Linked By Fate

Chapter 5

Tonight is the first game of the season of our hockey team, the Huskies. They lost in the semi-finals last year, losing out on the chance to fight for the championship. This year, they are aiming to make it back to the Frozen Four and grabbing the school's first championship ever.

Riley is like a beast on the ice. He is not his normal self when he puts on that uniform and those blades. It's almost like a switch has flipped or something. Mama and Papa Bear have come to see the first home game like they have from the beginning. The amount of pride they wear on their faces for their son makes me teary-eyed. He is so loved by them.

We've been mated for a month now and my feelings for him have taken off in a way that I'm not familiar with and it's rather frightening. I can't be away from him for longer than a few hours. It's rather pathetic, though it's all part of being a fated pair. That need to be close to your mate at all times, the possessiveness that was never there before. Craving their touch like your body craves air to breath. These are the things that I am experiencing right now. It's so bad that Riley got me the position as the team trainer and massage therapist, which to me is funny because whenever I have to touch one of the players, he is always biting the inside of his cheek like he is right now.

I'm in the process of helping Xander loosen up his shoulder muscles. He strained his shoulder at the end of last season and it has been bothering him since then. Since my job is what I plan to do once I graduate, I've put together a rehab schedule for him to help him stay as healthy as he can for this season. One thing's for sure, for an alpha, he is such a big baby when it comes to pain. All this moaning and groaning he is doing is ridiculous, although part of it is to get Riley riled up.

"If you don't stop being an i***t, I'm gonna let him come work out shoulder for you. Stop playing around and get serious, will ya." I scolded him as I pressed down on his tight muscles.

"Ouch! Come on Cooper, that hurts like Hades," He whined face down on the table. "It seems like it's still not healed properly and it's so frustrating."

"I know Xan, but if you follow the rehab and training guide I've put together for you for the next month, I believe that it will make a difference. I've been researching your injury and possible rehab options since you were injured last year. We are going to make sure that you have a slim chance of suffering the same injury again now or in the future if we can help it. You're on the line with Riley and Alek, who need you there for every game if you guys really want to be the champions this year." Don't one last pass on his muscles that have finally decided to loosen up, I tap his shoulder. "Alright, you're loosen up enough to finish the rest on your own, Don't over do it. The game starts in less than forty-five minutes."

Watching him roll his shoulders front to back, I didn't see any signs of pain or discomfort on his face like there was earlier. I'm comfortable with that. "Thanks Cooper. You've got magic fingers, I'm telling you," he joked with me. Riley came up behind me, growling like usual. My heart flips at seeing him so jealous, but he doesn't need to be. I react only to him. Everyone else's scents make me nauseous.

"Stop picking fights. You get to feel the magic fingers every day. The rest of us are not that lucky. Sharing is caring, captain." Xander says all while backing away from the table. I cleaned up while they bickered amongst themselves.

What I was really doing was calming myself down. Touching Riley is not like touching the other players. With every pass over his muscular back, arms, and legs, I had to fight back the urge to climb on the table to straddle him. For some reason, whenever he is near me today, I feel dizzy. I think my first heat is coming, but I hope it holds off until after we arrive home. It's bad enough that I'll be locked in the house for three days or so. Every omega has a different heat pattern. Mine will be irregular until we claim each other with our bite marks because I transitioned late. Yeah, being twenty is considered late for a beast-human to receive their first heat. If I had grown up around other beast-humans, then things would have progressed as they were originally intended to.

"Jasper." I called him by his last name the way that the coach does to get his attention. "Come on let's get this done." I wiggled my fingers at him. My mouth waters when he licks his lips with a slow sweep of his tongue. His scent has gotten stronger for some reason.

The growl that vibrates from his chest, has my knees shaking. Everyone in the room stops what they were doing, staring at us in shock. My body has grown so hot, so quickly, that I can't move my body. My breathing has gotten faster and I'm growing wet in my private area.

Racing to my office, which is in the corner behind me, I locked the door. Riley is there in seconds, shaking the door handle. "Sweetheart, are you alright? Open the door for me?" I knew that if I opened that door, we would not be leaving anytime soon.

"No, I won't open it. It will be alright. I brought a fast-acting injection with me, so I'll be alright. Go and let Jones loosen up your muscles. It's almost time to hit the ice." Placing my hand on the door where I knew his had his head rested on the door, I said softly, "I need you and the team needs you to get your head on right for the game. You know that I'll be alright. The injection will last a few hours, so everything will be fine."

"Okay. I don't like it, but I'll do it for you. I'll see you at the end of period one. I love you." He says as he backs away from the door. I know he did because his pheromones aren't as strong as they were.

Tears ran down my cheeks as I moved to the desk for the injection. It's not escaped me that Riley has been telling me he loves me for the past week. Whenever it happens, my chest tightens up and my body grows heavy because I can't say the words back. They won't come out, so I do what I can through my actions and hope he gets the message. Sending a text to my in-laws, I let them know what was going on and asked them to keep an eye on Riley and his playing. I don't wish to interfere with his game at all, so I'm staying in the training room while he plays. I can watch from the monitors we had placed there.

