Chapter 3- Maya's POV

MY NEW BEGINNING

When Lily and I got to the dorm, I froze in the doorway, my hand clamped to the frame.

It wasn’t the cold, quiet space I’d imagined instead, the room buzzed with life. Fairy lights draped across the walls glowed softly, even in daylight, while posters plastered every surface: bands I’d never heard of and bold, handwritten quotes. The air smelled faintly of butter and something sweet, and laughter rang out from every corner.

Two girls lingered by the kitchen. One wielded a spatula like a sword, her ponytail thrashing wildly as she argued.

"I told you three eggs were fine! You can be such a pain, you know that," she snapped, eyes glinting.

The other girl pressed a plate to her chest like a prized treasure and shot back, “Three? You eat like a rabbit,” her voice, sharp yet playful.

Their bickering sounded so normal, so silly, that a smile tugged at my lips I couldn't stop it, and I didn't want to, something in me wanted to join them.

But then the air shifted.

A guy walked in through the side door, tall and broad-shouldered, his dark hair falling slightly into his sharp eyes. He didn’t hesitate; he crossed the room with an easy confidence and slipped his arm around the spatula girl’s waist, pulling her close. She leaned into him naturally, like she belonged there, like his presence was the most normal thing in the world.

The way he tipped his head, lips brushing her hair, and my stomach flipped. It was raw, intimate; heat surged up my neck. I looked away, pretending to study the fairy lights, but the image was already burned into my mind.

“Hey, guys!” Lily’s voice cut through the room. Before I could protest, she tugged me forward as if I were some new project she was proud of. “This is Maya, the new scholarship student.”

Every head turned toward me at once.

My throat went dry. My palms felt damp against the strap of my bag. I forced myself to push out a weak, “Hi,” hoping no one would ask me anything else.

Just then, a sharp clang of a bell sliced through the hallway. Groans rose as students jammed books into bags and scrambled for their shoes.

I was saved. Literally saved by the bell.

I trailed Lily back into the hallway, but before we could slip into class a roar burst from outside. Cheers, shouts, claps—it felt like the whole school had sprung to life.

"What’s going on?” I asked, but Lily was already craning her neck.

The answer hit me as I slipped through the swarm of students there, pushing past us was the hockey team.

The hockey team had returned after there last march.

They marched through the main hall like champions, their jerseys damp with sweat, sticks slung over shoulders. Students clapped them on the back, some even chanting their names. The energy around them was electric, almost overwhelming. For a second, my heart gave a strange, hopeful jump.

Hockey? I never imagined I'd see that here definitely not at this school.

My eyes drifted through the players until they landed on him.

One figure caught my eye,not because of his size, though he moved with the effortless strength of someone completely at home in his own skin. He walked with a calm, steady gait, as if the roar of the crowd meant nothing at all.

His jersey was unbuttoned at the top, revealing a glistening sheen of sweat on his chest, yet his expression remained completely unfazed.

Then his gaze locked onto mine.

It was only a moment,a brief flicker, a connection that vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Still, my breath caught and my chest tightened, as if the whole world had narrowed to that single glance.

I forced myself to look away, only then noticing one of the players limping. His ankle was wrapped tight, a pair of crutches tucked under his arms. Whispers rippled through the crowd.

“They’re short a player.”

“Big game coming.”

“What will they do now?”

The words sank into me like hooks. I shouldn’t have cared. But something stirred inside me, something I thought I had buried long ago. That empty spot in their team—it called to me.

Almost without thinking, I found myself trailing behind a few of the players when the crowd started to thin. My sneakers made the faintest squeak against the polished floor, and every time they turned, I ducked back just far enough to stay hidden.

They moved with purpose, their voices low and serious, not at all like the joking cheers from earlier. Finally, they slipped into a side hallway I hadn’t noticed before. A heavy door stood at the end, a painted crest glowing faintly under the hall lights. The whole place looked… off-limits.

I should have turned back. But my feet didn’t listen.

I pressed my back against the wall, heart hammering, and strained my ears toward the door.

“…if the Alpha finds out we’re short a player, we’ll lose more than the game,” one voice hissed.

Alpha? My brows knitted. What did that even mean?

Another voice, smoother and calmer, answered, “We’ll handle it. No one outside the circle can know. Not a word.”

The words chilled me. My mind raced. What circle? What secret?

Before I could make sense of it, the door creaked open.

The coach stepped out. He was tall, with sharp eyes that cut straight through me. His gaze locked on mine instantly, like he had known I’d been standing there the whole time.

“Well, well,” he drawled, his lips curving into a half-smile that made my stomach drop. “Spying on my team, are you?”

The players crowded behind him, their glares sharp enough to slice through me. I froze, caught like a rabbit in headlights, my throat too tight to answer.

But the coach tilted his head, studying me as though I were a puzzle piece he hadn’t expected to find.

“You play hockey, don’t you?” His voice was steady, confident, not a question but a statement.

Blood drained from my face. “I,I used to,” I whispered.

His grin widened, slow and deliberate. “Good. Tomorrow, you’ll prove it. Tryouts. Be ready.”

A storm of voices erupted behind him in whispers.

“What? She’s human!”

“She doesn’t belong here!”

“She’ll ruin everything!”

The coach lifted a hand, and the protests died instantly. His gaze never wavered from mine.

“This is an opportunity,” he said firmly. “And she’s going to take it. Whether she sinks or survives… that’s up to her.”

My chest tightened. My heart hammered so loudly I was sure they could all hear it.

I didn’t know what I had just walked into. But one thing was clear tomorrow, I would step onto the ice again.