Page 30 of Take All of Me

Holt grins, leaning forward, hands under his chin like he’s savoring this. “Tell me,” he teases, “that you’d be a-okay with Maya gone for, let’s say, four days, not knowing how she is, what she’s doing, knowing we’re doing god knows what to her?”

I glance at Brogan, catching the way he bristles, his rain scent sharpening just enough for me to catch a whiff of it. “That sounds like you’re kidnappers,” I snort, “not helping Dakota through heat.” But my voice wavers, because the idea of being with them, all of them, for days, is… a lot, and my body’s already reacting, vanilla spiking sweet despite my nerves.

Brogan exhales, rubbing his neck. “Yeah, you’ve got a point. I’ll be there.”

The conversation falls into easy nips at each other, the excitement for the game, but I’m still stuck on the fact of how easy that was. It’s all complicated and tangled and confusing but they all just took in stride like growing pains. Holt catches on before the others do. “Maya, worrying about it doesn’t make it easier. Yeah, it’s going to be complicated and messy, maybe even more so because Roman and Dakota’s official designationresults come in today. I’m obligated to let the team and administration know. Not sure we’ve ever had an Omega on the team and gotta make sure Roman stays in check.”

Roman bristles. “I’m not that fucking bad,” he mutters, but his voice lacks conviction, and I shoot him a look, because I’m not letting him off that easy.

“You sidechecked your own teammate.”

“And he was saying shit about you!” he snaps.

I lean forward, not backing down. “People always say shit. Not a good reason. Eat your pancakes.” Nervous chuckles ripple around the table but it eases into a comfortable silence, forks scraping against plates, Dakota obnoxiously slurping up his coffee.

Maya

There’s a bubble of warmth spreading through my chest as we make our way back, Dakota and Brogan each taking one of my hands, the three of us walking together like we’ve got the world at our feet. Roman mentioned something about the gym and Holt mysteriously disappeared the moment we got back to campus. But this is nice, a moment of peace.

A moment of peace that doesn’t last.

My phone buzzes, Dakota reaching into my pocket and handing it to me, a frown spreading across his lips. “Why is the dean calling you?”

I shrug because there’s no reason why he should be. Untangling my hands from them, I take my phone and answer, heart in my throat. “Hello?” He mentions something about an urgent meeting, that if I’m on campus I should head on over.“Yeah, I’ll be right over.” Now, I’m mirroring Dakota’s frown as I let them know that I’ve got an impromptu meeting. They both seem reluctant to let me leave, Dakota more than Brogan.

Dakota hooks a finger through my belt loop, tugging me back with a playful grin that doesn’t quite hide his worry. His lips find mine, lavender flooding my senses, and I melt into it, a surprised laugh bubbling up. Then Brogan’s there stealing me away, his hand cupping my face, kissing me slower, his rain scent just as strong when they are this close. “We’re doing this?” I ask, half-teasing, because—damn, out here, in the open quad?

“Just wait till Roman’s in on it,” Brogan purrs, his tongue darting out to lick his lips.

“Because you’re waiting to get kissed too?” I tease and his blush deepens, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips.

“Don’t push it,” he mutters.

I wave them off, hurrying to the main building and down to the admin hall, a little on edge as to why the meeting is so important. It’s a good thing I don’t have any classes today but the worry is there all the same. And it gets worse when I catch sight of Mason and Ethan through the glass door, their faces twisted—Ethan’s bruised from Roman’s punch, Mason’s red with fury—along with the sports program admin, a professor I vaguely recognize, and someone else I don’t know. Burnt scents clash, my chest tightening, fear prickling my skin, because this feels bigger than a team spat.

I force myself forward, stepping into the dean’s office off to the side, the man looking up from his desk, worry etched in his lined face. “Have a seat, Maya.” Another woman I recognize from the administration is sitting beside him, a smile on her face that seems like it’s supposed to be comforting.

“What’s going on?”

He leans forward, a heavy exhale passing through his lips before he speaks. “We’ve had several reports about behavioralconduct in the last two days regarding the Hawks which is more reports than I’ve had in the last four years.”

“Does this have to do with the incident two days ago?” I ask, because I never reported Nox cornering me, thought Holt handled it, and now I’m kicking myself. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. I thought Holt…”

He holds up a hand, shaking his head. “Maya, you’re not in any trouble but what I do have is time-sensitive and important. I’ve brought Holly here to help bridge some of this information.” He nods to the woman, whose smile widens a little, but it doesn’t ease the knot in my chest.

I glance between them, my hands twisting in my lap, all the good feelings from this morning washing away. “I’m very confused and a little scared,” I admit. “Why are Mason and Ethan in that other room arguing? Did I do something?”

The dean looks exasperated, rubbing his temple. “Maya, hold up. Just… deep breaths.” I try, inhaling shakily, and he leans back, choosing his words before he speaks again. “Ethan and Mason came to me this morning regarding one of Roman’s outbursts, which should’ve never happened. We have a no-tolerance policy for violence. He will be reprimanded.”

“Okay,” I say, cautious, “but…”

“However,” the dean cuts in, “we’ve had several other reports regarding Ethan’s comments involving you and Brogan, so that will be taken into consideration.”

“I don’t know why you’d call me in for that.” As the assistant coach, I’m sure I would have been pulled into a meeting at some point but Mason and Holt would have been apart of it. Sitting here alone means that there’s something else going on.

“This next part does have to do with the incident,” he says, “but again, you’re not in trouble. I just need to hear from you what happened. I don’t need all the details, but enough.”

I don’t want to rehash any of that, the terror coursing through me at the thought that Nox would have done worse if Holt hadn’t been there. But it did happen on campus and there’s no use in hiding it. “Two days ago, my ex showed up. I was in the shower after practice, and he… he cornered me, chased me through the rink’s halls.” My throat tightens, but I keep going, because the dean’s watching. “Holt found me, protected me. Things get fuzzy after that, but Roman, Dakota, and Brogan were there too. They helped me back to Dakota’s dorm, and I… I passed out.”

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