All Chapters of Beneath the ICE: Falling for the Captain : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

31 Chapters

Chapter one

The arena was shaking with noise.Thousands of fans were on their feet, screaming loud enough to rattle the glass surrounding the ice rink.“STE-FAN! STE-FAN! STE-FAN!”My name echoed across the arena like thunder.I pushed harder, my skates cutting sharp lines across the ice as I chased the puck racing toward the opposing goal. The cold air burned my lungs, but the exhaustion in my muscles meant nothing right now.Overtime.Tie game.Ten seconds left.The defenders closed in on me like wolves, sticks slashing across the ice as they tried to steal the puck.Too slow.I shifted my weight, dodging the first defender with a quick spin before pushing forward again. The second player tried to block me, but I slipped past him too.The goalie crouched low in front of the net, eyes locked on me.The entire arena held its breath.I could almost hear my father’s voice in my head, the same words he’d repeated to me since I was a kid learning to skate.Stars don’t hesitate.Stars finish the game.

Chapter Two> Noah Pov

“Congratulations.”My voice warm as I hug Adrian tightly, clapping his back.“You know I’m happy for you,” I added quietly near his ear. “But if you ever hurt him, I will personally leak pictures of you crying in the locker room after that playoff loss.”Adrian snorts against my shoulder.When we pull apart, his fiancé—Leo Vale, my younger brother bursts out laughing.“You’re unbelievable, Noah.”The restaurant is glowing with soft golden light. Adrian rented the entire place for tonight’s celebration. Teammates from the Aurora Wolves, their partners, and a few of Leo’s music industry friends fill the room with laughter and music.Leo is radiant tonight.His dark hair is styled neatly, and he’s wearing a cream-colored blazer that makes his warm skin glow under the lights. The engagement ring on his finger sparkles every time he moves his hand.Seeing him this happy makes something warm twist inside my chest.For years, it was always the two of us against the world.Now someone else is

Chapter Three> Stefan

STEFAN“Hart.”The name leaves my mouth sharper than I intended.Three days after Leo and Adrian’s engagement party, I’m standing in the Aurora Wolves training facility, leaning against the glass wall of the gym.Across the room, Noah Hart is kneeling beside a stack of resistance bands, organizing equipment for the afternoon physio sessions.He ignores me.Completely.Typical.My trainer pushes through the door behind me, clipboard in hand.“Warm-up in five, captain.”I raise one finger.“One minute.”He rolls his eyes but walks toward the treadmills.My attention shifts back to Noah.He’s tying his dark hair into a low knot at the back of his head, exposing the clean line of his neck.Something tight curls in my chest.Annoying.Very annoying.I walk toward him.“Hart.”This time he looks up.Those grey eyes of his narrow slightly.“What?”Direct.Blunt.Unimpressed.Just the way he always talks to me.I tilt my head toward the hallway.“Have you reconsidered?”His brow furrows.“Abo

Chapter Four> Noah

NOAH“Relax your arm.”Luca exhales slowly as I guide his shoulder through another rotation test.His muscles are tight under my hands.Not surprising.Professional hockey players push their bodies past the breaking point every season.“Pain?” I ask.“A little.”“Sharp or dull?”“Depends.”I glance up.“On what?”His mouth curves.“Where you’re touching me.”My expression goes flat instantly.There it is.The Luca Vance I remember.Charming. Arrogant. Completely inappropriate.I remove my hands and step back.“Let’s keep this professional.”He raises his hands innocently.“Of course, Doctor Hart.”I hate when he says my name like that.Like we’re still something, Like he has the right.Three years ago, I would’ve melted under that smile.Three years ago, I thought I loved him.Then I walked into a party and found him kissing someone else.In front of half the university.The humiliation burned for months.“Your shoulder rotation is limited,” I say, returning to the clipboard. “You’ll

Chapter Five > Noah

NOAHThe locker room hallway still smells like ice, sweat, and sharp menthol from the medical kits.Stefan disappears through the players’ door, leaving me standing there with my heart beating far too fast for absolutely no reason.I shouldn’t be affected by him.He’s arrogant.Provocative.Completely convinced the world revolves around him.And yet…The way he looked at me a moment ago makes my chest feel strangely tight.I shake the thought away and head toward the medical office.Work.Focus on work.That’s the safest place for me.’m halfway through organizing treatment notes when the door opens again.Footsteps. Heavy ones.I glance up— And sigh.“Please tell me you’re here for actual medical treatment.”Stefan Kovacs leans against the doorframe, still wearing half his gear.Helmet gone.Hair damp.His practice jersey clings to his broad shoulders and chest.The man looks like he walked straight out of a hock

