CHAPTER SIX - AFTERSHOCKS.

Julliette

The following morning felt wrong, very wrong.

It was neither loud, nor the least bit dramatic, it was just.. off. It felt as though the world itself had shifted half an inch whilst I wasn’t paying any attention.

Dorian hadn’t said a single word to me since that one night. Not in the locker room, not even during treatment or even in passing, nothing. Just silence.

He went back to moving like a shadow- silent, unapproachable and very unreadable, yet again. It was as though the whole bar scene had been nothing but a mere fever dream, birthed by intense exhaustion and maybe one too many bad cocktails.

Except of course, it hadn’t been a dream. It had been real.

I could still feel it, the specter of his big, strong hand on my smaller one. I could still feel the warmth of his soft lips whenever I closed my eyes.

It made focusing on work insanely impossible.

Every little sound had my nerves on edge. From the clang of sticks, the padding of footsteps all around me, to the low hum of male voices and laughter around me.

I mean I’ve been around testosterone my whole career of course but this? This was so much more different. Sometimes it felt like these men weren't just men anymore, it felt like they were something entirely different.

Something extremely dangerous.

I was squatting beside Luka, checking a minor strain on the thigh muscle on his right leg, when I felt it.. the weight of a hard stare trained on me,, one that felt heavy, dark, and more importantly, familiar.

I looked to see who it was even though I already knew, and ended up locking eyes with Bryan.

He stood only a couple of feet away from eyes, gloved hands shoved into his pockets, his eyes trained on me with such intensity, you might think I was the reason oxygen existed. Per usual, he was unreadable, his jaw rather tight, but the tension rolling off him was unmistakable, almost volcanic even.

“Captain.” I said acknowledging his presence, my voice even as I refused to look away.

He said nothing at first, just kept his gaze trained on me, before shifting them to Luka’s thigh prompting me to continue what I was doing.

He watched as I adjusted the bandage properly on his thigh, my fingers lightly brushing his skin. Technically, this was part of my job but at this very moment, it suddenly felt a bit too intimate. Luka looked up at me, a mischievous grin on his face, he looked like a little boy that had been caught in some mischief.

“You okay, J?” Bryan asked, the smoothness of his voice pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Never been better” I lied with a smile.

Bryan’s stare sharpened almost immediately. “I think that’s enough, you’re done here”.

His voice was low, flat, but it carried that captain’s authority and steel that usually made rookies want to scramble. Luka frowned, almost rolled his eyes even, but he stood up quietly without argument.

The moment Luka stood, Bryan took his place, but instead of crouching, he tweeted over me until the air around us felt a little colder.

“You’ve been distracted these days,” he said rather quietly.

“I’m alright,” I repeated, even though my pulse strongly disagreed. “I’m fine Cap, you do not have to police my focus.” I replied, finally rising.

He leaned in even closer, enough to feel his warm breath on my ear. “Not when your focus becomes a liability, I do.”

The close proximity did something very strange to my lungs, I almost forgot how to breathe. “At this point captain, you’re overstepping.”

“Friendly warning J,” He said, his tone darkening. “This place isn’t safe for you nor us, when you forget what you are to us.”

I straighter, my spine locked. “Is that so?” I replied, my voice a tad icy. “And what exactly am I, Cap?”

I could almost swear his eyes had tiny flecks of lightning in that moment. “You J, you are temptation.”

Before I could say anything, Caleb’s laughter rang out behind us, ultimately breaking the tension. He walked leisurely over, towel sling over a shoulder, mischievous grin on his finally chiseled face. “Well this looks very cozy. Captain Bryan Maddox, harassing staff yet again?”

Bryan didn’t even blink, didn’t move, didn’t even glance at him or acknowledged his presence. His gaze remained trained on me, his voice even. “Get ready for practice, Caleb.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Caleb mock bowed before his eyes flicked to me, that mischievous look plastered on his face. “We’ll see you at the game tonight, eight J? I could really use a lucky charm.”

Finally looking away from Bryan, I smiled politely. “I’ll be on the bench” my voice even as I tried to sound neutral.

“That's perfect.” His grin slowly widened. “ I always play so much better when you watch.”

Bryan’s jaw obviously ticked. Caleb winked mischievously. The tension between them was so strong, so visible that I could almost touch it.

Wanting no part in whatever was brewing between both men, I grabbed my kit together, walking off before either of them could speak or say anything else. The heavy drumming of my heartbeat almost loud enough to drown out the increasing noise of the rink.

It was starting to feel like the wolves were… cracking. Like there were fractures forming right underneath the surface of all that control. And I of course had somehow found myself right in the very middle of it.

That night’s game was completely chaotic.

Fans screamed at the very top of their lungs. Cameras flashed every now and then. The ice glinted under the bright lights like a beautifully set stage, for war.

Bryan of course led the charge as always, the epitome of precision and fury all at once. Caleb flames right through defenders like a raging storm. Luka on the other hand danced with such careless energy that caused me to flinch every time he took a strike.

My eyes stayed on Dorian-the silent, very composed powerhouse, a fortress in the net- as he caught almost every single shot like he’d been doing this since birth, almost like he could even predict the shot even before it moved.

Our eyes met, only once but the sparks that flew between us told me that he remembered. The bar, sparks, the intense kiss, everything.

By the end of the game, adrenaline had damn nearly replaced every ounce of blood in my body. The wolves had won, I mean of course.

For some reason, Bryan didn’t celebrate, he merely stalked off the u e, his eyes looking even darker than before, leaving his teammates celebrating behind. He disappeared right down the tunnel, before the cameras could follow.

Something suddenly tightened in my chest for some reason. Without thinking about it, I followed right after him.

The hallway right behind the rink was lowly lit and void of any soul-that is, besides the both of us of course.

The only audible sound was the light trickle of melted ice from equipment. He sat there, helmet and gloves discarded, head lowered.

“Bryan? You alright”

He looked up, and I almost forgot how to breathe.

That look… his eyes.. it took everything in me to not walk over to him, throw caution to the wind and throw it all away.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, his rough voice cutting through my rather sultry thoughts.

“Well, I could say the same thing.”

He looked away for a brief moment before locking eyes again, this time I could practically feel the intensity in the pit of my stomach.

“You have absolutely no idea what you’re walking into, Juliette.” He responded, his voice hoarse.

“Then why don’t you explain it to me?” I replied, my voice dropping to a whisper as I took a brave step forward.

He rose, closing the gap between us in two swift steps. The air.. it felt thicker, changed, insanely charged, you could almost hear it humming with something alive. For a brief moment I thought… I thought he’d touch me maybe.. I think a small part of me wanted him to.

He didn't.

Rather, he exhaled a deep breathe, looked me over and then turned away.

“Go home Juliette, please.”

The first time Bryan wasn’t trying to boss me around. He looked like he was struggling.. not to touch me.

And I should have left, just turned back out and headed home. But I didn’t, I couldn’t.

There was something that drew me to him like a magnet. Something that almost didn’t feel human.

And yet somehow, I knew I already belonged to it.