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But by the time the music faded, my entire world felt dizzy with waves of heat as I wobbled on my way to the exit.
“Artie—” Ciara’s voice came from behind me but I waved her off, too busy focusing on the twisting of my insides to try and come up with an excuse.
Eli didn’t even try to stop me as I pulled off my skates as quickly as possible and shoved them into my bag without the guards on.
I nearly forgot about Charm who’d been dutifully waiting for me as I gathered my things and it took a nudge to the thigh from her to finally grip her harness.
It was stupid of me to come out today and I already knew I was going to get an earful from Leith and eventually Enzo about lying about my heat… but right now I just needed a cool shower.
Stumbling into the bathroom I dropped everything on the ground and stripped out of my clothing as quickly as possible, turning the water on as cold as I could stand it.
Charm’s concerned whine filled my ears as I stepped under the icy spray with a hiss and I swore steam rose from my skin as I let the water rain down across my shoulders and back.
“I’m ok, I’m ok, I’m ok,” I muttered and I wasn’t sure if I was reassuring the dog or myself as another wave of cramps nearly sent me to my knees.
It was no longer that I was heading toward my heat, I hazily realized with a moan that echoed off of the tile walls of the changing room, but that I was in a full-blown estrus with neither of my alphas nearby.
I hadn’t gone through a heat on my own since I was eighteen years old and just the thought of it made my breathing turn ragged with panic.
And then the door to the changing room opened, making me realize that I’d never locked it in my rush to the shower.
“Artie? Are you all right? I heard you cry out.” Ciara’s voice was music to my ears as she stepped inside. I could hear the exact moment she caught sight of me leaning against the wall because she let out a gasp that filled the room. “Oh, shit, sorry Artie I’ll go—”
“Wait!” Turning, I reached for her and snagged her hand, half-dragging her into the water with me.
“You’re in heat!” Ciara’s words were laced with a mixture of shock, and much to my inner omega’s delight, desire.
Cinnamon filled my nose so potently that I nearly slammed my mouth into hers, but I was still torn between begging her to help me with my heat or having her run to get Leith.
As if reading my mind, Ciara gave her arm a little tug. “Let me go and get Leith, he can help you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want him right now, I want you.”
The confession hung in the air so heavily between us that I nearly wished I could take it back.
“… Artie…” she began and I was afraid I was about to be rejected when I was at my most vulnerable. “Are you sure you want me? It’s not just biological chemistry needing any alpha that happens to be nearby?”
I shook my head back and forth so hard it nearly tipped me off balance. “No. I’ve wanted you long before today and you know it.”
Enzo had finally told us about his conversation with Ciara during her run—the one where he told her to turn us down if we asked her out.
She’d known exactly how I felt thanks to his loose lips and hadn’t acted on it.
It’d been a mindfuck for me to be skating with her every day, knowing how I felt and maybe thinking she felt the same, while never being able to act on it.
And she’d know the entire time that I liked her. That the connection I felt had started to go beyond just liking her scent or the way she skated.
Ciara had seen past all of the things that my packmates were worried about straight to the crux of my desire to keep skating. She’d found a way for me to do that by sacrificing her own needs and wants.
Anyone would be absolutely insane to not love her.
“I’m worried that doing this will ruin everything—” Ciara began but I cut her off, finally giving into the urge to slam my mouth into hers.
She tasted just as good as I imagined she would and her mouth resisted mine for a moment before I felt her shoulders sink, her hands coming up to cup my wet face.
“We can worry about all of that later,” I said, blinking away the water in my eyes and squinting at her to try and gauge her expression, but failing entirely. “Ciara?”
Then she nodded as her lips found mine again and she stepped with me into the shower, a noise slipping out of her mouth as she realized just how cold the water was.
