Chapter 3

Rowan's POV 

Coach Henderson immediately stood. "What about him?"

"He's fighting!"

The coach's expression darkened."Who?"

"The Frost Fangs!"

The assistant swallowed hard.

"Their captain came over after practice to discuss the upcoming charity match, but I don't know what happened. The two of them started arguing, and now they're throwing punches in the middle of the rink!"

Coach Henderson let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "For the Moon Goddess' sake..."

"He promised me he'd stop settling every disagreement with his fists."

The assistant gave an awkward smile. "Apparently... today's promise didn't last very long."

Coach Henderson grabbed the whistle from his desk and strode toward the door. "Come with me."

He glanced at me as he reached the doorway. "You might as well get your first lesson early, Rowan."

I blinked. "My first lesson?"

He gave me a weary smile. "Working for the Scarlet Wolves means patching up injuries."

He paused before adding with a sigh, "And our captain has a habit of creating them."

Without another word, he hurried out of the office.

I quickly got to my feet and followed after him, wondering what kind of team I had just signed up to work for.

We hurried out of the office, only to be greeted by complete chaos. The orderly practice session from moments ago had disappeared.

Players from the Scarlet Wolves and the visiting Frost Fangs were tangled together in a massive brawl. Hockey sticks lay scattered across the ice, gloves had been thrown aside, and helmets rolled across the rink as fists flew in every direction.

The deafening growls of enraged wolves echoed throughout the arena.

"What the hell is going on?" Coach Henderson barked.

No one answered.

Drake had the opposing captain pinned against the boards, his fist colliding with the man's jaw again before the other Alpha retaliated with a punch to Drake's ribs.

Elsewhere, several teammates had joined the fight, refusing to stand by while their captain fought alone.

The entire rink had descended into chaos.

Coach Henderson immediately raised the whistle hanging around his neck and blew it as hard as he could.

Fweeeeeet!

The shrill sound echoed throughout the arena. Not a single player stopped.

Instead, the growls only became louder.

Coach Henderson let out an irritated sigh before turning to me. "Mr. Rowan."

"Yes, Coach?"

"You'd better move a few meters away."

He glanced at me briefly. "You're an Omega."

"If these Alphas lose themselves completely, your scent will only make things worse."

I nodded without hesitation. "Understood."

Carefully, I backed away until I was standing near the players' tunnel. Coach Henderson stepped onto the ice.

The kind smile I'd seen in his office had completely disappeared. His expression hardened, he drew in a deep breath.

And then threw his head back and released a deafening howl.

AWWWWOOOOOOOO!!

The sound shook the entire arena.

It wasn't merely a howl. It carried the unmistakable authority of an elderly Alpha.

An overwhelming pressure swept across the rink like an invisible tidal wave. One by one, the fighting players froze.

Several wolves instinctively lowered their heads. Even the visiting Frost Fangs stopped throwing punches.

Only Drake remained standing with his fist clenched, his silver eyes still locked on the opposing captain as though he were seconds away from attacking again.

Coach Henderson's furious gaze swept across the players before settling on Drake.

"What the hell is wrong with all of you?" he roared, his voice ringing throughout the arena. "This is a professional hockey club, not a battlefield!"

No one dared to answer.

The players who had been throwing punches only moments ago lowered their heads, breathing heavily as they wiped the blood from split lips and bruised cheeks.

Coach Henderson took another step forward. "I asked a question!"

His sharp eyes locked onto his captain. "Drake, explain yourself."

Drake slowly rolled his shoulders as though the fight had merely been another training exercise. A thin streak of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he didn't seem to notice or care.

His cold gaze shifted to the opposing captain. "He started it."

The opposing captain let out a sarcastic laugh. "I started it? You've got some nerve."

Coach Henderson shot him a warning look. "You'll get your turn."

His attention returned to Drake. "So?"

Drake spoke without the slightest hint of guilt. "He insulted my team."

The opposing captain scoffed. "I stated a fact."

"You call the Scarlet Wolves the strongest pack in the league, yet your players fold under pressure every postseason."

Several Scarlet Wolves growled. "And your captain..." the man continued with a smirk, "is nothing but an arrogant mutt living off his family's reputation."

Before anyone could react, Drake lunged forward again.

"Captain!" A Player shouted.

Two teammates immediately grabbed Drake by the arms before he could throw another punch.

He struggled against them, his silver eyes blazing with fury. "Let me go."

"Captain, calm down!"

"I'm perfectly calm."

The player stared at the man trying to break free from three grown Alphas. "No, you're definitely not."

Even Coach Henderson rubbed a hand across his forehead. "Moon Goddess..."

"What am I supposed to do with you?"

Unable to watch the ridiculous scene any longer, I let out a sigh and stepped forward.

Every pair of eyes turned toward me.

Coach Henderson frowned. "Mr. Rowan—"

"With all due respect, Coach..." I looked directly at Drake before continuing. "..is this really worth throwing punches over?"

The arena fell silent. Drake slowly turned his head toward me and his eyes narrowed.

I met his gaze without backing down. "If they're trying to provoke you, then congratulations, they've already won."

A few players exchanged nervous glances. "What did he just say?"

I continued as though I hadn't heard them. "If someone throws a few insults your way and your first reaction is to start a fight, then you're letting them control you."

I shrugged. "Seems a little childish to me."

Several Scarlet Wolves gasped. Even the Frost Fangs looked stunned.

"He's actually calling the captain childish."

I folded my arms. "If I were you, Captain. I'd save all this energy for the championship."

I gestured toward the opposing team. "Beat them on the scoreboard. Lift the trophy right in front of them."

"Trust me, that hurts a lot more than a broken nose."

Everyone stared between me and Drake, waiting to see what the captain would do.

Inside my head, however, I couldn't help but grumble. Seriously... Is he really the strongest Alpha in the country?

Or is he just an overgrown wolf throwing a tantrum because someone bruised his ego?

Before Drake could respond, a deep voice suddenly echoed across the arena. "Drake, the King seeks your presence."

It wasn't loud but the sentences were enough to make Drake freeze mid-step.

The murderous look in his silver eyes disappeared almost instantly as he turned toward the owner of the voice.

Without saying a word, he abandoned the argument and skated in that direction. The sudden change caught me off guard.

The Scarlet Wolves players immediately composed themselves, straightening their uniforms and retrieving their discarded gloves and hockey sticks.

Even the Frost Fangs players, who had been glaring at Drake only moments earlier, quietly backed away without another word.

It was as though the arrival of that one person had extinguished the fire raging inside the arena.

I frowned.

Who exactly has the authority to make someone like Drake Rucker stop in his tracks?

Curiosity got the better of me.

Following everyone's line of sight, I slowly turned around to see the person who had spoken.