All Chapters of Saved, Then Rejected by my Ice Hockey Mate : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

71 Chapters

21 - Unspoken Memories

Aya's POV “Lily!” Both me and Johanis screamed at the top of our lungs. Anxiety and worry etched on our faces. He tried to shrug his sister but she didn't even flinch. Her eyes were squeezed shut, teeth clenched so tight I thought they’d shatter, and the black veins spreading from her shoulder now snaked across her collarbone like twisted roots.The elders shot to their feet in unison, chairs scraping against the stone floor with a harsh screech that made my skin crawl. Elder Odin moved first, his weathered hands reaching out as if to examine her, but Johanis pulled back so abruptly he nearly stumbled over his own feet.“Don’t you dare touch her!”The growl that ripped from his chest was pure wolf – deep, guttural, and so raw with protectiveness that even the seasoned elders took a step back. The air in the room crackled with tension, thick enough to choke on. “Johanis, we only want to help –” Elder Nali began, her voice gentle but firm, but he cut her off before she could finish.“

22 - Worries We Share

Aya's POV Lily pushed herself up fully, leaning back against the wall with one hand pressed to her shoulder, and fixed her brother with a glare that could rival any elder’s. “Stop embarrassing me! In front of everyone, really?”Johanis’s rigid posture softened immediately, though his jaw was still set as he turned to face her. “Embarrass you? I’m trying to keep you safe!”“By picking fights with everyone who so much as looks our way?” She shot back, rolling her eyes even as a faint smile tugged at her lips. “Eros was just talking, and Aya’s been here helping me this whole time – you act like you’re the only one who cares! And.. stop that pheromone shielding of yours!”“I know she cares,” he muttered, but the fight had already drained from his voice. And he totally ignored the last thing Lily said. Johanis ran a hand through his blonde hair, looking more like a frustrated older brother than a protective wolf shifter. “I just… when I see you like that, Lily-bug… I can’t think straight.

23 - Crumpled Up

Aya’s POVWe were all excited and pumped to leave. I mean, who wouldn't be? After everything that happened today.. The stimulating place, overwhelming meeting with the elders, and with what happened to Lily.And yet the girl still has so much energy to spare. I am so amazed with her to the point that I don't know what to say anymore.The coachman appeared in front of us with the carriage and…“Really?” Eros muttered, looking at the cramped wooden carriage with distaste. “There’s no way all five of us are fitting in there.”“Of course we would!” Lily said cheerfully, already climbing inside and claiming the corner seat. One by one, we followed – Evangeline next to Lily, then me, then Johanis who had to duck his head to fit through the door, and finally Eros who had to squeeze in beside Johanis with his legs bent awkwardly in front of him.The carriage ride back was uneventful. It’s just that.. the five of us are in the same carriage like sardines. I was pressed between Lily and Johanis

24 - Questions Questions

Aya's POV “I’m still talking to her, you know.” Eros frowned. Looking at Johanis as if the man had offended him. But said man doesn't pay him any attention as he grabbed my wrist and whisked me away. He was about to wolf out but Eros stopped him. “Trying to escape?”“She needs to rest. Talk to her tomorrow after classes.” Johanis hid me behind him.“I’m going back to Bloodbury now. I still have lots of things to deal with once I come back home.” Eros facepalmed but then Joha just shrugged. “Then, see you next game.”And with that he wolfed out and motioned for me to climb on his back. Once I did, he didn't even bother to say goodbye to his err.. frenemy in the world of ice hockey?I slightly looked back to at least wave at Eros. He smiled, nodded and waved back. Johanis lowly growled as he continued to run towards our dorm.Since the university grounds are so wide, it will take at least fifteen minutes for us to arrive. It is the perfect time to ask him some questions that lingers in

25 - Do You Hate Me?

Aya’s POVI couldn't even begin to read his expression. The moonlight cast half his face in silver, the other in deep shadow – hiding whatever thoughts were playing across his features as my question hung in the air between us. For a heartbeat, his lips parted as if he was about to speak, and I leaned forward slightly, my breath catching in my throat.Please.. Oh Goddess, just please let him say no. That is all I ever ask..Then it hit. A wind so cold it felt like winter had descended out of nowhere, whipping through the trees and sending dead leaves swirling around us in dark spirals. It was so sudden, so sharp against my skin that I gasped and pulled my arms around myself. The air, which had been mild just moments ago, now bit at my cheeks and made my eyes water. Even the warm glow from the dorm windows seemed to flicker and dim under its force.I looked up at Joha, expecting him to be as startled as I was – but he wasn’t. His eyeballs had shifted sideways, as if he was listening to

