MasukNeylanThe tension in my jaw has been pounding like a drum all afternoon, and honestly, the only thing that’s going to fix this foul mood is getting my hands on Aurel. I know the little bastard is supposed to be wrapped up with his practice around this time, but I don't even care anymore. I pull out my phone and hit his number while leaning back against the leather seat of my SUV, and the very second the line clicks open, his sharp voice cuts through the speaker.“You absolute bastard,” he snaps, completely out of breath, and the sheer hostility in his tone immediately makes me chuckle.“Damn, you're just what I needed to calm my nerves,” I say while running a hand over my face as the stress of the day finally begins loosening its grip just from hearing him sound so delightfully pissed off.“Did you coat me with your fucking scent on purpose the other day?” Aurel demands, his breathing heavy, and I can practically hear the irritation vibrating through the phone line. I actually freeze
AurelThe rest of the shift passes surprisingly peacefully after that.Shantel, meanwhile, looks completely unbothered as he wipes down one of the tables near me while humming quietly under his breath.“You’re staring at the door like a paranoid husband,” he says casually without even looking up.“I’m not paranoid.”“You literally checked the entrance five times in one minute.”I sigh tiredly before leaning against the counter. “Those men yesterday were weird.”Shantel finally looks up at me properly. “What men?”“The two guys near the bar.”His eyebrows pull together immediately. “What two guys?”“The ones staring at you all night.”He blinks once before laughing. Actually laughing.“Aurel, I didn’t notice anybody staring at me.”“That’s because you never pay attention.”“Well maybe you should’ve told me,” he replies dramatically while tossing the towel over his shoulder. “What if they were rich Alphas looking for a pretty Omega to drink with? I could’ve gotten a good tip.”I stare a
AurelThe staff room inside JanP Hotel is already noisy by the time I arrive for my shift. Lockers slam shut loudly every few seconds, somebody near the back is complaining about a customer from yesterday, and the strong smell of coffee mixed with detergent and Alpha pheromones hangs heavily in the air.Honestly, it feels strangely normal again.After everything that has happened lately, coming back to work almost makes my brain relax a little.Shantel is sitting on the long bench near the lockers while changing into his uniform, talking nonstop as usual while struggling with the buttons on his sleeve.“I’m telling you, that nurse definitely wanted me,” he says dramatically. “There’s no other reason he smiled at me like that.”I snort quietly while opening my locker. “He was literally checking your temperature.”“Exactly. Passionately.”“You’re actually hopeless.”He grins immediately. “You missed me.”Unfortunately, I did.After the hospital incident and all the chaos with his ex, se
Aurel The second Neylan’s fingers slide against my neck, my body reacts so fast it actually pisses me off.It’s like every nerve under my skin wakes up at once.Warm Alpha pheromones wrap around me heavily while his thumb presses slowly against my neck, and before I can even stop myself, my breathing stutters embarrassingly.Neylan notices immediately.“There it is,” he murmurs, his voice rougher now as he watches my face. “That reaction again.”“Shut up,” I mutter, trying to push his chest, but he barely moves.The asshole is too strong. Instead, he grabs my wrist and pulls me closer until I’m practically half-laying against him on the carpet.“You really think your body knows how to lie?” he asks softly.“I’m serious, Neylan. Stop.”“Mhm.”God, I hate when he does that calm shit. Like he already knows he won.His fingers slide down my waist while his nose brushes against my neck, inhaling deeply enough to make heat crawl straight into my face.“Fuck,” he mutters under his breath. “
AurelThe cold air hits my face the second I step fully onto the rink, and honestly, I usually love this feeling. The sound of blades cutting across ice, pucks slamming against the boards, guys yelling across the rink, Coach Picasso barking instructions from somewhere near the benches. This is normally the one place my head clears. Today though, my brain feels like absolute shit.I can still hear Treyvon's confused “what?” from earlier ringing in my ears after I accidentally muttered that thing about Neylan becoming my Alpha. Thank fuck I played it off with a stupid smile before skating away because how the hell was I supposed to explain that?“Laurentis!” Coach Picasso shouts from across the rink. “Captain. Wake up.”Right. Captain. That still sounds weird as hell.I tighten my grip around my stick before skating toward center ice while the rest of the team starts moving into formation for drills. The atmosphere around me feels off now. Not openly hostile from everybody, but differe
AurelThe moment I step into Northwood Wraiths locker room, the familiar smell of sweat, leather, wet gear, and strong Alpha pheromones slams straight into my face.Voices overlap loudly around me, lockers bang shut one after another, skates scrape against the tiled floor, and somewhere near the back, one of the guys bursts into loud laughter over something on his phone.It’s loud and feels so good to hear the boys screaming. I pull my duffel bag off my shoulder and head toward my locker quietly, trying not to think about the text message sitting unanswered in my phone.You better come see me at my address, or I'll be coming to yours.That asshole.I shove my bag into the locker harder than necessary and start changing into my training gear.“Yo, Laurentis.”I glance sideways as one of the defensemen walks past me with a smirk.“You look like shit.”I snort softly. “Thanks.”“No seriously,” he laughs. “Did you fight a truck?”Honestly? It feels like it. Between Shantel’s crazy ex, Ney







