Chapter 20
Slater
I watch Tessa walk away for only a moment before I put my hand on the door. “Man, don’t. Let her go.” I resist the urge to throw my teammate away from me. Anger is coursing through my system, and I need an outlet for it.
Slate, what’s going on? Zane’s voice inside my head makes me calm down for just a moment.
Tessa. That’s all I manage to get out.
I’m coming to you.
I push the door open and step outside. “Slate!” Ben calls, but I ignore him. I need to make sure she gets to her dorm safely, even if she doesn’t want me near her. I follow her all the way to her dorm and am just about to go inside when I feel Zane’s presence.
“Slate.” I debate ignoring him for a moment but know he’ll just follow me. Knowing Tessa is inside and safe, I turn back to face him. It’s no surprise to see Evie with him. She eyes me in concern, and I try to calm my anger.
“What happened?” Zane asks in a quiet voice.
I step over to the side, and they follow. “He hurt her.” My words are almost impossible to get out.
“Who?” Zane asks, the picture of calm.
“Connor.” His name is like gravel on my tongue.
“Oh,” Evie says softly.
Zane turns to her and frowns. “You know him?”
“He’s the guy from the cafeteria,” she says quietly.
Understanding dawns on Zane’s face, and his eyes narrow. “What did he do?”
“He pulled her away from me,” I start, anger rising again with every word. “And tried to keep her away from me. Then he hit her nose, and she was in pain.” I grind my teeth together.
Zane’s look portrays exactly how I feel. “What’d you do to him?”
“Pinned him against the wall and told him what would happen the next time he touched her or hurt her.”
Zane nods. “Good.”
“Where’s Tessa now?” Evie asks softly.
“Inside.”
She nods and puts the phone to her ear. I hear Tessa‘s voice come through the line. “Hey, Evie.”
“Tess, are you okay?” There’s a pause, and I find myself holding my breath, waiting for her response. “Tessa?” she asks, clearly worried.
“I’m okay.”
My fingers curl into a fist at the sound of tears in her voice.
I start towards the door, but Zane puts a hand on my shoulder.
Wait. There’s enough command in his voice for me to know he’s not messing around.
I could ignore it, but I want to see what Evie’s going to do anyway.
Maybe she can check on my girl for me, since she’s not really wanting to see me right now.
“Oh, Tessa,” I hear Evie say. “Where are you now?”
“My room,” I hear Tessa say.
“Stay there; I’m coming to you.”
“You don’t need to,” Tessa says.
“I know. I’ll see you in a minute.” She hangs up and pockets her phone. “I’m going up to check on her.” She eyes me. “I’ll let you know.”
Zane kisses her temple. “We’ll wait to hear from you.” He watches as she walks inside and out of view before he turns to me. “I’m sorry, Man.”
I blow out a breath, trying to find my calm.
It’s usually so easy for me to stay calm.
My entire team can be in an uproar over a call, but I’m the calm, steady, even cold one.
Not today, not since I met Tessa, if I’m being honest. I lean against the outside wall of the building and wait for Evie to come back.
Thankfully, Zane stays silent as we wait.
My phone buzzes, but I ignore it. It buzzes again soon after, and I ignore it again.
But when it buzzes the third time, Zane turns to me. “You’d better check that.”
I pull out my phone and curse when I see Coach’s name. Coach Goodwin is a good coach, the best even; but he cares the most about winning. Anything that gets in the way of that is a problem. I answer. “Coach.”
“My office. Now.”
He hangs up, and I pocket my phone. “That didn’t take long.”
“You want me to go with you?” Zane asks.
“No. Keep an eye on Tessa for me?”
He nods. “Of course. I'll keep the two of them together for now.” He clasps my shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.”
I make the long walk over to the soccer field where the clubhouse is that holds several offices.
I thought the walk would help calm me, but just the opposite is true.
The further I get from Tessa, the more irritated and uptight I become.
By the time I get to Coach’s office, I’m ready to shift and go for a run.
My wolf is in full agreement with that, but I force him down and stride inside the building.
I knock on Coach’s door and wait for him to call me in.
When I close the door, I feel closed in, a feeling I hate.
“Slate. Have a seat.”
I really don’t want to, but I force myself to sit in one of the chairs opposite his desk.
I cross my ankle over my knee and slouch low in the seat and stay quiet.
The best way to get through this is to keep my mouth shut, no matter what.
That's always been the best way to handle Coach Goodwin. I learned that at my first practice my freshman year. He doesn’t bother looking up from whatever it is he’s working on, and I just wait him out.
When he finally lifts his head, he sits back in his seat.
“I saw a video of you accosting another student.” I keep my mouth shut.
“You had him up against the wall. I’m not even going to ask you why you did it.
I don’t have time for any of that nonsense.
You know the rules. You lay hands on someone, you don’t play for me.
You’re out the rest of the season.” I let nothing show on my face.