Noah

NOAH************The arena is already alive when I arrive Friday night, pulsing with energy, a sea of silver and deep blue jerseys shifting under the flashing lights. Music pounds through the speakers, vibrating through my chest as if the entire place shares one heartbeat.Leo is already seated when I make my way down, balancing a pretzel in one hand and a beer in the other.“Hey,” I say, dropping into the seat beside him. “Sorry. The line was insane.”It’s a lie. I circled the arena three times before I even got in line, trying to calm the restless tension in my chest.Leo doesn’t respond right away. His gaze drifts slowly over me, then settles—very deliberately—on my back.My shoulders stiffen.“You’re wearing a jersey,” he says finally, his tone unreadable.I take a huge bite of the pretzel just to avoid answering. It tastes like cardboard.“It’s not what it looks like,” I mutter.“Lean forward.”“Do you ever think about traveling again?” I deflect quickly. “You’ve been stuck in t

Chapter 7: Noah Pov

Noah**********I knew it.”The voice cuts through the music just as the bar door swings open.Adrian strides in like he owns the place, grin wide, eyes locked on me like he has just won something important. The bar is already buzzing, warm lights casting a golden glow over polished wood and crowded tables, the kind of place that hides in plain sight but never stays quiet for long.Leo and I are seated in a booth near the back, and I can already feel the attention shifting.“You did not know it,” I shoot back, lifting my glass before taking a slow sip.Adrian ignores that completely and points straight at me. “I absolutely did. You two have been circling each other for years. It was only a matter of time.”Leo snorts beside me, clearly entertained.“No one knew,” I say flatly, even though my pulse betrays me.My eyes flick toward the entrance again.No Stefan yet.I hate that I’m noticing.Across the room, Luca is already there, sitting with a few of the guys. His posture is relaxed,

Chapter 8: Stefan Pov

STEFAN **************** I do not know when it started getting this complicated. Somewhere between the game, the bar, and that kiss that was never part of the plan, something shifted, and now I cannot seem to get my head back in the right place. I should be focused on the ice. I should be thinking about plays, about strategy, about leading my team the way a captain is supposed to. , my mind keeps circling back to Noah, to the way his lips felt against mine, to the look in his eyes when I pulled away, equal parts shock and something I am not ready to name. He is not my type. He has never been my type. I do not go for quiet, controlled men who pretend they do not feel anything. I go for easy, uncomplicated situations that end before anything real can start. So why him? Why now? I exhale sharply, dragging a hand through my hair as I stand at the edge of the rink during practice. The cold air should clear my head, but it does not. Nothing does. It would have been e

Back off

Stefan’s POV*****************Everyone is watching.I can feel it without even turning my head, the weight of their attention pressing into my back like heat, like expectation, like they are waiting for something to explode.Maybe they are not wrong.Because right now, Luca is standing too close, his presence sharp and deliberate, like he came here with one purpose and one purpose only—to get under my skin.And it is working.Adrian shifts beside me, his eyes moving between us carefully, like he already knows this is about to turn into something messy. “Stefan,” he mutters under his breath, warning laced in his tone, “don’t.”But I am already too far gone.Luca lets out a slow clap, the sound echoing just enough to draw more attention. “I have to say,” he drawls, a mocking smile playing on his lips, “watching you like this is… interesting.”My jaw tightens. “Say what you came to say and leave.”He tilts his head slightly, studying me like I am the one being unreasonable. “You’re tens

Chapter 10: Move in with me

NOAHThe "honeymoon phase" of our fake relationship was officially over, replaced by a suffocating blanket of public scrutiny.Everywhere I went in the arena, people whispered. I was no longer just Noah Vale, the Physiotherapist. I was Noah Vale, the man who tamed Stefan Kovacs.I hated it."You're doing it again," Stefan’s voice rumbled.I looked up from my tablet. We were in the private recovery lounge—a perk of his captaincy that we were using more often just to get away from the prying eyes of the locker room. Stefan was sitting on the edge of the massage table, his jersey discarded, showing the fresh bruising along his ribs from the last game."Doing what?" I asked, my voice tighter than I intended."Thinking too loud. Your eyebrows do this little twitchy thing when you're stressed." He reached out, his thumb hovering just inches from my forehead before he caught himself and dropped his hand.The air in the room shifted. That was the problem with Chapter 10—the "fake" touches wer

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