Lahat ng Kabanata ng Rejected by my team, Claimed by the Rival: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

AUTHOR'S POV The final horn violently shattered the freezing air.Red goal lights flashed frantically behind the opposing net. The massive digital scoreboard hanging above center ice locked onto the final numbers. Falcons 4. Rivals 3."Time!" the head referee yelled, waving his arms to officially kill the clock.Carter threw his composite stick ten feet into the air. Miller dropped to his knees, screaming at the rafters. The bench door swung open, but Athena didn't wait for the bottleneck of players pushing through. Grabbing the top edge of the plexiglass, she vaulted her body directly over the boards.Jeremiah threw his heavy gloves onto the ice. He didn't celebrate with Carter. He spun around, his dark eyes locking onto Athena as she scrambled toward him.Closing the distance, he didn't stop. He crashed directly into her, his massive arms wrapping tight around her waist. The momentum lifted her entirely off the frozen surface. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, the sharp

ATHENA"Julian will lose his tenure.""Julian tried to end your career." Jeremiah’s voice dropped, cold and unforgiving. "He doesn't get a lifeline."The sheer ruthlessness of the plan mirrored my own hockey strategy. Exploit the gap. Break the structure.Staring at his face, the harsh neon glow from the paused television highlighted the sharp angle of his cheekbones. The fight in the tunnel. The absolute safety of this apartment. The way he seamlessly transitioned from violent protector to tactical partner.The heavy, suffocating anxiety of the past three days suddenly morphed into an entirely different kind of physical tension.Dropping my legs, I shifted closer. My knee brushed against his thigh."You really think it will work?" I whispered, my voice dropping."It’s a guaranteed kill shot," Jeremiah murmured, his dark eyes tracking the sudden shift in my posture. "Vance folds. Your suspension disappears. You take back the bench permanently.""Good."Reaching out, I didn't grab his

ATHENAHeavy bass rattled the soles of my boots before we even cleared the wrought-iron front gates.The humid Los Angeles night clung to my bare arms, thick and suffocating, but the electric high of the minor-league victory completely eclipsed the sweltering heat. The only thing to do tonight was to celebrate with my team, project absolute unity, and prove to the entire campus that the Falcons were untouchable.Wrapping both hands securely around Jeremiah’s thick bicep, I leaned into his side as we walked up the steep, winding driveway of the Hollywood Hills rental."You’re practically vibrating, Cole," Jeremiah murmured, glancing down at me. A rare, relaxed smirk played on his lips."I just beat a top-tier seed with a roster everyone called garbage two months ago." Smiling so hard my cheeks ached, I squeezed his arm. "I am allowed to vibrate. We earned this.""We did," he agreed, covering my hands with his own.Approaching the massive double doors of the mansion, the chaos of the pa

AUTHOR'S POVAs the air cut through the thin fabric of her dress, it raised goosebumps along her arms, making her wish she'd worn something thick. Athena wrapped her hands around the balcony railing and looked down at the crowd spilling out of the mansion's back doors, red cups in hand, laughter cutting through the bass thumping from the speakers inside.She felt him step up behind her before she heard him. The warmth of his body blocking the wind. "Cold?" Jeremiah asked."A little."He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. The lining was still warm from his body. She pulled it tighter around herself and turned to face him."Better?""Much."He leaned his forearms on the railing beside her, his shoulder brushing hers. The party raged on below where there waa a blur of bodies and colored lights. But up here, it felt like they were in a different world. Just the two of them and the distant glow of Manhattan's skyline."You know," Jeremiah said, his eyes on the city ins

AUTHOR'S POVThe shrill, vibrating ringtone sliced violently through the suffocating midday heat of the cramped Westwood dorm room, a digital summons that could permanently end a collegiate coaching career.Athena Cole stared at the glowing glass screen resting on the battered wooden desk. The name TALIA - RINK MANAGER flashed in stark white letters. Outside the single, narrow window, the Los Angeles sun baked the concrete courtyard, rendering the air outside heavy, stagnant, and completely entirely unforgiving.Swiping her thumb across the glass, she lifted the phone."I'm here," Athena answered, her voice dropping into a flat, professional register."My office. One hour." Talia didn't bother with pleasantries. The line clicked dead.Tossing the phone onto her unmade bed, Athena exhaled a long, jagged breath. The academic suspension hung over her neck like a guillotine. If Talia was calling her in off-schedule, the athletic administration had likely made a final decision regarding th