Page 40 of Full Body Hit: Part 2
Chase stared at Sammy. “What?”
“Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner—wanted to wait until your mom was gone.”
Chase didn’t even care about that—he was still stuck on all of this having been Auston’s idea. “Wait, but…what? Why would he do that?”
“I mean, that’s kind of why I was asking. Did your mom say something he could have overheard?”
He thought back to the night his mom had arrived—ambushing him in the car park. The jolt of fear that had gone through him. How disappointed his mom had been about the game. Auston showing up out of nowhere, saying they had dinner plans even though Chase was sure that wasn’t the case.
Had his mom said something to make Auston concerned enough to send Sammy and Noah after him?
“I don’t think so?”
“Okay, well…”
“I’ll ask him, I guess.”
Sammy scrunched his nose. “Okay. Let me know how that goes.”
“Yeah.” Chase nodded.
A small pit lodged itself deep in his gut as he watched Sammy go.
He was sure he hadn’t told Auston anything bad about his mom. The only people he’d told about the whole medication thing were Sammy and Aunix.
Sammy wouldn’t tell, and Aunix couldn’t even if he wanted to.
There was no reason for Auston to know about it.
No logical reason, anyway—no reason that wasn’t too ridiculous to even consider.
***
Chase bobbed in and out of sleep that night, skimming the surface and then being yanked back up, shaky and out of breath.His thoughts were waterlogged, sloppy—there was no reason for him to be feeling like this.
He finally gave up at six and moved to his nest. His bedsheets had been cleaned since his mom had slept there, but they felt strange, an unwelcome touch.
Even his nest didn’t succeed in calming him completely, but at least it was better than the open, vulnerable space of his room.
He was already exhausted by the time he made it to the arena, but he managed to fight through it, smiling and chatting and completing drills like there wasn’t a sickness bubbling in his gut, the fumes of it climbing up his throat until everything inside him itched and stung.
His gaze drifted to Auston as practice ended. The Alpha was talking to an assistant coach, lines of his face straight and serious.
Why would Auston send Sammy and Noah after him? No matter how many times he turned the question around, no answer made sense.
Auston had known it was his mom. It was objectively crazy to think anybody would need backup from theirmom—especially someone with Auston’s happy family.
He changed out of his practice uniform in a haze, taking too long in the shower and suddenly snapping out of it.
He could have this conversation another day…but the wait would kill him.
Auston was still in the locker room when Chase finished getting changed. Chase watched him dress in his customary sweats and T-shirt, both a deep grey. It was casual. Relaxed.
Chase’s heartbeat was pulsing in his head, a throbbing behind his eyes.
There was going to be a perfectly normal explanation. There was no reason to be freaking out like this.
“Auston,” he called, standing up.
