13. Seb
Chapter 13
Seb
T he banging of the puck hitting the barriers reverberated around the empty arena. My team was on the ice, but the stands were desolate. I was doing some target practice, and my swings were getting somewhat aggressive.
I loved the rink. It was where I felt most at home. The cool air filled my lungs as I skated around the ice with ease. My team was my family, and I usually considered the ice my home.
My mind was distracted, though, so, as I ran drills with my teammates, I got a little out of hand, slamming Dylan into the barriers a little too hard.
“Seb! What the hell is going on?” Wyatt asked, grabbing the back of my jersey and forcefully pulling me back.
“Sorry!” I growled, tugging free from his grip.
Storming, I skated toward the locker room, ignoring Wyatt’s shout behind me. “Hitting the head,” I shouted over my shoulder.
I didn’t need to use the restroom, but I did need some peace and quiet. My chest was tight as I slammed my locker door closed. The ice was usually my safe haven. When I was playing, my head was blissfully empty.
Only now that silence had been completely ruined by my own thoughts.
“Okay, you’re going to have to sit your ass down and talk to me,” a voice behind me growled. Sighing, I turned to look at Wyatt, who was standing in the doorway, hands on his hips, a concerned look on his face.
“I’m just in my head right now. It’s nothing.”
“Dylan’s ribs are probably bruised with how hard you shoved him into the barrier. That’s not like you. You’re not usually aggressive on the ice. Well, unless we’re up against the Knights, but I get that.” Wyatt laughed.
Sitting on the bench, resting my elbows on my knees, I ran my hand through my hair with a small groan, then dropped my head into my hands.
“Talk to me,” Wyatt insisted, sitting next to me. My eyes never left the floor as I spoke.
“Can you keep this just between us? I would talk to my pack if I had one, but it’s just me, unfortunately.”
“I won’t tell a soul. As far as the pack goes, I’m sure you’ll find yours soon enough. That shit just takes time.”
I took a deep breath, unsure of what to say. Part of me thought I should keep quiet; it wasn’t my place to tell anyone else. Only, I needed to talk to someone, or I was going to go insane. Usually, I would talk to Hazel, but she was ignoring my texts.
“It’s Hazel,” I admitted.
“How is the short little demon?” Wyatt asked, wiping his face on a towel. “Alexis hasn’t seen her in a while, and she wants to know how she’s doing. Then again, she’s been so busy with classes, she hasn’t seen anyone other than us for the last few weeks.”
Alexis was a mechanical engineer and her workload had been somewhat insane of late, but still she made time to be with her pack.
“She’s pregnant,” I admitted, turning to look at my teammate.
His eyes were wide as he looked at me in shock. “Oh shit , What are you guys going to do?”
“What do you mean what are we going to do?”
“I mean, do you want a kid? I’m sure you want a kid, but you know what I mean. Now isn’t exactly the best time, is it?”
I stared back at him. He thought the baby was mine? Why would he think that? “It’s not mine.”
Wyatt’s eyes got so comically large, I was worried for a split second that his eyeballs were going to fall out of his skull.
“What do you mean it’s not yours?”
I frowned. “Hazel and I aren’t together.”
“Wait, really?” Wyatt did a double take. “But… you guys are always together.”
“We’re best friends.”
Wyatt snorted. “You do not look at that girl like you would look at your best friend. You look at her like she hung the goddamn moon.”
“I don’t.”
Wyatt took a deep breath. “So, someone else got her pregnant? Do you know who? And why is that upsetting to you?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Someone got my best friend pregnant, and I don’t know who it was! They’re not exactly around to help out.”
He sighed deeply. “Are you sure that’s the reason you’re mad? Honestly, all of us thought you and Hazel were a thing. You guys are constantly together. You know each other better than anyone else in the world.”
“I’ve never thought about her that way… at least, not until now,” I admitted.
“Ah… Did Hazel ever openly date people in front of you?”
I shook my head. “She’s always been focused on her studies.”
“And I’m guessing now that you know someone else fucked her brains out, you’re jealous.”
“I…” As I was about to protest, the words died in my mouth. Was I jealous?
The idea of Hazel with someone else made me irrationally angry. Nothing had felt right since our fight.
“You’re in love with her. It doesn’t take a genius to see it, man.”
“But I’ve dated dozens of women.”
“You’ve had flings. You’ve never been serious with someone. Do you remember last year when Hazel lost her keys and you walked away from that date with the smoking-hot blonde instead of letting Hazel wait an hour to get into her place? Or the time you canceled plans just to take her to a new bookstore?”
I was thinking about it. I had often put Hazel first. Spending time with her was more enjoyable than the quick fucks I’d been having. Time with her meant something.
“Fuck,” I groaned, dropping my head into my hands once again.
Wyatt clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Didn’t take you for being dense, but apparently, you’re deficient in a few brain cells!” He laughed. “Tell me this, how would you feel if Hazel married the father of her baby?”
My head shot up to look at him, and my panic must have been crystal clear on my face, because Wyatt broke out into a deep belly laugh.
“Oh god, you just went green at that thought!” He chuckled.
“Shut up!” I growled, shrugging his hand away.
“You need to wake up and face the reality of your situation. You’ve been in love with her for years and just didn’t want to admit it to yourself. Now that someone else has been there, you are freaking out.”
Did I really love Hazel?
I found her extremely beautiful—who wouldn’t? But it was more than her beauty that drew me to her. It was the sarcasm, the sass, the way her nose crinkled when she smelled food. It was the way she would stop to say hi to any animal she saw. Whether it was a dog, a stray cat, or even a bug. It was the way she covered every surface in her home with brightly coloured items that perfectly matched her bright personality.
“We argued. When I found out, I said some pretty shitty things.”
“Then, you better start making amends. Like it or not, Hazel is going to have a baby, sooner rather than later. If you are going to be part of their life, you need to start behaving yourself. You know her better than anyone else, so it shouldn’t be difficult for you to make it up to her.”
“She was pissed…”
“Then, grovel. Get on your hands and knees, if you have to. Something tells me that Hazel is worth it to you.”
“Of course, she is.”
“But make sure you’re serious before you grovel, because if you aren’t in love with her and lead her on, then that makes you the asshole of the situation.”
“What if the father comes into the picture?”
“Has she told you anything about him?”
“She refuses to. She had a surprise heat after a party and had sex with a pack.”
Wyatt pursed his lips, thinking for a moment before letting a bark of laughter escape. “Well, if the pack has decent people in it, I guess you have a pack! You said you wanted to join a pack one day, maybe this is the answer. Well, in an ideal world, at least. Maybe find out who they are first.”
I threw my head back with a groan, ignoring the pain as my head hit the closed locker behind me. “I’m going to fuck this up.”
“Oh, you’ll definitely fuck up. But I’ve also seen the way that omega looks at you, and I’m pretty sure she’ll forgive you if you are sincere.”
“As soon as we get back from the away game in a few days, I’m going to have to grovel.”
“Buy her flowers, chocolate, and tell her she’s pretty.” Wyatt smiled. “Oh! Take her to one of those places where you can pet baby cows. Girls love that shit.”
I nodded.
It looked like I had plans to make.