Page 26 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

My mom’s bedroom curtain was open, but quickly fell closed. She saw us.

August must have noticed the shift in me as he put the truck in park.

“You can’t come in,” I said, my voice wavering this time, but fierce as I tried to protect him from her.

“She’ll hit Dhara if you do,” Gavin said from the backseat, his voice so loud in the cab that I flinched.

Silence lingered after the words hit. I braced myself for the delta’s reaction.

“She hits you?” August asked in a strained voice.

His green eyes were burning with anger, but I just waved him off.

“It’s fine. I can take it.” I pushed open the door instead of arguing. The more time we spent out here, the worse it would be.

August watched helplessly as we grabbed Gavin’s things and hurried into the house.

I met his eyes one last time before closing the door behind me.

“Who the fuck was that?” my mom’s voice echoed the moment the door clicked shut.

I turned to face her, bracing myself for what was going to be a long night.

Chapter

Eight

Conrad

“Meet me back at the arena. Now.” That was all August said when I answered the phone before he hung up again.

I blinked over at Lachlan in shock.

Something had almost strangled August’s voice, and I wondered what happened on the ride over to Dhara’s. It had been five damn minutes.

“Good thing we stuck around,” Lachlan said as he watched the road for any sign of the delta.

My alpha was practically bristling at taking orders from anyone, but I was trying not to react. If he was what she needed then I’d never stand in the way.

It was less than five minutes before August’s truck came tearing around the corner.

Whatever had happened was big.

His face was murderous when he rushed into the parking spot and slammed open the door.

“What happened?” I demanded, taking in his expression. It was hard yet frantic. That didn’t bode well.

“Did you know that her mom fucking hits her?”

Lachlan and I both froze. The words were so strange that I could barely process them.

“What?” was all I managed. My voice sounded strangely calm, yet icy. My alpha was already roaring in my head, ready to get justice for our mate. Even if it was against her omega mother.

“No. There’s no way,” Lachlan denied, shaking his head and taking a physical step back as if that could fix this situation.

It sounded ridiculous. Dhara wasn't exactly a child.

She was a grown woman.