All Chapters of Saved, Then Rejected by my Ice Hockey Mate : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

72 Chapters

51 - Lessons of Fire

Aya's POV “…why on earth are you still here, Tavian?!”I stepped slightly behind him, peeking over his shoulder. And really, there he was..Leaning casually against the hallway wall like he owned the building.Tavian.Bright-eyed. Fully dressed. Annoyingly awake. He lifted one hand in greeting. “Good morning, sunshines.”Johanis looked ready to slam the door in his face. “I thought Hillia left at dawn,” he said flatly.“They did.”There was silence for a moment until I cannot take it anymore. “They did?” I echoed.Tavian nodded cheerfully. “Very punctual group. I’m always so proud.”“…Then why are you here?” Johanis asked slowly, like he was speaking to a particularly dim child. Tavian’s smile widened. “Elder Odin asked me to join you guys during his class.”There was a pause.Then—“Oh Goddess, please say you’re joking!” Johanis groaned. Tavian’s grin did not falter. “Only… I’m not my dear nephew.”Another silence followed. It was heavy and really dramatic beyond comparison. Johanis

52 - Lesson in Subterfuge

Aya ’s POVI seriously looked at him and gave it my all so as to not punch him in the face. Took a huge breath and whispered with all my might, “What. Exactly. Was. That?”Johanis did not even flinch. He kept his posture relaxed, hands loosely clasped behind his back like he wasn’t the reason my tiny spark had been murdered in cold blood!“Damage control,” he replied calmly.“Damage control?” I repeated, incredulous. “You extinguished my first spark like it was a mosquito!”His eyes flickered briefly—annoyance, then something deeper. “You should hide what you can really do.”I let out an outraged gasp. “Excuse me?”“You heard me the first time, Ayreil.”I stared at him, heat rising in my chest. “Then what about you? You certainly looked pleased when everyone clapped their hands with your attempt!”A few nearby classmates glanced at us, clearly sensing tension. Ryan paused mid-practice. Finn slowed his movements just enough to listen without looking obvious. Leon tilted his head slight

53 - A Quiet Hope

Aya's POV “How would I know the answer to that question?” She replied. “I literally just bumped into you guys because I know that you’d be going this way.”I tilted my head and wondered what she meant by that. It seems the others are thinking the same thing as Finn repeated suspiciously, “This way?”She merely pointed behind us. And when I turned—Oh.Professor Thorne’s corridor.. Of course. The long, slightly dim hallway at the east wing of Woodhill University that always smelled faintly of old parchment and something… metallic. The way leading straight to Professor Thorne’s classroom.Not the forest.Not Bloodbury.Just… class..Still terrifying, but in an academic way.I don't even know why I thought of the forest but maybe it's just because that place gives me the creeps and a PTSD.Kael exhaled loudly. “Oh. That way.”Leon scratched his head. “For a second I thought—”“The forest?” Finn supplied.They all exchanged looks. Thank Goddess I thought I was the only one being paranoid

54 - Bruises and Grit

Aya’s POVPractice.And then more practice..And then even more practice…That was basically their.. no, our life for the next four days. The first day, the boys still had the audacity to complain. By the second day, their legs were trembling too much to complain properly. By the third day, they simply accepted their fate.By the fourth day?They looked like battle survivors as Johanis was utterly merciless.“Again.”“Captain—”“Again.”“I cannot feel my arms.”“You won’t need your arms to skate faster. Again.”Kael nearly dropped to his knees on the ice. Finn dragged him back up by the collar. Leon muttered something about “selective cruelty.” Brooks just kept skating like a silent soldier who had long surrendered to discipline.And me?I simply watched. Sometimes from the bleachers. Sometimes near the barrier, wrapped in Johanis’ spare jacket with his jersey number 06 because the rink was always freezing. Sometimes he would glance at me mid-drill, just to check if I was still there.

55 - Handicap

Aya’s POVDay one.And I already want to riot..Because apparently, being last year’s representative of the interschool tournament does not grant Woodhill University any glorious advantage.No..It grants them a handicap.A freaking handicap!!They are required to defeat three teams.Three!!!While the others only need to defeat two! And two losses equals elimination.“Explain to me again how the fuck that is fair,” I muttered, arms crossed tightly over my chest. Lily shrugged beside me as she arrived not even three minutes long.“It’s simply tradition.”“That is the most stupid justification I have ever heard.”“They say it proves consistency,” she added helpfully, trying to low-key defend this unreasonable rule of theirs!! “..If Woodhill really deserves to represent again, they should be able to defeat three.”“Then make the others defeat three too!”I could feel Johanis’ subtle smirk but I chose to ignore him, or else he might be the recipient of my ire.Lily merely shoved popcorn i

