Knot Her Shot (MVP: Most Valuable Pack Book 2)

Chapter 36

chapter

thirty-six

By the timeBeastly fights his way out of his mountain of padding, I’m already darting past him, dripping wet from the world’s fastest shower.

His mouth twitches. “Remi texted.”

Um, yeah. “She’s meeting us in the tunnel. Can you move your ass? I want my treat.”

For the first time in ages, Cassian laughs. Out loud. He’s shaking his head while he does it, but it still totally counts.

“Yeah, sure.” When he sees how stunned I am by his non-grumbly attitude, he shrugs. “I get it. I need to talk to Smith, anyway. But if you get dibs on tonight, I’m taking tomorrow morning.”

Greedy bastard. He already had this morning, even though it wasn’t his turn.

Which meant I had to go to morning skate grumpy and horny. It’s a miracle I didn’t end up punching someone. Again.

I trip into my jeans, not even bothering with briefs, de-scenter, or my whole hair routine. Fuck it. When I get my pretty girl home, she and I are going straight into the huge tub in my bathroom.

Cassian finally gets all of his bullshit off and throws a towel around his hips. Whatever good humor he had before is gone. He seems edgy now.

“I think I can scent her in the hallway,” he mutters, rushing by me to shower quickly. “You better go.”

My bag is over my shoulder the next second. I stuff my feet into shoes while my left hand finishes the buttons on my black shirt. Within seconds, I’m at the locker room tunnel.

Cass is right. She’s out here, waiting. I can sense her stress the second I take a deep breath.

At first, I think it’s because she’s as anxious to see me as I am to see her. Then, I hear a deep, taunting tone.

“—little thing like you doing out here?”

My girl’s timid voice answers. “I’m waiting for my alphas. Can you not—I’m sorry, can you not touch me?”

Fucking what?

I break into a run, turning out of the tunnels that empty into the hall outside the lockers. When I round the final corner, I find a guy in a cheap suit looming over Remi.

Her back is against the cinder blocks as she shrinks down into Cassian’s Timberwolves hoodie. The stranger practically lays himself on top of her, his arm stretching over her head, face hanging near hers. “I saw you in the Pierson pack’s box tonight. Do you have a comment about Damon Mather’s contract expiring this season?”

Remi shakes her head, nearly tripping as she tries to slip away. “No. I don’t have a comment.”

He lifts his hand, fingering one of her loose curls. And I lose my shit.

The fact that this guy is clearly press should probably give me pause. My Alpha doesn’t give a damn, though. I grab his shoulder and rip him away, flattening his ass into the wall while I fist his jacket. “I know I did not just see you touch my omega.”

This guy has a mangy face. Lean with wild eyes and unkempt facial hair. I guess some people might call him good-looking, but they probably won’t anymore, once I fuck up his nose and knock all of his teeth out.

He sneers at me, cutting a quick glance back at Remi. “That’s a hot little piece, Mathers. Delicious. She was about to let me take a bite.”

Maybe facial reconstruction is too good for this guy. Maybe he just needs to… I don’t know. Die.

Remi’s voice sounds panicked. “Damon, I swear, I?—”

“I know, baby,” I tell her. My Alpha unleashes a wave of dominance unlike any I’ve ever manifested. The reporter bares his teeth, but it immediately calms my omega. She steps up behind me, her hand landing on my shoulder as the muscles under my button-down tick.

“D,” she whispers, “I just want to go home.”

Fuck. It’s the first time she’s ever called our house her home. And that has to be more important than breaking this asshole’s face. Because she’s more important.

With one last shove, I release the smaller alpha and nod toward the tunnel. “If I were you, I’d get out of here. Because if Cassian King gets out of the showers and scents our omega on you, you’re dead.”

This guy may be slimy, but he isn’t stupid. And whatever he sees on my face seems to convince him I’m not exaggerating even a little bit. No one wants to see what Cassian would do if he finally snapped. Not even me.

He stomps off, muttering and brushing at his suit like I’ve wrinkled it. My hackles don’t lower until he’s out of sight and Remi’s honey-cake warmth goes from burned to slightly over-baked.

“I’m sorry,” she starts, murmuring into my back, hiding her face. “I probably should have waited for you guys in the box, but I was excited to see you.”

I spin and open my arms, lifting her for a deep, claiming kiss. “You never apologize for that,” I say against her mouth. “Never, sweetness. Promise me.”

She melts into my embrace, resting her forehead on mine. “I promise.”

Her thin brows spring up, excitement gilding the gold in her eyes. “Do you still want your treat?”

I choke out a laugh. “Here?!”

She nods, utterly serious, and starts to struggle out of my arms. For a moment, I’m confused and a little bit worried. I mean, if my girl wants me, I don’t ever want to say no, but I’m not sure if my Alpha can handle having her perfume here—knowing strangers like that reporter are hanging around. Not to mention the rest of my younger, unbonded teammates.

My apprehension fades as she turns and bends to pick up a small plastic container with a mint-green handle. It’s just about the size of my palm, perfectly portioned to contain exactly one cupcake.

Glowing with pride, she presents the treat to me. “It’s your favorite,” she tells me. “Chocolate with cream cheese frosting.”

And I swear to God—somehow, this single cupcake is even better than a blowjob.

Because it’s her. This is how she shows she cares about people. She made this for me.

Her smile is everything. I feel it reverberate through my chest, down into my soul. Knowing, in that moment, that I have fallen so impossibly in love with her.

“It’s perfect, pretty girl,” I murmur, taking my treat and offering her my free hand. “Let’s go home.”