Chapter 4

Riven 

My head was going wild. Coach’s whistle was blowing, the other boys were shouting, and the puck was flying across the ice, but all I could hear was that one word.

“Mate.”

I was supposed to be a captain, an Alpha, but I was playing like a kid who just learned skating yesterday. My feet were on the ice, but my mind was far away, in a quiet hallway, staring at a boy whose scent was like lightning to my body.

“Riven! Where is your head?!”

The coach’s loud voice pulled me back from my haze. I had missed a pass. The puck was just sitting there in the open, and I was just standing like a statue.

“My bad, Coach, I'm sorry,” I said, even though my apology felt empty.

"What's wrong with you? Your girlfriend pregnant? Get your head in the game!"

I should get my head in the game. True. But how could I, when Ford was in my head growling and screaming that same unrealistic and abominable word?

“Mate.”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not homophobic. Yes, I’m not. But I am not gay! Never ever ever. I know what I have with Lara may not be working fine, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like girls. I fucking do.

I pushed him back, tried to make him quiet. I was the Alpha, and I had to focus—at least for now.

But every time I saw a flash of his brown hair or that strong, confident movement, my body would want to go crazy. It was like I was no longer in control.

Pip!!!

The coach’s whistle cut through the yelling of the team.

Practice finally ended, and the boys started to clear from the ice. They were all lively and oblivious to the traumatic experience I was facing.

Everyone was laughing and cracking jokes, but all I wanted was to go to my room, close the door, and just stay there until this whole thing disappeared. Or maybe until I figured out what on earth was going on with Ford.

I was the last to leave the locker room. Everyone else had gone, and their voices were fading down the hallway.

I sat on the bench, my head in my hands. The peace and quietness of the room was what I needed, but it was also a curse because my mind was too loud.

“Go find him. We need to go find him,” Ford pleaded desperately.

“Stop it, Ford. I’m not gay. The fuck is wrong with you?!” I snapped.

“The boy is our mate. And I don’t care what you are. This is about us. Not you,” Ford insisted.

I was tired of arguing with him. Ford was that stubborn, and I knew he wouldn’t listen.

I was about to get up and go when I heard a sound. A quiet rustle from a locker nearby. I never knew someone was still in here. How would I know when I was in a battle with my wolf?

My head shot up to see who it was.

I saw him.

Sky.

He was still there, quietly packing his gear, with his back to me. That scent of his hit me all over again. Ford let out a low whine of longing. He wanted to get up and go to him. He wanted to just fall at his feet. But my pride, my Alpha training, my good sense… all of it was saying no.

“What are you doing here?” my mouth said even before I realized. Ford.

Sky closed his locker and turned around. His face was calm, and he had this small, almost teasing smile on his lips. He looked at me for a longer moment. “Packing my bag,” he said, his voice low and casual, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Go to him! Ford screamed. He is there! Go to him now!

I stood up, but not on my own will, my whole body feeling like it was on fire. I couldn’t help myself. I took a step towards him. My mind was telling me to stop, to leave, to pretend I never saw him. But my feet—and my wolf—were not listening.

“You know what I mean,” I said in a low growl. “I asked who you are.”

Sky tilted his head slightly, that smile still playing on his lips. “My name is Sky Gale. The coach just introduced me.”

The way he was acting—so calm, so unaffected—was making me angry. Acting like I was the stupid, crazy one who was forcing a mate bond on him.

He knew. And I knew that he knew.

Just standing close to him, I could feel the heat. The wrong pull. The bond was screaming between us. It was an undeniable thing. How could he just pretend it wasn’t there?