Chapter 21
Hunter
Riding a post-game high was a special kind of adrenaline.
The locker room buzz still hummed under my skin, the kind that only came from a hard win and a crowd loud enough to shake the boards.
My muscles were pleasantly wrecked, my head clear, and the steady rhythm of victory still pulsed through me like a second heartbeat.
Yeah, the win was great.
But getting to see Scotty tonight? That was the real prize.
Ryder and I had been locked into hockey mode all day — systems, matchups, breakouts, keeping the other team from getting comfortable in our zone.
It was the kind of focus that narrowed the entire world down to ice and puck and instinct.
When you were in it, nothing else existed.
But the second the final buzzer sounded, and the win was locked in, that laser focus shifted somewhere else.
Straight to our Omega.
Just thinking about her made my Alpha perk up like someone rang a dinner bell.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Friday night since it happened.
Hearing her come undone for us had permanently rearranged something in my brain.
The way she melted between Ryder and me, the way her cherry scent wrapped around us until it mixed with Ryder’s coffee and my cinnamon roll like some kind of dangerously addictive bakery situation.
The way she tried so hard to act unaffected while her body betrayed her every step of the way.
Yeah.
If tonight went anything like that, we were in for a fucking fantastic time.
“Stop grinning like that,” Ryder muttered beside me as we stepped into the restaurant. “You look unhinged.”
“Don’t I always?” I shot back, making sure to look extra unhinged.
He snorted quietly, but I caught the small curve at the corner of his mouth.
Ryder didn’t show excitement the way I did.
He kept it tucked neatly behind that calm, controlled exterior of his, like a man who believed emotions should be folded and stored alphabetically.
But I knew him better than anyone. He was just as excited as I was.
Because Scotty was here.
Gino’s was the best Italian restaurant in Evercrescent, the kind of place people went when they wanted to celebrate something or impress someone.
When Ryder and I stepped inside, the place was already buzzing with weekend energy — soft music, clinking glasses, the smell of garlic and wine floating through the room.
The hostess led us toward a massive corner booth, and the second my eyes landed on Scotty, everything else in the room stopped existing.
She was sitting between two other Omegas and laughing at something one of them had said. Her red hair was pulled back loosely, a few strands falling around her face, and her green eyes lifted just as we approached.
The moment she looked up and saw Ryder and me walking toward the booth, that laugh softened into a smile that hit me right in the chest.
Yeah.
I was absolutely fucked.
“Hey,” she greeted when we reached the booth.
“Hey, yourself,” I replied as we slid into the seats.
Normally, I’d have noticed that.
Normally, I would have flirted with them a little.
Tonight though, I only had eyes for Scotty.
Unfortunately, the two women were sitting on either side of her, which meant Ryder and I couldn’t slide in beside her the way we wanted to. I tried not to look as disappointed as I felt.
Probably for the best, honestly. If I sat next to her right now, there was a very good chance I’d forget we were in public and not somewhere significantly more private.
We slid in beside Morgan and Coach.
“Hi, Morgan. Coach,” I greeted.
Morgan squeezed my hand in greeting. “How many times have I told you to call me Mom, Hunter?” she scolded playfully.
“Sorry, Mom.” I kissed her cheek, and she beamed at me.
Across the table, Scotty gestured toward the women sitting beside her. “Guys, these are my friends Millie and Ella.”
Ella was the blonde with big hazel eyes and a petite frame. Millie was brunette with blue eyes and gorgeous in that effortless way that made it obvious she knew it. Both of them were watching Ryder and me with open curiosity.
“You guys were amazing,” Scotty gushed, and my chest puffed up in pride.
“Thanks, Ba— Becca.” I caught myself just in time before the nickname slipped out.
Her eyes widened, and her friends erupted into poorly concealed snickers, Ella hiding behind her menu while Millie’s shoulders shook.
Coach narrowed his eyes at me. “What kind of fucking name is Babecca?”
He always had a foul mouth, but he definitely didn’t look thrilled about me inventing nicknames for his daughter.
“I should’ve had two more takeaways tonight,” Ryder jumped in smoothly, leaning back in the booth and coming to my rescue. The man absolutely deserved a reward later. Possibly several. “That winger telegraphed his pass three times.”
Coach pivoted to hockey talk faster than a defenseman changing direction on fresh ice.