56 - Electric Tension

Aya's POV By the time the third period began, the energy inside the arena had shifted from loud excitement to sharp, electric tension.Hillia was leading by one point. Silvergate had been chipping away at them slowly—methodical, smiling, patient. The kind of patient that made my skin itch. And their smile? Really annoying and at the same time, sinister..“Why do they always look so calm?” I muttered, gripping the railing in front of me.“Because they practice composure,” Johanis replied smoothly from beside me.“They look like they’re enjoying it.”“They are,” he corrected. “Pressure is their preferred terrain.”I shot him a look. “That sounds dramatic.”“It’s accurate.”Lily leaned over the railing, squinting at the rink. “Silvergate’s left wing keeps circling wider. They’re setting up something.”My stomach flipped. “How do you even see that?”“I observe,” she said proudly.“Well I panic,” I mumbled.The clock ticked down. 2:13 remaining and Silvergate gained possession! The sound

57 - Shifting Dynamics

Aya's POV We were all still laughing.Still riding the high of Hillia’s last-second save. Tavian was dramatically reenacting the goalkeeper’s dive for the fifth time, complete with sound effects and an unnecessary slow-motion spin, while Lily critiqued his “form” like she was some professional analyst.Johanis stood beside me, arms crossed, wearing that small, superior smirk he reserved for moments like this—when competition felt clean and fun and sharp instead of ugly. And then—A roar erupted from the second ice court.Not the normal cheer of a good play.Not even the explosion of a goal. This was a little bit different…Louder. Rougher. Almost feral.All of us froze. Tavian lowered his imaginary goalie glove. “That… doesn’t sound right..”Another wave of noise crashed through the arena. Someone shouted. A whistle shrieked. The sound of skates carving hard into ice echoed faintly even from this distance. My stomach tightened for unknown reasons.“What match is that?” I asked.“Blac

58 - A Long Battle

Aya’s POVThe doorknob doesn’t turn. Instead, a low, raspy voice filters through the wood—too quiet to be shouting, but clear enough to send a chill down my spine.“Woodhill’s lion… and his little mate.”Johanis tenses beside me, his pheromones flaring sharp as ice. I grip his arm without thinking, and he covers my hand with his own—firm, reassuring, but his focus never leaves the door. “Show yourself,” he says, his voice low and steady, no trace of fear in it. A faint chuckle echoes in the hallway. “No need for that yet. Just a message.” The shadow under the door shifts slightly. “Blackmoor doesn’t just play to win. We play to break. We’ll win tomorrow, so we can't have fun with you guys just yet..”Before Johanis can respond and even hastily step forward to confront whoever it is, the presence recedes. We hear the soft scrape of boots on tile, then nothing. The cold in the air lifts slowly, but the weight it left behind hangs heavy. Johanis was left with no choice but to sigh and w

59 - The Beginning Of??

Aya's POV The scoreboard’s unblinking 0-0 felt like a judgment, a gaping maw of unresolved tension. The buzzer shrieked, slicing through the stunned silence, and then the arena became a cacophony of confused chatter. My eyes, however, were locked on the ice, specifically on Johanis. On my mate.. He stood there, a blue-clad statue amidst the swirling chaos, his chest heaving, the faint mist of his breath rising in the frigid air. When his gaze finally lifted, it found mine, and in that instant, the world narrowed to just us. His eyes, usually so intense, held a depth I couldn't quite decipher, a mixture of exhilaration and something else – a hunger, perhaps?Then he was moving, skating off the ice with his teammates, their faces etched with a similar blend of exhaustion and fierce focus. They disappeared down the tunnel leading to the locker rooms, leaving me feeling strangely bereft.“I’m starving,” Lily declared, breaking the spell, her voice a little hoarse. “And so ‘effin thirsty

60 - When The Ice Shifts

Aya's POV The tension in the hallway hadn’t faded.If anything, it had only intensified..Evangeline stood there with her arms crossed, the sharp line of her posture practically screaming “authority”. Her gaze flicked between Johanis and me again, clearly waiting for him to correct the situation.To correct me. Seriously, I thought she had changed for the better. Guess I was wrong.Johanis didn’t even hesitate.. “Evangeline,” he said calmly. Something in his tone made her straighten slightly. “Yes?”“Please go back to your seat.”It was polite and respectful. But with a clear finality.Her brows knit together. “Johanis, the rules—”“I’m aware of the rules. You think I don't? Me.. of all people?” His voice didn’t sharpen. It didn’t rise. It just… settled, like stone.“I’ll take responsibility,” he added. For a moment she looked like she wanted to argue. Like she was weighing pride against practicality. Then she exhaled through her nose. “Fine.”Her gaze slid to me again—something unre

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