Epilogue - One Month Later
LEXI
The Pointe University arena feels different than it did a month ago. Less suffocating. Less like a cage where bad things happen and more like just a building where people watch hockey.
Maybe that's because I'm different now.
The students around us noticed when we sat down. I caught the whispers, the not-so-subtle glances at Revan and Atticus in their Blackridge hoodies, at me. I straighten my spine. Let them look. Let them whisper. I literally do not care what anyone thinks.
"He's playing good tonight," Revan says beside me, his arm draped casually over the back of my seat. Not possessive, just... there. Present.
"He always plays well," I respond, watching Koa streak down the ice. Even from here I can see the controlled aggression in every movement, the way he reads plays before they develop.
"He's showing off," Atticus corrects from my other side, his British accent cutting through the arena noise. "There's a difference."
He's not wrong. Koa's been playing harder since we got here, taking shots he doesn't need to take, hits that are borderline excessive. Making sure we're watching.
The game is intense—Pointe up by one going into the second period. Koa's already got a goal and two assists, and every time he skates past our section I feel his eyes find me even through his helmet visor.
"My brother texted me today," I say to Revan during a commercial timeout.
"Yeah?" He doesn't sound surprised. "What'd Axel want?"
"To tell me he got an B on his Organic Chemistry exam." I can't keep the smile out of my voice. "He's doing really well. Hasn't touched anything in five weeks."
"That's good." Revan's hand finds mine, squeezes once. "Really good, Lex."
It is good. Axel's been going to meetings, actually attending his classes, even joined a study group. He calls me every few days now—not to ask for money or make excuses, just to talk. To be my brother again. Which is exactly why I came to this college in the first place.
Some wounds are healing. Slowly, but healing.
"And Thea?" Atticus asks, his hand sliding to my thigh. "Still giving you shit about us?"
I laugh. "She's given up trying to understand it. Now she just wants details."
"And you give them to her?" Revan's voice has that edge of possession that never fully goes away.
"Some." I lean into him. "Enough to make her obsess."
The game resumes and Koa takes the ice again. He's on fire tonight, stealing the puck at center ice and taking off on a breakaway. The crowd rises to their feet as he approaches the goalie, dekes left, goes right, and buries it top shelf.
The arena erupts.
I'm on my feet too, screaming with everyone else, and I see Koa's head turn toward our section as he skates back to the bench. Even from this distance I can see the grin on his face.
Atticus pulls me back down into my seat—except not into my seat. Into his lap. His arms wrap around my waist from behind, holding me against his chest, and I feel his lips brush my ear.
"You're mine for the next period," he murmurs, loud enough only I can hear over the crowd noise.
"Am I?"
"Yep." His hands tighten on my hips. "Koa had you during warm-ups. Revan gets you after. Right now you're mine."
I glance at Revan, who just shrugs, that small smile playing at his lips. We've figured out a system over the last month—not rules exactly, but an understanding. A way to share without constantly fighting over territory.
It works. Mostly.
Koa takes the ice again for his next shift and I watch him skate, powerful and dangerous and completely in control. He lines up for a face-off near the boards—right in front of where we're sitting.
Atticus slides his hand higher on my thigh, deliberate, making sure the movement is visible. Then he turns my face toward him and kisses me—not gentle, not quick. Full and deep and claiming, right there in the stands where anyone can see.
Where Koa can definitely see.
I hear the crack of impact before I process what's happening. Koa just absolutely destroyed an opposing player against the boards directly in front of us, the hit so violent the glass shakes and the crowd gasps.
But Koa's not looking at his opponent. He's staring directly at us through the glass, chest heaving, and even through his helmet I can see the fury in his eyes.
Atticus breaks the kiss, grinning. He raises his hand and flips Koa off.
"Are you insane?" I breathe.
He pulls me closer, adjusting me on his lap so I can feel exactly how much he's enjoying this. "Watch. He's going to absolutely lose his shit."
Koa skates away as the game continues, but I see the tension in his shoulders, the way his hands grip his stick just a little too tight.
The second period continues, and Atticus keeps pushing. Every time Koa skates past, Atticus does something—kisses my neck, slides his hand under my jersey, whispers something filthy in my ear that makes me warm.
And every time, Koa's play gets more aggressive.
