Chapter 7

The emergency team meeting was called for 6 PM sharp. By the time I walked into the locker room, the air already felt thick with tension and whispers. The usual loud banter and clatter of gear were gone. Instead, the room felt smaller, suffocating, like the walls were closing in on me.

I chose the far bench in the corner, trying to make myself as invisible as possible. I kept my head down, staring at my skates, wishing I could disappear.

Across from me, Jax sat with his legs spread wide, arms crossed over his broad chest. He still looked every bit the captain confident, untouchable even though his title was hanging by a thread.

His eyes met mine for a brief second, dark and intense, before looking away.

Coach Harlan stood at the front of the room, arms behind his back, his face grim and tired. Marcus leaned casually against the wall near the door like he owned the place, a smug expression plastered on his face.

“Alright, listen up,” Coach started, his voice heavy with disappointment. “We have a serious issue that’s affecting team morale and focus. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Some explicit photos and videos involving two of our captains have been circulating in the group chat.”

Murmurs erupted immediately. The room filled with shocked gasps, low whispers, and uncomfortable shifting. A few guys exchanged glances. Others stared straight at Jax and me.

Coach raised his hand for silence. “Marcus, you brought this to my attention. Say your piece.”

Marcus stepped forward with a smug smile, clearly enjoying every second of this. He held up his phone and played a short clip. The audio was low, but the visuals were unmistakable. It showed me on my knees in Jax’s apartment, the black leather collar tight around my neck, Jax’s strong hand fisted in my hair. The sounds we made raw, desperate, and loud filled the locker room for a few agonizing seconds.

My face burned with humiliation. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Several guys looked away in discomfort. Others stared openly, mouths slightly open in shock.

“This is disgusting,” one of the defensemen, Riley, said loudly, breaking the stunned silence. “How are we supposed to respect them as leaders after seeing this shit?”

Tyler looked pale, his eyes wide as he glanced at me. “Kane… man, what the hell? You could’ve said something.”

Jax’s voice cut through the growing noise like a blade, calm but dangerous. “This is private shit between me and Ethan. It has nothing to do with how we play on the ice or how we lead this team.”

“Everything to do with it!” Marcus shot back, his voice rising with fake outrage. “You two have been distracted as hell. Playing favoritism. Displaying weird tension during every practice. We can’t have captains who are busy fucking each other instead of focusing on winning games.”

More voices joined the chaos.

“I don’t care what they do in private, but this is too much. It’s affecting the whole team dynamic.”

“They lied to all of us this whole time.”

“How long has this been going on behind our backs?”

“What else have they been hiding?”

Coach rubbed his temples, looking exhausted.

“We’re taking a vote. Should Rivera and Kane be removed from their captain positions? Raise your hand if yes.”

Hands went up fast. More than half the team. Tyler hesitated for a long moment, looking torn between loyalty and shock, but eventually raised his hand too. My chest ached with a sharp, deep pain. Everything I had worked for was gone in seconds.

Coach sighed heavily. “Motion passes. Both of you are stripped of captaincy effective immediately. You’re still on the team, but all leadership duties are suspended until further notice. I expect you both to act like professionals moving forward. Dismissed.”

The meeting ended in chaos. Guys filed out, some patting Marcus on the back like he was a hero, others avoiding our eyes completely. A few whispered as they passed.

“Unbelievable. I never saw that coming.”

“I knew something was off with them from the start.”

“This is going to mess up the whole season.”

I stayed seated long after most people had left, staring at the floor, feeling completely hollow inside. Jax didn’t move either. When the room finally cleared out, he stood up slowly and walked over, stopping right in front of me.

“Get up.”

I followed him silently to the equipment room. The second the door locked behind us, he pushed me against the wall, breathing hard.

“You let them do this,” he growled, voice low and dangerous. “You should’ve been more careful. You should’ve stayed away from Tyler and Marcus like I told you to.”

“I told you we needed to stop,” I whispered, my voice cracking with emotion. “This was going to happen eventually. We were playing with fire.”

His hand wrapped around my throat, firm but not choking. “You don’t get to decide when we stop.”

The sex was rough and angry. He spun me around, bent me over a stack of mats, yanked my pants down, and thrust in deep with barely any prep. I bit my lip hard to keep from crying out as pain and pleasure mixed violently. He fucked me hard, one hand covering my mouth, the other gripping my hip hard enough to leave bruises.

“You’re still mine,” he grunted with every powerful thrust. “Even without the title. Even if the whole team knows. You’re still my fucking slave.”

I came hard against the mats, shame and happiness twisting together in a sickening wave. Jax followed soon after, burying himself as deep as possible and filling me with a low groan.

Afterward, he didn’t pull away immediately. He turned me around and pulled me against his chest, breathing hard against my hair.

“I’ll fix this,” he said quietly, almost gently. “Marcus won’t win. The team won’t win and I won’t lose you.”

I wanted to believe him. But as we left the equipment room separately, the weight of everything felt heavier than ever.

That night, alone in my dorm, I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling. Memories of my old dreams flooded back, the dreams of becoming captain, leading the team to victory, making my family proud. Now everything was crumbling around me.

“How did I let myself become like this?” I thought sadly. “I’m losing everything… including myself. I’m not even proud of who I am anymore. How will my family feel if they ever find out?”

Later that night, while I was still alone in my dorm, my phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Marcus: You lost the vote. Next step is getting you both kicked off the team completely. Unless you come see me tomorrow night alone. We can make a deal.

I stared at the message for a long time, dread settling deep in my stomach.

The war was just beginning.