Chapter 1

My breath puffed out in small clouds, but my muscles moved on instinct. The skating rink had always been my sanctuary. Here, no one cared that I was a weak omega or that my wolf had never been strong enough to dominate a room. Here, I was just Kiera Lancaster, the girl with a dream to skate her way into nationals.

I stopped near the boards, leaning on the railing to catch my breath. My coach was nowhere in sight and the only sounds I heard were just the faint echo of music from the speakers and the scrape of my blades against the ice. For a moment, I let myself believe this was enough.

Then my phone buzzed in my skate bag.

I removed my gloves and fished it out, expecting a message from my mother reminding me about chores. Instead, it was from Tessa, my only real friend on campus:

“There's a big party tonight at the sports dorm. Everyone’s going, which means you are coming with me.”

I stared at the text for a minute. Me? At a sports dorm party? The same place where half my teammates laughed about me being “the charity case” on the skating roster?

Before I could type no, Tessa sent another text:

“Gerald Lennox is gonna be there.”

My heart skipped a beat. Gerald Lennox was captain of the university’s hockey team. Six-foot-something, broad shoulders, with hair that looked windswept like he’d just stepped out of a cologne advertisement. I’d seen him around campus a handful of times.

I shook my head. “No” I whispered to myself. Guys like Gerald didn’t look at girls like me.

She rolled her eyes. “That’s exactly the problem. You need to talk to people, girl. Smile more and when I'm talking about smile, not that polite librarian smile you give strangers, I mean an actual smile.”

“I do smile,” I argued.

“Mm-hmm.About as often as my grandmother updates her phone.” Tessa said.

I laughed under my breath and turned, letting her inspect the dress from a different angle. She bent slightly, tugging the hem. “You know, if you had two more inches of leg showing…..”

“Nope,” I cut in, backing toward the mirror. “This is already pushing it.”

“Fine.” She sighed dramatically and crossed her arms. “At least let me pick the shoes.”

I eyed her suspiciously. “They’re not six inches tall, are they?”

“Four and a half,” she said innocently, disappearing into my closet.

A moment later she returned with strappy black heels that looked like they could double as weapons. I groaned but took them anyway, slipping them on and instantly adding several inches to my height.

When I looked back in the mirror, the girl staring back almost startled me. She didn’t look like someone who stayed invisible by choice.

Tessa grabbed a tube of lipstick and waved it in my direction. “One last thing.”

“I’m not wearing….” I said.

She popped the cap and interrupted, “It’s not red, don’t panic. Just a soft berry shade. Trust me.”

With a resigned sigh, I let her swipe it on.

“Perfect.” She stepped back, with her hands on her hips. “Now go knock ‘em dead. Or at least make them wonder where you’ve been hiding all semester.”

I pulled on my coat and smiled.

******

The sports dorm was already filled with bass-heavy music by the time we got there.

Inside, bodies pressed together in the narrow hallway. There were athletes with red plastic cups in hand, laughing too loudly, and brushing shoulders together. My nerves prickled instantly.

Tessa had to raise her voice to be heard. “Stay close. If you get lost, I’m not coming to rescue you from a pack of drunk sprinters.”

"Don’t be silly. I'll navigate and help myself.” I said.

We walked our way deeper in, squeezing past a group of towering basketball guys trading shots straight from the bottle. The living room was even more crowded, with clusters of hockey players and track stars mingling around.

And then I saw him.

Gerald Lennox. He was leaning with practiced ease against the far wall. He held a drink in one hand, while the other rested casually in his pocket. His friends were all around him like satellites, laughing at whatever story he’d just finished telling.

It hit me like a punch to my chest. It felt sudden and impossible to ignore. My wolf, that has been silent for weeks, stirred like someone had ripped away a heavy blanket.

The next thing that came to my mind was mate. No, this couldn’t be real.

My heart began to pound so hard it almost drowned out the music. I must have been staring, because Tessa’s hand tightened around my arm.

“Are you okay?” she asked, looking into my face. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

"I… I think…” My voice was raw, unsteady. “He’s my mate.”

Her eyes widened in shock, then went toward Gerald as if to confirm it. Her expression shifted quickly “Kiera, that’s……”

"I don't know why I feel that way too. Can't be Gerald,” I said.

“Your wolf was able to detect it. That's a little progress.” Tessa said.

But whatever Tessa was about to say vanished when the pull in my chest hit me again. I was less concerned about what Tessa was saying. My feet moved on their own, pushing me through the crowd.

Gerald turned when I was still a few steps away. His blue eyes met mine, and for a moment, everything else went quiet. The music, the voices, it all faded. I thought I saw something in his eyes…. a flash of recognition that made my breath catch.

Then his mouth twisted into a smirk.

"I have something to tell you,” I said.

He looked at me, waiting for what I had to say. He didn't say a word. “You are my mate, Gerald,” I answered in a light voice, light enough for people not to hear me.

"Oh, this is rich,” he said loudly, just enough so people nearby could hear. “The little omega thinks she’s my mate?”