, andthat’swhat matters. We’ll deal with the OSC, we’ll smash Denton Vale, andthenwe’ll buy matching jackets.”

Jax doesn’t even look up from where he’s stacking plates. “We’re not buying jackets.”

“That’s the attitude of someone who’s not ready for regional press coverage,” Theo waves him off.

Finn grins and grabs a kettlebell. “Can mine say ‘omega collector’ in rhinestones?”

“Yours would say ‘caution: breaks things when aroused,’” Jax deadpans.

Theo roars with laughter as he nods in agreement toward Jax. “And yours would just say‘knife.’”

I shake my head, trying not to smile at these idiots fooling around as I adjust the incline bench. My muscles are sore as hell, but my chest feels looser than it has in weeks, like someone finally let the air back in.

My whole life, I’ve been the one holding the line. The glue. The spine. The guy you put in front when everything’s going sideways.

But today, I’m not holding us together. We’re holdingeach other.

Jax steps in to spot Finn as he benches. He doesn’t speak, just positions his hands silently above the bar, present and solid. Finn grunts through a set, pushing with clean form. Theo paces nearby, not eventryingto hide the fact that he’s checking out his reflection in the mirror.

“You realize this isn’t a public-facing event, right?” I call.

He flashes me that shit-eating grin before slapping his stomach. “You’re just mad you can’t pull off abs like these.”

“I could,” I mutter. “If I didn’t have to doyourpaperwork.”

Finn racks the bar with a groan, then flops backwards onto the mat, arms spread wide. “Okay, semi-final strategy check-in. Can wepleaseagree not to let Theo tackle the opposition while flirting this time?”

Theo picks up a 10kg plate and casually flips it into the air. “It’s calledmental disruption, Finn. Ever seen a winger fumble because he’s questioning his sexuality mid-run? It’seffective.”

“I’ve seen Coach questionyourposition mid-game,” I say under my breath, but I’m smiling now. We all are.

Because this is what it’s like now.

No more circling, no more territorial undercurrents, no more wondering if we’re all pulling in the same direction.

She bonded us.Allof us. And for the first time, we’re in sync.

“Jesus,” comes a voice from the door. “Did someone set off a pack bomb in here?”

We all turn as Ben walks in, cringing theatrically and flapping his hand in front of his face.

Theo spreads his arms wide. “That’s the smell of commitment, Benny boy. Get used to it.”

Ben pauses, sniffs the air again, then eyes us all warily. “I feel like I just walked into the middle of a pack-bonded ritual sacrifice. You bastards smell like sex, alpha ego, and… cinnamon?”

“That’s me.” Finn raises his hand, cheerful. “I made muffins.”

Ben shakes his head. “Fuck.”

“You’re welcome,” I say mildly.

“I’m just gonna… do intervals and try not to get imprinted by accident,” Ben says as he backs toward the cardio machines.

“If you faint, we’re not untying you!” Theo calls after him.

Ben flips him off without looking back as Finn laughs loudly.

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