1

JAX

I'd only met him once.

Cipher.

My biggest enemy.

Tall, big, bad, cocky motherfucker. 

One march.

Three years ago.

He buried my face into the ice.

 I lost. 

He was an alpha wolf by birth. I wasn't.

I lost to the cocky bastard ruined my carefully moulded legacy and had to start all over again. 

Building it all brick by brick.

The wolf who offered me first hand embarrassment?

I bet he was in a big room filled with investors pitching how well he was going to win tonight. I could almost see that cocky smirk on his face. Widening. 

My fists clenched.

Well, I wasn't going to allow that.

Not on my watch.

I lost many of my biggest sponsors three years ago. My chances of getting signed by an agency was only beginning to get better. And I'd rather have strands of my hair yanked out in cold blood than to allow him beat me again. Tonight, I had to focus on doing just what I did best. Keeping my title. There could only be one rink leader in the whole of campus and that leader was me.

The title of hockey god suited me well. I'd finally gotten that title, another brick upping the wall of fame I'd built. The last thing I would do would be to let that bastard win. 

In a world where wolf hierarchy ruled, power could either be given to you by birth or you take it with rough, unyielding fists. Many wolves, as you'd expect, are natural born alphas, beta, gammas, Delta. I was an Omega by birth. Of course no one knew.

It was my biggest secret.

I hid the documents. Got totally rid of them.  

I never left my dorm without using suppressants to keep my identity hidden. Tonight would be no different.

To everyone in school, I had an alpha wolf. That lie came with a lot of benefits. A hot girlfriend. Networking opportunities. And of course, more respect. 

But tonight, everything might just fall to the floor.

That if I lost. 

Balling my hands into tight fists, I charged towards the door leading into the locker room. 

Cheering hoots rammed into my ears even before I stepped foot into the locker room, I could already tell it was going to be another barbaric night. I gripped the doorknob tightly before pulling it open and walking in. The noise ceased the instant the other team members saw me. 

They all froze, shutting up as I headed for the showers.

The voices behind me turned back up slowly as soon as I got into the shower. Sons of bitches. They all knew better than to fuck with me. The only result coming out of that was bruises and a two week suspension from the coach.

"Get. Out."

I yelled, shooting dark glares at the naked dudes in front of me. I watched them scurry, trying to cover up. I rolled my eyes. "Get your hairy asses out of here. What are you looking at?"

A low murmur revved through the air as they made their way to the door. As soon as they all got out, I made my way to the shower stalls. Stripping off all my clothes, I tossed them off, fixing my gaze at the clear tiles and my reflection in them.

We've got to beat him. 

I told myself.

We had no other option not to. Turning on the heat, I let down my hair, letting it fall down my back. The water came pouring out shortly after, jarring hot. I loved it this way.

It had become quite a well frequented ritual before every match and I definitely wasn't going to do anything different tonight.

I always won. Except other than the bunch of losers I met on the ice, I'd have to face that bastard. All over again. And this time, I had to beat him.

He was the only hockey player in the entire NFL board to take a swing at me. It'd been years and the humiliation still cut deep. It took me three years to get back that respect.

I sure as hell wasn't going to let it slide off.

I reached for the towel, tying it around my waist as I got out of the shower. The laughter and bickers in the air faded almost immediately. They fixed it. As they should.

The coach was waiting outside. Eyes gleaming with fear and tension.

'"I just heard some news, Jax."

I rolled my eyes, heading into the dressing room. The sight of another bunch of hairy cocks glared back at me. "Why the hell did the management get to set us all up? Hockey and basketball? Get out. All of you."

I walked to the locker with my name on it and snapped it open. It made a low chime. The changing room's door creaking didn't faze me. I already knew what came with it.

"What is it?"

Coach, voice stiff yet laced with tension, opened his mouth to speak. "You've really got to give it your all tonight. Everyone is watching on the big screen. They are all placing bets. You know how it works. Win and you get half your request list checked out."

"Including a private changing room?"

His voice croaked out. "Anything. We've got new heavy sponsors placing bets on you. You have to stick your head in and really focus this time so they all come through with it."

"I'll win anyway. "

I slipped on my jersey, admiring the #1 number on it. "Just like I always do."

With that, I left for the rink. I was escorted there. Full convo. I had a full team helping me out on all my gears, cold chills racing down my spine despite just having the steamiest baths.

Breath, Jax. Breath.

I said to no one other than myself as I made my way there. Getting into the rink, I waited for the announcer's voice and boy did it take long. I gripped my stick, positioning myself to go again. 

It came. And as usual, the crowd went wild.

