Chapter 29
Chapter twenty-nine
Naomi
I burst through the arena doors like I'm being chased by wolves. My body's on autopilot, my shoes pound the pavement.
He called me on the ice. In front of the ENTIRE TOWN.
Nope. Nope nope nope.
The thought sends another surge of panic through me and I run faster.
Past approximately thirty-four Christmas decorations that definitely weren't there before the game.
When did they add more lights? Are those new reindeer?
Is that Santa mechanical or is there an actual person in that suit waving at me as I sprint past?
My lungs burn. My feet scream. But I keep running because apparently my omega has decided that flight is the only acceptable response to public declarations of... whatever that was about to be.
Behind me, I hear footsteps. Heavy, pounding footsteps that are definitely not casual pedestrians. And carried on the cold night air, a delicious scent reaches my nostrils.
I risk a glance back.
Oh god. They're chasing me.
They've swapped their skates for sneakers, but otherwise they look like they came straight off the ice. Still in their jerseys, their hair wild, their eyes wilder. They look absolutely unhinged.
And they're gaining on me.
This makes me run harder, which makes absolutely no sense. I'm away from the arena now, there are no cameras, no jumbotron, no crowd. The threat of public embarrassment is gone. And yet here we are. My omega has completely taken over my body and it seems like she refuses to be caught so easily.
I take a hard left at the corner by the bookstore, nearly wiping out on a patch of ice. My foot catches, skids, but I recover and keep going. Another right. Through the town square. Another left past a bakery. I have no idea where I'm going.
Finally, my body gives out. I duck around another corner and collapse against a brick wall, gasping after what feels like a semi-marathon.
My hair has completely abandoned any pretense of style, and I'm pretty sure I lost an earring somewhere around block three.
From somewhere nearby, I can hear carolers warming up, their voices carrying through the cold night air.
Okay. Okay. Breathe, Naomi.
I'm an adult. I can have a conversation like a rational human being. Away from the ice. Away from the cameras. There is absolutely no logical reason to keep running.
And yet...
Listening to my body, I—I think my omega wants them to chase me.
Yesss, we want my alphas to work for it.
I actually slap my hand over my mouth, horrified. Oh my god, this is so... primal. So embarrassing. And did I just think of them as "my" alphas? That's presumptuous. That's ridiculous. That's—
Focus. I need to be logical. But first, I peek back around the corner to see if they're still—
"N-Naomi."
I shriek and spin around. And there they are.
"How did you—were you—can you teleport?!"
They're all panting as hard as I am. Felix has his hands on his knees, looking like he might actually die. Liam is leaning against a lamp post, chest heaving. Silas just stands there, gulping air, staring at me with an expression I can't begin to decode.
We must look absolutely insane. Four adults in various states of collapse, gasping for breath in the middle of Lakeview. And right next to us—oh, perfect—the carolers have fully set up on the corner.
"What," Silas pants, "the hell, Naomi?"
"You're fast," Felix gasps between breaths. "Like, really fast. That's actually impressive."
"You were going to—on the ICE!" I manage, still struggling to get enough oxygen. "In front of EVERYONE!"
"It just came out that way!" Silas says, defensive. "I was high on winning and you were there and it felt like the right moment—"
"All those people! Cameras! The whole town watching!"
"We know!" Liam straightens up, finally catching his breath. "We're sorry. We should have thought—"
"Siiiilent niiiight," the carolers sing sweetly behind us, "hooooly night."
Oh great. Seriously?
"Are you going to run again?" Felix asks, and something vulnerable creeps into his voice that cuts right through my spiral.
"What?"
"If we try to talk to you," Silas says, pulling himself upright. "Are you going to bolt?"
I look at them. They're wrecked. Sweaty, probably exhausted from the game and the chase, and their scents are somehow even more intoxicating now than it was in my memories. But underneath all that, they look... scared.
"Please don't," Felix adds quietly. "There's something we need to say."
"I'm not running," I say, even as my legs twitch with the urge to do exactly that. The carolers continue their song, getting to "O Holy Night".
Silas takes a step closer. "We won tonight."
Something cracks in my chest. "I saw."
"And you stayed," Liam says. "You came to the game."
My eyes start to sting and I blink rapidly, trying to hold it together. "I'm so sorry I was late—"
"You came," Felix interrupts gently. "That's what matters. That's all that matters."
"Look," Silas says, and his voice drops to something raw and unguarded. "I'm not good at this. At words. At feelings. But you make me want to be better at it. When I saw you in the VIP box tonight, after thinking you'd left, after playing the worst period of my life... something clicked."
"We don't care about the scent match thing," Felix adds quickly.
"I mean, you smell incredible right now, like jasmine and—" He catches himself, cheeks flushing.
"Sorry, that's not the point. What I mean is, the scent match doesn't matter.
Before any of that, before we even knew about the pheromones, you already had us. "
"What we're trying to say," Liam steps forward, his voice moved, "is that we want you.
Not because of pheromones or whatever, but because you're brilliant and competitive, which I swear I mean as a compliment, and you throw absolutely terrible snowballs but you keep trying anyway… Because you stayed…"
My heart is doing something complicated in my chest, twisting and expanding at the same time. "I ran away literally five minutes ago."
"But you stopped," Silas points out.
"Because I was dying!"
"You stopped," he repeats, softer this time. "And you're here now."
The carolers continue their gentle melody, in the background.
"The Angel Ceremony will start soon," Felix says suddenly. "They light up this huge angel display in the square and everyone makes wishes and there's hot cider and—"
"Felix," Silas growls.
"What? I'm setting the scene!"
"You're rambling."
"We just chased the most wonderful woman eight blocks in hockey gear. I think I earned the right to ramble!"
I laugh. I can't help it. It bubbles up from somewhere deep in my chest and suddenly I'm laughing so hard I have to lean against the wall again.
"Are you... okay?" Liam asks carefully.
"This is insane," I manage between gasps. "All of this. The chase. The carolers. The Angel Ceremony. It's like a Hallmark movie had a baby with ESPN."
Felix's face lights up. "That actually sounds… pretty awesome."
I look at them and feel something warm bloom in my chest. My disaster alphas. Mine. Who got snowed in with me and somehow made it the best time I've ever had. Who just chased me eight blocks through Lakeview.
"The Angel Ceremony," I finally say, suddenly shy. I look down at my hands, pressing my index fingers together. "Is there... really hot cider?"
Silas's face transforms. His smile crinkles the corners of his eyes, making my knees go weak all over again. "The best."
"And we can make wishes?"
"As many as you want," Liam says.
"And you three won't try to make some grand declaration in front of the entire town?"
"Negotiable," Felix grins.
"Non-negotiable," I counter.
"Fine," Silas says, stepping even closer. Close enough that I can feel the heat radiating off him despite the cold. "But I get to do this."
He cups my face and kisses me. Right there on the street corner with the carolers singing and the Christmas lights twinkling overhead, with Felix whooping and Liam laughing.
When Silas finally pulls back, I'm dizzy and breathless and my lips are tingling. But I'm not done.
"Get over here," I say, reaching for Liam who doesn't need to be asked twice. We kiss, slow and tender.
And then Felix is there before I even have to ask, practically vibrating with impatience. His kiss is playful, nipping at my lower lip, grinning against my mouth when I gasp.
Behind us, the carolers now launch into "Joy to the World."
Seems appropriate.