ini

he ice, part of me went still

eding off the clock. The next, something sweet cut through the smell of blood

have missed it com

d went unnaturally still for one sharp second before turning v

i

intensity of it unsettled me immediately. This was Theo Maren.

de no

timidate. I had never cared whether he was an Alpha or Beta because it had never matt

de. His gloves were gone, his helmet already off, and tension pulled hard t

ing wa

around us, but I barely heard any of it. Theo had already disappeared down the tun

did not stop to think about where he had gone because I did not need to.

d it auto

ng like this through suppressants, patches, and injectors taped beneath hockey gear inside a lea

ical before this got worse. The other part al

ryone back toward the ice. Security, medics, and press handlers moved in the opposite direction, leaving

need confirmation to know he was inside. Theo's scent slipped

," I

ained audible through the door, uneven

my voice low. "I know yo

to fists at my sides because if I could smell Theo through a closed door,

ainst the metal. "Theo, op

his voice finally came through the

," he wh

ng, breathless

essant crashes. His suppressants were not simply failing anymore. His bo

njector bre

o finally answered. "How do

e door,"

he sho

it made my jaw tighten. I forced myself to breat

ieter this time. "I just need another suppres

rking anymore,"

answered me fro

hrough my shoulders. Inside the bathroom, something crashed against the tile

en my vision instantly. I sucked in one hard breath and held it. Then Theo made a s

I still had disap

oor hard enough for it to slam open against the interior wall. Theo stu

here star

gh his hair while his face burned flushed beneath the harsh bathroom lights. His chest rose unevenly beneath partially removed gear,

ctor pen lay on the floor in two

to a shattered injector on a bathroom floor. Something angry twisted hard through

nd whatever rational thought I

oor. My entire body burned with instincts I barely recognized anymore. And the only thing

as a terrible idea

understood it, and that terrified me more tha