My world zeroed when the announcer's call was cut off by an announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have him here, again. After three whole years we get to witness it again but we can only wonder what the results are going to be this time."

The weight of the gazes on my shoulder were lifted off almost immediately and I knew the cause. My skin prickled with heat.

Cipher.

The son of a bitch.

Strolled in, all bossy, his eyes darkened and his jaw tightly clenched. Dressed in the signature red jersey with his name at the back, he made his way in. Everyone cheered like they always did but I could tell something was missing.

His arrogance was there. It was always there. The unconcerned gleam in his eyes? Check. 

That cockiness? Missing.

The corners of my lips pulled into a smile. I might just be lucky today. I just had to hold on to that thought for longer.

"Cipher Hart!"

The crowd went wild. Just like they did for me.

Except I could feel the tension and the weight of Coach's gaze on my back. I could almost hear his voice over the cheering.

 "Don't fuck this up."

I wouldn't.

"First period."

The whistle whizzed through the air and we got back in our positions. The first period started shortly after and I dived in, my fingers gripping the edges of the hockey stick tightly.

I fixed my gaze on the puck. It was in his custody.

I had to attack and get it from him to go further. The pressure on me was already too much. The crowd were going ballistic behind my back, each one eager to find out what was going to happen.

I skated forward and when I finally got to the other end of the line, I started feeling a constricting feeling in my throat and that was when it hit me. 

I eyed them for a while.

Then attacked.

I came swiftly, coming for the puck but he whipped it before I could even get a hold of it. The wave of tension that followed was heavy. I clenched my fists tighter against the hockey stick before coming at him again.

And this time as soon as I got near, he slipped out of focus and I crashed into the ice. 

Soft laughter rolled into the air.

What the fuck were they laughing at?

The announcer's voice came through, heavy with tension. "Seems Jax is down. Ladies and gentlemen, we can only hope to see who makes the first hits. That if he gets off the ice, of course."

And then it came again.

Those laughs.

Those voices.

They sent heat down my veins.

My team members skated over to help me up. I grunted as I rose back up, rage rolling through my veins. I had to win.

I wasn't going to let that bastard come into the picture and ruin everything I'd spent years building.

I had barely finished dusting off the ice shards off my uniform when the announcer's voice. Heavy. 

"One point for the Iverson's. Of course by, Cipher."

Cheers erupted.

My heart panged.

What would happen in the second. And the third?

I had to think quickly.

I started skating back into the territory and as soon as the announcing blare of the second period cut through the air, I started skating towards the door and as soon as I got close enough, I paused to catch my breath.

Now was the time to strike.

As soon as I got the puck, I came at him. Kept hitting till I got to the other end of the rink and I neared the post. He was coming right for me with his stick. I was also aiming for him.

I dodged his attack.

I hit the puck, my chest heaving.

And then I heard it.

The voice of that hypocritical bastard. The announcer.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Jax seems to not be ready to go down without a fight. We now have one mark each for each team and one last period to take on. But before that, a short ad break to showcase our sponsors."

I rolled my eyes and left for my territory. The other team mates all gathered, chatting like the group of chatterboxes they were. My heart beat kept pounding in my chest. My senses were flaring agian. It must be from all the tension swirling in the hair and having to see him again. I headed for the wash room. I strolled in. 

It was quiet.

Great.

I could finally gather my thoughts. I walked right towards the sink. And as I got close enough, I turned on the tap, splashing cold water on my face to steady my heart's heavy beating but I failed. 

It didn't work.

The memory of that one moment on the ice flashed in. Sprawled on the ice. That bastard skating away. The announcer's voice. The heavy laughter. 

All of that seeped in and I dug my fingers into my pockets searching for my suppressants. I brought it out, topped off the lid and opened my lips, ready to take it in when the door snapped open.

Shock gripped me.

I snapped.

"What the fuck is that and why the fuck are you i—?..."

I was expecting to be met by one of the team mates. Even if one of the teammates finding me using suppressants was already bad enough, nothing was as worse as Cipher Hart standing there.

Eyes gleaming with dark interest.

I froze.

I tried to think of something to say. Anything. But my lips betrayed me. He walked forward and snapped the vial out of my hands, studying it closely.

"Give that ba—"

When the words finally rolled out of my mouth, it was already too late. He already had his hands on it.

His eyes darkened.

"You can't tell anyone."

I spat.

"That their highly respected hockey God is on suppressants? You're not an omega, are you?"

"Give. It. Back!"

I stretched my fingers to grab his collar but he was quicker. And just then, the door slammed open.

"The third period starts in a minute. You both have to hurry back. Now."

I watched him leave knowing I couldn't do a thing. I was doomed.