“No need to come to practice if you’re not going to play.
” I wait a moment longer to see if he’s going to say anything more before I stand to my feet and walk over to the door.
I open the door but pause when he speaks again.
“It’s a shame. You were one of my best players.
A shame for your season to end this way.
” And then he looks down and starts working on whatever it is he’s working on, probably a lineup without me in it.
Knowing he’s not going to say anything more, I close the door behind me and stride from the building.
I make my way outside and pause once outside the building and let his words soak in.
I won’t get to play in our playoff game this weekend.
I won’t get to finish the season, however long it may be.
But I regret nothing; I would do it all over again.
Connor put his hands on my mate; he hurt her.
He tried to keep her away from me, her mate—the one who can protect her the best. A growl reverberates in my chest. Yeah, I'd do it all over again. I don’t look forward to telling my teammates.
It's not fair to them, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
I’m halfway back to Tessa’s dorm when Alpha Blackwood makes a connection with me.
Slate, Son, what went down this morning?
I’m not surprised he knows. It may not even have been Zane, his son, that told him. Alpha always seems to know what’s going on in his pack. Another guy laid hands on my mate, kept her away from me, and ended up hurting her.
And what did you do?
I held him against the wall and told him what I would do to him if he ever touched her or hurt her again.
Good job defending your mate.
Yeah, well, there were phones. Everybody recorded it and saw what happened.
And your Coach? He asks.
He kicked me off the team for the remainder of the season.
It’s quiet as he takes in the information. Do you want me to talk to him?
My answer is immediate. No. I knew the rules.
It’s quiet a moment again. I’m proud of you, Son. You did the right thing.
His words just reinforce that I did the right thing.
Soccer is simply a sport. I love it, but it’s not my life.
There will be life after college and after soccer, but Tessa is my entire life.
Without her, there is nothing for me. I can sit out a few games and deal with the anger of my teammates. I may hate it, but I’ll survive.
When was the last time you were home?
His question surprises me, and I slow my walk. This summer.
Hmm. Coming home for Christmas?
It’s my turn to be quiet for a minute. Maybe.
Alpha Blackwood knows my parents as well as I do.
He knows that though they love me, they don’t think I should be playing soccer for FMU.
They don’t think any of us should. They’re of an old school mindset that the shifter community should stay separated from the human communities, something Alpha Blackwood has tried to change over the years.
But my parents are older; they lived under the last alpha before Alpha Blackwood challenged him, killed him, and took control of the pack.
He’s really sought to integrate us into human everyday life, allowing us the rights of school, college, sports.
..things our parents weren’t allowed. I love my parents, and they love me.
We're just not super close. They never come to any of my games and don’t approve of what I’m doing with my life.
I can’t imagine what they’ll think of Tessa, my very human mate.
But I really don’t care what they think about her as long as they’re respectful to her because it doesn’t matter what they think.
Tessa is my mate and perfect for me in every single way.
Maybe just stop in some time and give them a little time, Alpha suggests.
I’ll try.
That’s all I ask, Son. I’m proud of you for what you did today. We protect our mates and our families at all costs. You’re going to be a great enforcer one day. Keep me updated if there’s any more fallout.
Thanks, Alpha.
That’s another way Alpha Blackwood is different than the previous alpha. Although I never met him, older pack members say that he didn’t put the kind of emphasis on mates and families that Alpha Blackwood does. Our pack has grown and been more successful because of Alpha Blackwood.
When I get back to Tessa’s dorm, Zane is where I left him. “Is Evie still up there?”
“Yes, but she said she’s coming back down. We all need to get to class.” I nod, hoping I’ll get to see Tessa in the next few minutes then. “How’d it go with Coach?” I shake my head. “Not good?”
“I’m done for the season.” The words taste bitter in my mouth, but I don’t regret anything.
Zane curses low. “Seriously? That’s ridiculous.”
I shrug. “It is what it is.”
Zane studies me a moment. “I’m sorry, Man. But at the same time, I’m proud of you. I would have done the same thing.”
“You have done the same thing,” I remind him.
He chuckles. “Yeah.”
Evie comes out then, catching our attention for different reasons. I look behind her, hoping to see Tessa. Evie sees me looking and gives me an apologetic look. “Sorry, Slate. She’s going to try to rest for a little bit.” She bites her lip a moment.
“What?” I ask.
She glances at Zane and then back at me. “She’s just in pain, so she’s going to try to sleep it off.” She keeps her words soft and gentle, like she’s afraid she’s going to make me mad. That’s already happened.
“Is she okay?” I ask, voice rough.
Evie nods. “Yeah.” She blows out a breath. “How did it go with your coach?” I let Zane fill her in. Hearing it second hand doesn’t make it any easier to stomach. “Oh, Slate. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine.” I need to get away from here before I storm inside to check on Tessa, and I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to scare her.
“I’ll see you guys later.”