Chapter 28

Asher

Cynthia wasn’t willing to believe my word alone about Joseph. Fine. I would figure out what he was up to and prove it to her.

Over the past few days, I’d been noticing Joseph spending more time with the hockey team. Even today, as I was walking through the lounge in the athlete’s dorm, he sat at a table playing cards with my entire second line.

I went to the table, and received bright greetings from all five of my teammates. Joseph, however, sunk behind his cards, avoiding me.

He wasn’t doing anything wrong in the moment, so I couldn’t confront him. But now that I had him in my sights, I wasn’t about to let him out of it.

So I went to one of the sofas in the room, kicked my feet onto an end table, and brought out my phone to surf the web while I watched him.

Looking at him, I could not understand Cynthia’s attraction to this weasel. He was fit enough, being an athlete, and his face was mostly symmetrical. But everything else was a façade.

He carried himself like he didn’t care what anyone else thought, but I’d caught him in the bathroom meticulously arranging each strand of his hair on more than one occasion.

Even now, as he played a winning hand, his laugh was too loud, too long.

Most of my teammates tossed their cards.

“I’m out,” one said, pushing his chair back.

“Me, too.”

“Yeah. Let’s bail.”

In sync as ever, all five of my teammates stood up. They waved to me on their way out of the lounge.

Joseph stayed to collect and count his winnings. They’d only played with quarters but Joseph postured himself like a King on a throne.

“Lots of witnesses around,” Joseph said loudly. It took a moment to realize he was talking to me. “You aren’t so tough with a crowd, huh?”

I did my best to ignore him, and scrolled through my phone.

“Are you going to tell me not to stay away from your team, too?” Joseph said.

“They can take care of themselves,” I said.

“Oh? But Cynthia can’t?” He laughed. “Bet she’d love to hear you say that.”

I scrolled through my phone faster, not really paying attention to the pictures flying by on the screen.

“Touched a nerve, eh?” Joseph shoved his winnings into his knapsack and stood.

I stood too, on reflex.

He glared at me. “If you have something to say to me, just say it.”

“Why should I waste my breath?” I said.

“You want to know what I think?”

“No.”

Ignoring me, he continued to talk. “Cynthia hugged your shadow for a while. I messed up, I admit, and practically pushed her onto you. But things are different now.”

I clenched my hands into fists. Joseph noticed, fear flashing in his eyes. But when another group of guys laughed nearby, that fear took a backseat to an overconfident smirk.

He believed himself safe here, with so many witnesses.

He had no idea what I was capable of, if I thought he meant to endanger Cynthia.

Nothing and no one could stop my werewolf strength if I let myself turn feral.

“Cynthia has decided to spend her time with me, not you. And you hate that,” Joseph said. “But let me ask you. Do you really think you need to keep an eye on me? Or are you just jealous?”

I wanted to punch him through the wall.

I wanted to roar in his face until he cowered again.

I wanted to tell him he was wrong.

I did none of those things.

Because he was right. I was jealous.

Cynthia had turned down dinner with me to spend time alone in a secluded park with Joseph.

Jealous wasn’t enough, I was livid.

But what was he implying? That my jealousy was making me see shadows when there were none?

I always trusted my instincts, but… Cynthia complicated things. I’d never been jealous before I met her.

Was it possible that my feelings were distorting my perception of Joseph?

“I see I’ve given you a lot to think about,” Joseph said, smug. “Try not to hurt yourself.”

I growled in reply, low and warning, and his eyes went wide again.

He stepped back too quickly and tripped over a chair. Immediately, he jumped to his feet and all but ran from the room.

I had thought to keep an eye on him, but I wasn’t as sure now. Damn him, he’d made me second guess myself.

I let him go for now.

His words followed me later, into hockey practice. I was distracted, missing easy passes and shots.

“You alright?” the goalie asked me as I helped him clean the pucks from the net. “You’re off your game.”

“I’ve got a lot on my mind,” I admitted.

“Man, you don’t need to bring that onto the ice,” the goalie said. “This is our escape from everything else.”

An escape. Like how Cynthia used her dance.

Thoughts of her soothed an ache in my chest. “Yeah. You’re right.”

“No, you are,” the goalie said, smiling. “You’re the one who told me that, two years ago.”

Huh. I’d forgotten.

How far out of my head was I?

“I guess I –”

A sharp cry of pain cut me off.

At the center of the rink, one of the wingers had collapsed, clutching his ankle.

I hurried over, clearing the others away. The trainers were already sliding towards them.

The winger’s skate was missing its blade. I found it where it had slid up against the sideboards.

“His ankle looks broken,” the trainer said. “We have to get him to the hospital.”

“I’m coming with,” I said.

No one argued.

I paced the width of the hospital waiting room. I’d stayed with the injured player while I could, but his family was in with him now.

I couldn’t stop thinking about his broken skate. Blades don’t just come loose. It had to be tampered with. But why?

My thoughts circled back to Joseph, but I shook my head. I had no reason to believe he had anything to do with it.

Yet I couldn’t shake the suspicion. He’d been spending more time with the hockey team recently. Had he somehow found time to mess with the injured player’s skates?

Or was I letting jealousy cloud my judgement?

“Asher!”

Cynthia rushed toward me from across the room, stopping only a foot away. A foot too far. I was shaken, I needed her closer.

Who would want to hurt my teammate?

I didn’t act on my feelings though. I kept my feet still like they were made of stone.

Worry hung dark in Cynthia’s eyes as she searched her gaze over my body. “Where are you hurt?”

“I’m not hurt. It was –”

She looked at my face, and her blatant concern stole my breath away.

“They told me you went to the hospital.”

“I came to support my teammate,” I said. “He broke his ankle.”

She exhaled and her whole body slumped. “Oh.”

I stepped closer then, afraid she might fall. I caught her arms with mine. She held onto my elbows with a tight grip.

“I thought… when they said…” She sniffled. “I thought the worst.”

“I’m okay. It wasn’t me.”

A tear slid down her cheek. “I was scared.”

I couldn’t tell her that her fear for me fed some starving, primal part of me that wanted her attention. Her concern.

If she worried for me, it meant she cared about me.

Not knowing what else to do, I pulled her into my arms.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, muffled into my practice jersey. “I shouldn’t be so relieved when someone was still hurt.”

I traced my hand up and down her spine to calm her. “I’m safe,” I told her.

For now.

My jealous did not change the fact that the skate had been sabotaged. Maybe it hadn’t been by Joseph, but it had been someone.

I tightened my arms around Cynthia.

My wolf growled in warning, “We must protect what is ours.”