27. Mathan
Mathan
After Artie got hurt, he’s been inviting Kallis every day to come and join us after hours. But her best excuse was that he was injured and he needed to rest. He’s definitely more obsessive with her than he was with other omegas he ‘fell in love’ with in the past.
We usually only practice like this once a week, but we’ve kept it up for seven nights with Artie mostly sitting on the sidelines as his leg heals, all with the hope that Kallis will visit, even just once.
I fire the puck low, and Orso catches it easily as we glide through the defense line, passing back and forth between us, sailing toward the net.
With no other players on the ice, we’re free to move how we want, and I need to keep stretching my arm.
It’s still stiff after the accident, but we aren’t out on the ice for me.
I’m an okay skater, but I’ve always been better in the net.
One of the Bears’ coaches attended the Lacrosse World Championships when it was hosted in the UK, spotted me in goal playing for Scotland, and gave me the opportunity to come to the US to train.
I had a year to learn how to skate, and it turned out I was pretty damn good at stopping pucks.
And we have our own shortcut to success.
I sink into our bond, sending my senses out to Orso and Artie. It’s one of the advantages we have as a pack; we can connect more and play in sync when we concentrate on the bond. We’re more in tune when we play, because Artie and I also know where Orso is aiming before he makes the shot.
He won’t be gentle just because Artie is still healing. Though Artie’s made sure to show us that his cut is healed enough that he can fuck again. He’s been relentless since we were fucking every night to keep him calm since we met Kallis. And now he claims he’s got nearly a week to catch up.
Artie watches from the net as we soar forward, and Orso fixes his gaze on the lower left edge. Orso has a great sixth sense for where the puck is, and as soon as I shoot it back to him, he angles his stick just right and shunts it toward Artie.
Even a week off the ice had made Artie jittery, but his reaction time is as sharp as ever as he twists his stick and blocks it before it can even dream of touching the net.
Orso gives me a nod, signaling to me as Artie returns the puck to us, and the pair of us glide to opposite sides of the rink to start again. I love practicing with them; it always feels like we’re flying when we fully harness our bond.
We might be focused on our practice game, but that doesn’t prevent us from being hyperaware of the omega that stands right at the back of the stadium.
If she thinks we can’t feel her just because she’s 150 feet above us at the highest row of seats and covered in shadows, then she’s underestimating how much we crave her.
Even when we’re nowhere near Kallis, as long as she’s in The Woods, we keep searching for her.
There are times when our alpha sides think the bond is already in place, that there’s something missing inside of us when she’s not next to us.
Even Orso has to admit now that we don’t feel right without her.
We need her in our home and our lives to settle again, but we have to earn her full trust for that.
Which is why we keep the puck moving instead of stopping dead and demanding she come down so we can hold her.
It’s like we’re coaxing a baby deer to come closer to our den. She hasn’t moved for half an hour, and we can’t do anything to spook her. But bears are known for spending months wrapped up in their caves and hibernating, and we can do the same thing with her.
Well, Orso and I can endure, but Artie is growing more tense. As the baby of his family, he’s used to getting everything he wants, which is why he followed Orso around everywhere when they first met, wearing him down even though my mate wanted nothing to do with him.
We’ll just keep going until she’s confident enough to come to us.
At the forty-five-minute mark, there is finally a thud of shoes as she walks down the steps toward the rink, and each of us blows out a sigh of relief.
We could have played all night with her watching us, but I didn’t want to have to go through the torture of us being alone with her and not getting a single taste.
Now that the Bears’ win rate has shot up and we have a real chance of making the playoffs, we’re getting busier.
The last time the four of us talked was when Artie hurt his leg, and Orso told her we could try being friends.
Since then it’s been back-to-back games, press interviews, and important dinners.
Technically, she’s just here to get to know us. But if she wants me to take my shirt off so she can see my tattoo again, I won’t say no.
A pulse of desire goes through me, and Orso’s gaze snaps to mine as we soar toward the net again.
His scowl says it all, but Artie’s feeling it too; we’re so impatient that even just waiting for her to come to the barrier is excruciating.
Nerves hop around our bond as she gets to the Bear’s benches and folds her arms, carefully watching us.
My heart is going crazy. Artie blocks the puck as Orso casually flicks it to him, and we skate over to meet her.
She really is stunning, especially when her uncertainty shows on her face.
I’m sure we’re the only ones who get to see that kind of vulnerability, and I don’t want to lose it by doing something stupid.
Though it’s so tempting to instantly invite her to rub herself all over me because I need her honey so much that I’m drooling as soon as I reach the gate.
We’ve only ever seen her in her team uniform and suits, so I wouldn’t have guessed that she would wear a pastel green skirt with soft, loose fabric that falls to her calves. I feel like an old-timey gentleman as I get insanely turned on at the sight of her bare ankles and strappy white heels.
“You could have come the short way,” Orso says with his usual pleasantness.
“Well, I like being above you,” she replies easily, the tip of her ponytail sweeping the shoulders of her tightly-buttoned white jacket as she turns to him.
