Mag-log inCHAPTER 191The kitchen island was a complete disaster zone. It looked like a caffeine-addicted raccoon had broken in, rummaged through the pantry, and left behind a trail of empty coffee mugs, crumpled grocery lists, and an open laptop glowing with the harsh, soul-crushing light of a public sports forum comment section.Aria sat perched on a high barstool, her knees pulled up slightly toward her chest, scrolling through a thread where anonymous keyboard warriors were dissecting Liam and Raphael’s relationship like a cheap piece of roadkill."Unbelievable," Aria muttered to herself, her fingers flying over the trackpad as she read a particularly brain-dead comment out loud. "Oh, look, the captain's got a boyfriend, guess the whole team's soft now. There goes the season."She scoffed, leaning so close to the screen her nose practically touched the glass."Ha. Who the hell do you think you are, Greg_from_Ohio_69?" Aria mocked in a high, whiny voice, stabbing her index finger onto the t
CHAPTER 190About six hours into the fourteen-hour flight, the cabin had settled into a heavy, dim quiet. Most of the team was asleep, heads lolling against windows or travel pillows.Further back, Liam and Raphael had managed to drift off shoulder-to-shoulder, their fingers still loosely entwined across the armrest.Enter Marcus freaking Hayes.Marcus woke up completely refreshed, profoundly bored, and entirely unwilling to let anyone else experience peace. He unbuckled his seatbelt two rows up, ambled down the aisle, and loomed over Liam and Raphael's row like an overgrown golden retriever with too much energy.Without a word of warning, Marcus reached down and aggressively shook Liam’s shoulder."Hey. Wake up. You guys can't be sleeping," Marcus whispered loudly.Liam groaned, his eyes fluttering open behind his eyelids as he shoved Marcus's hand away, burying his face deeper into his travel pillow. "Dude, Marcus, really? We have a long day ahead of us and we're just trying to get
CHAPTER 189The bus ride to the private airport tarmac was suffocatingly quiet.Miller didn’t say another word. After Big Mike and Kowalski had pinned him to the bus panel, he spent the entire drive slumped against his window, muttering petty, low-volume complaints under his breath. But his venom was completely gone. Nobody even bothered to look at him, letting his sour, pathetic mummerings fade into the background noise of the engine.Further back in the bus, the air felt entirely different.Liam sat by the window, his shoulders finally dropping away from his ears. Beside him, Raphael didn't hesitate. Without a single word of hesitation or fear of who might be watching from the front rows, Raph reached across the gap between their seats.His fingers slid smoothly over Liam’s, their hands completely entwined together, resting right on the cushion in plain sight.Liam let out a long, shaky breath he felt like he’d been holding for weeks. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, plugged i
CHAPTER 188The heavy leather duffel hit the blacktop with a dull, hollow thud.Liam stood by the open trunk of the SUV, his hands glued to his bag, staring down the quiet crowd gathered by the bus. Nobody was moving. Nobody was loading gear. Different pairs of eyes were locked dead onto him and Raphael, the air between them stretched so tight it felt like a single wrong breath would snap it.Liam swallowed hard, the knot in his throat burning as he took a step forward into the clearing. He needed to handle this like the Captain he was supposed to be."Look," Liam started, his voice rough, raspy, and completely stripped of any defensive armor. "I'm so sorry, guys. I'm sorry I brought all this noise onto you. As your Captain—and as your friend—I shouldn't have let my personal life affect your chances of being scouted, especially going into an international showcase game like this. I ruined the focus, and I brought this media hell to your doorsteps. I'm really, really sorry."He looked
Chapter 187The heavy wood hit the frame with a loud, resounding THUD that echoed down the quiet hallway.Outside in the hall, Marcus stared at the painted door for a second. A low, quiet chuckle rumbled out of his chest, a full, wicked smirk spreading across his face. He shook his head, taking another bite of his sandwich, and turned on his heel to jog down the hall after the guys.The elevator ride down to the parking garage was completely silent.The initial chaotic energy of the apartment evaporated the second the metal doors slid shut, leaving the three of them trapped in the quiet, sterile light of the elevator cab.Liam stood in the corner, staring fixatedly at the glowing floor numbers dropping one by one. Raphael leaned his back against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes dark and distant. Marcus just stood near the buttons, calmly eating his sandwich like he didn't have a single care in the world.They walked out into the cool, damp air of the underground gar
CHAPTER 186The living room of the apartment was a total disaster zone of half-zipped duffel bags, discarded hockey tape, and stray socks. The morning sun was already peeking through the blinds, casting long, gray shadows across the floor.In the kitchen, Aria was practically moving at double speed. She slammed three paper plates onto the counter, slapping together turkey, cheese, and thick slices of sourdough bread with quick, aggressive movements."I made breakfast!!!" she called out over her shoulder, her voice cutting through the heavy silence in the apartment. "Get over here and eat before you leave."Liam was standing near the front door, his broad shoulders slumped as he zipped his heavy team travel bag. He looked like he hadn't slept a single second, dark circles bruised under his eyes. Next to him, Raphael was sliding his phone into his pocket, his jaw set in that tight, unreadable line he got whenever his stress hit a wall."Aria, we can't," Liam said, his voice quiet, raspy
The bass thumped through the walls of The Icehouse, the team’s favorite upscale club downtown. Neon blue and white lights pulsed across the crowded dance floor, reflecting off glass tables and mirrored columns like shards of ice. The Wolves had reserved the entire VIP section — bottle service flowi
The arena lights hummed overhead as the team took the ice for morning practice. The cold air bit at Liam’s exposed skin, but he welcomed it. it sharpened his focus. He skated out first, stick tapping against the ice, calling out positions for the warm-up drills. Captain’s job. Always had been.Raph
Liam’s eyes snapped open at 4:07 AM, the same time his internal alarm had gone off for years. The room was still dark, the city outside the window quiet except for the occasional distant hum of traffic. He lay there for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling, before the weight of the new realit
Liam paced the length of his apartment like an animal on heat, the city lights glittering mockingly through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The victory high from last night had curdled into something sour and heavy in his chest. Every time he closed his eyes, he heard Raphael’s voice, low, mocking, f







