Chapter 15
Spike
The world was finally, perfectly quiet.
For the first time in weeks, the noise in my head had stopped. The scratching of the Wolf, the whisper of my father’s voice, the roaring of the crowd—it was all gone. Replaced by the steady, rhythmic sound of Riley breathing beside me.
We were in the loft of the Blackwood Cabin.
We weren't supposed to be here. I was supposed to be at the Hive, resting for the finals.
Riley was supposed to be in her dorm, studying for her last exam.
But after the "Busy" text last night, after the weird distance I had felt over the phone, I couldn't stay away.
I had driven to her dorm at midnight, kidnapped her (consensually), and driven us back to the place where it all started.
She hadn't protested. She had climbed into the truck with a desperation that matched my own, burying her face in my shoulder and holding on tight.
Now, it was morning. Sunlight streamed through the A-frame window, illuminating the dust motes and the tangle of sheets around us.
I propped myself up on one elbow, looking down at her.
She was awake, staring at the ceiling. Her expression was unreadable. Sad, maybe? Or just tired.
"Penny for your thoughts," I murmured, tracing the line of her collarbone with my thumb.
She flinched slightly, then turned to look at me. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Just thinking about physics," she lied.
"Liar." I leaned down and kissed her nose. "You're thinking about the exam tomorrow."
"Maybe." She sighed, rolling onto her side to face me. She tucked her hands under her cheek. "Spike... do you ever think about what happens next? After the finals? After graduation?"
"I try not to," I admitted. "Thinking ahead usually involves scouts and contracts and stress."
"But if you had to," she pressed. "Ideally. What does it look like?"
I looked at her. Her hair was a mess of curls on the pillow. Her skin was flushed from sleep and the lingering heat of our morning session. She looked like everything I had ever wanted but never thought I deserved.
"Ideally?" I rolled onto my back, pulling her with me so she rested on my chest. "Ideally, I get drafted by Seattle. It's close enough to the mountains but far enough from here. I get a Signing Bonus big enough to buy a house. Not a mansion. Just... a house with a yard."
"A yard for the mastiff," she whispered against my skin.
"Exactly. And you apply for your PhD program at UW. You get in, obviously, because you're a genius. We live together. You complain about my protein shakes taking up fridge space. I complain about your textbooks being on every surface."
I paused, waiting for her to laugh. She didn't. She just tightened her grip on me.
"And then?" she asked.
"And then... we just live," I said. "We figure it out. The suppression meds, the schedules, the travel. We make it work because the alternative—not being together—isn't an option."
I felt a wetness on my chest. A tear.
"Riley?" I tried to pull back to look at her, but she held on.
"It sounds perfect," she choked out. "Too perfect."
"Hey." I sat up, pulling her with me. I cupped her face. She was crying. Silent, streaming tears. "What's wrong? Is it the pressure? Is Henderson giving you grief?"
"No," she sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I'm just... happy. It's scary being this happy."
"I know," I said softly. "I'm terrified. But we're doing it, aren't we? We fooled the Board. We fooled the team. We're almost at the finish line."
"Yeah," she whispered. "Almost."
"Come here."
I kissed her. I put everything I had into it—all the reassurance, all the hope, all the love I felt. I kissed her until her tears stopped and her breathing changed. Until the sadness in her eyes was replaced by the familiar, darkening heat of desire.
"I love you," I said against her lips.
She froze for a second. Then, she kissed me back, harder, desperate.
"I love you too," she said. "So much."
We made love in the morning light. It was slow, aching, and tinged with a strange kind of sorrow I couldn't place. She held onto me like she was memorizing the feel of my skin. She watched me with eyes that looked like they were saying goodbye.
But I dismissed it. It was finals week stress. It was the fear of the unknown.
I held her afterward, stroking her hair.
"We should go back," I said reluctantly. "Miller will kill me if I miss the team breakfast."
"Yeah," she said, sitting up and reaching for her clothes. "We should go."
The drive back to campus was quiet. Riley stared out the window at the passing trees. I kept glancing at her, trying to read her mood, but she had put the armor back on.
I dropped her off a block away from the dorms, as per our protocol.
"I'll see you tonight?" I asked. "After the pep rally?"
"Maybe," she said, not meeting my eyes. "I have to study."
"Riley." I grabbed her hand before she could open the door. "Are we okay?"
She looked at me then. Her eyes were red-rimmed.
"We're great," she said. She squeezed my hand, then let go. "Go win a championship, Butcher."
She hopped out and ran toward the dorms without looking back.
I watched her go, a knot of unease forming in my stomach.
She's just stressed, I told myself. Focus on the game. Win the game, get the contract, fix the future.
I drove to the Hive.
The mood at the house was electric. The team was hyped. The pep rally was in two hours. The entire campus was painted black and silver.
I walked in, high-fiving the freshmen, nodding to the seniors. I felt like a Captain. I felt ready.
"Thorne!"
Jax was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. He didn't look hyped. He looked pale.