His jaw grits, and I know he’s going to growl at her and get us off to a bad start if we don’t do something.
“You actually came!” Artie bursts out as he slams against the boards, rattling the metal.
She looks at him dryly, which is understandable, considering how he’s been badgering her.
“How are you?” I ask as I open the gate, being the first one to step inside.
“It’s been rather hectic,” she replies. “Though I’ve enjoyed doing so much forward planning, I didn’t realize how much work it would mean for us if you do enter the playoffs.”
A little thrill runs through me. I like that I’m the one she’s the most honest with.
Orso and Artie can be too intense in their individual ways, and I want to be someone she feels safe with.
But I also want to excite her the same way they do, or I think they do.
The only way we can find out what she’s truly feeling is to ask her.
Which, as Orso keeps pointing out, we’ve been doing a terrible job of.
“That’s why we don’t need any distractions,” my mate says as he comes off the ice behind me.
He doesn’t exactly push me out of the way, but he definitely steals her attention as he stands in front of her.
“Sit. You can watch us from the bench,” Orso says as he unclips his helmet.
“Did you just give me an order?” she asks, her guard instantly back up. It was probably wrong of me to smirk, but there’s no way Orso can get the same kind of response from her that she gave me, which is why I’ve been trying to convince him to soften for her as well.
“It’s just his way of asking a question,” I say as I edge closer. “We need to practice our shots and blocks, and we want you to be comfortable as you watch us.”
Even though none of us want to go back onto the ice now that she’s here. But she already looks nervous, or that could just be her usual demeanor, and we’re just better at reading her now.
She narrows her eyes at him, and I wouldn’t have minded watching them fight it out. But she sighs as she sidesteps him to lower herself.
Kallis instantly frowns as soon as she settles, looking up at Orso from under her lashes.
“What’s wrong?” he asks as she wiggles in the seat.
“I don’t understand how you can sit on these during a game. It’s far too hard,” she says. But the problem is that her voice cracks just as she presses her palms against the bench, arches her spine, and tips her head back, exposing her throat like she’s presenting to us again.
Our response is instant, and desire whips through the bond as her clothes shift and meld to her body, outlining the beautiful curve of her breasts all the way to her calves. Even hidden under that fabric, we know how delectable she is, and our hunger builds.
And, from everything we’ve learned about Kallis Tully, I’m sure she really is just getting comfortable. But my alpha-brained mates and I—all we can see is our omega stretching herself out for us, showing us what she would look like if one of us were already inside her.
Orso’s growl rumbles low, and it’s only because I tug at his gloved hand that he reels it in. But Artie leans forward, completely captivated by her, and I find it difficult to control myself as well.
“That’s where the captain sits at the start of every game. It’s a place I’ve worked years for. And you think it’s too hard for you?” Orso asks.
“That explains why it’s so stiff,” she shoots back, and Artie laughs.
I nearly stagger at the slightest blush that rises to her cheeks as her pert lips part, and she looks up at him.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about,” he says, his lust clear, and I almost roll my eyes. It’s like heat fires around them as Orso bends over her.
I thought we were meant to talk, but we aren’t going to do anything if Orso hatefucks her against the benches.
“Why don’t you try sitting on top of me and then you can tell me if that’s too hard for you?” he growls, and her mouth snaps shut as her cool demeanor returns.
I want her to stare at me like that, as if she’ll devour me if I say the wrong thing. But that isn’t my style, and Orso keeps forgetting that her favorite move is leaving when we’re close to something more.
So I quickly flip around and throw myself onto the bench next to her. The whole thing rattles, and she loses her posture, which isn’t exactly enough to stop Orso and Artie from leering at her.
“Why don’t you two go back out on the ice, and I’ll keep Kallis company,” I say to my mates. “Look at the poor, lonely rink behind you. It’s devastated to not have anyone skating on it, and this is the perfect opportunity for you to fulfill its needs.” And then maybe I can help Kallis with hers.
She hasn’t started seeping honey yet, but I can get her there.
“Artie needs to practice his footwork now that his cut is better, and you can both practice your shots,” I say with a simple smile and a push of energy into the bond to tell Orso to back down.
It’s not that I’m getting overprotective of her and want to keep them away, though we definitely feel that way about the other alphas on the team.
I just don’t want her to disappear because we all got overexcited.
Orso takes the hint and tugs Artie back through the gate.
And, obviously, the best way for her not to get spooked is to pat my thighs and look at her expectantly.
“What is it?” she asks, more gently than she’s spoken to my mates.
“You said it was too hard, so I’ve got somewhere softer for you to sit.”
One golden brow rises as her gaze dances over my thighs, and I don’t miss the way it hovers on my crotch.
“Do you really expect me to sit on your lap?” she asks skeptically.
“It’s up to you.” I shrug. She presses her lips firmly together, her pupils flare, and I’m sure I’ve made her angry. After everything I just said about us approaching her tactfully and being friends…
I expect her to tell me to fuck off, and my mouth drops as she stands, steps toward me, and twists so her ass is right in my face as she plops down and nestles on my thighs.