Chapter 9

Sierra immediately rushed forward, stepping in front of me as she turned sharply toward the girl.

“What the flipping fuck is wrong with you?” Sierra yelled, her voice sharp with anger.

The girl—who clearly looked like a brunette—only smiled at her, the kind of smile that was meant to provoke. It made my stomach tighten instantly.

“What?” the girl shrugged carelessly. “Why are you so hurt? You don’t want to hear the truth?” she said stubbornly, tilting her head slightly as if she was enjoying this.

Sierra clenched her fists, clearly ready to yell at her again, but I reached out and gently grabbed her arm, stopping her. There was no need for shouting. Girls like this fed on reactions.

I stepped forward calmly, a small smile curving my lips.

“So,” I said slowly, meeting her eyes, “you want to challenge me, right?”

Her brows lifted in surprise, then she scoffed. “I mean, bring it on,” she snapped. “Prove that you’re really the Queen of Ice everyone keeps talking about. You disappeared for over two years, and now you suddenly want to come back and reclaim your crown?”

Her words were sharp, meant to cut deep, but I didn’t flinch. Instead, I felt my wolf stir inside me, a low growl rumbling in my chest. She didn’t scare me. She underestimated me—and that was her biggest mistake.

I took a slow breath, forcing myself to stay calm.

“Easy, Yola,” I whispered inside my head. “Calm down.”

The girl watched me closely, probably expecting anger or fear. But all she got was silence and confidence.

“Let’s prove her wrong,” I continued inwardly. “Not with words. With actions.”

I straightened my posture, my smile never leaving my face.

“I don’t need to prove anything to you,” I said quietly but firmly. “But if you insist on testing me, then fine. Just don’t cry when you realize we’re not who you think we are.”

The room felt tense, heavy with anticipation. Sierra stood beside me, silent now, and I knew one thing for sure—this girl had no idea what she had just started.

And I was more than ready to finish it.

The referee blew the whistle and everyone took their position.

The ice was cold under my skates, familiar and painful at the same time. I hadn’t been here in years, yet my body remembered everything.

The puck dropped.

The brunette came at me fast, skating hard like she had something to prove. She shoved past another player and locked eyes with me. We were no longer playing as a team — it was just me and her.

She tried to steal the puck from me. I blocked her, our sticks clashing loudly. She smirked like she enjoyed it and pushed harder.

I fell once.

The crowd gasped.

She laughed under her breath, skating past me.

I stood up quickly, my chest rising and falling. Not today.

When the puck came back my way, I moved without thinking. I dodged her, skating faster, sharper. She chased me, anger written all over her face.

The crowd grew louder.

Seconds felt heavy.

I shot the puck.

It hit the net.

Goal.

The whistle screamed through the rink.

For a moment, everything went quiet in my head.

My teammates rushed toward me, cheering, but my eyes searched for her. She stood frozen on the ice, staring at me, disbelief clear on her face.

I skated past her slowly and stopped.

“You wanted proof,” I said calmly. “There it is.”

I turned away as the crowd chanted my name.

The Queen of Ice was back.

“Jeez, your skills are still superb. I can already smell victory for us,” Sierra screamed happily as we headed toward the changing area, moving farther away from the ice ground.

I smiled slightly, my chest still rising from the adrenaline. “Well,” I said casually, “I guess I never really left.”

She stopped walking and turned to look at me, her expression slowly changing. We stepped into the changing room, and I froze for a moment. The walls were lined with lockers, old and slightly worn. It suddenly felt like high school all over again.

“You… you’re not forgiving Lucien anymore, are you?” Sierra asked quietly.

I scoffed, shaking my head. “Never. I’m not,” I replied firmly. “I can’t sit still like an idiot while my sister sleeps with my husband. Like—seriously? That kind of betrayal is insane.”

Sierra hissed under her breath. “Yeah, right. If I were you, I would’ve snapped her head clean off.”

Her dramatic tone made me burst into laughter despite everything. The sound echoed softly in the room.

“I’m never fighting another woman over a man,” I said bitterly. “She can have him for all I care. She should eat him and choke on him. I honestly don’t give a damn anymore.”

The anger slipped out before I could stop it. Sierra stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug.

“I’m just happy you’re out of that mess,” she whispered close to my ear.

I leaned into her for a moment before pulling back. “So… what’s next?” she asked.

I sighed deeply, suddenly feeling tired. “After the tournament, I’m going back to college,” I said. “I married that asshole and dropped out of school, thinking I’d get pregnant and live some perfect happy life. Turns out everything fell apart instead.”

Sierra frowned. “Don’t say it like that. Everything happens for a reason. Maybe you two just weren’t meant to be—”

She paused suddenly. “Wait here,” she added. “I need to grab something from the other section.”

Before I could respond, she ran off, leaving me alone in the quiet room.

I let out another sigh, staring at my reflection in one of the locker mirrors. Just as I was lost in thought, I heard footsteps approaching.

“Congratulations,” a familiar voice said. “Looks like you still have your skills, Queen of Ice.”

I turned around slowly—and my breath hitched.

Standing there were the twins.

Kael… and Kieran.