35. Adler
THIRTY-FIVE
Adler
“Final period, boys!” Coach slams his hands together, clapping.
The locker room air is thick with testosterone, sweat, ice, and the sheer will to win. We’re all out for blood. The Rhinos have kept us on our toes. They’re good, better than I remember.
“How’s the ankle, Corbin?” Coach barks at him.
Corbin’s icing it, his lips pressed into a grim, determined line. It’s rare to see him not joking around, but after that penalty, he’s not going down without a fight. “Never better.”
“Are you sure you’re good to play?” I whisper under my breath as Coach paces.
“Fuck yeah.” Nothing is going to stop him. “We’re taking those bastards down.”
My limbs tingle, adrenaline still shooting through them, ready to push my body to the limit when it counts the most. Knowing Sabs is out there in the crowd, cheering for me, gives me the extra push I need.
Sure, there are scouts here, but she’s the one I really want to impress.
I’m gonna win that damned trophy for her.
It’s time to give my team a pep talk.
I stand, drawing myself up to my full height.
“We’ve worked hard for this.” My voice comes out in a low, deep, rumble.
“Everything has been leading up to this moment.” There’re murmurs of agreement, fists punching the air.
“Those Rhinos are on our fucking ice, and we’re going to show them whose rink it is. We’re gonna bring this home!”
Corbin slams his ice pack down on the bench. “Hell yeah, we are!”
“Let’s fucking do this!” I yell, extending my arm, palm down.
Everyone gathers in a circle, gloved hands roughly pile on top of mine.
Even though I can’t stand some of the guys on the team, right now, we have to act as one, putting aside all of our differences.
We’re all locked in on our mission, and nothing is going to stop us as we bark in unison, “Foxes!”
“Go get ’em!” Coach Tanner thumps me on the back as I pass him. “Make me proud.”
Helmet on, I head back out to the ice, looking straight at Sabs. Her red hair is easy to find, pride swelling in my chest to see she’s donning an orange jersey. I can just imagine how good it’s going to be when I fuck her in my winning jersey later. Just like I did the first night we met.
“Nice omega you have there.” The opposing team captain follows my gaze. He’s built like an oversized gorilla with hulking shoulders and stubby legs. “Wonder what she smells like.”
He’s known for playing dirty, trying to rattle me and throw me off. A few years ago, I’d have reacted to his comments and let my temper get the best of me, but Orin’s taught me discipline and control. If this goon wants me to lose my shit, it must mean he feels threatened.
“Too bad you’ll never know how good any omega smells,” I chuff.
His eyes narrow, pissed that his remark didn’t have the desired effect. “Fuck you, pretty boy.”
“I may be pretty, but I’m gonna kick your ass,” I snarl. “Then I’m gonna fuck my omega next to our trophy.”
Some of my teammates chortle, falling into the lineup as I position myself in the faceoff.
“You’re going down,” the Rhino’s captain sneers at me.
From the moment the puck hits the ice, everything else passes in a blur. I forget that we’re being watched as I get lost in the game. We need to score if we’re going to win.
Corbin delivers an epic tape-to-tape pass, then I’m off, laser-focused on the goal like a predator hounding its prey as I slice across the ice. I don’t stop, barreling on, the crowds’ hollering turning into a static buzz as I zero in on what I have to do.
I slam that puck toward the back of the net at full force. With my heart slamming in my throat, I watch the goalie veer to the left to try to stop it, but it flies straight between his legs.
Holy shit. I really did it.
The buzzer sounds to signal the end of the game, my team descending upon me before I can even raise my stick in victory.
They leap at me, my helmet getting tugged off and thrown in the air as I’m swept away in their euphoria.
Sticks and helmets are thrown, and excited hands slap my back as we move as a mass, sliding into the barrier.
“We did it!” Corbin shouts over the deafening celebrations. “We won!”
I’m dazed as the arena goes wild. Eventually, my team members spring back, some doing victory skates around the rink, others fist bumping and dancing. Meanwhile, the Rhinos remain stationary, a few having dropped to their knees in defeat.
