Page 72 of Patiently Yours
Think of your omega.
But he grabs my arm. I almost lose my balance as well as my sanity as he holds me hostage.
“You’re justpussy-whippedalphas.” I hear him spit on the ice.
Think of your career.
Think of your pack.
Think of your omega.
“She’s going to get tired of you and then you’ll have wished you listened to me! She’s not worth it! She never fucking was!”
Think of your pack.
Think of your omega.
“And maybe you should go to the clinic while you’re at it! Stacia gets so high all the time, I’d doubt she’d even remember cheating on you! But let’s be honest, she doesn’t have to be high to be a forgetful slut!”
Think of youromega.
I’m on him before I can even process what I’m doing. There’s an instant throbbing in my knuckles as they fly on autopilot, trying to reconnect with his face as he starts to block. My alpha has taken over, and the reigns I had on him lay slack between us.
His fist connects with my cheek before I rip his helmet off him. I feel arms try to pull me off, but I flex my body as I straddle our defenseman and pummel him as much as I can. I see red flying, not completely positive on the source but it doesn’t deter me. I’ve completely lost control, and a part of me doesn’t even care.
As my body starts to release some of the adrenaline, our other teammates are finally successful in pulling us apart. I feel the bruise embedding itself on my face, but the bite is less painful than my actions.
My thoughts start to clear and I finally realize what happened. There’s sudden agitation and shame flowing through me. I’m in utter disbelief that I let him taunt me into losing my head.
Before we can both deal with the aftermath of our actions, a dose of lavender and vanilla invades my senses. I look around in a panic, but breathe with relief when I see a suspicious head of brown flowing hair making its way through a sea of my teammates. They tower over her, and we can’t see each other clearly, but somehow we both know where the other one is like a beacon. As soon as she finds me, she flies up in my arms, and suddenly I don’t care about anything else.
I have my scent match, mymate, here in my arms. Andnothingelse matters.
“Oh, give me a fucking break!” I hear behind me. I spin with her in my arms and put my hand protectively over her head as more growls emit from me. The few teammates that pulled Derek off me are still holding him back, disapproving complaints coming from their mouths:“come on, dude, let it thefuck go,”and“this is exhausting,”but they land on his selective ears as he continues to berate us.
Before I can respond, Stacia is jumping out of my arms and turning towards him. She’s oozing with a pure energy that I’ve never seen from her before, one of blazing confidence and fury.
“You don’t fuckingtouchmy mates. You don’t speak to them,orme. Do you fuckinghear me?” Her words hold an omega bark. I’ve never heard one before, but I know immediately that hers is my absolute favorite. Kendall and Uriah are now behind me, joining me as we stare in awe at our omega as her feral hisses emit strength and might.
“Stacia, you sl?—”
“Shut your mouth,” she barks again, and he does. Her anger forces his alpha to obey, which inappropriately causes my pants to tighten.
“You’re literally the most disappointing alpha I’ve ever met, and you’re done making mine and my pack’s life hell. Move thefuck on.Ihave.” And with that, she turns back to us, breathing heavily and losing some of her adrenaline. I haul her back into my arms, securing her safely before I skate off, ignoring the stares and whispers from my fellow teammates as well as everyone in the arena. I just focus on getting my omega somewhere safe.
It’s not the first time, and it certainly won’t be the last, but the purr that erupts from me involuntarily is so innate, so instinctual. It seeps into both of us, setting the tumultuous emotions inside us. It feels safe, familiar.
It feels like being home.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Atlas leaves immediately, carrying Stacia out of the building and all the way to the parking lot to meet up with Ciro. I head towards the locker room, preparing like hell to be ripped a new one by Coach and the rest of the team once they return from the last quarter.
“Fuck,” I whisper to myself, wishing I had hit him instead of Atlas. I have no plans to ever play hockey again after graduation. This sport is hislife. If I just let him tank his future career all because I let that spineless fucker bait me, I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive myself.
Waiting for the team feels like torture. Being alone in this locker room for the first time in years is surreal. I’m never here when I don’t have to be, and I’ve certainly never been forced to sit out the rest of the game. I’m realizing that Derek’s wrath at losing his control is a bit more dangerous than we all thought. He’s sinking, and he’s going to try like hell to pull us down with him.
After changing and taking a quick shower, I hear the final buzzer of the game. I breathe out with relief, thankful that I won’t have to sit in this hellhole much longer.
