CHAPTER 4: STRONG PULL

PHILLIP’S POV

The sound of skates cutting across the ice echoed in the rink, sharp and steady, but mine didn’t match the rhythm. I pushed too hard, too fast, and lost the puck again.

“Phillip! Pay attention!” The coach's voice boomed, bouncing off the boards.

Heat crawled up the back of my neck. I muttered a curse under my breath and skated back into position. My stick felt heavy in my hands, like I’d never held one before. Another drill, another mistake.

“Focus, Phillip!” Coach barked again, slamming his clipboard against the glass.

I heard laughter from behind me.

“Yo, what’s up with you?” one of my teammates teased as I skated past him. “You forgot how to play the game?”

“Yeah,” another one chimed in, grinning. “Looks like somebody’s head is somewhere else.”

Their chuckles followed me, and I wanted to snap at them, but they weren’t wrong. I was off my game. I’d been off my game since the night I saw her again.

Elizabeth.

Every time I tried to focus, her face slipped into my head. Her voice, soft but sharp when she wanted it to be, kept replaying in my ears. The way her smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. The way her eyes searched mine, like she could see through every wall I’d built.

She’s your best friend’s sister.

I repeated it in my head like a warning, but it didn’t change a damn thing.

My wolf stirred inside me, restless, pushing against the cage I tried to keep him in.

She’s ours. Claim her.

The growl rumbled low in my chest, so faint no one else could hear it, but I felt it in every bone.

No, I snapped back at him. She’s off-limits.

She’s mate.

The word sliced through me. I gritted my teeth and gripped the stick harder, trying to shove the thought down, but it burned hotter the more I fought it.

The drill ended, and I barely heard Coach dismissing us. My legs carried me toward the locker room on autopilot. I didn’t join the usual chatter. My teammates joked, laughed, tossed towels, but I sat on the bench, silent, peeling off my pads one by one.

“Man, you’re really out of it,” someone said from across the room. “Are you sure you’re good?”

“Yeah,” I muttered without looking up.

The truth was, I wasn’t. My chest felt tight, like a storm was brewing in there, and nothing I did was enough to calm it.

I showered fast, changed, and grabbed my bag, hoping to escape before anyone else noticed. But when I stepped out of the locker room, my steps froze.

She was there.

Elizabeth.

Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, like she owned the place.

For a second, I thought I was imagining her. My chest squeezed, my wolf pressed forward, tail high, ears alert.

Mate.

I cursed under my breath. Of course Reagan had to send her.

She looked up, her eyes catching mine, and something flickered in them. Surprise, maybe. Annoyance, definitely. And something else, something I couldn’t name, but it hit me straight in the gut.

“Reagan said you could give me a ride,” she said, her voice even, like this wasn’t strange at all.

I clenched my jaw, glancing around. A couple of the guys were walking past, giving her looks that made my wolf bristle.

“Fine,” I muttered. “Let’s go.”

Her lips twitched, like she was fighting a smile, but she didn’t say anything. She just followed me out to the parking lot.

The air outside was cool, sharp with the scent of winter coming. I tried to breathe it in, tried to steady myself, but her scent drowned out everything else. Sweet. Familiar. Dangerous.

I unlocked the car, and she slipped in beside me. Too close. The small space filled with her presence, and my wolf paced inside me.

The engine roared to life, but silence filled the car. I kept my eyes on the road, hands gripping the wheel too tight.

“You’re avoiding me,” she said suddenly.

Her voice cut through the quiet like a blade.

I didn’t look at her. “No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.” Her tone sharpened. “Don’t lie. You can’t even look at me right now.”

My knuckles whitened on the wheel.

“Elizabeth…”

“Why?” she pressed, turning in her seat to face me. “Did I do something? Did I make you angry?”

Her voice cracked, just slightly, and it ripped through me.

I forced my eyes on the road, even though all I wanted to do was turn to her, tell her everything. Tell her what she was to me. Tell her why I couldn’t stay away and why I had to.

But I couldn’t.

“You didn’t do anything,” I said finally, my voice low.

“Then what?” Her hand lifted, resting against the dashboard. Her eyes burned into me. “Why do you act like you don’t want me around? You can’t even stand to be near me. Is that it?”

Her words sliced, because they weren’t true. Not even close.

I snapped.

“Because you’re my best friend’s sister!”

The words came out harsher than I meant, echoing in the small car. Her eyes widened, and the silence that followed was heavier than anything I’d ever felt.

Her lips parted, but no sound came out.

I swallowed hard, regret clawing up my throat. I wanted to take it back, soften it, and explain. But what could I say? That my wolf was ready to tear down the world for her? That every time she walked into a room, my control slipped a little more? That the only reason I kept my distance was because I was terrified, terrified of hurting her, of losing Reagan, of losing everything?

Her eyes glistened, but she blinked fast, hiding it. She turned away, staring out the window, and the wall between us grew thicker with every second.

The rest of the drive was quiet. Too quiet. My chest ached with the weight of it. I kept glancing at her from the corner of my eye, but she didn’t look back.

When I pulled up to her house, she reached for the door handle before I could even put the car in park.

“Elizabeth…” I started.

She paused, her hand on the handle, but she didn’t turn to me. “Thanks for the ride,” she said softly.

And then she was gone, the door shutting harder than it needed to.

I sat there, staring at the front door as she disappeared inside. My wolf howled, slamming against me, furious.

You’re a coward. Go to her. Claim her.

But I couldn’t. Not yet.

I leaned back in the seat, dragging a hand down my face. My chest felt tight, my head spinning.

I’d pushed her away, but the truth burned hotter than ever.

She wasn’t just my best friend’s sister.

She was mine.