3

Beside him walked a young woman with long reddish hair and the upright posture of high nobility.

Zakhar froze. He abruptly released my wrists and took a step back, placing his body between the door and me.

"Father," Zakhar said, regaining his cold tone.

The Supreme Alpha looked at both of us with absolute contempt before fixing his gaze on me.

"Tell me you aren't wasting your time with this human trash, Zakhar," his father said, taking a step forward. "Madeline just arrived from the capital to announce her formal engagement to you before the pack."

The Supreme Alpha’s words hung suspended in the air.

The young high-society woman advanced two steps with elegance, passing beside Zakhar’s father without taking her eyes off me.

She wore an ivory silk suit and bore the emblem of the capital pack on her lapel.

Madeline ignored the rigidity in the room and approached Zakhar with a sweet smile, raising her chin to lean in and greet him with a kiss on the cheek.

"I missed you, Zakhar," Madeline murmured in a soft voice. "Your father and I were organizing the announcement for the pack before the game."

Zakhar turned his face sharply before the woman’s lips could touch his skin.

Madeline froze mid-gesture, forcing her smile while her eyes seemed to flash with indignation.

"Nobody organized anything with me," Zakhar said. His tone was so sharp it echoed off the wooden walls.

The Supreme Alpha took a step forward. His leader’s aura resonated through the room, demanding immediate submission.

"Do not disobey me in front of guests, Zakhar," his father declared, pointing at me with a gesture full of disgust. "What is this lowborn human doing in your private office minutes before an important game? The guard should have thrown her out of the building half an hour ago."

I swallowed hard, but kept my back straight. I wasn't going to lower my gaze before the pack leader, not after everything I had endured in the hallway.

"Sophia isn't going anywhere," Zakhar said.

Before I could react, Zakhar’s heavy hand settled on my waist.

His fingers dug into my side with a firm, possessive grip, pulling my body into his until my hip pressed against his.

The heat emanating from his skin seeped through my clothes instantly.

The Supreme Alpha narrowed his eyes, pale with rage.

Madeline, on her part, took a step back, clutching her handbag so tightly that the seams groaned.

"Let go of that useless Omega right now," Zakhar’s father ordered, raising his commanding voice.

I thought Zakhar would obey his father’s command, but instead, he pulled my waist tighter against his side.

"She is my official mate," Zakhar declared. His voice sounded like a contained roar that made the floor vibrate. "And she will be the only female by my side for the entire season."

My eyes widened in shock. Zakhar's mate? Me? Why on earth did he say that?

The silence that followed was absolute.

Madeline looked me up and down, taking in my worn clothes and the absence of any wolf scent on my neck. A cruel smile formed on her red lips.

"Your official mate?" Madeline asked, taking a step toward me. "Zakhar, my love, I understand you're stressed over your rage attacks on the ice, but dragging a statusless servant into the public eye is pathetic. Border vermin don't last two days in the Consortium’s elite. They drown on their own."

The insult wasn't subtle. It was a direct threat from high nobility.

A sneer of annoyance formed on my lips. But I wouldn't let this high-grade wolf mock me.

"We border vermin survive the attacks that nobility pays not to see," I replied, holding her gaze without blinking. "If you think I'm going to drown, Madeline, you're going to have to push me yourself."

Madeline gritted her teeth, surprised by my response.

"You are a..."

She tried to continue, but the Supreme Alpha’s roar rang out.

"Enough!" the Supreme Alpha bellowed, advancing toward the desk. "This madness ends here. I will not allow you to destroy this pack’s alliance for a bed whim, Zakhar. You sign the engagement with Madeline today, or I strip you of the team captaincy before the board tonight."

A mocking laugh echoed from Zakhar’s lips.

"Try it," Zakhar challenged. His grip on my waist became impenetrable. "Take away my captaincy and explain to the sponsors why the team lost its best player before the tournament. Sophia stays with me."

Without waiting for an answer, Zakhar dragged me out of the office, forcing me to walk at his pace down the private corridor toward the lower locker rooms.

The Supreme Alpha shouted his name behind us, but Zakhar didn't stop even once.

Upon crossing the heavy door of the players' locker rooms, the atmosphere shifted completely.

It smelled of leather, hockey stick wax, and cold sweat. The lights in the hallway leading to the rink tunnel flickered.

Zakhar released my waist abruptly.

He walked toward the wooden bench and leaned on it with both hands, letting his head drop.

His breathing was erratic, almost hyperventilating.

The muscles in his back contracted beneath his black t-shirt, and his bloody knuckles trembled uncontrollably.

"Zakhar..." I whispered, keeping a meter’s distance.

"Stay back," he shouted in a raspy voice. "My father's pressure... the wolf wants out. If I lose control here, there won't be anything left of this locker room."

The media panic, Madeline’s provocation, and his father’s threat had pushed his beast to the limit.

His skin burned, and the scent of burnt pine filled the room once more with suffocating force.

The murmur of thousands of fans crowding the stands on the other side of the metal wall could be heard.

The public address system announced the start of the lineup in three minutes.

Zakhar stood up from the bench with a wild look in his eyes. His golden eyes were glowing again with the rage of the contained transformation.

He advanced with uneven steps toward the dimly lit tunnel leading to the ice.

I walked after him, knowing that if he stepped onto the rink in that state, he would attack the referees or his own teammates, ruining the contract that had just saved my father’s life.

"Volkov, stop," I said, catching up to him in the gloom of the tunnel.

Zakhar turned around sharply.

He grabbed me by the collar of my shirt with one hand, slamming me against the concrete wall of the hallway.