Falling For The Wrong Kane

Wren povThe wind coming off the lake sliced right through my thin coat like it had a personal grudge. I hugged my duffel bag tighter against my side, boots crunching over the salted sidewalks as I made my way toward the hockey arena. State University looked exactly like the pictures—stone buildings heavy with snow, sleek athletic facilities glowing under the lights, and that constant buzz of energy even in early November.This is it, I told myself, breath fogging in front of me. No more scraping by. No more showing up late to everything because life kept kicking me down.The anonymous scholarship that had been hitting my account every semester for three years had changed everything. Tuition covered. Books paid for. A tiny living space that meant I didn’t have to choose between eating and textbooks. I still didn’t know who the donor was, just some private foundation with strict rules: stay out of trouble, graduate, pay it forward someday. I planned to do exactly that. Starting today.

Wren pov My heart hammered so hard I was sure Eleanor could hear it echoing off the stone walls of the sitting room. The fire crackled in the massive fireplace, throwing warm light across leather furniture that probably cost more than my entire childhood home. I sat ramrod straight on the edge of the couch, hands clasped so tightly in my lap my knuckles ached. This was it—the moment I finally met the people behind the anonymous scholarship that had pulled me out of the hole I’d been in , drowning in debts and odd jobs for years.And Rhett Kane was here.He stood near the window, broad shoulders filling out a State Hockey hoodie like it had been tailored just for him—which it probably had. Captain. Golden boy. The face I’d seen plastered across campus banners and the arena walls. Up close, he was even more intimidating: sharp jaw, ice-blue eyes, that effortless posture that screamed I own this room. My stomach flipped with a mix of nerves and something dangerously close to excitement

Wren pov The week blurred into a whirlwind of tape rolls, skate sharpenings, and learning which players preferred their sticks at what lie. I kept my head down like Eleanor had warned, but the cheer squad’s glares followed me everywhere. Brooke especially. Still, the work felt right—ice-cold air in my lungs, the crack of pucks, the rhythm of a team locking in for battle. And Rhett… he was everywhere. Not talking much, but watching. Those ice-blue eyes tracked me during practices, a half-smile appearing whenever I snapped back at a cocky freshman or hauled equipment twice my size.By game night, the Fieldhouse was electric. First game of the season. Sellout crowd. Banners everywhere with Rhett’s number and face. My stomach hadn’t stopped flipping since I’d arrived early to set up the bench—water bottles perfect, towels stacked, tablets charged for injury logs. The Kane family sat in the booster box above, watching. I could feel their expectations pressing down like the cold air itself

Wren POVBy the time I woke up the next morning, I already knew something was wrong.My phone had been vibrating against the nightstand for nearly ten minutes before I finally reached for it. I expected a message from my mother or one of the university's automated systems reminding me about an assignment. Instead, the screen was filled with notifications from people I barely knew.Messages. Tags. Friend requests.I frowned and opened the first notification. Someone had posted a video so I clicked it.The screen filled with the arena from last night. The crowd was still celebrating, the players were gathered around centre ice, and then Rhett appeared in front of the bench.Me, him, and the kiss.I watched the video once, then again because my brain refused to process what I was seeing.The clip had been slowed down, apparently because someone had decided that the few seconds of Rhett's mouth against mine deserved to be replayed from every possible angle."Oh, no." My stomach droppe

Jonah POVI had no intention of going to the party.The last thing I wanted was to spend my Saturday night surrounded by people who knew me as Rhett Kane. I had spent the entire week learning how to walk like him, talk like him, play like him and pretend that I belonged in a world I had spent my whole life resenting. I didn't need another reminder of how easily everyone accepted the lie as long as I wore the right clothes and answered to the right name.The Kane family had already made it clear that my job wasn't limited to hockey. I was supposed to attend the right events, smile for the right people and make sure the sponsors saw the same golden-boy captain they had invested in. It was exhausting pretending to care about any of it.I was sitting in my apartment when Deacon mentioned the party during practice. He was talking to one of the defensemen about the birthday celebration at the student recreation centre, and I barely paid attention until I heard Wren's name.Apparently,