Chapter 1

_Lyra's POV_

I ran through the cold morning air with my bag bouncing against my side. My breath came out in short white clouds. The city felt too big for me today, like it was pressing down on my shoulders. I was already late and my heart kept beating faster and faster as I looked at my phone again.

“Come on… come on…” I whispered to myself.

Today was my only chance and I could feel it sitting heavy in my chest like a warning I couldn’t ignore. Frostfang University Hockey Club wasn’t just a place. It was elite, famous and dangerous in a way that made ordinary people feel small before they even stepped inside. People dreamed about working here, about even getting close to this world. And yet here I was, because I, Lyra Storm, needed this job more than anything else in my life.

I pushed open the glass doors of the sports complex and rushed inside. Warm air hit my face. The smell of ice, metal and sweat filled my nose. I slowed down for a second, trying to catch my breath, but then I heard shouting from down the hall.

“Watch where you’re going.”

I turned too late. Something hard hit my shoulder. My coffee flew out of my hand and spilled all over a tall figure standing in front of me. Time seemed to stop. The liquid ran down his black hoodie and dripped onto the floor.

I lifted my gaze slowly. My heart sank as I realized who I had hit. When I finally saw him, he looked impossibly tall with broad shoulders and sharp features that made him seem almost unreal. He had a sharp jaw and his cold gray eyes looked like frozen ice. His hair was slightly messy like he had just stepped off the ice rink. The way he was staring at me made it feel like I had just done something unforgivable, something that had already put me on his bad side before I even knew his name.

My heart dropped.

“I......I’m so sorry,” I said quickly. “I didn’t see you. I was running and.....”

“You always run into people like this?” he asked.

“I said I’m sorry,” I repeated. “I didn’t mean to.”

He looked down at his shirt, then back at me. His eyes narrowed slightly. “You ruined my hoodie,” he said.

“It’s just coffee. I can clean it. I can pay for it.”

He stepped closer. My body froze. Something strange moved through the air between us. It felt heavy like there was some kind of pressure on my chest. I didn’t understand it but my skin felt warm suddenly.

“You think money fixes everything?” he asked.

“No,” I said while swallowing. “But I think yelling at me won’t fix your hoodie either.”

For a second, something flashed in his eyes. Surprise maybe....or irritation. Behind him, a few players walked by and stopped. I heard whispers.

“That’s Ryder Kane.”

My stomach dropped again.

Ryder Kane.

He was the captain of the Frostfang hockey team. The most feared player in the league. The guy who never smiled in interviews. The guy who got into fights on ice and still stayed on the team. And I just spilled coffee on him.

“I didn’t know who you were,” I said quickly.

“That makes it worse,” he replied.

I sighed. My hands were shaking a little but I forced myself to stay calm.

“Look, I said I’m sorry. If you want, I’ll replace your hoodie. Just tell me where to send it.”

He stared at me for a long moment. Like he was studying something under my skin. Then he leaned in slightly.

“You smell like trouble,” he said quietly.

My breath stopped. “What?”

He straightened again. His face went cold. “Nothing."

Then he walked away without saying another word or giving any reaction, leaving me standing there in silence as if I had already been erased from his attention.

I stood there for a moment. I felt confused and strangely shaken. My heart was still beating too fast.

“Great start, Lyra,” I whispered. “Just great.”

_________

The interview room was too bright. There were white walls and metal chairs. A long table stood in the center with the Frostfang logo on the wall behind it.

I sat straight in my chair. I was trying to look calm even though my heart would not stop racing. My bag was on my lap. My hands were folded tightly together so no one would see how badly they were shaking.

Across from me sat three people: a woman from HR, a man from PR and the coach, Marcus Hale. He was older, serious and looked like he could break a hockey stick with his bare hands.

“We’ve reviewed your application,” the HR woman said. “You studied communications, correct?”

“Yes,” I said. “And I worked part-time in media management during college.”

The man nodded slowly. “Why this team?” he asked.

I hesitated for only a second. “Because you’re the most visible sports team in the country,” I said. “And because your public image is… complicated.”

The coach raised an eyebrow. “Complicated how?” he asked.

I didn’t back down. “There are rumors of fights, scandals and poor discipline. But also a huge fan base that ignores all of it. That means your story is powerful. It just needs structure.”

Silence filled the room. I realized I might have gone too far. But then the coach laughed once.

“Bold answer,” he said.

