I reached out and stroked my finger over her cheek. “We would do that for you and more, Holly.”
Klaus nodded in agreement. “You complete us.”
My phone vibrated, and I tugged it out of the tight pocket of my dress pants.
Coach: Where the fuck are you? You said you wanted to meet before the game and I’m here. Waiting!
“Shit,” I mumbled under my breath. “Sorry to ruin the moment, snow angel, but Klaus and I have to run.”
“It’s okay,” she said knowingly. “Get ready to kick some ass. I’ll be there to cheer you on.”
“You better.” Klaus gave her a quick kiss, and I did the same.
We said our goodbyes at the stadium gate, watching Holly walk through the press entrance before we hurried to Coach’s office.
“Do you think she has any idea?” I asked Klaus.
“She might. But this is what’s best for all of us. I want her to be happy. I want us to be happy.”
He casually slipped his hand into mine, giving it a soft squeeze. The gesture shocked me, but soon enough, it would be out there in the open.
I stopped in front of Coach’s office and grabbed the lapels of Klaus’ jacket, pulling him close. “Are you sure about this?” I whispered. “We can—”
“Flurry.” Klaus wrapped his hands around my neck. “I’ve never wanted anything more.”
He brought his lips to mine, his fingers tangling in my fur and his long, slippery tongue swirling rhythmically against mine. Arousal, lust, love lit me up from the inside out. If we had more time, I’d—
With a whoosh of air, the door to Coach’s office whipped open.
“Fucking Gods in the heavens, I knew it,” Coach chuckled, taking in the sight of Klaus absolutely claiming my mouth.
I pulled away and awkwardly cleared my throat. “Coach.”
He looked at Klaus and me and shook his head. “Come on in, lovebirds. Have a seat.”
Coach plopped down in his chair and we sat in the plush chairs across from him.
“So,” he said, cocking a brow. “I take it you’re mates?”
“We are,” Klaus said, possessively placing his hand on top of mine.
“How did you know?” I asked.
Coach leaned back in his chair and chuckled. “Do you really think that a team of monsters wouldn’t be able to tell by your scent? The whole locker room reeks of you two fucking.”
I dug my tusks into my upper lip.
How had we overlooked that little detail?
Oh, right. We were too busy making each other come for it to cross our minds. That and the fact that we were probably scent blind to one another.
Klaus tightened his grip on my hand. “If everyone was aware, why didn’t anyone say anything?”
“Why didn’t the two of you say anything?” Coach said, pinning us with his stare. “The league has strict rules when it comes to outing mates or infringing on those bonds. They’re sacred.”
Klaus and I looked at each other, surprise scrunching up both of our faces.
“Jiminy crickets. Does anyone read their contract or the fucking rulebook?” Coach groaned. He pulled a tattered rulebook out of his desk, flipping it open and pointing to a bullet point. “Article sixty-three, section five. The league will not interfere in matters of mates. Mates on the same team will be allowed to play together. Should the situation arise where mates on opposing teams are scheduled to play against one another, one mate will sit out for the game to avoid cheating allegations. It will be the decision of the mated pair which mate will sit out for the game.”
We had never heard of mates playing the same competitive sport, let alone being on the same team. It had never crossed our minds that there were rules regarding our exact situation and the way the league would handle it.
I leaned forward in my seat. “Is there anything in the rulebook regarding hockey players and, let's say—reporters?”
Coach sucked in a deep breath, obviously tired of explaining things to us. “If that pretty little human reporter you make heart eyes at is your mate, the same rules apply. There’s nothing the league can do.”
“You mean to tell me I got pissed on for nothing?” Klaus mumbled under his breath.
We both knew it wasn’t for nothing. Our sexual exploits with our mate being broadcast over the rink for everyone to see wasn’t something we would ever be okay with. Not to mention, making Holly’s shitty ex piss himself was deeply satisfying.
“You know what this means,” I whispered to Klaus. “You don’t have to—”
He shook his head. “Yes, I do. This is what I want.”
“Am I missing something here?” Coach asked.
Klaus sat up straight. Proud. “I’ve decided that after this season, I’ll be retiring.”
CHAPTER 12
KLAUS
“Get your shit on, Powerhouse,” Coach shouted over the roar of the crowd.
We were tied four to four in the last period of the game, and Flurry looked completely exhausted, like he was ready to just drop on the ice.
“Am I subbing for Flurry?” I asked, fastening my helmet.
Coach grinned and shook his head. “No, for Jennings. Get out there with your mate and show me what you two can do. Jennings!” He barked.
I normally played center, the position Flurry filled, but Jennings played right wing. Coach must have been curious how we’d play together, and what better time to test the waters than the final minutes of a high stakes game.
Jennings skated to the box, and I hopped out. Flurry perked up when he saw me, his tusky smile widening behind the cage of his helmet.
Time ticked by as we fought the Furries to regain possession of the puck. Erickson, the leading scorer for the Furries shot on goal, targeting Ehrokk’s left side, but the goalie blocked the shot with ease.
“Someone’s been practicing,” I shouted across the ice to Flurry.
“About time,” he screamed back, shaking his head.
I gave Ehrokk our signal, a barely perceptible nod, and broke away toward the Furries goal at the opposite end of the rink. My muscles screamed as I pumped my legs, driving myself across the ice. I looked up at the stands while I moved, noticing Holly where she sat in the press box. She was leaning forward, nibbling on her nails while her deep brown eyes darted between Flurry and me.
We wouldn’t let her down.
Another subtle nod of my head and Ehrokk cleared the puck, sending it flying over the ice past the Furries, and right to my stick. I moved to shoot, skating close to the goal and drawing the defense with me. But at the last minute, I passed the puck across the crease to Flurry. The defense had left him wide open.
He raised his stick, slapping the puck right past the goalie and into the net a second before the buzzer rang.
The stadium erupted, and I skated over to my mate, drawing him into a tight hug and pointing at where Holly was absolutely losing her shit in the stands.
It felt perfect.
It felt right.
The three of us were right where we were meant to be.
“I love you,” Flurry whisper shouted over the madness.
“I love you too. Now let’s go get our girl.”