All Chapters of Surrender On Ice : Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Chapter 1The puck dropped and the entire rink exploded with noise.Thousands of fans roared as Zane Kessler charged forward like a freight train. His skates carved deep lines into the ice. At six-foot-four, with shoulders built like steel doors, Zane had only one thought burning in his head tonight… crush Jaxon Caldwell.For five long years he had hated that name. He hated how fast Jaxon skated, how slippery and clever he was. He hated the cocky little grin Jaxon flashed every time he scored. Most of all, he hated how Jaxon always made him feel a half-step too slow. Tonight was the final regular-season matchup between the Thunder Wolves and the Storm Hawks. The winner would carry all the momentum into the nationals. Zane had promised his team… and himself… he would crush Jaxon once and for all.The first period was pure war.Zane smashed Jaxon into the boards so hard the glass shook. Jaxon bounced right back, his eyes sparkling with defiance. “That's all you got, Zane?” he shouted

Chapter 3The moment he hit send, Zane wished he could take it back. What the hell was he doing? This was insane. If anyone found out, his career would be over. His teammates would never forgive him. The whole hockey world would laugh… or worse.He drove home in a daze. That night he barely touched his food. He kept checking his phone like a fool, but no new messages came. He lay in bed staring at the dark ceiling, wondering if Jaxon was doing the same thing somewhere across the city.The next evening, Zane arrived at the locker room ten minutes early. The building was almost empty, lit only by the dim night security lights. He paced back and forth, his nerves buzzing under his skin. Part of him hoped Jaxon wouldn’t show up. Another part hoped he would.Then the door opened.Jaxon stepped in wearing a black hoodie and jeans, hands buried deep in his pockets. There was no hockey gear this time. Just Jaxon. He looked nervous too.They stared at each other.“You came,” Jaxon said quiet

Chapter 5For one terrifying second, the whole room seemed to freeze. Zane's heart slammed against his ribs. Jaxon's face went white. If this guy talked, everything would blow up… their teams, their careers, the secret they had barely kept hidden. One word from him and the rumors would turn into proof.Jaxon reacted fast. He sat up straight, his voice sharp and steady. “He was just helping me with my ankle… now get out!”The teammate blinked hard, still confused. His eyes darted between them, trying to make sense of what he had walked in on. Zane stayed perfectly still, his hands frozen. The silence stretched tight enough to snap.Finally the guy muttered, “Uh… yeah, okay,” and hurried out of the room. The door clicked shut behind him.Zane and Jaxon let out long, heavy breaths at the same time. Their hearts were still pounding like they had just skated overtime.“That was too close,” Zane whispered, his voice rough.“Way too close,” Jaxon agreed. He rubbed a hand over his face. “We