Page 15 of Knot Your Pucking Mate
“Is that right? Then how come I haven’t heard you mention her before?”
He’s right. I haven’t talked about her much. Mom and Dad expect my focus to be purely on hockey. They’ve told me more than enough times that girls are too distracting, and they haven’t sunk so much money into my ‘career’ to have my attention wandering elsewhere. They’re both alphas—I probably will be too—so they can be pretty headstrong when they think they know best.
I can see why they’d think that. Some guys on my team are distracted by the girls. But Mandy isn’t a distraction. There’s something deeper there. Some feeling in my gut that says she’s meant to be a part of my life and that I’ll be better off for it.
So, I haven’t talked about her. Because I don’t want them to try to shut it down. Every minute I spend with her I find myself falling harder. I won’t let anything get in the way of that.
Not even my folks.
Uncle Joseph nods knowingly when I don’t answer.
“Yeah, your mom’s pretty hard on you. She has your best interests at heart; you know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Good. If it feels like something special, I probably wouldn’t tell her either. Let’s get you home to your girl.”
We drive for a while in silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I can’t wait to tell Mandy about the day I’ve had, and the opportunity that might open up for me.
Being offered a position in this program will help me for the rest of my career. It could be a steppingstone to the junior leagues, and from there, the NHL.
My eyes flutter closed, the physical exertion of the day taking hold. A nap before we get home won’t hurt. It’ll give me more energy to enjoy my night with Mandy.
When I woke up from that nap, it wasn’t because we had arrived home, and it was time to get ready. It was to the sound of screeching tires, shattering glass, and the flickering red and blue lights of emergency vehicles.
Glancing around the locker room, I see it’s mostly empty now, with the team having showered and packed up while I sat here feeling sorry for myself. Axel is nowhere to be seen, and a mix of both relief and disappointment rolls through me.
As much as I’m dreading this reintroduction, there’s a part of me that is aching to see and talk to the woman she’s become. There’s a whole other part of me that is insanely jealous that she’s scent-matched my packmate.
That has been my biggest fantasy for a long time.
I make my way to the showers. There’s no one else around, so I take my time, setting the water to almost scalding as I wash away the sweat and scent of failure.
When I’m done, I twist off the tap and wrap a towel around my waist, heading back to the locker room to get dressed, figuring I’ll head home for a meal.
It’s not until I’m halfway in the room that I hear the voices. Axel’s low drone and her melodic chirp. She laughs at something he says, and I freeze, my chest aching for something I lost long ago.
“Chase,” Axel shouts as he spots me. “There you are. Come meet Mandy.”
My feet feel like lead, weighed down and rendering me unable to move an inch. My pulse races so hard and fast it drowns out all other noise.
Axel is talking, but I can’t hear him.
This is it.
The moment my first love—my only love—will probably break my heart all over again.
Everything moves in slow motion. Axel reaches for Mandy’s hand, helping her stand from the bench in front of his locker. Her pink hair bobs around her face as she looks up and her eyes find me.
She recognizes me instantly. Her eyes widen and her mouth falls open slightly as she scans me from head to toe before focusing on my face. The scent of chocolate and marshmallow fills the room, calling to my very soul as its mate. It’s quickly followed by a burned edge as she processes who I am.
My alpha instincts beg me to move toward her. To scoop her up in my arms and hold her close. I want to demand she forgive me for the years we missed and claim her as mine from here on out. But I can’t move, too afraid of the world-shattering rejection I’m sure is about to come my way.
She hasn’t reached out to me in all this time. She doesn’t want me. Has probably never forgiven me for choosing hockey over her.
When my parents visited me at the hospital, they blamed her for the crash. Said it wouldn’t have happened if Joseph hadn’t been trying to get me home in time to take her to prom.
They had an offer from the hockey program we visited, and despite my injury, they were willing to take me and help with rehab.
