Our mate.
Holly was our mate.
I just hoped that she was open to it.
The warm spray of the shower hit my body, matting down my fur. I heard the locker room grow quiet and the sound of Klaus’ hooves echoed through the tiled room. Like yesterday, his clawed hand ran over my hip to just above my cock, making me groan.
“Let’s wait until later,” I murmured, tilting my head back against Klaus’s muscular body and letting the water cascade down my chest.
“Yesss.” The tip of his tongue slithered over the shell of my ear with the word. “I have plans for you and our little princess later. Plans that involve our cocks and her tight cunt.”
“Shit,” I hissed. Despite my intent to wait, my body had a mind of its own, seeking relief, but Klaus pulled away with a laugh.
“Payback for yesterday’s practice.” He stepped under the showerhead next to me and lathered up his toned body.
Between Holly sleeping over and practice, we hadn’t really had the time, or privacy, to discuss yesterday’s events.
“So you think it’s true, then?” I asked, my heart practically beating out of my chest.
Klaus stared at me, one corner of his lip pulling up in a smug smirk. “Where has that unshakeable confidence gone, Flurry? I’m not used to you needing so much reassurance. You certainly didn’t when it came to our mating bond. I’m not sure if I should be honored or offended.”
“Oh stop it,” I scoffed. “The mate bond is different with humans and you know it.”
For us monsters, it was strong. Natural. It just made sense. And even if Klaus and I had some rocky moments initially, things had happened quickly and with ease.
But humans often needed more time to warm up to the idea. I worried we would be too much for her. I feared that our passion would chase her away.
“Everything will be fine.” Klaus held my gaze and slid his hands down the front of his body, cupped his balls, and gave them a good rinse.
My cock twitched, and I dug my tusks into my upper lip. “You’re such a bastard.”
His amused laugh echoed through the locker room. “I am. And you love every second of it.”
KLAUS: WE ARE STOPPING FOR COFFEE WHAT DO YOU DRINK PRINCESS
I snorted at the text Klaus had sent. He had started a group chat between me, him, and Holly after grabbing her number from my phone.
“Gods, you even text like an old man,” I said.
Klaus dropped his arms with a huff and scowled at me. “I do not.”
“Yes, you do. All caps. No punctuation. That’s how my granny texts.”
Holly: A medium caramel macchiato, please!
Me: Roger that, snow angel. Can’t wait to see you.
“You’re cute when you’re like this,” Klaus whispered, and held the door of the coffee shop open for me.
We stepped into a warm atmosphere and the delicious scent of holiday treats fresh out of the oven. I licked my lips as I looked at their display case. With the holidays upon us, this cafe always had the best assortment of baked goods.
“Like what?” I asked, shoving my phone in my pocket.
He stepped in line next to me and gave my hand a stealthy caress. “In love.”
Suddenly, I didn’t care about the baked goods anymore. My heart raced, and I was tempted to kiss him right then and there—but it wasn’t time yet. Not until we discussed things first.
For just a second, I twined my pinky with his.
The sound of hushed conversation and the hiss of the espresso machine drowned out our words. I could feel people staring at us, some even pulling out their phones to take pictures of us. I took a step away, putting some distance between us.
“With the two of you in my life, I just can’t help myself,” I murmured, knowing only he would hear.
Klaus looked down, fighting back a smile. If he wasn’t furry, I would have bet money that he was blushing.
The barista cleared her throat, and we jolted out of our moment.
Unaffected by our awkwardness, she flatly asked, “What can I get you two?”
“Hi. I’ll have a medium caramel macchiato, a small flat white.” I looked over at Klaus. “Your usual?”
Shit.
I mean, friends knew their friends’ coffee orders, right? I felt like my ears were burning. I hated this part of being a hockey player.
Everyone was watching us.
Just two bros and our lattes. Bro’ing it up.
Fuck my life, man.
“A large red eye, please,” Klaus said, smiling across the counter at the barista, totally unbothered.
Weird.
Once our drinks were ready, we grabbed them from the end of the counter and slipped out of the cafe and headed towards the park.
“Sorry about that,” I murmured against the lid of my cup.
Klaus took a deep swig of his drink and nodded. “About that,” he said once he swallowed. “I think we should go public soon.”
My brows drew back. “Really? You want to go public?”
It was the last thing I expected from my grumpy, competitive mate.
“Yes. I think it would be for the best. Especially since Holly is involved now.”
I puffed out a breath. “Didn’t have that one on the bingo card for today. What if Coach doesn’t want us on the same team?”
Klaus stopped walking and looked directly at me. His expression was completely serious. “Then I’d retire.”
“You’d what?” I stammered. My drink and Holly’s threatened to slip out of my hands.
“I’d retire.” He stepped into my space until we were practically chest to chest in the middle of the sidewalk. “Things are different now, Flurry. It isn’t just the two of us having some silly little competition on the ice and fucking like rabbits behind the scenes. I’ve had my moment in the spotlight and now it’s time to focus on other things. And even before meeting Holly, this had been on my mind.”
The mate bond thrummed and warmth radiated through me. Gods, he could be a complete and total asshole, but he was one of the most romantic assholes I had ever met.
“I don’t want to hide my love for you anymore.”
“You mean that?” I asked, tears threatening to spill out of my eyes.
“Absolutely.” He cupped my face, bringing me in for a sweet kiss, not caring that we were out in public.
As he pulled away, the scent of Holly’s arousal swirled in the air between us. We both looked up, neither one of us surprised to see her standing there blushing.
“See something you like, Princess?” Klaus asked, giving her a wink that made my cock jump to attention.
“She does like watching.” I chuckled and passed her drink to her. “Hi, angel.”
“Hi,” she murmured, accepting kisses on the cheek from Klaus and me.
When we pulled away, I noticed that her head was on a swivel, her gaze sweeping across the park like she was looking for something—or someone. Something about her felt off. I had expected more excitement over our reunion, and I hoped to gods we hadn’t scared her off last night.
Klaus cleared his throat and gestured to the path that snaked through the park. “Shall we?”
We walked on either side of Holly, slowing our monstrous pace to meet hers. Even post-snowstorm, it was a beautiful day. There was a massive Christmas tree at the center with glittering lights, a small frozen pond behind it where kids were zipping around on ice skates. It was picturesque, like a holiday postcard. This was one of my favorite seasons. I had a large family and so the holidays were always an event for everyone.