Chapter Eight
Striker
I woke up the morning after the club feeling like a new person. Bracing myself for the morning stiffness and pain, I carefully sat up and placed my feet on the floor.
But nothing happened.
I pushed off the side and stood up, still waiting for the inevitable. Shaking my leg, I looked down at it.
No pain. Minimal soreness.
No shooting pains or the weird icy veins feeling.
None of it.
I checked the phone next to my nightstand and realized how long I’d slept. Thank goodness I was off work today, otherwise, I would’ve been three hours late for my shift.
My thoughts immediately drifted to Wulf. He was the first alpha I’d let touch my leg. And the whole time we were playing, it felt like he knew exactly how to touch me. His fingers kneaded my muscles in a way no physical therapist had. No doctor.
I’d been offered all kinds of surgeries after the accident but most of them had a higher rate of being completely immobilized than they did helping me. My agent found some of the best surgeons on the planet and they gave me less than dismal news every time.
For me, it wasn’t worth the risk. In the end, I decided not to take the risk and to just deal with the pain.
Some days I regretted that decision. There were days, rainy ones and cold ones in particular, where the pain was so unbearable, I could scarcely get out of bed. Nothing helped. The pills didn’t touch the pain at all.
And now, after one night with Wulf, I felt better than I had in years, physically. Emotionally and mentally, better than I was before the accident.
Somehow the alpha’s touch and time with him had given me healing. Parts of me that were shattered weren’t so sharp anymore.
Instead of staying home, as I usually did on my days off, I treated myself to a walk in the sunshine. A latte and a scone were the perfect top-off for a day like this. A quick stop at the cafe turned into a full morning of thrift store shopping and library browsing.
I stopped for lunch and picked up some for my roommate. He usually woke up about noon or a bit later.
“Hey,” I said as I walked back into the apartment.
Eli was up and looking at the coffee pot, willing it to make caffeine for him. Good thing I thought of that. “Good morning? Afternoon? Goddess, I’m so tired.”
“Good thing I thought of that. Here.” I handed him lunch and a hot cinnamon bun latte. He worked at a gym overnight and could eat whatever he wanted and keep an amazing physique because of being an athlete as well.
“You’re a lifesaver.” He took the coffee from me along with a bag and took a long sip. So long, I was afraid he’d burn his tongue off. Eli opened the sandwich after we sat at our little kitchen table. “You…you’re not limping. Good day?”
Eli was observant. He tried to help me where he could but his life was busy as mine once had been.
He trained hard and I made it a point to support him at his events, as many as I could go to.
He had high hopes for the next Skin to Fur tournament and sometimes asked me questions about my training and plan…
before. It didn’t bother me to be included.
I was glad I still had something, even just knowledge, to offer.
“It’s a good day, yeah. I’m enjoying it.”
“That’s good. Did you do something differently?”
I had. I’d met an incredible alpha who somehow rounded all my jagged edges in one night at the club. If Wulf could do that in one night…maybe there was something concrete to my wolf thinking about mate and something more than just a date.
That would all be easier if I had asked for his number or had any hope at all of seeing him again.
Crowned was a popular place and, while I’d been going for months, I’d never seen Wulf before, so my heart sank as I thought about never seeing him again.
“I met someone.”
“Like a doctor? A PT?”
I had no idea about Wulf’s life. Felt pretty bad about not asking him about it either. Instead, I’d spilled my story and he’d listened. “I’m gonna leave it at that I met someone and it changed some things. I’m not ready to divulge more.”
Eli nodded. “I get that. Sometimes, I don’t want to tell anyone when something good happens. Like the bubble might burst or something.”
“Exactly.”
My phone rang. Work. They asked me to go in for a short shift. It was a Saturday and this happened more often than not. Weekends were important for the hotel. And I didn’t mind the extra money.
My shift ended later than I’d thought and by the time I got home, I was getting achy again. Maybe the sitting. Maybe the adrenaline from the night before had finally worn off. Either way, I was ready to go back.
Yes, I was chasing the good feelings Wulf gave me but even more than that I was chasing the man. The alpha.
I craved more of him. His presence that grounded me. His stare that made me feel wanted and adored.
The way he spoke to me like I was the only omega in the room.
I hungered for all of him.
Hopefully, I hadn’t blown my chance with the most intriguing alpha I’d ever met.