0004

Rowan’s Pov

If someone had told me a week ago that I would be living with the future Alpha of the Nightfall Pack, I would have laughed in their face.

If they had also told me that the future Alpha would wake me up every morning by banging on my bedroom door because he thought I wasn’t training hard enough, I probably would have called them crazy.

Unfortunately, that had become my reality.

“Rowan!”

A loud knock echoed through the suite.

I groaned and pulled my pillow over my head.

“Five more minutes.”

“No.”

Another knock.

“We leave for morning conditioning in fifteen.”

“I know.”

“You’re still in bed.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“I am.”

I rolled my eyes before throwing the blanket aside.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re incredibly annoying?”

His voice came through the door without missing a beat.

“Several people.”

“And yet you never considered changing?”

“I considered it.”

“And?”

“I decided they were wrong.”

I couldn’t help laughing.

For someone who barely smiled, Asher was surprisingly good at delivering dry jokes.

I dragged myself out of bed, got dressed, and tied my hair tightly beneath the cap I always wore whenever I wasn’t sleeping. My hair was longer than most Beta girls preferred, and although that alone wouldn’t reveal my secret, I had become careful about every little detail.

The fewer questions people asked, the better.

When I stepped into the kitchen, Asher was already dressed in his practice gear.

He glanced at me before looking back at the clock.

“You took twelve minutes.”

“You timed me?”

“I always do.”

“Should I be worried?”

“Probably.”

I shook my head and reached for an apple.

Before I could take a bite, he slid a protein bar across the counter.

“You’ll need more than that.”

“I survived yesterday.”

“You looked exhausted afterward.”

“I was exhausted.”

“Exactly.”

“You really notice everything, don’t you?”

His expression didn’t change.

“A captain should know when his teammates are pushing themselves too hard.”

For a moment, I forgot he was talking about hockey.

The concern in his voice sounded… genuine.

I quickly looked away before he noticed the strange warmth spreading through my chest.

We walked toward the training field in comfortable silence.

The campus was still waking up, with students hurrying between buildings while the morning sun painted the mountains surrounding Silvercrest in shades of gold.

“This place is beautiful,” I said quietly.

“It grows on you.”

“You make it sound like a disease.”

“It kind of is.”

I laughed. “I’m serious.”

“So am I.” He looked around the campus.

“After a while, you stop seeing the buildings.”

“What do you see?”

“The expectations.”

His answer caught me off guard. I turned to look at him.

He kept walking, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket.

“My father graduated from here.”

He spoke so casually that I almost missed the sadness hidden beneath his words.

“My grandfather too.”

“That’s a lot of pressure.”

“It is.”

“You don’t have to pretend it isn’t.”

He looked at me for a second before looking away again.

Most people treated Asher like someone who had everything: power, talent, popularity.

None of them seemed to notice how heavy those things could become.

*****************

Morning conditioning ended with Coach Brooks assigning partner drills.

“Choose someone you trust.”

Before I had a chance to look around, Asher walked straight toward me.

“We’re together.”

Coach nodded.

“Fine by me.”

The moment we stepped onto the practice rink, Asher tossed me a puck.

“Show me your wrist shot.”

I caught it easily.

“You sound like you’re testing me.”

“I am.”

“You don’t trust me yet?”

“I trust what I’ve seen.”

“And?”

“I think you’re better than you’re showing everyone.”

My heartbeat skipped. What did he mean by that? I forced myself to shrug.

“I’m just trying to survive.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

He skated backward, never taking his eyes off me.

“Take your best shot.”

I hesitated. I couldn’t.

If I played the way I normally did, someone might notice that my speed and instincts weren’t typical for a Beta.

“I already am.”

“No.”

He crossed his arms. “You’re holding back.”

“You sound like Coach.”

“He’s right.”

I sighed dramatically. “Fine.”

I pushed off the ice and charged toward him.

The next few minutes became less of a drill and more of a battle.

Every time I tried getting past him, he blocked me with almost effortless precision.

Every time he stole the puck, I chased him right back. Neither of us wanted to lose.

“You call that defense?” I teased after slipping the puck between his skates.

“You call that speed?”

“I’m literally ahead of you.”

“For now.”

He accelerated, and I gasped as he caught up almost instantly.

“Oh, that’s cheating.”

“It’s talent.”

“It’s showing off.”

“It’s called being captain.”

I laughed so hard that I almost lost the puck.

For the next twenty minutes, we forgot everyone else existed. There were no pack ranks, no academy politics, and no lies.

Just two people who loved hockey more than anything else.

When Coach finally blew the whistle, both of us were breathing hard.

He looked at us with an amused smile.

“I haven’t seen either of you smile this much all morning.”

I blinked. Smile?

I looked toward Asher and to my surprise…

He actually was smiling, not the tiny smirk I’d seen before. A genuine smile.

The sight caught me so off guard that I forgot to look away.

Then he noticed me staring and his smile disappeared immediately.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You were looking at me.”

“I was not.”

“You definitely were.”

“I was looking behind you.”

“There isn’t anything behind me.”

“There could’ve been.”

He shook his head. “You’re impossible.”

“So I’ve been told.”

By the time we returned to the suite that evening, every muscle in my body was sore.

“I call the shower first,” I announced, dropping my hockey bag near the couch.

“You called it yesterday.”

“So?”

“So today it’s my turn.”

I narrowed my eyes. We only have one shower.”

“Exactly.”

I folded my arms. “Rock, paper, scissors?”

“As captain, I refuse.”

“You refuse?”

“I outrank you.”

“This isn’t hockey.”

“It is in this apartment.”

I burst into laughter. “You make up rules whenever they benefit you.”

“That’s called leadership.”

“That’s called cheating.”

Before he could answer, his phone started ringing.

He glanced at the screen and sighed.

“My father.”

“You should answer.”

“I know.”

His voice became noticeably quieter. “I’ll take this in my room.”

He disappeared down the hallway, closing the door behind him.

The suite suddenly felt strangely silent.

I picked up my training bag and carried it into my bedroom.

As I unpacked my equipment, my hand froze. Something was wrong.

I emptied the entire bag onto the bed: my gloves, skates, practice jersey, tape, water bottle.

Everything was there. Everything except one thing.

The small case containing my scent suppressants.

My heart immediately dropped. “No…”

I searched under the be my locker, between my clothes, inside every pocket of my bag. Nothing.

The case was gone. Cold fear rushed through my entire body.

I knew I had packed it before leaving for practice.

I remembered checking twice. Someone had taken it.

I slowly sat down on the edge of my bed, trying to calm my breathing.

If another student found those suppressants, they would immediately realize they weren’t ordinary medication.

And if they connected them to me… My secret wouldn’t stay hidden for much longer.

Outside my bedroom, I heard Asher laughing softly at something his father had said over the phone.

He had no idea my entire world had just started falling apart.

Clutching the edge of the mattress, I whispered the only thought running through my mind.

“Please… don’t let anyone find them before I do.”