Chapter 34

Jude

I was sitting on the bench in the locker room drinking the protein shake Rosie had left for me earlier and I couldn’t help but smile at how adorable she was, always trying to learn more about hockey and always asking me in that soft uncertain voice about terminologies and rules and strategies like she genuinely wanted to understand what I loved.

I was so happy my mate was taking interest in what meant so much to me because hockey wasn’t just a sport, it was the only way I could truly express myself, be myself on the ice without being the alpha’s son or the boy whose entire life had been planned out for me to take over the family legacy someday.

I drank the shake in one go and licked the side of my lip savoring the taste because it was delicious and it was made for me by my mate so I’d treasure every single drop of it.

After finishing I grabbed a cold water bottle and poured it over my head letting the icy water cool my overheated skin, and I was reaching for my stick to head back to the arena when I suddenly felt a sharp tug in my mind that made me pause and raise my brow in confusion.

It couldn’t be, my mother wouldn’t reach out to me during practice unless something was seriously wrong.

I unblocked the mental link and Maya’s worried frantic voice immediately flooded into my head making me stand up so fast the bench scraped loudly against the floor.

“I think Rosie is going through a panic attack,” Maya’s voice was tight with concern and fear.

“River,” I called to my friend immediately and River looked up from tying his skates with concern already spreading across his face.

“What’s up, bro? You okay?”

“Something came up at Moonrise,” I muttered while already walking quickly toward the exit, my wolf clawing to get out and get to our mate now.

“Should I come with you?” River asked while standing up ready to follow.

I forced myself to smile softly even though panic was coursing through me. “No, just cover for me with the coach. I’ll explain later,” I said and walked out of the locker room before River could ask more questions.

I went immediately to the back of the school building where the trees were thick enough to hide me and I didn’t even hesitate before shifting into my wolf form, my body convulsing and changing because my wolf was faster and I needed to get to Rosie now. I grabbed my clothes in my jaws carefully and then I was running, paws pounding against frozen ground as I raced along the familiar path through the trees toward the café.

It didn’t take me more than a few minutes to arrive and I shifted back behind the building and quickly pulled my clothes back on with shaking hands before jogging around to the front entrance.

The moment I opened the door I could smell it—the sharp acrid scent of distress and sadness clinging to my mate’s scent which nearly choked me and made my wolf howl with rage at whoever had caused this.

“What happened?” I asked as I reached the counter where Maya was crouched beside Rosie who was sitting on the floor with her back against the cabinet breathing too fast and shaking.

“A woman came in earlier,” Maya’s face was tight with anger and worry. “And as soon as she left, Rosie’s breathing started getting erratic and she just collapsed.”

I immediately crouched down and gathered Rosie into my arms carefully, and I started releasing my calming scent deliberately while rubbing the back of her neck in slow soothing circles the way I knew helped her relax.

Whatever conversation she’d had with that woman had sent her spiraling badly and I would make that person pay for hurting my mate, would make them regret ever coming here.

I picked her up easily and used my jacket to cover her face to give her privacy and shield her from curious eyes as I carried her out through the back door, ignoring Maya’s worried look and just focusing on getting Rosie somewhere safe and quiet where I could help her breathe again.

I took her to a quiet spot behind the café where there were trees and privacy and just sat down on the ground with my back against a tree trunk, keeping her cradled against my chest while I continued releasing calming pheromones and rubbing her back gently.

After what felt like forever but was probably only ten minutes, Rosie’s breathing finally started to even out and slow down to something more normal and she blinked her eyes open slowly.

She looked around confused for a moment before her eyes focused on me and surprise flickered across her face. “What are you doing here?” she asked and her voice was rough and hoarse.

“Maya called,” I said simply. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“And you just came?” she asked while nuzzling into my chest and I could feel her breathing me in, using my scent to ground herself.

“Yes, it’s about you, sweetheart,” I said and clutched her even tighter against my chest like I could physically hold her together. “Of course I came.”

“What about your practice?” she mumbled against my shirt.

“Not important.”

We sat in silence for a long time just inhaling each other’s scents and letting our heartbeats synchronize and slowly Rosie started to truly relax in my arms, the tension bleeding out of her muscles bit by bit.

“What happened?” I finally asked gently when I felt like she was calm enough to talk. “Who was that woman?"

Rosie tensed again and tried to move away from me but I didn’t release her, just held her securely because I needed her close and she needed the comfort even if she didn’t realize it yet.

“You know that night we met on Christmas Eve?” she started and her voice was so quiet I had to strain to hear it. “About the video I mentioned? That woman who came into the café today... She was one of them. She is my twin sister....”