Finally, during a stoppage in play, Koa skates over and bangs his stick against the glass right in front of us. He pulls off his helmet and I can see his face clearly now—sweaty, furious, turned on despite himself.
He looks at Atticus, then at me, then shakes his head slowly. A clear warning.
Atticus just laughs, the sound rich and unbothered. He waves at Koa, mocking.
Koa's jaw clenches. He mouths something that looks like "you're dead" before skating back to the bench.
"You're going to pay for this later," I tell Atticus.
KOA
I'm going to fucking murder him.
That's the only thought in my head as I take my next shift, stick in hand, rage making everything sharp and clear. Atticus with his hands on her, his mouth on her, pulling her into his lap like she belongs to him and only him.
In front of the whole fucking arena.
In front of me.
I know what he's doing. Know he's trying to get in my head, throw me off my game. And it's working—I'm playing angry, which makes me sloppy, which is exactly what he wants.
But I can't stop.
Can't stop seeing her in his lap, can't stop replaying the way she melted into his kiss. Can't stop imagining what I'm going to do to both of them when this game is over.
The puck comes to me, and I don't think, just shoot. It goes wide, hitting the boards with a crack that echoes through the arena.
"Koa!" Coach yells from the bench. "Get your head in the game!"
I skate back, forcing myself to breathe. Focus. The game's almost over—third period, five minutes left, we're up by two. I just need to hold it together for five more minutes.
Then I can kill Atticus.
And do other things to Lexi.
I glance at the stands during the next stoppage and they're still there—Atticus still has her on his lap but now Revan's leaning in, saying something that makes her laugh. All three of them looking relaxed and satisfied while I'm out here bleeding and fighting and barely holding my shit together.
This was the deal we made. I know that. When she's not with me, she's theirs. I don't get to be jealous when I'm not the one touching her.
But knowing that and accepting it are two very different things.
The final buzzer sounds—we won, 5-3—and I'm off the ice immediately. Skip the handshake line, ignore Coach calling my name, just head straight for the tunnel that leads to the locker room.
I need to shower.
I need to get out of this gear.
I need to get to her before I lose my fucking mind.
ATTICUS
"He's going to be insufferable," I say as we watch Koa disappear down the tunnel without even acknowledging his team's win.
"You made him that way," Lexi points out, standing up from my lap. "That was mean."
"That was foreplay." I stand too, adjusting myself discreetly. "And you loved every second of it."
She doesn't deny it. Just rolls her eyes and starts heading toward the exit, and Revan and I follow. The crowd is still celebrating, students flooding toward the exits, but we move against the flow—toward the locker room entrance where Koa will eventually emerge.
We wait outside in the cold, breath fogging in the night air. Lexi's between us, her hands shoved in the pockets of Koa's jersey, looking absolutely edible.
"Your dorm?" Revan asks her.
"My dorm," she confirms. "Scarlett's going to her boyfriend's tonight. We have the place to ourselves."
The words send anticipation curling through my gut. It's been three days since we were all together—Revan and I had away games, Koa's been buried in practice, and Lexi's been catching up on the schoolwork she missed. Three days of just texts and phone calls and wanting.
Too fucking long.
The locker room door finally opens and Koa emerges. He's showered, hair still damp, wearing jeans and a hoodie. His eyes find us immediately and the look he gives me could strip paint.
"Enjoy the show?" His voice is dangerous.
"Immensely." I grin at him. "You played well. For someone who was distracted."
"I'm going to make you regret that."
Lexi steps between us before this can escalate into an actual fight. "Can you two save the dick-measuring contest for somewhere less public?"
"Where are we going?" Koa asks, his eyes finally leaving me to focus on her.
"My place. And you—" she pokes him in the chest, "—are going to behave until we get there."
"No promises."
REVAN
The walk back to campus is tense in the best way. Koa's barely holding it together, shooting death glares at Atticus every few steps. Atticus is loving every second of it, deliberately walking close to Lexi, touching her more than necessary.
I keep my distance, watching the dynamic, reading the energy. This is what I'm good at—seeing the board, understanding how all the pieces move in relation to each other.
And right now, all the pieces are moving toward the same inevitable conclusion.
We reach Lexi's dorm, and she leads us upstairs, using her key to let us into her room. It's small—two beds, two desks, posters on the walls. Her roommate Scarlett's side is neat and clean. Lexi's side is lived-in.
Normal girl shit.