26 - Slow Burn

Aya’s POVThere was a small clock on top of the nightstand. And.. it won't stop ticking. Is it just me or am I being oversensitive with light sounds?I reallyyy cannot sleep!Every time I tried to relax into the soft pillows, my mind would race back to Johanis sleeping on the hard floor just beyond that door – to the way he’d brushed off my question so easily, to the cold wind that had swept in like a guardian keeping secrets locked away. The quilt felt too warm, too heavy over me, and after what must have been an hour of twisting and turning, I finally gave up. Why would I bother making myself miserable, right?Quietly, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and padded barefoot toward the door. My hand was just reaching for the doorknob when his voice came through the wood – low, calm, as if he’d been waiting for me to move.“Why aren’t you asleep yet?”‘How on Goddess’ name could I sleep when you are sleeping on the floor in your living room!?!’ The thought burned in my throat, sh

27 - Keep Me By Your Side

Aya's POVThe first thing that pulled me from sleep wasn’t the clock or any strange sound, it was the smell. Rich, savory, with hints of garlic and herbs that made my stomach rumble even before my eyes were fully open.It could only come from one person.. Him.I stretched my arms above my head, feeling the pleasant ache of a good night’s sleep settle in my muscles. The sun was streaming through the curtains now, painting golden stripes across the wooden floor, and the house was quiet except for the soft clatter of pans from the kitchen. For a moment, I just lay there, letting the feeling of peace from last night wash over me again. The bond between us felt steady and warm in my chest, not pushing or pulling, just… simply there, like a heartbeat I’d grown used to feeling alongside my own.I swung my legs out of bed and pulled on the soft cotton robe that was draped over the chair by the window. My bare feet made no sound on the floor as I made my way to the kitchen, and when I rounded

28 - Hands With Mine

Aya's POVI was stunned, bewildered even, with how that felt like a plea instead of just talking about our damn hands against this crowd. He looked at me as if waiting or expecting a reply. I cleared my throat, “O-of course. Or else we’ll be absent on our first day of class just because of the bond.”Johanis had this weird smile on his face. Maybe because I talked too much, geez. He navigated through the crowd, my hand enclosed in his. It was soft and gentle but at the same time, it felt so safe and secure. As if nobody can tear us apart.We stayed like that for a second too long.His hand around mine. The crowd flowing around us like a river splitting around a rock, students brushing past our shoulders, bumping into backpacks and arms—but none of it mattered because he hadn’t let go.He navigates through the crowd like it’s second nature, shoulders squared, posture confident, yet his grip on my hand never tightens in a way that hurts. It adjusts instead—subtle, instinctive—pulling

29 - First Day? Or Not.

Aya's POVJust slightly.I look up at him, startled. Our eyes meet. There’s something unreadable in his gaze—determination, maybe, or defiance. Or something deeper that makes my chest ache.He leans in, voice low so only I can hear. “It helps the bond.”I swallow. “…Right.”“And,” he adds, after a beat, “I don’t care.”That does it.My heart completely forgets how to function.I nod stiffly, too overwhelmed to argue, and let him guide me into the seat beside him. He finally releases my hand once I’m settled—but not before his thumb brushes my knuckles one last time, slow and deliberate.The professor enters moments later, an older woman with silver hair braided down her back and sharp eyes that miss nothing.Her gaze flicks over the room. Pauses on us.One brow arches.“Interesting,” she murmurs, then raises her voice. “Welcome to Advanced Combat Strategies. If you’re here, congratulations. If you’re not supposed to be here, leave now.”A ripple of laughter breaks the tension.But I c

30 - Resonance

Aya's POVWhy on earth am I staying behind!?! I also want to go to that Introductory Arcane Theory Class!Wait a minute…“Isn't our first subject supposed to be that arcane class?” I tried to whisper to Johanis as quietly as I could, tugging lightly at the sleeve of his jacket. My voice still came out a little too high, a little too panicked.Before he could even answer, Professor Thorne replied for him without looking back. “Yeah, sorry ‘bout that. The douche is actually dealing with something ‘something’ problem about the Bloodbury forest, I think. Odin. You’ve met him already, right?”Oh.Oh shit. That man practically hates me!! Yeah, right, actually.. let's be honest. Everyone here either hates me, secretly hates me or hates me ‘a little bit.’Great start to the year, Aya. Truly stellar!“Did I do something wrong?” I mouthed to Johanis, my heart hammering as students began filing out of the room. Chairs scraped loudly against the stone floor, conversations bursting back to life a

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