All Chapters of My Ex's Brother Is the Hockey Alpha : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Catherine’s POVI stop in front of the door.My fingers squeeze Clinton’s hand like I’m trying to borrow his courage through skin contact. The music inside rattles the walls. Laughter explodes, like nothing bad ever happened.Like I wasn’t just emotionally assassinated.“I can’t do it,” I whisper.Clinton turns slowly, one eyebrow raised, mildly entertained by the train wreck that is my life.“Can’t do what?”“Go back in there,” I blurt. “If I see him tonight, I’ll cry. Or scream. Or...accidentally commit a felony with a chair. I’m not stable enough to figure out which.”He stares at me, measuring exactly how much drama he’s willing to tolerate.“Okay.”I blink. “Okay?”He shrugs. “You don’t have to. We’ll start tomorrow.”“…Tomorrow?” I whine. “Do you even know what tomorrow is?”“Christmas,” he says, smirking.“Yes! Christmas!” I wave my hand like it’s a weapon. “The day people spend with family, loved ones… literally anyone…except a girl whose life exploded twenty-four hours ago.”

Clinton’s POVPeople say Christmas is joy. Family. Love. Peace. They’ve clearly never sat at our dining table. I have. I call it pretending.Pretending we love each other, like everything is fine…when I’m not even sure I belong.Right now, I’m sitting at the long dining table in our mansion, chest tight, stomach twisting, staring at a plate of food I don’t want and can’t taste.My mother’s smile is plastic, my father’s face is sour, and my golden-boy brother wears that smug little smirk like he owns the world.Everyone’s playing their parts. And me? I hate it. I’d rather be outside in the snow, at the rink running drills with Jack and Cody, or anywhere…anywhere…than here. Hell, I’d even rather be talking to Catherine. At least she’s real. Or just hanging with Richard, my best friend.And then I remember last night. The girl who reminded me what real feels like. Catherine. Thinking of her makes my stomach twist in ways I don’t like. I shove the thought aside.My father suddenly looks a

Catherine's POV I have called him six times.Then seven.Now eight.Still nothing.“Pick up, Clinton,” I mutter, pacing outside the tiny café near school. “Don’t tell me you overslept… or that you’re doing your hair.”He promised we’d meet here and walk into school together like some iconic, heart-shattering, jealousy-inducing couple.Apparently, promises mean nothing to Clinton Blunt.I press my phone to my ear again. Voicemail.Again.I stomp my foot. “Unbelievable. I swear I’ll throw my phone at him when he arrives.”A group of girls passes, giggling like a pack of hyenas. I almost roll my eyes…until I hear:“Omg, Jacob in Twilight is so hot.”“So hot? Girl, he is fire. I would give my left leg to date a werewolf like him.”“Same! He’s hot and dangerous. I love it.”I look up, fighting the urge to laugh. Girls are so dramatic.“Werewolf?” I mutter under my breath. “Seriously? Why would anyone want to date an animal?”I roll my eyes so hard they almost fall out.“Werewolves aren’t

Danny’s POVNatasha’s voice is like a mosquito buzzing in my ear. She’s been talking for the past five minutes, but I don’t hear a single thing she’s saying. My eyes are locked on the door, hoping Catherine will walk through it and beg for my forgiveness.I can’t get the image out of my head…her small hand in his. His fingers wrapped around hers like she belongs to him.My nostrils flare. How dare she humiliate me in front of everyone?I snatch Natasha’s water bottle and hurl it at the wall. She screams as the plastic shatters, water spraying across the floor. Her stupid pink straw, stained with lipstick, rolls under the desk.“Danny!” she squeals, clutching her chest. “What the hell is wrong with you?”I stand, not answering. I can’t sit still another second. I can’t breathe in this damn classroom. I storm toward the door, ignoring the stares that follow me. The sound of my shoes hitting the floor echoes with every angry step.“Danny! Wait!” Natasha calls, her heels clacking behind m

Catherine’s POVThe hallway feels off today. Not loud. Not quiet either. Just… wrong.Whispers ripple around me as I pass. Voices fall silent. Eyes cling to me…cold, curious…then dart away like they’ve been caught.Something is wrong.I clutch my books tighter to my chest and keep walking.A group of girls stands by the lockers ahead. One of them is a cheerleader…short skirt, perfect ponytail, phone glued to her hand. She leans in close to another girl and whispers, not quietly enough.“Danny said she’s just using him.”I slow without meaning to.“Using who?” someone asks.“Clinton,” she replies, rolling her eyes. “For money. For rides. For attention. Apparently she begged him to date her so she could look important.”My stomach drops.Another girl snorts. “Makes sense. She’s always been… you know.”“Poor?” someone adds.They laugh.The sound hits my chest like a punch.I keep walking. I don’t look back. If I do, I think I might scream.---It spreads fast.Like rot.By second period,