"What?" I asked, stopping.
"You need to see this," Jax said. He held out his phone.
"What is it? Did the Badgers pull a prank?"
"Just look."
I took the phone.
It was open to The Dire Wolf Daily, the campus gossip blog.
The headline screamed in bold letters:
SCANDAL ON ICE: STAR PLAYER & TUTOR CAUGHT IN ACADEMIC FRAUD RING?
My stomach dropped to my knees.
I scrolled down.
There was a photo. A grainy, zoomed-in photo of me and Riley in the library. We were holding hands across the table. I was looking at her like she hung the moon.
But it was the caption that killed me.
Anonymous sources confirm that Apex Captain Spike Thorne has been engaged in an illicit relationship with his assigned tutor, Riley Bennett.
The source alleges that Bennett has been writing Thorne’s papers and taking his exams in exchange for...
personal favors. Is this a love story, or just another case of Athletes buying their grades?
"No," I whispered. "No, no, no."
"It gets worse," Jax said quietly. "Scroll down."
I scrolled.
There was a second photo.
This one was clearer. It was a screenshot of a text conversation.
Riley: Don't worry about the exam. I'll take care of it. Just make sure you keep your end of the deal.
Spike: I will. Tonight. The usual place.
I stared at it.
"I never sent that," I said, my voice shaking. "That's fake. That's doctored."
"It doesn't matter if it's fake," Jax said. "It's out there. The Dean has seen it. The Alumni have seen it."
"Where is she?" I demanded, shoving the phone back at him. "Where is Riley?"
"Spike, wait—"
I didn't wait. I turned and ran.
I ran out of the Hive, ignoring the shouts of my teammates. I ran across the snowy quad. I ran toward her dorm.
I had to get to her. I had to warn her. We had to fix this. We had to tell them it was a lie.
I reached her dorm building.
There were campus security cars parked out front. Lights flashing.
A crowd had gathered. Students were whispering, pointing.
"What's going on?" I grabbed a freshman by the jacket. "What's happening?"
"They're evicting someone," the kid stammered, eyes wide. "Some girl who got caught cheating."
My heart stopped.
The front doors opened.
Two security guards walked out. Between them was Riley.
She was carrying a single box of belongings. She looked small. Broken. She was staring at the ground, ignoring the jeers of the students.
"Cheater!" someone yelled.
"Gold digger!" yelled another.
The Red Haze flared.
Kill them. Kill them all.
"Riley!" I roared.
The sound tore through the crowd. Silence fell.
Riley’s head snapped up. She saw me.
Her eyes widened in horror. She shook her head. Don't come over here.
I didn't listen. I charged.
I shoved through the crowd. I reached the security line.
"Let her go!" I snarled at the guards. "Get your hands off her!"
"Mr. Thorne," one guard said, putting a hand on his taser. "Stand back. Miss Bennett has been expelled. She is being escorted off campus."
"Expelled?" I looked at Riley. "Tell them. Tell them it's a lie! Tell them the texts are fake!"
Riley looked at me. Her face was pale, tear-streaked.
"Riley," I begged. "Tell them."
She took a deep breath. She straightened her spine.
"They aren't fake, Spike," she said. Her voice was loud. Clear.
I froze. "What?"
"The texts," she said, looking me dead in the eye. "They're real. I wrote your papers. You paid me... in other ways."
My world tilted on its axis.
"What are you saying?" I whispered. "Riley, why are you doing this?"
"Because I got caught," she said coldly. "And I'm not going to jail for you. I admitted everything to the Dean. I told him you forced me. I told him you used your status to pressure me."
"Forced you?" I stepped back, feeling like I had been punched in the gut. "Riley... we... I love you."
She flinched. Just a tiny flicker of pain in her eyes. Then it was gone, replaced by ice.
"You love winning," she said. "And I needed the money. It was a transaction, Spike. Nothing more."
She turned to the guards.
"Can we go? Please."
"Riley!" I screamed as they led her toward a waiting car. "Riley, look at me!"
She didn't look back. She got into the car. The door slammed.
The car drove away.
I stood there in the snow, surrounded by hundreds of people, feeling more alone than I had ever felt in my life.
"She lied," I whispered to myself. "She's lying to protect me."
But then I remembered the photos. I remembered the way she had looked at me this morning. Like she was saying goodbye.
And then I saw Vera standing in the crowd.
She was smiling.
And in her hand, she held a phone.
The realization hit me like a physical blow.
Riley hadn't just been caught. She had been blackmailed.
And instead of fighting... instead of trusting me... she had burned herself down to save my career.
She had made me the victim. And herself the villain.
I fell to my knees in the snow, a howl building in my chest that had nothing to do with the Wolf and everything to do with a heart shattering into a million pieces.
I had my eligibility. I had the final. I had the scouts.
But I had lost the only thing that made any of it matter.
And the madness... the quiet, creeping madness I had held at bay for so long... finally found the crack it had been looking for.