Chapter 18
Jack
Detroit was in the rearview mirror, but the chaos wasn't gone. It had just changed location.
Eloise was asleep in the passenger seat.
She was still wearing her exhibition dress—black velvet and crystals—wrapped in my oversized coat that Coach had tossed into the backseat.
Her hand was gripping mine on the center console, her fingers interlaced so tightly her knuckles were white even in sleep.
I glanced at her. Her face was streaked with dried tears and smeared mascara. She looked beautiful. She looked broken. And I had done that.
I fixed it, I told myself. I went to her. I told the truth.
But had I?
We had had the moment on the ice. The kiss. The cheering crowd. But we hadn't talked. We had fled the arena before the press could swarm us, dodging reporters and her father’s security team. We had jumped in the car and driven north, putting miles between us and the wreckage of our reputations.
Now, we were heading back to the Lion’s Den.
Back to Ironwood. Back to Dean Vance. Back to the scholarship review board that was undoubtedly convening first thing Monday morning.
My phone buzzed in the cup holder.
Silas: Campus is a war zone. Students are protesting outside the Admin building. #JusticeForJack is trending. Also #FireVance.
Silas: Don't come to the Hive. Reporters are camped on the lawn.
Silas: Go to the Den.
I looked at the message. Justice for Jack.
It felt wrong. I didn't deserve justice. I deserved a punch in the face.
Eloise stirred. She blinked, her blue eyes hazy.
"Are we there?" she croaked.
"Almost," I whispered, squeezing her hand. "Another hour to the cabin."
"The cabin?" She sat up straighter, wincing as her muscles protested. "We’re going to the Den?"
"Silas says campus is hot," I explained. "Reporters. Protestors. We need to lay low until we figure out the next move."
She was silent for a moment, staring out at the passing pines illuminated by the headlights.
"My dad ran away," she said softly. "Did you see him?"
"I saw him leave the box," I nodded. "He looked like a rat abandoning a sinking ship."
"He’ll be waiting for us," she said. "He won't just let this go, Jack. You humiliated him on national television. You exposed the lie."
"Good," I growled, my grip on the steering wheel tightening. "Let him wait. Let him sweat. For once, he’s not the one holding the cards."
"Jack," she turned to me. Her expression was serious. "What happens on Monday? If he expels you... if he cuts the funding anyway just out of spite..."
"Coach Miller has the proof," I reminded her. "The ledger. Thorne’s trust fund. Vance can't touch the money. My dad is safe."
"But your scholarship," she pressed. "Your degree. The draft."
I looked at her.
"I don't care," I said. And for the first time in my life, I meant it. "I can play in Europe. I can play in the minor leagues. I can work construction. As long as I have you... the rest is just noise."
She studied my face, looking for the lie. She didn't find one.
"Okay," she whispered. She leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Okay."
The Den was buried in snow.
We had to hike the last quarter mile because the plows hadn't come through. I carried Eloise piggyback, her skates tied to my belt, her arms wrapped around my neck.
It was freezing, but I was sweating by the time we reached the porch.
I kicked the snow away from the door and unlocked it.
The cabin was exactly as we had left it weeks ago. Cold. Dusty. Smelling of pine and memories.
I set Eloise down. She shivered violently.
"Fire," I said. "First priority."
I got the fire roaring in record time. Eloise huddled in front of it, still wrapped in my coat.
I went to the kitchen and found a bottle of whiskey and two mugs. I poured us each a generous shot.
"Here," I handed her a mug. "Medicinal."
She took it, her hands trembling. She took a sip and coughed.
"Gross," she rasped. "Thank you."
I sat on the floor next to her. We stared into the flames.
"We need to talk," she said after a long silence.
My stomach dropped. "About what?"
"About the breakup," she said. She didn't look at me. "About the things you said in the rink."
"I lied," I said quickly. "Eloise, I told you. I was trying to make you hate me so you would leave. I thought I was saving you."