Elation fills me as I spin to see Sabs jumping up and down. Orin stands at her side, a faint yet obviously proud smile on his lips. His gaze meets mine, and he inclines his head as if to say, “You’ve done well.” Luca punches the air while the Stellas squeal, hugging each other.
Before I can even process what I’m doing, I’m skating for the exit, sprinting across the ice to get to my girl.
I watch Sabs push her way through the crowd to be waiting for me as soon as I come off.
I don’t care that I should be with my team in this moment.
There’s only one person I want to celebrate with.
“You did it!” Her red ponytail is swinging as I step off the ice, her cheeks a radiant flush as she throws her arms around my neck.
I pull her close, breathing her in before kissing her so hard that we’re heckled by onlookers shouting, “Get a room!”
It’s only when I release her, lips all cute and swollen, that I shudder.
“Adler?” Her rosy lips tug down into a frown. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re not wearing my number.” My response comes out as a growl.
“Oh, this?” She looks down at the jersey. “It was the only one they had left.”
“You’re my omega.” I pull her in closer. “You can’t wear another player’s number.”
“Does that really matter?”
“Hell yeah, it does!” I tear off my gloves then pull off my own jersey.
There’s an, “Oooh” from the crowd and plenty of wolf whistles, but I don’t care. Sabs’s pupils eat up her irises as she drinks me in. I probably stink of sweat, but from her reaction and what I can feel through our bond, she clearly doesn’t mind.
She puts her hand to her mouth and chuckles. “You know my parents are probably watching, right?”
My heart falls to my feet. “Oh, shit.”
She swats me playfully. “Don’t worry, they’ll be your biggest fans after seeing your performance.”
I hand my jersey to her. “Put it on.”
She laughs, peeling off the other one. I hastily grab it and toss it into the stands for Nia to catch as eight is Corbin’s number.
I feel better once Sabs puts mine on. Much better.
There’s no bigger turn-on than seeing my girl in my number.
So much so that my jock might just crack in two from how much I’m straining underneath it.
“Mmm.” She peers down at my jersey. “You know, I do think I like this one better.”
“Adler!” The sound of my teammates calling me over pulls my attention to the rink. “They’re gonna bring the trophy out!”
I nuzzle into Sabs’s neck, the scent of cherries making me go weak at the knees. “I’ve already got my trophy right here.”
She kisses me again, her soft hands on my face and her tongue possessively claiming my mouth.
Fuck, she feels so good. When I’m hit by the scent of her perfume, I practically drool at its intensity, loving the way it floods my senses.
She pulls back, mouth parted in surprise before she sinks her teeth into her bottom lip.
“Sabs?”
“Uh… I think we need to go.”
I don’t need her to say it because I feel it too. Her arousal is creeping up on her like an unstoppable force, her natural scent completely overpowering her scent blockers.
I look over her shoulder to see Orin, whose shoulders have straightened, marching in our direction with Luca at his side. I’m not sure whether he’s a really good lip reader or he can smell Sabs, but I’m relieved to see that he’s already talking into his earpiece, likely summoning Drax.
Still, there’s no way I’m leaving her.
“And Adler Ace is leaving the rink,” I hear the announcer declare to the crowd, met by confused murmurs. Students are already swarming around, thrusting things out for me to sign as I put my arm around Sabs, ignoring everyone around us as I guide her to the locker room.
Right now, Sabs is my priority.
“I can’t believe this is happening here again!” Sabs’s words come from behind her hands, covering her face. “Oh, shit. The friction from these shorts feels so good.” She lets out a little moan.
“Okay, that’s it.” I scoop her into my arms, where she belongs. “I’m not letting anyone else hear you moan like that.”
“Are you sure you can just leave?” I can feel her concern through our connection. “Don’t you have things to do? You just won the game.”
“Nothing is more important than you.” Excitement stirs in my belly, remembering what we’d agreed on, knowing my packmates will be thinking the same thing. “And finally completing our pack.”