Chapter 26
Zayden
“Aldenhurst! Aldenhurst!” My name is being chanted from the stands. I look up at the balcony where the scouts and sponsors are watching.
This is the first game of the season. First chance to prove that I’d earned the captain spot, that it wasn’t handed to me because of my legacy and last name.
I scan the stands, looking for her face even when I have no right to, but she’s not here. When I woke up this morning, she was gone, but my sheets still smelled like her.
“Now entering the ice, your Valcérre Tigre Blanca!” they announce over the loudspeakers.
“Let’s wreck them.” Jasper hits me with his stick.
My skates glide on the ice as I take my position at the center. Jasper follows on the right wing, and Cameron takes his defense position. Knees bent and sticks ready for the face-off.
Across from me, their captain smirks. Leon fucking Marceau. Saint-Aulaire’s golden boy. We’ve been rivals for as long as I can remember. He applied for a scholarship at Valcérre but didn’t get in, and he blamed me. His family can’t afford to send him here.
“Didn’t think you’d show up. I thought you switched sports.” He grins. “Figure skating suits you better, and that video with you and your little ice princess was really cute.”
I know exactly what he’s doing.
My grip tightens on my stick, but my expression remains calm.
“How does Coach Aldenhurst feel about his golden boy twirling on the ice?” Leon’s still grinning like he’s already gotten under my skin.
The ref raises the puck, and I inhale through my nose. The puck drops, and before Leon even blinks, I stride past him with it. I pass it to Jasper, who’s already flying with it.
Nice try, Leon.
I shove off the ice with two defenders following me, keeping the Saint-Aulaire team out of Jasper’s way. Cameron skates to his right in case he needs the extra pass, but Jasper is not slowing down.
For a moment, it looks like Jasper’s going to take the shot. But he waits for a second too long to confuse the goalie just like we practiced a hundred times before. Then he passes the puck right to my stick.
I don’t think, just shoot. Glove side, top corner. The puck hits the back of the net before the goalie has time to react.
The horn screams through the arena, and so does the crowd. First score in less than three minutes. I skate backward as the team swarms me. Jasper slams into me first, yelling something I can’t hear as we skate toward the benches.
My dad is standing behind the plexiglass, unimpressed.
“Your dad is not impressed,” Jasper jokes.
“That’s his happy face,” I mutter.
Then everything fades, because I feel it again, that fucking shift in the air.
Luna.
I glance up without meaning to, and my eyes find her in the crowd. Third row, hoodie up, and her arms crossed over her chest. Even in a crowded room, my eyes will find her. Annika sits beside her, whispering something, but her eyes are on me.
She shouldn’t be here, not with how pale she looked last night. My heart kicks against my ribs, and I rip my gaze away from her. It doesn’t matter that my lungs don’t feel so tight anymore. She’s not here for me.
Everything snaps back into focus as Jasper hits me in the back with a knowing smirk. This guy never misses a beat. He’s about to say something, but the ref whistles, calling us back to the center.
Saved by the whistle.
The puck drops again, and Leon snatches it this time. He’s moving across the ice before I can catch up to him. Stupidly fast. I push up harder, but he’s ahead by a breath. That’s all he needs to snap off a shot straight into the net.
The Saint-Aulaire crowd goes crazy.
Leon skates by me, smirking.
I glance toward the bench again, where my dad is watching with a look that says, Get your fucking head in the game. No distractions.
We end the first round 1–1.
Second round.
I win the face-off this time and move with the puck. I pass it to Cameron, who drags it wide then passes to Jasper, who scoops it effortlessly.
One shot straight into the net.
Valcérre 2, Saint-Aulaire 1.
Things are getting more intense, and the Saint-Aulaire team is getting more aggressive. Leon gets the puck again this time, but I slam into him, forcing the puck loose. Jasper scoops it up then passes it to another player, who sends it flying across the ice to where Cameron is already waiting.
A Saint-Aulaire player tries to scoop it, but I’m faster. They are still fighting over Cameron, giving me an opening, and I shoot.
The buzzer screams, and the crowd goes wild.
Valcérre 3, Saint-Aulaire 1.
Cameron skates beside me. “That was nice, Cap.”
Jasper smirks. “I told you not to let this clown get into your head.”
My eyes flick toward the crowd for a second, and she’s still there. I look away quickly.
“Didn’t think Captain Ice Princess still had it,” Leon says loud enough for me to hear.
Jasper huffs. “Ignore him. He’s just trying to provoke you.”
I don’t say anything.
We’re moving again. Leon has the puck, and I shove him hard into the board, and steal it. He stumbles and snarls but recovers quickly.
He’s behind me with two of his defensemen on his sides. He hits me hard enough to earn a whistle.
“Is the ice princess as good in bed as she is on the ice?” Leon says loud enough for us to hear before we make it to the benches.
“What the fuck did you say?” Jasper launches at him. He tackles Leon mid-ice, slamming him to the ground.
The crowd loses its mind. Players from both teams move in. Refs dive in, whistles going off. Jasper’s already landed two hits on Leon’s jaw. Blood spatters on the ice, but the fucker is laughing.
“Oh, shit! I didn’t know you guys share girls, too.” That earns him another punch. Leon fights back, grabbing Jasper by the collar. The refs pull them away from each other.
I take the opportunity to grab Leon by his jersey. “You talk about her like that again, I’ll break your fucking jaw.”
Cameron pulls me away from him. “Come on, Cap. Jasper took care of it.”
The refs point us toward the benches, yelling something I can barely make out. My dad is yelling, too. Leon and Jasper are being pulled away to the penalty boxes.
I fight the urge to look up, but I can feel her eyes on me, pulling without permission.
My eyes find hers in the stands, and she’s already looking at me.
Something in her gaze makes my heart squeeze.
That silent question in her eyes that I feel in my chest. Are you okay?
My breath catches in a way I’ll never admit.
Then she glances to the left. I follow her gaze to where Leon is looking at her, too, with that smug look on his face. Jasper notices. Then Cameron. We’re all looking at her now.
Fuck! Very subtle.
“Zayden!” my dad yells from the bench. “Bench. Now,” he commands.
His eyes flick between us and the stands.
He fucking saw everything.