All Chapters of Twin Aces: Claimed by the Alpha Captain (MM Romance): Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Lucian POVI hear him before I see him.Not his voice, his silence. The specific quality of quiet that enters a space before a certain kind of person does. I am in the connecting corridor between the team area and the private suites, gear bag over one shoulder, heading nowhere urgent, when the air changes. Then the measured cadence of dress shoes on polished concrete, unhurried, precise, and I know without looking that whoever is walking toward Coach's office is not a league official or a sponsor representative.I stop near the equipment alcove and do not announce myself.The door opens before the knock.That tells me Orion knew he was coming. The greeting that follows is controlled, minimal, the register Orion uses when he is managing something he did not choose to invite. I have learned that register over months of close quarters. It is different from his authoritative voice, different from the tone he uses with me. Flatter. More careful. Like a man who learned very young that cer

Orion POVI wait until Lucian falls asleepNot because I need to hide it from him. He wouldn't stop me. I'm not doing anything behind his back. I wait because what I'm about to do is mine to handle. I don't want him watching me do it. I think about the line between protecting someone and making them see you protect them. This has been on my mind since the corridor. I remember when risk calculus was mentioned, and it felt like a verdict that Viktor didn't mean for both of us to hear.He's on his side, facing the wall. He's been breathing steadily. I sit on the edge of my bed in the dark with my phone in my hand. His scent is still in the room. Amber and something warmer underneath. This is the scent that means he's really okay, not just pretending to be. I have memorized this scent without trying. It makes something in my chest feel calm and certain.I dial Viktors number.Viktor answers on the ring. This means he was expecting my call. He usually answers on the ring. He thinks the fir

Orion POVIronclad was back on the schedule. The moment Coach Mercer pinned the updated game sheet to the board, the room shifted. Not loudly or dramatically, but enough. Conversations slowed, players stopped laughing, and someone cursed quietly near the lockers. Even the younger recruits straightened instinctively, shoulders tightening as if expecting blood on the ice tomorrow night. Ironclad had that effect. Not because they were unbeatable but because they played ugly. And because Dain Voss never forgot anything. I leaned against my locker, arms crossed, watching the team pretend they weren’t nervous while Coach spoke at the front. “Fast transitions,” Coach said, tapping the board sharply. “They pressure hard in the neutral zone. Dain’s line targets weak puck control, so if you hesitate—” “You get flattened,” Maddox muttered. Coach ignored him. “Keep possession tight. Don’t retaliate after hits. That’s exactly what they want.” Retaliation. No. Dain wanted something

Orion POVThe video hit six million views before midnight. By two a.m., it was over ten. Soon, the league was talking about us.I sat alone in the dark hotel room, phone glowing in my hand, while Lucian slept across from me for the first time in three nights, actually slept, barely. His breathing still sounded uneven from the bruised ribs, and every few minutes, he shifted like pain dragged him halfway awake before exhaustion pulled him under again. The cut above his brow had needed four stitches. He’d complained the entire time. I ignored him.Now, the room was quiet except for the hum of the heater and the notifications exploding across my screen.Twin Aces Demolish Ironclad. Rookie Lucian Virek Bleeds Through Final Period Victory. Orion Kael Loses Control on Ice.That last headline made my jaw tighten immediately. They were right.I opened the newest clip. It showed Lucian scoring the third-period goal while blood ran down his face. The crowd’s roar distorted the audio. Then the ca

Lucian POVThe room was really quiet after midnight. It did not feel peaceful; it felt heavy. The air felt like something was wrong.Rain hit the hotel windows softly, making the city lights look like gold. Cars were moving on the streets below. Up here, it felt like we were not part of the world.I was sitting on the edge of the bed, my phone was face down beside me. I was trying not to look at it, not to think about what people were saying. Strangers were looking at my body, trying to figure out what happened.My ribs hurt. My head hurts. Deep down, something was pulling at me.I was taking breaths, trying to calm down.Orion was sitting near the window, wearing sweatpants and a black shirt, looking at his laptop. He looked calm, like he always does.I know him really well. His shoulders were tight. His jaw clenched every minute when he got a new message.He was still watching, still protecting me, getting ready for the worst.I should have felt like he was controlling me. Maybe I s