"I know you lied about the distraction," she said. "And the poison part. But..."
She turned to look at me. Her eyes were vulnerable. Scared.
"You said the bond was just biology. Just friction. You said it wasn't love."
I winced. That was the line that haunted me too.
"I was trying to hurt you," I admitted. "I knew that was your biggest fear. That I only wanted you because of the Wolf."
"Is it true?" she whispered. "Even a little bit?"
I set my mug down. I turned my body fully toward her.
"Eloise," I said, reaching for her hands. "Look at me."
She looked.
"The Wolf... the biology... it’s strong," I admitted. "It pulls me to you. It makes me want to protect you and claim you. But the Wolf is just instinct. It’s binary. Mate or Not Mate."
I brought her hands to my chest, pressing them over my heart.
"But the man?" I said, my voice cracking. "The man fell in love with you the night you stole my jacket. The man fell in love with you when you laughed at Brad in the pizza place. The man fell in love with you when you told me about your mother on the cliff."
I leaned in closer.
"The Wolf wants to breed you," I said bluntly. "But the man wants to build a bookshelf for you. The man wants to watch bad reality TV with you. The man wants to grow old with you."
Tears spilled from her eyes.
"I don't know if I can trust it yet," she whispered. "It hurt so much, Jack. When you walked away... it felt like you took my lungs with you."
"I know," I said. "I know I broke it. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life fixing it. I will grovel every day if I have to. I will earn you back, inch by inch."
"You don't have to grovel," she sniffled, a small smile touching her lips. "But you do have to make me dinner. I’m starving."
I let out a breath I’d been holding since Tuesday.
"I can do dinner," I promised. "I can do anything."
The next morning, the world came knocking.
Literally.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
I woke up instantly. I was on the floor again (old habits), Eloise was on the couch.
I grabbed the fire poker.
"Jack?" Eloise whispered, sitting up.
"Stay there," I ordered.
I walked to the door.
I peered through the peephole.
It wasn't Rurik. It wasn't the police.
It was Cami. And Silas. And half the hockey team.
I unlocked the door.
They spilled into the cabin like a tide of chaos.
"You’re alive!" Cami screamed, tackling Eloise on the couch.
"Dude," Silas punched my shoulder hard. "You are a legend. The internet is broken. #WerewolfRomance is trending on TikTok."
"Wait," I held up a hand. "TikTok?"
"Someone got a video," Miller piped up from the back, holding up his phone. "Of the kiss on the ice. It has ten million views."
"Oh god," Eloise groaned, burying her face in her hands.
"The good news," Silas said, hopping onto the kitchen counter, "is that the optics have shifted. You aren't the 'Predator' anymore. You’re the 'Star-Crossed Lover fighting the Corrupt System.' The student body is rallying."
"And Vance?" I asked.
"Vance is in damage control," Cami said, pulling a granola bar out of her pocket. "He issued a statement saying he 'supports all student athletes' and is 'launching an internal investigation into the grant allocation process.' He’s trying to spin it like he didn't know."
"We have the ledger," I reminded them. "He knew."
"Exactly," Silas grinned. "And guess who’s meeting with the Board of Trustees at noon today?"
"Vance?"
"Vance. And Coach Miller. And... you."
I froze. "Me?"
"Coach called," Silas said. "He wants you there. He wants you to testify. To tell them exactly what Vance said in that office."
I looked at Eloise.
She stood up. She walked over to me. She was still wearing the exhibition dress, now wrinkled and sad-looking.
"We have to go," she said.
"Eloise, if I go down there... if I testify... I destroy your father. Publicly. Irrevocably."
"He destroyed himself," she said firmly. "He threatened your family. He threatened me. He’s done, Jack."
"Are you sure?" I asked. "He’s still your dad."
"He’s a bully," she corrected. "And I’m done being bullied."
She took my hand.
"Let’s go finish this."
The drive back to campus was a convoy. My truck (which Silas had driven up), followed by three cars full of hockey players and figure skaters.
