LOGINARIA’S POVI was starting to feel overwhelmed because of how much attention I was getting around school lately. Ever since I started appearing around the hockey team more openly, students kept staring at me everywhere I went. It was like I couldn’t walk down a hallway without feeling eyes on me, and it made my skin crawl in a way that mixed embarrassment with something I didn’t want to admit felt a little thrilling. My thoughts kept drifting to the brothers, to how their protectiveness made me feel wanted, but it also made everything more complicated. I hated how my body reacted to the memories of their touches, their closeness, even when I tried to stay mad.I was walking to my locker when a group of girls from the cheer team blocked my path. One of them, a girl with sharp eyes named Sarah, crossed her arms and looked me up and down. “So it’s true, then. You’re really trying to steal the brothers now that you’re hanging around hockey practice like you belong there.”I stopped, my hea
COLE’S POVI started becoming suspicious after noticing unfamiliar people attending hockey practices repeatedly even though they clearly were not students. At first I thought they were scouts, maybe checking out the team for some college or pro interest, but the way they watched Aria specifically made me uncomfortable immediately. There were two of them, always sitting in the same section of the stands, their eyes tracking her every move instead of the game. It didn’t feel right. My gut twisted every time I caught one of them leaning in to whisper to the other while she was in view.During team practice, I secretly kept observing them while pretending to focus on hockey. The more I watched, the more convinced I became that the strangers were connected to the people investigating Aria already. I skated through drills, calling out plays and keeping up with the puck, but my attention kept drifting back to those two guys in the stands. They weren’t cheering or taking notes on the tea
KAI’S POVI was under heavy pressure because of the championship coming up. As captain, everyone expected me to lead the team perfectly again, but my focus kept shifting toward Aria constantly instead of hockey. I couldn’t stop looking at her at all. Even when I tried to push her out of my head during drills, my eyes would find her in the stands or in my thoughts, and everything else faded. The bond between us pulled at me hard, making my chest tight and my body react in ways that had nothing to do with the ice. I kept remembering how she felt against me the last time we were close—her warmth, the way her breath hitched when I touched her, the heat that built between us until it was almost too much to handle. It was messing with my head, turning the pressure of the game into something else entirely.During late-night practice, the team was already on edge from the long hours, and I was pushing them harder than usual. We kept running the same plays over and over, but nothing was clic
BIANCA’S POVI was furious the second I heard the news. Aria had started attending hockey practice openly now, showing up in the stands like she belonged there. The hockey team was one of the biggest sources of influence and popularity in school, and I hated the idea of her slowly becoming connected to that attention too. It felt like she was stealing my spotlight piece by piece, worming her way into everything that used to be mine.I was in the middle of the hallway when Lila pulled me aside, her voice low like she was delivering bad gossip. “Bianca, you’re not going to believe this. Aria was at practice yesterday. Sitting right there in the stands with Maya, watching the whole time. And the brothers… they kept looking up at her like she was the only one there.”My hands clenched into fists before I even realized it. “What the hell do you mean they were looking at her? Those are my brothers. My team. She has no right to be there acting like she’s part of it.”Lila shifted uncomfortab
ARIA’S POVI didn’t expect myself to become interested in hockey. I really didn’t. But after watching the brothers practice properly for the first time, I finally understood why the entire school treated them like celebrities. The hockey arena turned loud and chaotic during practice, with the sound of skates cutting across the ice, sticks slamming into pucks, and the whole team shouting over each other. Everyone’s attention naturally followed the brothers everywhere they went. It was like the whole place revolved around them.Maya was sitting right next to me in the stands, her voice going nonstop as she pointed things out. I had stayed after Reed left to talk to Kai, and Maya had dragged me back in here earlier, saying I needed to see what all the hype was about. At first I just wanted to leave, but something about watching them kept me glued to my seat. My eyes kept drifting to the ice, and I hated how my body reacted every time one of them moved.“See that?” Maya said, leaning clos
REED’S POVI was already stressed out because of the warning Zane gave us about Bianca, but things got even worse when the school hockey championship came around only a week away. The entire school was hyped up about the competition, and our hockey team was under huge pressure to win again. Our pack’s reputation was tied strongly to the sport, and everyone kept saying we had to bring home the trophy or it would look bad for all of us.During practice, I became more aggressive than usual on the ice. I couldn’t stop thinking about Aria possibly being targeted again. Every time I checked someone into the boards or fought for the puck, my mind flashed to her face, how she looked when she was vulnerable, and how much I wanted to keep her safe. The mate bond pulled at me hard, making my chest tight with worry mixed with something hotter. I kept seeing her in my head—the way her body moved during training, the heat in her eyes when we got close, the way she responded to me even when she trie
ARIA’S POVI opened my eyes slowly, immediately blinded by the harsh, bright fluorescent lights shining directly above my head. I blinked a few times, trying to focus, and the sterile smell of bleach and rubbing alcohol instantly filled my nose. I found myself lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by
ARIA’S POVI sat in the passenger seat of Zane’s car, fingers twisting in my lap, and I still couldn’t believe any of this was real. The guy I used to watch from the bleachers during hockey practice, the one I had dreamed about for so long, was right next to me. Driving. Talking to me like we did
ARIA’S POVThe next few days felt like one long nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. I did everything I could to avoid the brothers, slipping out of rooms the second they walked in, taking different routes to class, even eating lunch in the bathroom stall just to get some peace. But they wouldn’t le
ARIA’S POVI stood there in the hallway watching Zane drag Bianca away, and something inside me just… sank. Disappointment hit me hard, heavier than I expected. I mean, I knew he was engaged to her. I knew he had to keep up appearances. But after everything....the way he waited by my locker, the wa







