Chapter 13 #2
“You remember that?” he chuckles. “I don’t even know why I yelled that at you. It was a really bad game. I had to have my nose packed because I caught an elbow to my face. I couldn’t smell shit.”
“I didn’t realize you got hurt,” she says, wide eyed.
“See, it’s because you weren’t paying attention,” he teases.
Caelia giggles with a shrug, and Levon and I lean in to drink in the sound. It’s so carefree and light. I’m getting the impression that she doesn’t often get to feel like that.
“I have an odd question,” Levon grumbles suddenly. “Why do you smell funny?”
Miles smacks him behind the head as Caelia tries to figure out what he means.
“I can barely smell your scent,” I add on Levon’s behalf. “I think that’s what he means.”
“I wear a descenting spray,” she says, relaxing slightly. “It’s almost become my safety blanket. My dad says I’m hiding.”
“Do you feel as if you need to?” Miles asks, nudging her water in her direction.
Caelia gives him a bemused look, but cracks the bottle’s seal regardless and takes a sip from it.
“With my experience of what my scent does to alphas, yes,” she says.
“I feel like we can’t get to know each other without understanding your past,” I sigh.
“You didn’t tell them?” she asks Miles.
“It’s not my place to say anything,” Miles says.
“Oh.”
“I wasn’t there,” he reminds her. “I’d like to know so that I don’t have to speculate.”
Caelia worries at her bottom lip with her teeth, and I want to pull it away so she’ll stop torturing herself. I don’t know her well enough though, so I take a bite of my sweet treat so I’ll keep my hands to myself. Levon squeezes my thigh, making me realize he can probably feel some of my pain.
Caelia glances at the counter, but it’s currently empty when I twist my body to follow her field of vision. Turning back, I give her my full attention.
“I presented as an omega the night before a hockey game,” she says softly. “Everyone on the team could smell me, which is why they played like shit that night. I was eighteen, and I had talked through what that meant with my dad. We didn’t think about my scent.”
“You can’t make people play like shit,” Levon rumbles as we gaze at her. “We’re trained to play even when the entire stadium is empty or they’re all booing at us.”
“That’s what they told me, and they did play like shit. Sorry, Miles,” she says.
“No, it’s true. I heard them complaining as we were playing, but I was focused on what I was doing. I didn’t think anything of it, and ended up leaving in the middle of Coach yelling at us. My nose was a mess,” Miles says.
Caelia takes a deep breath, her eyes moving over each one of us as if she’s trying to commit what we look like to her memory. I want to tell her we aren’t going anywhere, no matter what she tells us.
It’s too soon for those types of declarations. She also likely won’t believe me.
“Anyway, while I was on my way to Dad’s office after the game, someone pulled me into a supply closet,” Caelia explains, her eyes on the table. Unthinkingly, I hold out my hand and she slips her much smaller one into mine. “There were two players waiting inside, and they… raped me.”
Even though my mind has been trying to figure out what happened to her without any further information, I still physically flinch as if she hit me. Levon growls under his breath, while Miles’ chest seems to vibrate to soothe our omega.
“One of them alpha barked me into not being able to speak,” she says, a tear sliding down her cheek. Her fingers tighten around mine, and she gasps in a breath.
“Easy, baby,” Miles whispers. “You’re not with them.”
I want to know who did this to her, but I have a feeling she’d have used names if she had wanted to.
“Your dad found you?” Miles asks. “Is that what happened?”
“I still don’t know how,” she rasps. “There was a player at the door, and he was supposed to distract everyone else from stopping. He tried to stop my dad, but that didn’t go well. Dad must have used the player’s head as a battering ram before tossing him away.”
“Who did this?” Miles asks. “I played for years with these guys…”
“I won’t tell you,” she says, shaking her head as she looks up. “Dad is finally working with a team that was willing to give him a chance. He beat the shit out of the alphas who hurt me, and his own assistant coach told him he wouldn’t call the police so Dad wouldn’t go to jail.”
“But he didn’t do anything except help you,” I growl.
“It was still assault,” Caelia shrugs. “Dad quit on the spot, and took me to the hospital, which was even worse in a lot of ways. God, it was so demoralizing.”
“I’m so sorry,” Levon says, swallowing hard. “This never should have happened to you. I can’t imagine anyone that I play with doing this.”
“I didn’t think I could either,” Miles says sadly. “We were told a completely different story, Caelia.”
“Am I a skank in that one?” Caelia laughs, but her voice is dark and cracks. There’s no mirth to it, simply sarcasm and pain.
