Back On The Ice

CHAPTER FIVE – Back on the Ice

Stella's POV

I remained where I was long after Jaxon left the room.

My eyes stayed fixed on the closed door, but my thoughts were somewhere else.His last words kept replaying inside my head.

"You never have to apologize for crying."

A small smile appeared on my lips before disappearing again.

No one had ever said something like that to me. Whenever I cried, people either laughed, ignored me, or told me I was being too sensitive, even Chase hated seeing me cry.

He always said I was too emotional, he would sigh impatiently and tell me to stop making everything difficult.

Somehow, I had convinced myself that he was right.

Now I was not so sure anymore.

I lowered my eyes to the tray sitting on the table.

The bowl was almost empty, I had actually eaten.

It was only a little, but it was more than I thought I could manage.

For some reason, that felt like a small victory.I stood up slowly and carried the tray to the table near the window.

The room felt strangely quiet.

If I stayed here much longer, I knew my mind would return to Chase.

I did not want that, nt today.

My eyes drifted toward my hockey bag resting beside the wardrobe.

A thought crossed my mind.Practice.

Whenever life became too heavy, I always found myself on the ice.

It had been that way since I was a little girl.

No matter how bad things became, skating always made everything feel lighter.

Maybe that was exactly what I needed.

I changed into my training clothes, tied my hair into a ponytail, picked up my hockey bag, and quietly stepped out of the room.

Just before I reached the front door, I heard voices coming from a room nearby.

The door was slightly open, I had no intention of listening.

I simply slowed when I heard Jaxon's voice."I've already given you my answer."

Another voice, older and firmer, replied.“Alpha, the pack cannot continue like this."

I frowned slightly Alpha?

Another man spoke "You need a Luna to stand beside you."

"There is no better choice than Kelly."

The hallway suddenly became very quiet.

I stood there for a moment, completely confused.

Alpha? Luna? Kelly?

None of it made any sense to me. Were they talking about a ceremony? A family tradition?

I had never heard people speak like that before.

Another voice came from inside the room.n"The longer you wait, the more difficult this becomes."

Jaxon answered calmly. "I said no."

His voice was steady.

There was no anger in it, only certainty.

I realized I had already heard more than I should have.

Quietly, I turned to leave.

Just as I took a step, my hockey stick slipped slightly against the polished floor.

The sound echoed through the hallway.

My heart skipped, the conversation inside stopped immediately.

"Oh no..."

I whispered to myself. A second later, the door opened.

Jaxon stepped into the hallway.

Our eyes met.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Heat rushed to my face. "I... I'm sorry."

The words tumbled out before I could stop them. "I wasn't … I was only just going outside."

I stopped talking.

The more I explained, the more guilty I sounded.

Jaxon looked at me for a few seconds before shaking his head. "You don't have to explain."

"I wasn't.”

"I know." His answer came so naturally that it caught me off guard.

Something about those words eased the embarrassment sitting inside my chest.

I smiled awkwardly. "I'm going to the stadium."

He glanced at the hockey bag resting on my shoulder. "To practice?"

I nodded. "I've always skated when my mind is full."

For the first time since we met, I saw the corner of his mouth lift slightly. "That explains a lot."

I gave him a small wave before walking toward the front door.

I breathed in deeply. For the first time in what felt like forever, I wanted to do something for myself.

Not for Chase, not to impress anyone, just for me.

A few minutes later, I pushed open the doors leading into the practice arena.

The familiar smell of ice and fresh rubber filled the air, without realizing it, I smiled.

I was home, I placed my hockey bag on one of the benches before sitting down to tighten my skates.

The familiar routine brought a strange sense of comfort, I had done this so many times that my hands moved on their own.

When I finally stood up, I took a deep breath and stepped onto the ice.

One stride, then another.

Soon, I was gliding across the rink as though my body had remembered something my heart had forgotten.

 For a few minutes, I forgot everything.

I was just simply a girl who loved hockey. A small smile found its way onto my face as I spun lightly before stopping near the center of the rink.

I picked up a puck and gently pushed it forward with my stick.

The sound echoed softly through the empty arena. It felt peaceful.

The more I moved, the lighter my heart became.

