0018

Rowan’s Pov

"Disgusted?" The word tore out of my throat, cutting through the heavy silence of the dark arena. "Is that what you think this is?"

I scrambled backward on the cold metal bleachers, pulling my knees tight against my chest as if I could somehow shield myself from the look on his face.

My heart felt like it was shattering into a million sharp pieces. For a brief, stupid second, I had actually let myself believe that I was safe here. That Asher was different. But the second my suppressants completely faded—the second my true, hidden biology spilled out into the open air—he had recoiled like I was something toxic.

"Rowan, no, wait—that's not what happened!" Asher lunged forward, his hands raised defensively, his crystalline eyes wide with sheer panic. "You have it all wrong. It's not you. It's never been you."

"Then why did you pull away like I was infected?" I snapped back, my voice cracking under the weight of the hot, angry tears streaming down my face. "Why did you look at me like you couldn't even stand to be in the same room?"

"Because!" Asher shouted, his deep voice echoing off the concrete walls of the empty stadium. He stopped dead in his tracks, chest heaving, running a frantic hand through his dark hair. He looked trapped, caught between a lie he wanted to keep and the brutal truth trying to claw its way out.

"Because what, Asher?" I demanded, standing up and trembling from head to toe. "Why do you keep looking at me like I'm a puzzle you can't solve? Why do you care so much about what I'm hiding?"

Asher stared at me, his breath hitching in the cold air. The tension between us snapped like a taut hockey lace.

"Because your scent," he blurted out, the words bursting past his lips before he could stop them, "doesn't smell like a Beta. It doesn't smell like anyone I've ever met before. It hits my wolf differently—stronger, deeper, in a way my instincts don't know how to handle."

My blood ran instantly cold. All the breath left my lungs in one violent rush.

He knows.

He didn't say the word Omega, but he didn't have to. He had felt it. His Alpha instincts had recognized what I was beneath the fake paperwork and the stolen suppressants. He was standing right on the edge of the absolute truth, and the terror of it paralyzed every single muscle in my body.

"I have to go," I whispered, the words shaking so badly I could barely form them.

"Rowan, wait—"

I turned on my heel and bolted down the metal stairs, my skates clacking loudly against the steps.

"Rowan, stop!"

A hand caught my wrist, stopping me mid-stride. I flinched violently, bracing myself for him to pull me back, to demand answers, to use his Alpha strength to force me to stay and explain.

Instead, the second I tensed up, Asher's fingers instantly uncurled. He dropped his hand, stepping backward and raising his palms into the air to show me he meant no harm.

"I'm sorry," he breathed, his voice rough and filled with immediate regret. "I won't stop you. Go. Just... Please don't run away like this."

I stared at him, pure shock cutting through my panic. He wanted answers more than anything in the world, but the moment he realized he was crossing a boundary, he let me go. Without a fight. Without using his authority.

I didn't say anything. I turned around and ran all the way back to the suite, locking myself in my room, where I stared at the ceiling until the sun came up.

Morning arrived too fast.

The hallway outside the campus medical center was cold, sterile, and smelled harshly of antiseptic and bleach. My boots felt like lead weights as I walked toward the open double doors where the mandatory physical evaluations were taking place.

Right near the entrance, leaning casually against the wall with her arms crossed, stood Bianca Wolfe.

She tracked my every step with a cold, triumphant smirk, her dark eyes gleaming with malicious anticipation. She was waiting right there to watch me walk into the lion's den, knowing the medical staff would run blood panels and check scent levels, exposing me in front of the entire academy.

My stomach heaved. I stopped dead in my tracks just ten feet from the door. My fingers curled into tight fists at my sides. This was it. The end of the road.

"Well, look who decided to show up," Bianca purred softly as she stepped closer, her voice dripping with venom. "Go on, rookie. Step inside. Let's see how long your little secret lasts."

I couldn't move. My feet were glued to the linoleum floor.

Then, a large, warm hand settled firmly onto my shoulder.

I gasped, looking up as Asher stepped smoothly past me, placing himself right between Bianca and me. He didn't even look at Bianca. His crystalline eyes were locked straight ahead, cold and commanding as he addressed the head nurse standing near the evaluation clipboard.

"Nurse Evans," Asher's voice rang out, steady, powerful, and carrying absolute authority. "Rowan Hayes is not completing her evaluation here today."

The nurse blinked, looking up from her charts. "Excuse me, Captain Knight? Every player is required to—"

"She has been reassigned," Asher interrupted smoothly, his tone leaving zero room for argument. "Coach Brooks cleared a special private evaluation for her over at the secondary facility later this afternoon. She's with me."

Nurse Evans hesitated, looking over at the clipboard, but the sheer weight of Asher's Alpha presence—and his status as team captain—made her nod slowly. "Ah. Very well. Tell Coach Brooks to sign off on her clearance form by tonight."

"Will do," Asher said.

Beside him, Bianca's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a look of pure, unadulterated fury as she realized her trap had just been destroyed.

I stood frozen in place, my breath hitching in my throat as I stared up at Asher's broad back. A hot wave of shock washed over me, chasing away the cold terror.

He had just lied. Right to the medical staff. Right in front of the entire academy. He had put his own reputation on the line to pull me out of the fire.

Asher turned around, catching my gaze, and gave me a tiny, reassuring nod before gently taking my arm and leading me away from the medical center.

I looked at him in total disbelief, my heart pounding heavily against my ribs, finally realizing the full terrifying truth: Asher Knight had just risked everything to protect me.