Page 12 of Rock Pucking Bottom

"At a party a long time ago. It's okay if you don't remember me. I'm sure you helped plenty of lost, drunk girls out of the woods."

Oh, that jogged my memory. Jayden's housewarming party. I'd never been so afraid of someone in my generation getting busted for being a werewolf, and Dino had the closest of calls. I had a bad feeling about him getting caught while he shifted. Couldn't let one of my best friends and teammates get caught. It was a minor miracle she cracked the branch when she did, or else he would have been.

"Oh yeah. Now I remember. Although it seems like you weren't too drunk that night."

She scoffed. "Oh, I was. Alcohol caused my mind to see things in the dark that weren't there. That was my wake-up call. So, I have to ask you, what was yours?"

I sighed. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about my failings, but there was one thing I learned today. It wasn't a failing to admit that I had an issue. Instead, it was ignoring my problems.

"A teammate's wedding." I rubbed the back of my neck and refused to look at Emmy's face. "I got shitfaced and caused a scene. So much so that two sets of friends confronted me the next day and did an intervention."

She smirked. "How did that work out for you?"

Something about her tone of voice told me that everyone hated interventions.

"I didn't like what they were saying, but they were right. I needed to get my act together. Especially with playoffs going on. I can't be dead weight."

It felt good admitting that. It was a gigantic step for me. The fact that she didn't give me any judgment was even better. I didn't feel like such an epic failure.

She nodded and sipped her coffee.

I wasn't sure if I should fill the void in conversation. I was so bad at what normal humans wanted.

She grabbed my hand, which was electrifying. It took all self-control not to do anything foolish like kiss her or really caress her. She said, "So, in order for your recovery to really work. You need to be honest with yourself and with your sponsor."

I nodded but said, "I don't have a sponsor."

She smiled so genuinely and said, "That's okay. It's one of the steps to recovery. Keep coming to meetings, form connections without the need for alcohol, and you will find your sponsor."

"Are you sure? I'm not exactly Mister Personality."

I've had that hammered into me over the last five years. I was too quiet, too focused on hockey, and too aloof. I could never be taken seriously. But there was something sucky about always being considered the minor leader of a group. I led by example instead of force but that got overlooked.

She didn't seem too surprised by my comments. "Yup. Everyone needs someone to talk to about their recovery. You just have to be you. You don't have to put on some act for me or anyone else. But you need to talk to people and try to connect with other people. No one expects you to have a sponsor after your first meeting."

I didn't want to open up to anyone else. Everything in my body drew me to her. Literally everything. For the first time in my life, I could understand that pull wolves had to their mates. She was my mate.

I needed her to be my sponsor.

"Is there any way that I could convince you to be mine?"

She shook her head, and it felt like a dagger to my heart. But deep down, I knew it could be a conflict. "Typically, group leaders don't really sponsor others."

I got that, but I didn't like her answer one little bit. I needed to convince her to be mine. That way, I had the perfect excuse to get to know her.

"That doesn't mean you can't be mine."

I licked my bottom lip as I debated how far I would go with the begging. I almost never threw around my status as a professional athlete, but this was a special case. It was more than my inner wolf that wanted me to claim her. It was about the fact she clearly recognized me and didn't draw attention to my fame.

Fuck it, I might as well try it. I had nothing to lose.

"You know who I am, yet you haven't fangirled or anything. Instead, you've treated me like anyone else in the room. We both know how much the city loves its hockey. I'm trying to keep my recovery on the down low."

She shook her head and said, "It's called Alcoholics Anonymous for a reason."

I held up my hand, begging her to stop because I knew she had a point and was going to tell me no.

"But not everyone can keep their cool around celebrity. I would like to have someone to confide in and I've already opened up to you more than I have most people. Even if it's not something official, can I at least talk to you until I find the right person?"

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