“Five if I push it,” he says with a grin.
The girls come back out and start warming up again, and I keep an eye on Riley. A few minutes later, they’re back at it. I watch Riley carefully. She’s having an amazing game, but there’s something...I can’t put my finger on it. I watch every move she makes. She’s definitely not moving as fast as she was in the first half. She goes down hard on a fast break when a girl from the other team collides with her. When she’s slow to get up, I get a bad feeling in my chest. She heads to the free throw line and makes her two shots. “She was a little slow to get up after that hit,” Caden says after it happens.
“I know.”
Riley seems okay after that, but I still watch her carefully. She makes two more shots and then another three-pointer, making the crowd come alive. She continues to have a great game, but it’s in the fourth quarter that it happens. Riley has the ball on a fast break. She runs to the other end and lays it up, totally uncontested. The crowd cheers, and I whistle for my girl. The other team grabs the ball and jumps out of bounds. Riley runs down the court to get ready for defense. One minute, she’s running down the court; the next she staggers to a stop and just drops. I'm on my feet, already moving. I hear Caden shout something to me, but I don’t stick around to listen. I look down at the court every chance I get as I crawl over people to get to the end of our row. There’s a crowd of coaches and training staff gathered around her. I jog up the steps to the walkway and towards the end where the door will lead to where I need to go. I glance down at the court again. She’s up and walking, and relief blooms through my chest. But I can’t quell the fear still riding me hard. I watch her walk into the tunnel of her own accord and make my way to the door where the security guard is standing. Against all odds, it’s one of the ones I know. “Art,” I call out when I get close.
Thankfully, he recognizes me. “Reid Marshall. What are you doing here? You don’t have a game tonight.”
“I’m here to watch my girlfriend play. Listen, Art, I need to get back there. She just passed out on the court, and I need to check on her.”
His eyes widen. “Number fifty-two is your girl? She’s a good one.”
“She is.” I force myself not to rush him and physically overpower him. I need to get to Riley now. “But I need to check on her.”
I can tell he’s thinking about it, and I will him to let me through. “Okay, Mr. Marshall. Real quick, just to check on her and then get back out here.”
“I will.” The second the door is open, I’m running. I know this area like the back of my hand. I pass two more security officers, but they recognize me and don’t ask any questions. I get to the women’s locker room and see the security officer. It’s a woman I don’t recognize, but I won’t let anybody stop me from getting to Riley. I’ll do whatever I need to get to her.
She looks up at me in surprise. “Number Forty. What are you doing here?” I’m grateful she recognizes me.
“My girlfriend just came out of the game. Is she—”
I don’t even get to finish my question before she flicks a thumb over her shoulder. “Thank you.” I rush into the locker room and see Reese; she’s a trainer and the shifter in charge of giving Riley her shots before games. “Where is she?” I demand, and she points. Later, I’ll be grateful she was the one in charge of Riley because she knows I need to get to her. For now, I rush back to the shower and bathroom area. I see her on the floor in the first stall. I push the door open carefully and see her hanging over the toilet. “Riley, Baby.” I drop a hand to her back. “What’s going on?”
She turns to look at me, and I suck in a breath. Her face is pale, and she has dark circles under her eyes. Her cheeks are more gaunt than usual. My eyes run over her, and I clock that she looks like she’s lost weight. Anger burns through me swift and fierce. Anger at myself, not her because I know instantly what’s wrong with her.
Chapter 37
Riley
I can’t stop dry-heaving. There’s nothing left to come up, but I’m so sick. I’m shaky and feel awful.
Riley,my dad’s voice booms in my head.Somebody just relayed to me that you passed out on the court.
I'm okay, I send back. I’m not, not really; but I will be. And then I feel him. Something comes over me, knowing that Reid is here. “Riley, Baby.” He puts a hand on my back. “What’s going on?”
Relief flows through me.Reid’s here,and that’s enough for my dad because he lets me go.
I turn to him, so thankful he’s here. But before I can say anything, his face turns. I can literally feel his anger. “What’s wrong?” I ask without thinking.
His eyes run over my face. “Ry, why didn’t you tell me?” he sounds gutted.
I’m confused. “Tell you what?”
“Baby, this...all this is from not bonding. That’s why you’re sick, why you’ve lost weight.” He runs a hand over his head and swears. “I knew this was a potential consequence, but I didn’t know it was affecting you this badly. I’m so sorry.”
I stare at him in shock. “This is all because of the bond?”
His jaw is tight. “Yeah. Because we were so close and then we spent time away from each other and haven’t bonded. The bond is literally fighting against you, draining your life’s energy.”
My mouth widens in shock. “How come you don’t feel this way?”
“I have at times,” he admits. He shakes his head. “I’ve heard different people react differently. Is your wolf pulling away? Quiet?”
I nod. “Yeah, she’s been...distant.”
He blows out a breath, and I can tell he’s really upset. “She needs my wolf. The bond pulling at us and then not spending any time together must be too much for her as a new wolf.”
