All Chapters of Twin Aces: Claimed by the Alpha Captain (MM Romance): Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Lucian POV The cold wind from the ice was really loud in my ears as a shadow came down on me.Through the plastic of my visor, I saw him. He was the enforcer for the Ironclaw Titans, a huge guy built like a wall. He was skating down the ice fast, his skates cutting deep into the frost. He was not looking at the puck at all. His eyes were locked on my jersey. His big shoulders were tucked in, aiming straight for my spot to crush me against the boards.If I took the force of that hit, I would get hurt really bad. The people who own the team in the executive box would get what they wanted. They would see a rookie carried off the ice on a stretcher. They wanted to see me fail, and they wanted to see Orion lose his bet on me.I was not a normal rookie. I had a fire inside me. I was not going to let them send me away to the ice desert. I had worked too hard to let some big guy take away my dream on the very first night of the season. My determination was stronger than his physical size.At

Lucian POV The smell of blood and amber alcohol was the final straw.The VIP lounge became suffocating. The bass from the speakers was too loud, the pulsing purple neon lights were making my head spin, and Orion’s thick cedar scent was wrapping around my throat like an actual collar. Everyone was staring. The investor was shaking in terror, the team was completely frozen, and Orion just sat there, blood dripping from his gauze-wrapped fist without him even blinking. He looked like a statue of stone, dangerous and cold.I could not breathe. My chest felt tight, and I needed to escape the heavy air of the room.While Orion was looking down at his hand, I slid out from under his heavy arm. I moved fast, slipping past the velvet curtains and dodging the crowded dance floor. I did not care who saw me leave. I just needed to find a way out. I did not stop until I found a heavy red door marked with an exit sign. I pushed it open with all my weight and burst into the night.The door slammed

Lucian POV The warmth of the bed vanished the moment the sound hit the air.Three firm knocks sounded from the other side of the door.The sudden, loud pounding on the heavy penthouse door shattered the morning quietness like an explosion.I opened my eyes at once, my body tensing under the silk sheets. The bedroom was bright, the early morning sun cutting sharp through the giant glass windows. Next to me, Orion shifted, his massive body frame moving as his icy blue eyes snapped open. His large hand was still resting heavily on my waist, his fingers tightening to hold me close as his inner Alpha sensed a sudden threat to his nest.The room still smelled of cedar wood, sweet honey, and vanilla from our intense night. My body ached from his wild passion, my inner thighs and chest covered in the deep red marks of his possession. The memories of his hands on my skin and his weight from behind were still fresh and hot."Stay here," Orion growled, his voice deep and rough from sleep.He sl

Lucian POV The flight to the northern district was completely frozen.I sat by the small window of the team’s private jet, staring down at the endless white mountains below. The memory of the league drug testers at the penthouse door kept running through my mind like a bad dream. My blood was locked inside that steel box, flying toward the main testing lab. The results would come out on Friday morning. If Dr. Sean’s illegal blood switch failed, this away game would be the last time I ever wore a hockey jersey. I would lose my place, my dream, and my freedom.Orion sat right across the aisle from me. He did not look at the mountains. He spent the whole three-hour flight staring at a tablet filled with game plans, his jaw set in a hard, tight line. His right hand was still wrapped in clean gauze, a dark reminder of the glass he had crushed at the club. We had not spoken a single word about his hands shaking in the front room. A strong Alpha like Orion did not admit to feeling fear, but

Orion POV The world slowed down to an absolute, horrifying freeze.I saw the violent impact. I saw my Omega’s body lift right off the ice from the force of the blindside hit. I saw the plastic straps snap, and I saw his black helmet fly through the air, sliding across the white frost like a piece of trash.Then, I saw Lucian’s bare head hit the hard ice.THUD.The sound was soft, but it echoed louder in my brain than the roaring of twenty thousand fans. He lay completely still on the red line, his pale face turned toward the ceiling, his long blonde hair spread across the white frost. He was not moving. He was not breathing.A black, bottomless void opened up in the center of my chest. Every single ounce of my billionaire upbringing, my professional hockey restraint, and my corporate discipline was swallowed by that void at once. I was not an heir. I was not a captain. I was an apex Alpha, and someone had just tried to kill my mate right in front of my face.The red haze did not just