10. Jenson
Chapter 10
A permanent grin has etched itself onto my face as I stare at the text on my screen.
Anya:
I hope your game against the Vipers goes well! Sorry I can't be there, but maybe next time.
She's been talking to all three of us for a few days now. None of our interactions have moved to in-person, but knowing what I do about her past, I get why we're taking it slow. It's hard to not want to go downstairs and ask if I could sleep on her floor so my inner alpha can shut up about wanting to be there to protect her. But it's worth it to build trust with her first and help her see we're not like the alphaholes who got their hands on her before.
I want to send my last text before I have to put my phone in the locker. Even if I happen to sit on the bench for part of the night, they don't like when we're on them during televised games, so no phones until we're back in here.
Before I can reply, both Maverick and Leo chime in on our group chat. After the first night, we decided to do a group chat with her so that she can get to know all of us without having to jump between each of our conversations. After all, we'll be sharing her as a pack, and we might as well get used to that dynamic.
I should say, we hope we'll be sharing her as a pack. Maverick has made it clear that we follow her lead with this, and it doesn't matter what we want. If she doesn't want to bond or share one of her heats with us to see how it goes, then there's nothing we can do about it but respect her wishes.
Maverick:
Thank you, Anya. Your support means a lot, and there will always be future games.
Leo:
We'll show them who's boss, and then we'll chat with you all night after, giving you the highlights.
Something tingles at the back of my mind. She did say her heat would be sometime this week, but not when. Will we be able to know when it happens? If she doesn't want our help, I feel like we should get a hotel because I don't know if we'll be able to stay away if our inner alphas get wind of that fact. The urge to take care of her will be too great since she's scent-matched with us.
I hurry my reply as the music outside in the arena thuds, signaling we'll be heading out soon.
Jenson:
Whether we win or lose, let us know what you would like us to grab on the way back. We'll get you whatever you would like to eat and leave it outside your door.
Feeding her, even if we can't watch her eat it, at least satisfies us a little on primal levels. I wish I could wait to see what she says so I can look forward to that through the game. But we need to get ready for Coach's pep talk before the game. We know what plays he wants us to start out with.
Putting my phone in my locker, I close it and sigh.
Maverick comes up to my side and clamps me on the shoulder. "Let's go out there and make her proud. Beat the shit out of those Vipers and go back to her with a win."
My inner alpha rears up at his words, and my chest puffs out. The last thing I want to do is go back and tell her we lost. If we can win tonight, it will be a great start to the season for the Iron Wolves; we've been going hard to improve and not be the worst hockey team in the league.
The whistle blows, and we're off. The crowd is a roar of noise, a sea of black and gold. We're ready to show them what we're made of. The Vipers think they're hot shit, and they come out swinging, all sneers and hard checks. One of their goons cross-checks Rhys from behind, right into the boards. His mouthguard goes flying, and he hits the ice hard.
"You like that, princess?" He spits down at him, his own mouthpiece creating a lisp.
Rhys spits blood, a feral grin on his face. He must have bitten his cheek on impact. "Is that all you got?"
They're fast, I'll give 'em that. They're also dirty. The ref is letting a lot go, but we're playing it safe, staying out of the penalty box as much as we can. Within minutes, they've got two goals on us. Finn's pissed, slamming his stick against the goalpost after the second one. Blake skates over, clapping him on the shoulder pads. "We got this, Finn. Shake it off. We need to get in their heads more."
Their lead doesn't last long. We start to click. Leo, Maverick, and I - they call us the Gold Trio for a reason. We're a well-oiled machine on the ice. Leo feeds me the puck. I deke around one Viper, then another.
"Go, Marks!" Some people in the crowd call.
Maverick streaks towards the net, a blur of gold and black. I dish it to him. He one-times it. Back of the net! We're on the board.
"That's how it's done, boys!" Maverick yells, skating back to fist-bump me.
The Vipers are rattled. They're used to being undefeated, but they can't handle it when we push back without taking penalties. Asher lays a clean but hard check on their captain, sending him off balance.