Then I noticed movement near the entrance, I turned my head. Jaxon.

He walked into the arena carrying his hockey bag over one shoulder.

He had change from the outfit he wore in his house and now was dressed simply in a black training jacket and dark joggers, yet somehow he still carried himself with quiet confidence.

Before everything that happened, I only knew him as the player everyone talked about.

The player who always came first, the player Chase could never defeat.

Now he was standing inside my life.

The thought still felt unbelievable, he spotted me almost immediately.

A faint smile appeared on his face as he walked closer. "You came early."

I smiled. "I always do."

He rested his hockey bag on the bench beside mine. "I should have guessed."

I laughed softly. For some reason, talking to him never felt awkward.

It felt... easy.

He changed into his skates before stepping onto the ice.

The way he moved looked effortless, every stride was smooth, every turn looked natural.

He skated toward me before stopping a short distance away. "Mind if I join you?"

I blinked. "The great Jaxon is asking me?"

One corner of his mouth lifted.."Should I ask someone else instead?"

I rolled my eyes dramatically. "No."

He smiled, within minutes, we were passing the puck between us.

At first, we kept it slow, simple passes, simple movements.

Then, without either of us saying anything, the pace began to increase.

His passes became quicker, his movements became faster.

I tried to keep up, I really did but after missing another pass, I groaned loudly. "This is unfair."

Jaxon trapped the puck neatly with his stick. "What is?"

"You."

He looked at me with an amused expression.

I pointed my stick toward him.."You are ridiculously good."

"I practice."

I shook my head immediately. "No."

I laughed. "That isn't practice."

He raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"That is showing off."

This time he actually laughed, q real laugh, not a polite smile, not a quiet chuckle, a genuine laugh.

I stared at him for a second. "You laugh."

He looked confused. "Shouldn't I?"

"I just..."

I smiled. "I've never seen you laugh before."

"Now you have."

I laughed too., the sound surprised even me.

For the next several minutes, we continued skating, talking, and teasing each other whenever one of us missed a pass.

Without realizing it, I was laughing again, rr

really laughing too

The kind that made my stomach ache, the kind that made it hard to breathe.

Another thought quietly followed.

Chase never gave me moments like this, not once.

For years, I stood in the stands cheering for him.

I celebrated every goal, every victory, every award but he had never once asked me to skate with him.

Never once asked me to train beside him, never once looked at me the way Jaxon was looking at me now, like my company alone was enough.

Everything had always been about him, his dreams, his victories, his future.

I had simply followed behind, believing that was what love looked like..Now… I wasn't so sure anymore, I looked toward Jaxon.

I smiled. "I'm ready."

Without saying a word, he passed the puck toward me again.

I looked toward Jaxon, he was waiting patiently for me to continue.

Not rushing me, not demanding attention, just waiting and somehow that made the difference even more obvious.

Before I could say anything, another voice suddenly echoed across the stadium. “Stella!”

My body froze, I knew that voice immediately. Chase.

The happiness disappeared from my face.Slowly, I turned toward the entrance.

There he was, standing near the rink. Watching us.

My grip tightened around my stick, I looked away immediately, I had no interest in talking to him nor anymore.

I pushed the puck forward and continued skating. Pretending he wasn’t there. “Stella!”

His voice was louder this time.

I ignored him again.

A few seconds later, I heard footsteps moving closer.

“Stella, I want to talk to you.” 

I kept skating, I had spent too many years listening to him. I was done.

Unfortunately, Chase clearly was not.

He moved directly toward the edge of the rink.“Stop ignoring me.”

I still refused to look at him.

The silence only seemed to make him angrier.

“Stella!” I finally stopped, nod because I wanted to.

Because I was tired.

I turned slowly.

“What?”

His expression changed immediately, like he had not expected me to answer, like he had not expected me to stand there without looking desperate to please him.

His eyes moved from me… To Jaxon, then back to me.

Something dark flashed across his face.

And before he could say another word, before he could start whatever conversation he came here for Jaxon stepped forward.

His expression was calm.

His posture relaxed.

But his voice carried enough authority to silence the entire atmosphere.

“Let her go.”

The words echoed through the rink.

And suddenly nobody moved.