Page 194 of Power Shift

I leave myself unguarded, bared completely for her. My reply is obvious as she takes a stroll through the hallways of my mind.

You’re mine from now ’til forever, Briar Montgomery.

BRIAR

They’re not going to do it.

It feels wrong to admit it, even to myself. The Rayton Riptides are going to be swept through the first round of the playoffs. And to make matters worse?

Landon’s father is here to watch it in real time.

Dean Montgomery stands in front of the glass in the sky box, one hand clenched while the other taps anxiously at his hip. His wife, Landon’s mother in every way but blood, hovers beside me, just as nervous but doing a much better job of hiding it.

“Oh, I can’t even watch this,” she murmurs, half-hiding her eyes behind her palm.

“I want to look away but don’t want to miss anything, either.”

“Landon’s going to be devastated.”

My chest tightens. I know just how devastated he is because I could feel it for the first two periods. Landon was so focused on the game that he let his walls fall, opening the floodgates. I could have cried from what I felt from him.

I expected the disappointment and frustration, but it was the shame that hurt most. Not because he thought I would ever be ashamed of him but because he expected that from his father.

I’ve kept my distance from Dean ever since, letting him swear at the glass alone. My omega hasn’t stopped pacing and snapping her teeth the entire time we’ve been up here with him, wanting retribution for the way he’s made our alpha feel.

“I hate that I’m so far from them,” I whisper.

Daph rubs a hand up my back and leans close. “You’re better off up here. Safer too. The crowds by the ice aren’t safe.”

I cup my throat, nodding stiffly. She’s right, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel wrong.

“Move your feet, Landon! Christ!” Dean shouts before throwing himself around in a circle, gripping the back of his head. “There’s no urgency from any of them tonight!”

It’s hard to keep from snapping when I say, “They’re tired. Landon’s played longer shifts tonight than he has all season.”

The older alpha glances at me briefly—almost dismissively—before staring back down at the ice.

“This is the NHL. He’ll stay on the ice for as long as he has to. It’s not an excuse.”

Daph sighs, letting her hand fall. “Don’t, Dean. He’s trying his best, and you’re being an ass.”

The muscles in his back tense, Landon’s number stretching slightly on his jersey.

“The pressure he feels with you here tonight isn’t helping, either. He already worries enough about disappointing you. The last thing he needs once they come up later is to hear you say those things to him after a game like this,” I bite out, wranglingan omega bark from running free. “Just be supportive. He needs that from us. They all do.”

My sweet Dash is torn up inside. The ache of his guilt radiates through me while Ronan’s anger bites. Jasper’s keeping his emotions hidden, but I don’t need to feel them to know that he’s carrying the weight of this loss on his shoulders the way he always does.

They’re mine to take care of once we’re away from this place, but until then, I have to set boundaries for everyone else.

“She’s right, Dean,” Landon’s mother says. “You’ve only just started speaking more. Don’t ruin it now.”

Mr. Montgomery regards us with a fleeting look before glancing back, holding our stares longer this time. “Old habits die hard.”

“That’s why I’m here. I’ll remind you of how things are going to be from now on,” I say.

After I was introduced to Landon’s parent’s, he did open up to his father about how he felt about his mother and his childhood because of what she’d done. It was hard, but he’s reassured me that they’ve been closer since then. More open, although it’s hard to believe that with how little they still speak today.

Maybe that’s just how things will always be. Tense but not completely broken. The speck of hope glows on the horizon, slowly spreading every day.

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