“It’s bullshit is what it was,” Miles says. “Caelia… What happened to you wasn’t right.”
“Losing my virginity to your teammates really wasn’t on my to do list,” she says, swiping her tears away as she looks up and freezes.
Miles is sitting there, looking the way I feel. The world feels colder, darker, and crueler than it did a few minutes ago. I don’t know that it’ll go back to the way it felt before Caelia told me her story.
“I can understand why you want to hide,” I say, my voice thick with emotion. My eyes burn, and I blink hard to get ahold of myself. “Does it make you any safer?”
“Sometimes,” Caelia admits. “I usually wear perfume oils to cover it completely.”
“Patchouli, right?” Miles asks, taking her in. “I noticed that when I saw you at the stadium. It didn’t repel me, it was just different. I wasn’t sure if it was part of your scent or not.”
“It’s not,” she says. “I’m wearing a descenting spray on the off chance that I hit traffic on the way home and have to fill up my gas tank.”
“We can drive behind you to the gas station before we leave town if you need gas,” I say, feeling protective.
“I have a full tank, I’m just paranoid,” she says sadly. “I feel like I have to be prepared for every eventuality.”
“Is this why you’re in the corner of the cafe?” I ask.
“Pretty much,” she murmurs, glancing at the door. “Dad apparently knows the owner, and he asked the barista to keep an eye on me. This entire date seems to be crafted with my safety in mind.”
“Your dad adores you,” Levon says. “He scares me, but I can see that much.”
“Dad scares everyone,” Caelia smirks. “Honestly, I’m happy that he’s with the Dragons. They treat him really well, and when Dad comes to sit with me to ask my opinion of how they’re doing, no one says boo.”
“So you seriously know hockey,” Levon says almost in awe. I can’t blame him, because I’ve heard horror stories about the girls who just want to climb a hockey player.
“Of course,” she says.
“I can tell in your voice overs,” Miles says, tipping his hand about his stalker skills.
“Are you saying you watch my videos?” Caelia teases.
The tears are drying on her skin, but I press napkins into her free hand anyway. I almost wish I hadn’t when she releases my hand that she was clutching earlier.
“I check every day for a new one,” he confesses. “I’m well aware of how ridiculous that is, but I didn’t want to push you to talk to me. It’s not fair to you.”
“I don’t know how to feel about you,” she gushes out, patting her face with her tissue. Her mascara is slightly smudged, but it looks purposeful. “From the things that were obviously mentioned about me, to any loyalties you may have to the guys you used to play with—”
“I’m going to stop you for just a second,” Miles says, taking a breath to settle himself.
I can tell he’s getting upset. No one wants to be lumped in with rapists. Even the color is higher in his cheeks as he struggles to find his words.
“I’m never going to stand up for people who believe they’re allowed to take away someone’s consent,” he says.
“They took your voice and your belief that you were safe around that team. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to look any of them in the eye again.
If you won’t tell me who hurt you, then I’m going with the belief that they either knew or were a part of it. ”
“That’s not fair either,” Caelia groans.
“I don’t make the rules,” he says. “I’m just following them.”
“Yeah right, Coach,” she says, rolling her eyes.
I notice the way his eyes heat, but he clears his throat as he adjusts himself when she isn’t looking. Caelia definitely affects us.
“I don’t know how we’re going to make this work, but I want to see you more,” Miles tells her.
“I don’t want to pressure you, but I want to call you when we’re away from each other,” I add. “Sporadically talking to you in messages is torture.”
“Are you saying you’d prefer more immediate gratification?” she asks, being playful.
Caelia’s eyes sparkle a little more now that she’s moving past telling us about what happened to her. The humor covers open wounds, but I’m not going to poke at them anymore than we already have.
“I’m the one he edges,” Levon says, making a face.
Caelia’s giggle feels right as she leans forward on her arms, her napkin forgotten as I finally take a sip of my coffee drink. Thankfully, it’s iced and gives me the jolt of caffeine that I need.
“Okay, it’s my turn to ask questions,” she says firmly, as if we’d deny her answers. “I know we’re scent matches, and it’s not every day this happens. I’m just kind of confused on how this works.”
“I don’t hear a question,” I murmur, making her blush as Levon and Miles wait without a word. “So take your turn, Caelia.”
“Am I supposed to date all of you? Won’t you get jealous?” she asks.
“A two for one works,” I smirk. “You and I are going to go where this leads. I have to warn you that I’m going to be an awkward turtle though. I’ve never dated a woman before, and I was fairly certain I was gay until meeting you.”