Guest??

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO OVERTIME AT THE ICE PALACE!”

The announcer’s voice crackled through the arena’s PA system, booming over the deafening roar of the packed stadium.

“Sixty seconds on the clock! Next goal wins! The Frostbite are fighting for their lives against the brutal Ironclads defense!”

Down at the edge of the team bench, Blake Smith stood motionless. Dressed in a sharp, dark suit with his captain's badge pinned to the lapel and a knee brace visible beneath his trousers, his presence dominated the rink.

"Mason! Watch the left flank! They’re stacking three on the blue line!" Blake barked over the glass, his voice cutting cleanly through the screaming crowd.

Up in the lower bleachers, Sarah sat with her coat pulled tight around her face, shivering from the icy drafts. Bunny was screaming at the top of her lungs beside her, while three seats down, Nova sat with her arms crossed.

Nova’s eyes flicked over, seeing Mason wide open near the perimeter.

"Blake! Mason's wide open on the left!" Nova yelled over the noise, leaning over the railing.

Blake gripped the barrier, instantly barking the command to the ice.

"Mason, take the line!"

The referee blew the whistle, and the puck dropped.

*CLACK!*

"Tariq wins the face-off!" the announcer screamed. "Frostbite take possesssion! Forty seconds left!"

The Ironclads’ forward lunged forward, slamming Tariq hard against the plexiglass wall. The heavy impact rattled the barrier right in front of Sarah, making her gasp and jump back.

"KEEP MOVING THE PUCK!" Blake roared.

Tariq broke free, sliding a blind pass back across the ice. The puck ran loosely toward the center as the clock rapidly counted down.

"TEN SECONDS!" the announcer howled over the microphone. "IT’S A MAD SCRAMBLE IN FRONT OF THE NET!"

Sarah stood up from her seat, completely forgetting the cold as her eyes tracked the opposite side of the rink. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "BLAKE, TARIQ IS OPEN ON THE RIGHT! PASS TO TARIQ!"

Blake heard her. Through the chaos, he screamed.

"MASON! PASS TO TARIQ NOW!" Blake shouted, pointing his hand toward the open ice.

Mason didn't hesitate. He whipped a sharp wrist-pass through a maze of skates. Tariq caught it on his forehand, pulled the goalie out of position with a vicious fake, and slapped the puck straight into the top right corner of the net.

*SWISH!*

*BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ!*

The red light behind the glass flashed wildly as the siren echoed through the rafters.

"GOAAAAAAL! THE FROSTBITE TAKE IT IN OVERTIME! THREE TO TWO!"

The stadium erupted into total frenzy chaos. Gloves and sticks flew into the air as the players mobbed each other against the glass right in front of Blake.

Blake laughed, leaning over the barrier to slap his teammates on their shoulders, the heavy weight of the tension instantly melting from his posture.

As the crowd slowly began to walk out toward the exits, Nova smoothed down her jacket, stepping down the stairs with a tight, expectant smile.

"Brilliant call at the end, Blake. I knew you'd pull them through."

Blake didn't even turn his head. He walked right past her, marching straight toward the lower bleachers.

Sarah was still standing near her seat, trying to wrap her wool scarf around her neck, when a broad shadow fell across her.

She looked up. Blake was standing right there on the other side of the railing, his dark hair slightly wild, his chest still rising and falling from the sheer adrenaline of the final minute.

“You look like a frozen penguin,” he murmured, a low, fond chuckle vibrating in his chest as his dark eyes searched her face.

“I am *not* a penguin,” Sarah huffed, her breath blooming in a faint white cloud between them. “I was just waiting for you.”

“Come on, Butterfly. Let’s get you warm.” Blake wrapped his fingers firmly around hers, leading her down the rubber-matted steps toward the arena's glass exit doors.

The cool night air hit them the moment they stepped outside into the sparsely lit parking lot. Most of the crowd had already dispersed, leaving only a few lingering fans near the buses.

Sarah looked around, pulling her phone out. “Wait, where’s Bunny? She said she was grabbing hot chocolate right before the third period started, but she never came back to her seat.”

“She probably went to wait by the car,” Blake said, shifting his sports duffel onto his shoulder as he guided Sarah toward his Ferrari.

“Blake. Sister-in-law.”

The smooth, cultured voice cut through the quiet parking lot. Blake froze instantly, his entire posture locking up like steel. His grip on Sarah’s hand tightened so fast it nearly crushed her fingers.

Ronan and Jasper stepped out from the shadow of a parked SUV, both wearing expensive coats and looking entirely relaxed.

“Hell of a game, bro,” Jasper said, leaning back against the hood of the car with a lazy, appreciative nod. “You really know how to pull a win out of thin air. Last second king”

“What are you doing here?” Blake spat, his voice dropping into a lethal low tune. He pulled Sarah slightly behind his back, his arm acting as a solid barrier. Sarah frowned a bit.

“Just coming to congratulate the winning captain,” Ronan replied with the same warm, disarming smile he had used in the car. He completely ignored Blake’s deadly glare and shifted his attention directly to Sarah.

“And, of course, to pick up our guest.”

Sarah blinked, peeking out from behind Blake’s shoulder in confusion. “Guest?”

“Bunny sent us,” Ronan explained smoothly, pulling his hands into his coat pockets. “She got a text during the game, some study group emergency back at the dorms. She’s already waiting for you near the campus library, but she left her notebook in Jasper’s car earlier. We told her we’d bring you along.”

Sarah’s eyes widened slightly.

“Oh!” She said, stepping out from behind Blake’s arm. “Right, she mentioned something about an emergency deadline earlier today.”

“We also found something in the back seat that belongs to you,” Jasper added with a playful wink, tossing a small, sleek silver pen up and catching it. “Thought you might want it back before tomorrow’s lectures.”

“Thank you,” Sarah said, offering Ronan a small, polite smile. She turned back to Blake, reaching out to pat his arm gently.

“I should go check on Bunny before she loses her mind completely. Great job with the team tonight, Captain.”

Blake didn't move. His jaw was clenched so tight the bone looked ready to snap.

His dark eyes darted between Ronan’s smooth, calculating smile and Sarah’s completely innocent expression.

“Sarah, no,” Blake said, his hand shooting out to grab her wrist, his voice strained and tight. “Ride with me. I’ll drop you at the library.”

“Blake, your house is in the opposite direction, and your knee is already stiff,” Sarah reasoned gently, prying his fingers off her wrist with a soft, reassuring squeeze. “It’s fine, really. They’re just dropping me off at the dorms. I’ll text you when I get there.”

She gave him one last warm smile, waved at him, turned on her heel, and walked toward the black BMW with Ronan and Jasper.

Ronan opened the rear door for her with a polite bow, casting a slow, triumphant look over her head directly at Blake.

As the luxury sedan pulled out of the parking lot, Blake remained standing alone under the harsh yellow streetlights.

His fists balled at his sides until his knuckles turned bone-white, his chest heaving with a dark, suffocating rage.

He pulled out his phone, his thumb slamming against the screen as he dialed Ronan's number, his eyes burning with absolute murder as he watched the BMW’s taillights vanish down the road.