Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
August
This was not how things were supposed to go. We were supposed to be able to fix this for our omega, not send her right back into hell.
It had been two weeks since their mother came home. Gavin had quit the team the next day and she quit her job at the arena.
We’d gone to the diner every morning but Lydia didn’t give much away. She’d promised Dhara was safe for the moment but that we should keep our distance for now.
Dhara had completely cut us out of her life. Like we didn’t matter at all.
As much as I knew that wasn’t the case and that this was all her mother’s doing, it still hurt. This was the second time she’d been ripped away from me.
It was fucked up how fast we were falling apart without her. Conrad still forced himself to go to his alpha classes. I think it helped him keep himself together and I couldn’t fault him for that. He’d come home and practice recipes late into the night, exhausting himself enough to actually sleep.
Lachlan was on the phone with his brother almost every day. He had an entire folder of notes and was keeping our lawyer in the loop.
I’d turned into a full-blown stalker, sitting outside their house every night just to make sure nothing was happening to my omega. I could call the cops at a moment’s notice but it seemed Dhara had fallen in line exactly as her mother wanted.
“Steele, you better get your head in the game.” Coach’s voice snapped through my thoughts.
“I understand your life’s falling apart, and I wish there was something I could say to make it better, but there isn’t.
You still have a contract. We still have a team that relies on you. So, get your ass on that ice.”
I mentally smacked myself and forced my attention back to the game. It didn’t help. The longer the game dragged on, the harder I had to fight to stay present.
The other team saw my distraction and used it against me. I never saw the hip check coming.
It caught me completely by surprise, sending me sprawling across the ice like a damn newbie.
The alpha who’d leveled me laughed loudly. “I hear you’re all caught up over some fucking omega. Pathetic.”
I shoved myself back onto my skates, red flashing in my vision. I’d never felt like my delta was pushing through the blockers but in this moment he just might.
“Just because your ugly ass can’t get any pussy doesn’t mean you should take it out on me,” I shot back, my mind latching onto this asshole as a way to expel this extra energy. My grin was absolutely feral now and he rose to take the bait.
The alpha growled before charging me. The next thing I knew, he was throwing punches into my pads and helmet. I barely felt them, reveling in the bursts of pain that made it through the fog.
Our teams flooded the ice, ready to avenge their respective teammates, while a swarm of referees tried to drag everyone apart.
Fights happened in hockey. But fights like this earned everyone a long cooling-off period before play resumed. The alphas and deltas that made up the teams couldn’t just turn that aggression off.
Apparently, that fight was exactly what my brain needed. Everything else melted away until it was just me, my instincts, and hockey.
This was a game I’d known longer than I’d known myself. It was part of me.
“Come on, Steele!” Evans yelled as we raced down the ice. He’d locked in, too, and was out for blood after that fight.
The other team had the lead and the puck was firmly in their possession.
Not for fucking long.
They expected us to play like we’d started the game.
Instead, Lachlan and I were finally thinking on the same wavelength.
Fairgrave was right there between us, yelling out his own commands and rallying beside us.
He’d been at this level the entire game and was ready to throw our asses out himself until now.
I knew we’d get our omega back. We weren’t just going to lie down and take this. It just might take time. Waiting wasn’t exactly my favorite thing, but I’d wait forever for her.
Even as much as I fought it I couldn’t get her out of my head. The lessons we’d had on repeat in my head. Dhara had been so receptive and sweet.
She still had that fire I remembered. It was just buried deeper now.
That fierce loyalty to the people she loved burned bright even now. I was going to keep that same unwavering loyalty close to my chest and replicate it, fight for her even if she couldn’t see.
“Steele!” Evans shouted again. That was my only warning before the puck came flying my way. I settled it on the blade of my stick before exploding forward.
Lachlan was already streaking up the opposite side, our center in the middle, the three of us trading quick passes back and forth, forcing the defense to keep guessing our next moves.
“You’ve got this one!” our center shouted, sliding the puck back toward me.
I drew my stick back and unleashed everything I had with a feral roar that echoed in the arena. Every onlooker seemed to hold their breath as the puck rocketed past the goalie and buried itself in the back of the net.
All at once the sound came back as the arena erupted.
We barely had time to celebrate before Coach was changing lines. We still had more game to go before we could truly pat ourselves on the back.
“That’s what I’m talking about, Steele!” Coach clapped his hands together. “Stay locked in!”
Coach Rivers was that kind of guy. His mood changed as quickly as the scoreboard. Nothing could make up for the fact that our lives were falling apart. But winning still felt pretty damn good.
Somehow, we made it through the final few minutes without needing overtime. Thank fuck for that. I needed off the ice before I lost myself to my brooding again.
The locker was loud with celebration. Every Renegade in here was losing their minds over that comeback.
Everyone except my pack.
We were fucking falling apart without her. The worst part was I knew damn well she wasn’t doing well without us, either.
“I’ll meet you back at the house,” I said before grabbing my keys and heading for the door, ignoring our team’s protests behind me.
I didn’t bother explaining to the pack. They knew where I’d be.
Without her arena job, someone else had taken over cleaning the locker room. Which meant Dhara had to be home.
I parked a block away before climbing out. Pulling my hood over my head I burrowed deeper into the black hoodie I was wearing, hoping it would hide me from any nosy neighbors.
Dhara’s bedroom window was always cracked. She’d wedged something into it so it couldn’t open it any farther.
I’d tried. More than once.
Just like every night, I tucked a few folded bills into the screen where she’d see them the next time she closed the window, but where they wouldn’t blow away. Then I tucked in another note.
She might not want to accept my money but we both knew she needed it. If this was one small thing I could do now to keep her mom off her back, then I’d do it.
Not to mention she’d lost her second job.
We were her pack. Taking care of her was as natural as breathing.
I settled into the bushes beneath her window where I could hear her moving around inside. It was the only reassurance I had that she wasn’t hurt.
My chest ached at having her so close. My delta roared inside of me, demanding I go to her. Even with rut blockers, this separation had me balancing on the edge.
Soft whimpers drifted through the cracked window. I pressed my fist against my mouth and bit down, trying to keep my delta under control.
I’d called out to her the first night. She’d quietly closed the window and I couldn’t hear her then. I hadn’t tried again since that night.
She knew I was here and that was what mattered.
The money disappeared every day. That was enough.
For now.
This house was a prison she’d convinced herself she couldn’t leave. I understood why. She believed she had no choice. But every single one of us would give up our careers tomorrow if it meant keeping her and Gavin safe.
We had enough money. We’d disappear with them somewhere no one would ever find us. But until she let us, our hands were tied.
We were keeping watch over every move her mother made. Every purchase, drive, word spoken outside of these walls, was recorded.
She’d slip eventually. All we needed was for her to step over a line she couldn’t come back from.
And when she did, we’d be there with everything we needed to prove she was an unfit parent once and for all.