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Chapter 30

Author: Ari Vida
last update publish date: 2026-09-01 22:18:40

The team was already gathering near center ice when Coach blew the whistle.

“Before we start,” Coach said, “Marcus is fully cleared and back with the group effective today. Same standards as everyone else. We move forward.”

Marcus skated into the circle without ceremony. His expression was calm, almost flat. He gave a short nod to Coach and took his place.

Eli, standing a few feet away, met Marcus’s eyes briefly and then looked forward again, unfazed.

Coach divided them for the first drill. “
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  • Captain's Ice Slave    Chapter 42

    Practice was already in full motion when Coach walked back onto the ice deck.Jax sat in his usual place along the boards with the tablet, marking notes between drills. The rest of the team moved through a cycle of rush sequences under one of the assistants. Nothing about the morning had felt unusual until Coach’s voice cut across the rink.“Rivera. My office, now.”The whistle from the assistant died mid-call. Several players slowed. A few stopped completely. Jax looked up. Coach’s expression was closed, the same hard focus he had carried out of the archive room earlier. There was no private gesture, no quiet signal to wait until after practice. The summons was public.Ethan, standing near the far circle, exchanged a quick glance with Tyler. Eli eased to a stop near the boards. Even Marcus, usually careful about where he placed his attention, turned his head.Jax set the tablet down on the bench. “Coach?”“You heard me. Office.”The assistant coach recovered first. “Keep moving. Same

  • Captain's Ice Slave    Chapter 41

    Ethan waited until he was alone in his room before he called.Jax picked up on the second ring. “Yeah?”“It’s me,” Ethan said. “I need a straight answer about juniors.”“Okay.”“Is there anything from that year beyond what I already know that could still implicate you? Something that hasn’t come out?”Jax’s reply was steady. “No. I’m not hiding anything.”Ethan sat with the answer for a second. “Marcus has started circulating talk again. Selective messages about your past, the scholarship year, things that ‘never got cleared.’ Have you heard it?”“I’ve heard.”“And?”“And I don’t care,” Jax said. “There’s nothing for me to be afraid of. Let him send what he wants.”The lack of tension in Jax’s voice was almost harder to read than anger would have been.Ethan exhaled. “All right.”“That it?”“For now. Goodnight.”“Goodnight.”The call ended, Ethan set the phone down and stayed on the edge of the bed.Marcus was still feeding selected teammates private lines about the junior year and th

  • Captain's Ice Slave    Chapter 40

    Marcus sat with the phone still in his hand, the Phase Two message glowing on the screen.He didn’t answer it, Instead he opened a new thread, selected three names from the team roster — players who talked, who listened, and who had already shown curiosity about old stories — and began typing.To the first: ‘Heard the junior-league stuff with Rivera never actually got cleared. Scholarship mess, quiet deals. Makes you wonder how much of that followed him here.’He sent it, waited a moment, then opened the second chat. ‘People keep treating Rivera like the past is finished. From what I know, it isn’t. Ask around about the year the offer disappeared. Interesting reactions.’Send.The third message was shorter: ‘Some histories don’t stay buried just because the team moved on. Rivera’s is one of them.He reviewed the three threads once, made sure none of them sat in the main group chat, then locked the phone.’No mass blast or open accusation. Just quiet, targeted lines desi

  • Captain's Ice Slave    Chapter 39

    CHAPTER 39They got back to the apartment with the food still warm. Gerald checked the time and nodded toward the spare room he used as a workspace.“Meeting starts in ten. I’ll take it in there.”“I’ll stay out of the way,” Jax said. He carried his own container to his room and closed the door most of the way, giving Gerald the quiet he needed.A few hours later the low sound of the call ended. Jax waited another minute, then walked out.“You need water?” he asked. “All that talking can’t be easy.”Gerald stretched and shook his head. “Food first. I’m starving.”They sat at the small table and opened the containers. For a while they ate without much comment. Then Gerald set his fork down.“How have you been feeling lately? Really.”Jax thought about it before answering. “Fine. I feel lighter than before. The pressure isn’t sitting on my chest the same way. I feel relieved.”Gerald watched him for a second. “I’m glad. You were carrying a lot for a long time. It’s good to hear it’s eas

  • Captain's Ice Slave    Chapter 38

    The next afternoon the team gathered on the ice for practice. Coach blew the whistle early and called everyone in.“Listen up. We’ve got a home match against the school across the river next week. They’re physical and they capitalise on turnovers. I want us prepared.”A few players nodded. Coach’s eyes moved to Ethan, then to the stands where Jax sat with his tablet.“Kane. Rivera. Over here.”They stepped closer. Coach kept his voice low enough that the rest of the group only caught the tone, not the words. “After practice I want both of you to stay. Watch the remaining sessions and the cool-down drills. Note every player’s strengths and weaknesses — skating, decision speed, positioning, habits under pressure. Write it down. I need clear observations we can use for pairings and match-ups next week.”Ethan glanced at Jax, then back at Coach. “Just observation and notes?”“That’s it. No coaching on the ice, no corrections. Watch and record. When you’re done, leave the notes with me. Cl

  • Captain's Ice Slave    Chapter 37

    The group settled around two pushed-together tables at the restaurant, the noise of ordinary conversation replacing the tension of the rink.Plates arrived. Someone complained about the portion sizes. Another player made a joke about Coach ending practice early for once. Eli leaned over to Tyler and asked if the fries were worth it. For a few minutes it felt almost normal.Then one of the forwards, halfway through a bite, spoke without thinking. “Still can’t believe people actually thought Kane took those files. I mean, Rivera even said it didn’t make sense, that he doesn’t pull stuff like that. Kind of helped shut the talk down before Coach made it official.”The table went quiet for a second too long.Ethan kept his eyes on his plate. Jax didn’t look up right away either. A couple of the others glanced between them, the casual comment suddenly heavier than the player had intended.Eli cleared his throat. “Food’s better than I expected.”No one immediately picked up the new thread.

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