The captain gets up. "You're dead meat," he slurs through his mouthguard, trying to sound intimidating.
Asher laughs.
We're relentless now but smart. Leo's got the puck again, weaving through their defense like a damn magician. He drops it back to me. I see an opening. I wind up and unleash a slapshot. It's a rocket, but their goalie makes a lucky save. The puck bounces out. Leo's there for the rebound, but a Viper slashes him across the wrists. The ref calls a penalty.
"About damn time," I shout, earning a glare from the Viper heading to the box.
The crowd goes ballistic. We're feeding off their energy. Marcus wins the power-play face-off, sends it back to Blake on the blue line. Blake fires a cannon, and this time, it finds the back of the net. Tie game!
The second period is a tough battle. We're playing strong, but the Vipers are throwing everything they've got at us. They get another goal, a deflection that Finn never saw coming. But we answer right back. Maverick makes a beautiful saucer pass to Leo, who buries it top shelf.
"Get some, boys!" he yells out.
The Vipers are frustrated and violent, taking more penalties. It is hard to keep my rage intact, but the fewer penalties we take at the beginning of the season, the better.
The captain of their team runs his mouth as he skates past our bench during an intermission, "You're only doing this good because the ref's got your back."
"Or maybe your team just sucks!" Blake calls back.
The third period is a nail-biter. The score is tied, and both our teams are playing their hearts out. We get a power play with five minutes left. We cycle the puck, looking for an opening. I get a pass from Leo, fake a shot, and slide it over to Maverick. He winds up and blasts it past their goalie. Go-ahead goal!
The Vipers pull their goalie in the last minute, but we hold them off. Finn makes a huge glove save in the dying seconds to seal the deal.
The final buzzer sounds. The scoreboard: Iron Wolves 5, Vipers 4. We won a hard-fought battle. We mob Finn, helmets flying, gloves in the air. The crowd chants our names. It's the best feeling in the world. We came, we saw, we conquered. And this is just the beginning. We're not just a team; we're a brotherhood, and we're here to stay.
I can't wait to get home and tell Anya all about it. First, we have to get out of here, but that will be at least another hour.
VIP fans wanting autographs and photos line up near the hall entrance for our dressing room, and I don't have the heart to be short with any of them so we can get out of there, even though it feels as if my inner alpha is pulling on my navel to get a move on. The sooner we're done, the sooner we can bring her food and make sure she's okay.
Having these many fans want things from us is exhilarating. It wasn't like this for the last two years, when we kept losing every game we played. And then something just clicked for us and our Iron Wolves teammates.
Leo, Maverick, and I make it through all the requests. One omega puck bunny wanted me to sign her boobs. Which I normally would jump at, but I talked her into her shoulder instead. The thought of Anya possibly seeing me do something like that puts the fear of God into me. I don't want to risk losing her before I've even had a chance to court her fully.
We make it back to our lockers, and I don't bother stripping before I go for my phone. I want to know what she's picked for her dinner tonight.
Only, there are no new texts from her at all, and our game and the fans after took over three hours. That's more than enough time for her to get back with us, even if she's working. She's always been fast, all week.
I whistle to Leo and Mav, holding up my phone so they'll check theirs. Perhaps she texted one of them privately. They both shake their heads.
Coach comes in with his assistant trailing behind him. "Get presentable, boys. The press wants to speak with y'all."
I sigh. I'm worried about Anya, but we can't leave yet. It's going to be into the evening before we can make it back. All I can hope is that she got sucked into her work and will get back to us by then, and that she's not going through her heat and in pain.
But what will we do if she is? The thought of leaving her to suffer when I could help her is almost too much to bear.
Leo comes over to me. "Put a smile on, bud. We just won against one of the best teams in the league. We'll leave as soon as we're cleared to do so and check on her. Trust me, I'm nervous, too. But we have to get through this so that we can have a successful season."
I nod. I know he's right, but it doesn't make my inner alpha any less twitchy.
Our omega needs us.
Soon we'll be able to provide for her, and it will calm down. Even if it feels like it will take forever. It's nice to have an omega to focus on.