Chapter 5: The Ice and the Oath

Five pairs of eyes locked onto me.

Time seemed to freeze in the crowded high school hallway. Dominic, standing at the center of the dangerous quintet, slowly let his lips curl into a lazy, devastating smirk. 

He lifted a hand, casually waving two fingers at me in a silent, possessive greeting.

My heart did a violent flip. Heat surged up my neck, turning my cheeks a bright, furious crimson. Before I could think, before I could let those silver eyes trap me again, I spun on my heel, abandoned my fallen books, and sprinted down the hallway.

I burst into the girls’ restroom, letting the heavy door slam shut behind me. Leaning against the cold tile wall, I pressed my hands to my burning face, trying to force air into my lungs.

What are you doing?! Lupine roared in my mind, her inner wolf pacing with a wild, euphoric energy. Go back! Go back to them!

"Are you insane?" I gasped aloud to the empty bathroom. "Lupine, what do you mean mates? Five of them? That’s impossible! Ryker was our fated mate!"

Four actually and Ryker is a speck of dirt! Lupine countered, her voice practically vibrating with triumph. The Moon Goddess saw our pain. She severed a broken bond and gave us a second chance. A four bond, Elara! Four Alpha mates to cherish every single curve of our body! Dominic, the golden-haired goalie, the scarred giant, the tattooed twins—they are all ours!

"No, no, no," I whispered, shaking my head. "Four Alphas? They’re the Reapers. They’re our rivals. This is a nightmare."

A sharp, rhythmic knock on the restroom door made me jump.

"Elara? You in there?"

The door pushed open, and a girl with bright purple streaks in her dark hair stepped inside. It was Chloe, my only true friend. 

She didn't belong to the Icefang Pack; she lived on the neutral border lands and went to Blackwood Academy, but we had met at an inter-pack youth summit years ago and had been inseparable ever since.

I stared at her in shock. "Chloe? What the hell are you doing at Silverfang High?"

Chloe crossed her arms, a knowing grin on her face. "Did you seriously forget? The pre-championship exhibition match is today! Our school is playing yours on your home ice in exactly an hour. I took the Blackwood fan bus just to see you. But more importantly—why did I just see the entire Reaper hockey team staring at you when you dropped textbooks like they wanted to fight the floorboards?"

My stomach dropped. "The match is today? Here?"

"Yes! And the tension is insane," Chloe said, grabbing my hand. "Come on. You need to get to the stands before the Silverfang crowd takes all the seats. Ryker’s team is already on the ice warming up."

The mention of Ryker’s name sent a dull, throbbing ache through my chest. The wolf’s voice inside me scoffed, but the foolish, broken girl in me still clung to a desperate, dying hope.

Maybe if I just talk to him one last time... I thought. Maybe if he sees me, he'll realize he made a mistake.

The indoor ice rink was deafening. The stands were a sea of Silverfang blue and Blackwood black. Banners hung from the rafters, and the air carried the sharp, freezing bite of shaved ice and adrenaline.

Down on the rink, the Silverfang Predators were skating in tight circles. Ryker was at the center, easily recognizable by the captain’s 'C' on his jersey. He looked powerful, his golden hair damp with sweat as he ran drills.

Taking a deep, trembling breath, I slipped past the bleachers and walked down to the player entrance beside the ice. My hands shook as I waited for Ryker to skate near the bench.

"Ryker," I called out, my voice barely carrying over the roar of the crowd.

He froze, his skates cutting hard into the ice as he turned. When he saw me standing there in my oversized hoodie, his expression instantly hardened into a mask of pure disgust. He skated over, stopping right at the barrier.

"What do you want, Elara?" he sneered, not even lowering his visor. "I told you last night. We are done. Get lost."

"Ryker, please," I begged, taking a step closer, tears blurring my vision. "We’re fated. You can't just throw me away for Cynthia. I can be better. I can train harder, I can—"

"You can't do shit," Ryker interrupted, his voice dripping with venom. "Look at you. You’re fat, weak, and your wolf is a pathetic joke. You think a few gym sessions are going to make you fit to be my Luna? You’re an embarrassment to the Icefang name. I’d rather mate a rogue than spend the rest of my life tied to a fat, useless Omega like you."

The words felt like physical blows, cracking my ribcage. Desperate, entirely driven by the agony of the severed bond, I reached over the barrier, trying to wrap my arms around him from behind, wanting nothing more than to feel the warmth of the connection we once shared.

"Get the fuck off me!" Ryker roared.

With a brutal, heavy shove, he slammed his forearm into my chest, pushing me away.

The ice near the gate was slick and wet. My sneakers lost all traction. I shrieked, my arms flailing as I stumbled backward, gravity pulling me down toward the hard, unforgiving frozen surface.

I braced for the impact, closing my eyes.

But the crash never came.

Instead, a pair of thick, heavily padded arms caught me in mid-air. I was pulled flush against a hard chest clad in black hockey gear. 

The scent of cedarwood, fresh rain, and dominant Alpha aura washed over me, instantly silencing the pain in my chest.

I opened my eyes to see Dominic holding me, his silver eyes burning with a terrifying, demonic fury. And he wasn't alone.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The sound of hockey blades scraping the ice echoed loudly as Asher, Kaelen, Zane, and Tristan skated up, instantly forming a towering, impenetrable wall of black jerseys between me and the Silverfang bench. 

Their massive frames shielded me completely, their collective Alpha power radiating off them like a suffocating storm.

The entire arena seemed to go dead silent staring at us. 

Ryker’s eyes widened in sheer shock as he looked at the five Blackwood players standing protectively around me. Jax and Logan rushed to Ryker’s side, but they didn't dare cross the line.

When Ryker saw me cradled in Dominic’s arms, his face contorted into an ugly, furious shade of red. His possessive, toxic ego couldn't handle the sight.

"Garcia!" Ryker snarled, pointing his hockey stick at Dominic. "Get your filthy hands off my pack's Omega!” When Dominic didn’t, he continued with fury, “You think you're tough? Watch me as I destroy you and your pathetic team on this ice today. I’ll make sure you leave this rink in a stretcher."

Dominic didn't flinch. Instead, a low, mocking laugh vibrated in his chest, the sound dark and entirely untamed.

He slowly looked down at me, his silver eyes softening just a fraction as he kept his grip tight on my waist, holding me steady on the slick ground.

"So, little wolf," Dominic murmured, his voice a low purr that only I and his teammates could hear. "He wants to play dirty. What do you say? Do you want to go back to begging him... or are you ready to accept my deal?"

He leaned in closer, his hot breath brushing my ear.

"Should I crush him for you?"

I looked past Dominic's shoulder, locking eyes with Ryker. I saw the utter disgust, the arrogance, and the cruelty in the face of the boy I had loved my entire life. I looked at Cynthia, who was watching from the front row of the stands with a smug smile.

The last remaining thread of my heartbreak snapped. In its place, a cold, ruthless fire ignited in my veins.

I looked up into Dominic’s silver eyes, and then at the three other boys who were watching me with fierce, protective hunger.

"Yes," I whispered, my voice dripping with lethal certainty. "Crush him."