The HR woman looked at him. She was surprised. “You’re hiring her?” she asked softly.

The coach leaned back in his chair. “We need someone who doesn’t get scared easily,” he said. “Especially for the current situation.”

“What situation?” I asked before I could stop myself.

No one answered. Instead, the door opened. And I saw him again.

Ryder Kane.

He stepped inside like he owned the room. His eyes moved straight to me. For a second, I thought I saw something sharp in his expression. Then it disappeared.

“Coach,” he said.

“Ryder,” the coach replied. “Sit.”

He didn’t sit at first. His eyes stayed on me. I felt it again. That strange pressure in the air. Like something invisible pulling between us.

“You’re late,” the coach said.

Ryder finally sat down. “I had practice,” he said.

The HR woman cleared her throat. “We’re finalizing the new PR assistant position. Miss Storm here is a candidate.”

Ryder looked at me. My throat felt dry.

“I already met her,” he said.

The coach raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“She spilled coffee on me,” Ryder said.

I wanted to disappear into the floor.

The HR woman looked between us. “Is that a problem?” she asked carefully.

Ryder leaned back in his chair. “No. It’s interesting.”

My heart skipped. Interesting?

The coach tapped his fingers on the table. “We’re short on time. So I’ll decide now.”

I held my breath. Ryder didn’t move. But I felt like he was watching me more closely now.

“You’re hired,” the coach said.

My lungs almost forgot how to work. “Wait… really?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said. “But there are rules.”

Of course there are.

“Rule one,” he continued. “You don’t interfere with the players’ personal lives.”

I nodded quickly.

“Rule two,” he said. “You follow PR instructions exactly.”

“Yes.”

“Rule three. You don’t get involved with Ryder Kane.”

I blinked. My eyes went to Ryder without thinking. He didn’t react but I felt his attention sharpen.

“Understood,” I said quickly.

“Good,” the coach said.

Ryder stood up. “So she’s our problem now?” he asked.

“Don’t start,” the coach warned.

Ryder looked at me again and his face showed something I couldn’t read. It looked like confusion and irritation at the same time.

Then he said it again, quietly. “You smell like trouble.”

My chest tightened. “I already heard that today,” I said.

That seemed to surprise him a little. Then he turned and walked away again without saying anything else.

_________

Later that day, I was shown around the stadium. Everything was huge. The ice rink stretched like a frozen ocean. The stands were empty now but I could imagine them full of screaming fans.

“This is insane,” I whispered.

Evan Cross, one of the assistant staff, laughed. “You get used to it,” he said.

“No one gets used to this,” I said.

He smiled. “You’ll be working mostly with the players, the press, media and image control. That kind of thing.”

“Great,” I muttered. “My favorite thing. Chaos.”

He chuckled as we walked past the locker room. I slowed down and then stopped for a moment. I could hear voices inside; laughing, shouting and metal banging on lockers. Then I heard his voice again. It was Ryder. As soon as I heard it, everything inside me went quiet.

Evan noticed. “Don’t go in there alone,” he said.

“Why?” I asked.

He hesitated. “They’re not normal,” he said carefully.

I frowned. “Normal how?”

But he didn’t answer. The locker room door suddenly opened and Ryder stepped out. His eyes met mine instantly. The air changed again....like something inside me pulled tight.

He looked at Evan. “Leave,” he said.

Evan blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Leave,” Ryder repeated.

Evan looked at me, then shrugged awkwardly and walked away. Now it was just me and him in the empty hallway. It was too quiet and we were too close.

“You’re new,” he said.

“Yes,” I replied.

He took a step closer but I didn’t move back. Something in me refused to.

“That’s dangerous here,” he said.

“Everything here feels dangerous,” I replied.

There was a short pause and his eyes flickered for a second, turning gold before going back to gray.

My breath caught. Did I imagine that?

“You should quit,” he said.

I frowned. “Excuse me?”

“This place,” he said. “It’s not for you.”

I crossed my arms. “You don’t get to decide that.”

He stared at me for a long time, then he leaned closer. Not too close but enough that I felt his presence fully. And he said something that made my heart stop again.

“Then stay away from me, Lyra Storm.”

Hearing my name made my chest tighten. It sounded like he already knew me, like I wasn’t a stranger to him at all.

In that moment, I started to realize something. This job, this place and him all felt wrong in a way I didn’t understand yet, and somehow I already felt like I was too deep inside it to turn back.