Within seconds, he launched into a full breakdown of the game, replaying moments and strategies like we were standing at the whiteboard in the locker room again.
Ryder and I kept him going with questions and commentary, and Scotty chimed in now and then with observations that made me glance at her with renewed appreciation.
She knew the game.
Not casually either. She understood systems, positioning, defensive adjustments — the kind of things most fans completely missed.
That shouldn’t have surprised me.
She grew up around hockey.
I kind of loved that.
Actually, scratch that — I really loved that.
Eventually the waiter came by and we ordered, and conversation shifted. Morgan leaned forward slightly, resting her hand on Coach’s arm.
“So Scotty,” she said, “Your dad mentioned you were getting married next month. Congratulations. I can’t wait to meet your fiancé.”
The atmosphere at the table shifted immediately. Scotty’s shoulders tightened, and her friends noticed. Ella leaned slightly closer to her, and Millie’s expression softened with concern.
Scotty started tearing apart a piece of bread in front of her, shredding it slowly without eating any of it, and I wished I could scoop her up and get her the hell away from here.
But then my brave girl cleared her throat and looked Ryder’s mom straight in the eye. “Ex fiancé. We’re not together anymore.”
Coach frowned. “What the fuck happened?”
Scotty took a sip of water before answering. “I forgot something at home,” she started. “So I went back to get it and found Ken fu- in bed with our neighbor.”
A low growl escaped Ryder before he could stop it, and Millie looked like she wished Ken would walk through the door so she could stab him with her butter knife.
I had a feeling Millie and I were going to be great friends.
“Oh, Scotty, I’m so sorry,” Morgan said softly.
Coach’s expression hardened.
“He didn’t even apologize,” Scotty continued. “I think he was just annoyed that he got caught. I packed my stuff and left.”
“You didn’t give him a chance to explain?” Coach asked, making my blood boil.
“What the fuck was there to explain?” I snapped before I could stop myself.
Beside me, Ryder looked about two seconds away from climbing over the table and shaking the stupidity out of Coach.
“You could have tried to work things out,” Coach continued, ignoring me.
Ryder took a slow drink of water, staring at Coach over the rim of his glass in a way that suggested several violent thoughts were currently being evaluated. “Excuse me? You wanted her to stay there so he could what? Explain why he was fucking another woman when he was engaged to your daughter?”
“Ryder! Language!” Morgan hissed.
I grabbed his hand under the table, trying to calm him down. I didn’t think Scotty would appreciate him murdering her dad.
Luckily, the waiter returned with salads just in time to break the tension, followed by a couple of fans who stopped by to congratulate Ryder and me on the win.
After they left, Morgan smoothly redirected the conversation, and I silently thanked my mate’s mother, even if she had been the one to start the whole mess.
“Did you hear anything back from the mechanic?” she asked Scotty.
“I stopped by yesterday,” Scotty mumbled, still sounding sad. “They said they’d have an answer by Monday. But it doesn’t look promising.”
“Well,” Ella said cheerfully, “That means you can get a new one.”
Scotty snorted. “The insurance payout for my old car will barely cover a used bicycle.”
Ryder and I exchanged a glance.
The kind that required absolutely zero words.
“What would you get if you could choose anything?” Millie pressed, throwing a wink our way when Scotty wasn’t looking.
Yeah, girl. Message received, don’t you worry.
Scotty smiled faintly. “You know me. I know almost nothing about cars. Just something that isn’t falling apart would be nice.”
The conversation drifted back to hockey after that — upcoming games, lineup adjustments, Coach’s never-ending analysis of opposing teams.
I tried to listen.
I really did.
But my attention kept drifting back to Scotty.
Scotty’s fork made lazy circles on her plate, herding the same penne noodle from one edge to the other without ever bringing it to her lips. My Alpha didn’t like that she wasn’t eating. She needed to look after herself. Or let us look after her.
Every time our eyes met, I tried to make her smile.
A wink here.
An exaggerated eye roll when Coach went on a particularly long rant.
Little things.
Eventually, it worked.
By the time the entrees arrived, she was smiling again.
And seeing that smile made something in my chest loosen.
Because no matter what that asshole Ken had done to her.
Ryder and I were going to make damn sure Rebecca Scott never felt like she wasn’t worth everything ever again.