Chapter 2: Questions in the Dark

The secret was already starting to crack and one man refused to let it stay buried.

The locker room buzzed with loud voices and laughter after the hard fought win. Guys slapped each other on the back and replayed the best moments from the game. Kane Harlan sat alone on the bench in the corner, slowly wrapping his ribs with tape. The bruises underneath were already turning yellow and fading fast. Too fast. He kept his head down and hoped no one would notice.

A teammate walked past with a big grin. "Great game, Kane. You shut those guys down every time."

"Thanks," Kane said quietly.

Another player called out from across the room. "That last hit you took looked nasty. You sure you are good?"

Kane nodded once. "It is nothing. Just sore."

The celebration continued around him. Music played from someone's phone. Bottles opened with loud pops. Kane stayed separate, focused on the tape in his hands. His ribs felt almost normal already. The wolf inside made sure of that.

Elias Voss appeared beside him without warning. The captain sat down on the bench, close enough that no one else could hear. "We need to talk."

"Not now," Kane muttered.

Elias leaned in. "Yes, now. What happened out there on the ice? Your eyes. I saw them change."

Kane kept wrapping the tape. "You saw nothing. Drop it."

"I cannot drop it," Elias said. "One second you were down hard. Next second you looked ready to tear the boards apart. And those eyes glowed. Tell me what is going on."

Kane glanced around to make sure no one listened. "It was the lights. Arena plays tricks sometimes."

Elias shook his head. "That was not lights. I have seen you heal from stuff that would sideline anyone else for weeks. You took that hit tonight and got up like it was a love tap. What are you hiding?"

"Nothing you need to know about," Kane answered shortly. He finished the wrap and stood up.

Elias stood too and blocked his path. "Come on, Harlan. We are on the same team. If something is wrong with you, I need to know. Is it drugs? Some kind of medical condition?"

Kane let out a short laugh with no humor in it. "Not drugs. Not a condition. Just leave me alone."

"You almost shifted or something on the ice," Elias pressed, voice low. "I saw claws starting to come out. Do not tell me that was nothing."

Kane stepped around him. "You are imagining things, Voss. Game is over. Go celebrate with the guys."

Elias followed him toward the door. "I know what I saw. Your ribs right now. Let me see how they look."

"They are fine," Kane said. He grabbed his bag and headed for the exit.

Elias called after him. "This conversation is not done. I will find out one way or another."

Kane did not look back. He pushed through the door and left the noise of the locker room behind. The cool night air hit him as he walked to his truck. He needed to be alone. The wolf felt too close to the surface after that hit.

Hours later the arena sat dark and empty. Kane slipped back inside through a side door he knew well. The ice glowed under the emergency lights. No crowd. No teammates. Just him and the quiet. He laced up his skates fast and stepped onto the rink.

He started drilling hard right away. Sharp turns. Explosive stops. He smashed into the boards on purpose to test his control. The beast inside stirred strong.

"Come on," Kane muttered to himself. "Stay down."

He pushed faster, skating full speed from one end to the other. Sweat poured down his back. His muscles burned but the wolf pushed harder, wanting out.

"You do not get to win tonight," he said through gritted teeth. He took another hard lap and threw a heavy check against the glass. The sound echoed through the empty building.

The wolf growled in his mind, testing every wall he had built. Kane fought back with more drills. Quick stops. Hard pushes. He talked to himself the whole time to stay focused.

"Control it. Breathe. You have done this before."

His hands flexed inside the gloves. Claws threatened to push through again. He dropped to the ice and did push ups until his arms shook. The cold seeped through his clothes but he kept moving.

"Why tonight?" he asked the empty rink. "Why push so hard now?"

The beast did not answer with words. It just fought for release. Kane stood up and skated more laps, each one faster than the last. He could feel the change trying to break free. His eyes burned. His teeth felt sharper.

"Stay human," he growled. "Stay in control."

He slammed into the boards again and held there, breathing hard. The silence of the arena pressed in around him. This was the only way he knew to keep the secret safe. Exhaust the wolf until it slept.

A small sound caught his attention. Footsteps. Kane froze and turned slowly toward the shadows near the benches.

Elias Voss stepped out into the dim light. He stood there watching with his arms crossed, refusing to move.

Kane straightened up. "What are you doing here?"

Elias walked closer to the edge of the ice. "I could ask you the same thing. It is late. Why are you out here alone beating yourself up?"

"Private practice," Kane said. "Go home."

Elias shook his head. "Not until you explain what I saw earlier. Your eyes in the locker room looked off too. And now this. You are out here fighting something I cannot see."

Kane skated a few feet away. "It is not your problem."

"It became my problem when I saw you almost change on the ice," Elias said firmly. "Talk to me, Kane. Are you sick? Are you on something? Or is it something else?"

Kane stopped and faced him. "You need to forget it. For your own good."

Elias stepped onto the ice in his shoes. "I am not forgetting. I saw glowing eyes. I saw you heal too fast. Tell me the truth or I will keep asking until you do."

Kane felt the wolf stir again at the challenge. "You do not want to know. Trust me on that."

"I do want to know," Elias replied. "We are teammates. More than that, I am your captain. If something is affecting how you play, it affects all of us."

Kane laughed once, sharp and tired. "This goes way beyond hockey."

"Then explain it," Elias said. He took another step closer. "I am not walking away from this. Not tonight."

Kane stood still on the ice, breathing hard from the drills. The empty rink felt smaller with Elias there. The secret pressed against his chest, demanding to stay hidden. But the man in front of him refused to let it go.