Taking the injection, I sat down, letting it kick in. Resting my head on the desk, I imagine Riley's face after we had our make-out season this morning before school. Kissing him has become an aphrodisiac for me. His taste on my tongue, the feel of his body rubbing up against mine, it's enough to drive me mad with need. I want him so badly, but I'm afraid to cross the line from best friends to lovers. It doesn't matter that it is something that the Fates designed to happen. My mind still has issues with it.

The game started and I could tell from the jump that Riley's game was off. His head is not in the game and it is going to cause a problem. Once I was comfortable that the injection was in my system well, I made my way to the box that held our team. Coach Black looked at me as soon as I opened the door. I'm sure my facial expressions showed how unhappy I am. "I'll get him on track." That earned me a smirk because they all know that I don't pull my punches in regards to Riley and how he plays. Why should I when I know how good he is?

Alek scored a goal, putting us up 1-0. When the players rotated, Gibson went in for Riley on this pass. My eyes lock with my mate as he takes a seat on the bench directly in front of me. His stiffness in his body is not good and could cause serious damage if he was to get hurt during the game.

"Close your eyes, inhale, then exhale on the count of ten." I said in his ear as we waited for the next pass. It doesn't take long to see a change in his posture. "Riley, your head needs to be in the game and not on me. Your job right now is to handle business on the ice. If you can't do that, then I'll resign from my position and stop coming all together. This is not who you are or who we've become. You're team captain, so act like it. Get your head out of your butt and handle your business. Let's do this."

The next came and when he rose up to head back on the ice, his face was like stone. "There he is. That's my beast", I thought to myself. Rita and Braxton were sitting directly behind the glass. They looked over at me, I gave them a wink to ensure them that everything was kosher. And it truly was.

My mate got himself a hat trick in the first game of the season. It was awesome to see. During the second period, I had made my way back to the training room due to a few team members needing massages, heat pads, cool downs, whatever the case may be. The great thing is that Xander made it through the entire game without any major pain or discomfort in his shoulder. The game ended with a score of 6-0. Gibson Stone, our freshman goalie, had his first shutout in remarkable fashion. I'm glad to see that the extra training he had been doing has paid off.

"Alright guys, get out, shower and dress. The rest of the team will be here momentarily. Good work out there." I yelled at them so they would exit the whirlpools.

The room instantly filled with the chatter of excited voices as the rest of the team and Coach Black entered the room. Coach Black looked at me and I gave him a thumb's up that the players that were with me would be good for practice and the next game. He nodded in thanks and went about talking with the team.

"What a great way to start the season guys. Give your team captain a round of applause for his hat trick. He started out rough, but was able to turn things around with a few words from his mate and our amazing trainer and massage therapist, Cooper. I don't know what she said to you," Coack looks over at Riley, " but what ever was, it did the trick. The beast came out and wrecked havoc on the ice."

All eyes were on Riley and me as we stared at each other. His face still had not lost that glare of intensity he had been wearing during the game. A shiver of desire ran down my spine. I can feel the injection slowly beginning to wear off. Breaking off first, I headed to the office to pack up my things. I will grab a cab home so that I don't have to disturb Riley. Sliding out the other door that led from my office directly to the hall, I began to walk with a purpose, running into Rita and Braxton.

"My heat is coming and my injection is wearing off. I'm heading home before I lose all sense of self. Please let Riley know. I rode here separate from him, so I have my car. Love you guys, and I'll talk to you guys later. I've gotta go." With that, I rushed out the back exit that led to team and staff parking.

Sweat started to roll down my face and I grew hotter and hotter. By the time I reached the apartment, my pheromones filled my car and I was breathing erratically. Pain shot through me with each movement as I climbed out of my car, moving towards the apartment. Keying in the passcode, I entered the house, heading straight for our bedroom. Throwing my bag onto the floor just inside the door, I strip out of my clothes, which takes a lot of effort.

In the bathroom, I turn the water on cold to fill up the tub. Climbing in, I let the water fill around me as I chased comfort. Riley is going to suffer the moment he steps inside. I know that my scent is going to make his knees buckle. Pain erupted in my stomach. I doubled over, groaning. "Riley", I moaned as tears ran down my face. I hurt so badly.

The water was almost to the top of the tube, so I reached up with all my strength to turn it off. I was growing weaker and weaker by the minute. The throbbing between my legs had increased. If I rubbed my legs together, I could c*m, maybe get a little relief, but I did not want to. I wanted Riley to make me come. I wanted him to make love to me, but I was not ready for him to bite me yet. The mate bond was beyond painful now to the point where I wanted to cut it in order to stop the pain.

"Riley", I cried out in pain again as my body began to shake uncontrollably.

"Cooper." I heard my name being yelled, but it seemed so far away. "Cooper, sweetheart." I heard again. The edge of my vision has turned black and I'm about to pass out. "Ri...ley" I pant, fighting to speak.

I smelled his sweet sugary scent, felt his hands on my face, so I knew he was there, but I couldn't lift my eyelids. "Ri, please take the pain away. Please take the pain away." Before I could say to him not to bite me, I lost consciousness.