Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 21 - Chapitre 30

Sierra The chamber didn’t explode as I expected it to. Elder Mara sucked in a breath, her fragile hand fluttered to her chest. Councilor Hale made a scraping noise as he ruffled his seat, his avalanche grey eyes seemed to avoid us.Suspended.The word echoed in my mind, lifeless and tacky as a puck hitting the bunker. Suspended from leadership. From the team captaincy he'd earnedthe Frozen Cup qualifiers that could reshape our close-knit community.With practiced ease, Sebastian moved to the middle of the room, his bespoke suit was flawless and his motions purposeful.“I assure you,” he said smoothly, his tone as slick as fresh ice, “unity is my highest priority. We cannot afford instability with the season on the horizon. The qualifiers require concentration, not scattering.”One of the elders nodded—Elder Voss, his permanent squint and connections to Sebastian's wealthy donors. I wanted to talk. Asher squeezed my hand again. A silent reminder. Stay with me. Harlan, the eldest co

SierraThe knock did not stop.But it happened again, this time slower, as if whoever was on the porch knew exactly how much pressure to apply. Asher moved first. He didn’t hurry to the door, he didn’t tell me to hide, he just raised a hand slightly, a silent command to remain where I was, and strode forward with the certainty of someone who had long ago resolved the outcome.I followed him anyway.He turned back and looked at me once, jaw clenched, but he did not instruct me to halt. That mattered more than any words.When he opened the door, cold air spilled in, crisp and clean. Two men were on the porch. Both older, both clad too cleanly for this hour. Their eyes glided over Asher, then at me like they already know my face.“Alpha Kane,” the taller one said. “Council is summoning.Asher did not move aside. “It’s barely dawn.” “You were all informed last night,” the man said in a level voice. “This is not a choice.”I moved forward before Asher could stop me. “Where are you taking

ASHERThey let me go the following day after noon with a list of rules I wasn’t going to be following to the letter. Rest. No skating for 72 hours. Screen time is limited. Steer clear of stress.I almost laughed at the last one.Sierra and I walked along the hospital hallway, her shoulder lightly bumped against mine every few steps, as if to make certain I was still real. Coach Bennett trailed behind us, already on the phone, his voice quiet and crisp. Whatever he was up to, I knew it wasn’t petty.Outside, the air was different. Cleaner. Like the world just didn’t care that that day was in danger of being repeated.“You’re quiet,” Sierra said as she got the passenger door for me.“Thinking,” I said.“That’s dangerous.” “For everybody else, maybe.”She smiled, but it wasn’t her eyes."The drive back to Blackpine was slow. Still too slow. The radio stayed off. Trees are blurring by the windows, reassuring and consistent, as if they’re trying to tell me this is still home."Sierra hesi

AsherThe rink evacuated like a storm. Loud until they weren’t. One minute the place was buzzing with voices and the rattle of feet, and the next moment it was empty, like the reverberation of something that had come and gone.I was on the bench long after the rest of the guys had gone. Ice bags on my shoulder. Tape half pulled away from my wrist. My body ached in the accustomed way, the kind of ache that told me I had left it all out there and still wanted more.Bennett paused in front of me. He didn’t say anything to begin with. He never did when he was picking his words.“You were very smart in your play,” he finally said. “Brave too, but smart is more important.”I nodded. Compliments always felt odd on nights like this.“You’re not practicing next practice,” he added. “No discussion.”I almost smiled. “Wasn’t intending to make one.”He looked at my face, then at my shoulder. “This season’s bigger than one game.”“I know.”“And bigger than pride.”“I knew that too.”He patted my g

SierraWaiting was the worst part.Not the terror, not even the texts. It was the quiet lull in between where there was just nothing for hours on end and my mind occupied all that space all by itself. I went to class, took notes, nodded at people, laughed when I was supposed to. Outwardly everything was normal. From the inside, it was like I had a secret buried in my chest.Asher texted me when he got home. Just a plain I’m good. I stared at the words longer than I was supposed to, sent a heart and then threw my phone onto my bed like it had teeth.I tried to study. That did not work.Every noise outside my window made me look up. Each buzz from my phone sent jolts through my body. I hated that part of me, the part that anticipated something bad to happen just so the waiting would be over.The following day arrived too soon.I met Asher outside the student center. He seemed exhausted, jaw clenched, eyes keen as they would get when he was thinking three moves ahead. When he met my gaze