We arrived at the Administration Building at 11:50 AM.
There were hundreds of students on the lawn. Signs. Chants.
LET THEM SKATE.
VANCE OUT.
TEAM JACK.
When I stepped out of the truck, a cheer went up. It was surreal.
Eloise stepped out next to me. The cheer got louder.
She took my hand. We walked up the stairs together.
The Board Room was on the top floor.
We walked in.
It was a long table. Twelve people in suits. Old money. Serious faces.
Dean Vance sat at the head of the table. He looked tired. Pale. But still arrogant.
Coach Miller sat on the side. He nodded at me.
"Mr. Sterling," the Chairman of the Board said. "Thank you for coming. Please, sit."
We sat.
"We have heard serious allegations," the Chairman began. "About blackmail. About misuse of funds. About threats made against a student’s family."
He looked at Vance.
"Dean Vance denies these allegations. He claims he was simply enforcing the student code of conduct regarding... inappropriate relationships."
The Chairman looked at me.
"Mr. Sterling, can you tell us, in your own words, what happened on Tuesday night?"
I stood up.
My hands were shaking. I put them flat on the table.
"He threatened to kill my father," I said. My voice was steady. "He told me he had the power to revoke a medical grant that was keeping my father alive. He told me that if I didn't break up with Eloise... publicly and cruelly... he would let my father die."
A murmur went around the room.
"Lies," Vance scoffed. "The boy is emotional. He’s embarrassed about the photos."
"I have the ledger," Coach Miller spoke up, sliding the paper across the table. "This shows the grant comes from the Thorne Trust. Vance has no authority over it. He lied to manipulate a student."
The Chairman looked at the ledger. He frowned.
"Dean Vance," the Chairman said slowly. "Is this true? Did you claim to have authority over this fund?"
"I was using leverage!" Vance exploded, slamming his hand on the table. "To save my daughter! Look at her! She’s been corrupted! She’s throwing her career away for this... this mongrel!"
"I’m not throwing anything away," Eloise stood up.
She looked at her father. Her eyes were cold. Clear.
"I won Nationals," she said. "I set a personal best. I did that with Jack in my life. Not in spite of him."
She took a breath.
"You told me my mother left because I wasn't good enough," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "You told me I had to be perfect to be loved. You were wrong."
She looked at me.
"I’m loved because I’m me. And Jack? He’s twice the man you’ll ever be."
Vance turned purple. "You ungrateful little—"
"Enough," the Chairman said sharply. "Dean Vance, please step outside."
"You can't do this to me! I built this department!"
"Step outside. Now."
Vance stood up. He glared at me. He glared at Eloise.
Then he walked out.
The Chairman looked at us.
"We will need to deliberate," he said. "But... pending the investigation... the suspension on Mr. Sterling’s scholarship is lifted. And Miss Vance, congratulations on your Gold Medal."
I slumped back in my chair. Relief washed over me like a tidal wave.
"It’s over," I whispered to Eloise.
"It’s over," she agreed.
We walked out of the building hand in hand.
The students cheered. The cameras flashed.
But I didn't care about them.
I pulled Eloise into a quiet alcove near the library.
"Hey," I said.
"Hey," she smiled.
"So," I scratched the back of my neck. "I guess we’re official now. No more secrets."
"No more secrets," she agreed. "Just... us."
"Just us," I nodded. "And the Wolf."
She laughed. "And the Wolf."
I leaned down and kissed her.
It wasn't a desperate kiss. It wasn't a goodbye kiss.
It was a hello kiss.
"I still owe you that dinner," I murmured against her lips.
"Pasta," she said. "And maybe... after... we can go back to your room? I missed your bed."
I groaned. "Don't tempt me, Mouse. We’re in public."
"I don't care," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Let them watch."
And for the first time, I didn't care either.
Let them watch. Let them talk.
I had my mate. I had my pack. And I had my future.
And it looked pretty damn good.