Page 24 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

“You listen to me, omega, and you listen good,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “I don’t give a shit what your mother thinks or says about you. None of it is true. But, I won’t have my omega putting herself down. You are worth so much more than you give yourself credit for.”

August’s chest was heaving, his face inches from mine. This delta was infiltrating every one of my senses. His scent was strong and powerful and his touch searingly hot.

“Tell me you understand, omega.”

I opened my mouth, but it wasn’t to agree, it was to argue.

He must’ve sensed that, leaning even closer so all I could see was his handsome face.

“I’m here now, omega. There’s not a damn thing you can say to make me walk away, now. We are going to figure this out.”

I swallowed hard, the action pushing me further into my delta’s hold. Tears were starting to run down my cheeks, but he gave me no sympathy.

“If you try to push me out, I will absolutely stalk you,” he said, completely unrepentant. “I have thought of nothing but finding you for years, and now that I have you, I will not be walking away. You aren’t going to fight me every step of the way. You’re going to let me help you figure this out.”

“August, I can’t,” I argued, a whine echoing out that I couldn’t stop if I tried.

“Can’t, Firecracker? Or won’t? Because it sounds a whole lot like you’re getting in your own way here.”

“She’ll never let me go, August,” I argued. “Not as long as Gavin is under age.”

“We’ll solve every one of these issues. Maybe not right away, but we will.” His voice rang with a confidence I was desperate to believe in.

“Tell me you believe me. Tell me you’re going to let me try.”

It wasn’t a request.

It was an order.

Somehow, in all the years apart, I’d forgotten just how bossy August could be.

“You have to let me go. I have to clean and get him home,” I begged, ignoring everything he tried to make me say.

“Evans and Flynn are hanging with him. Gavin is fine.”

I winced at the mention of the other two scent-matches.

“We’re going to talk about that, too, Firecracker.”

I groaned because the last thing I wanted to do was talk about the mess that was my life.

He studied me for a second longer before, apparently, finding the answers he was looking for, though I’d not spoken once to give him any.

I was just happy to have him release me.

At least I thought I was.

The moment his hand slipped away, all I felt was cold. Then a crushing loneliness washed over me. It was achingly familiar.

That was enough to have me rebuilding the bricks he’d torn down from my resolve.

I forced myself to put my headphones on and get back to work as he watched from where he leaned against the wall. It wasn’t easy to ignore him but I tried, scrubbing the locker room from top to bottom. My anxiety gave me the extra energy to scrub it thoroughly.

The air smelled of lemons, and no longer the lime, cedar, and basil that August had scent-marked me with.

I felt like I could finally draw full breaths into my lungs.

The entire time I worked, his eyes burned into me, his gaze never wavering.