Semua Bab Rejected by My Hockey Alpha Stepbrother #omegaverse: Bab 51 - Bab 60

DamonThe call came before sunrise.I had been awake for hours, staring at the ceiling while the rest of the pack slept. The room was dark except for the weak light slipping through the curtains, and Elliot’s photograph was still lying on the bedside table where I had left it.I should have put it away.Instead, I had spent most of the night looking at it.The picture had been taken years ago, before everything became complicated. Elliot stood near the edge of the frozen lake, wearing a coat that was too large for him and smiling at someone outside the frame. He looked younger there. Softer. Unafraid.I barely remembered the last time he had looked that happy around me.My phone began vibrating against the wooden table.I reached for it immediately, expecting a message from Mason or one of the pack guards.Coach Grant’s name appeared on the screen.I sat up.“Coach?”“Morning, Damon.”His voice was serious.That was never a good sign.“Is something wrong?”“That depends on whether you

DamonThe room remained silent after Father announced the date.Two weeks.Fourteen days until Lelia and I would stand before powerful Alphas, council members, sponsors, and hockey officials while everyone celebrated a future neither of us had chosen.I looked toward her.She sat across from Father with her back straight and her hands folded neatly in her lap. Her expression was calm enough to fool anyone who did not know what fear smelled like.But I did.The faint bitterness beneath her perfume had been there since she arrived.Lelia was afraid.She simply hid it well.“Two weeks is too soon,” I said.Father leaned back in his chair as though he had expected the objection.“The arrangements are already underway.”“That does not answer me.”“It was not meant to.”My jaw tightened. “You expect us to become engaged in front of half the region after barely knowing each other.”“You are already engaged.”“According to you.”Father’s eyes hardened.“According to an agreement between two A

LeliaThe walk to Father’s guest suite felt longer than it should have.Every step carried me farther away from the safety of the main wing and deeper into the quieter part of the mansion reserved for important visitors. The corridors here were almost empty. The servants had already finished preparing the rooms, and the guards stood far enough apart that no one would hear what happened behind a closed door.Father had chosen the location carefully.He always did.By the time I reached the suite, my palms were damp.I stood outside for a moment, staring at the polished wooden door.Maybe he only wanted to discuss the engagement.Maybe he had not seen me in the garden with Damon.Maybe the message had sounded colder than he intended.The lies came easily, but I did not believe any of them.I lifted my hand and knocked.“Enter.”His voice came from inside.I opened the door.Father stood near the window with a glass of amber liquid in one hand. He had removed his jacket, but the rest of

LeliaI thought about Mason’s question all night.Could we really be friends when his wolf knew I was his mate?The answer should have been simple.No.There was nothing simple about being promised to one Alpha while fate tied me to another man. There was nothing safe about trusting Mason when my father had already threatened to destroy him. Even friendship felt dangerous because feelings rarely remained where people placed them.Still, when morning came, I found myself looking for him.Not openly.I knew better than that.The mansion was already busy with preparations for the engagement party. Servants carried flower samples through the halls, event coordinators argued about seating arrangements, and tailors waited outside my room with fabric I had not chosen.Every part of the day reminded me that my life belonged to an agreement.By noon, I needed air.I escaped through the rear entrance and walked toward the gardens. The bruise on my cheek had faded beneath makeup, but my wrist st

DamonThe ice struck my knee hard enough to send pain through my entire leg, but I barely felt it.My hand remained pressed against my chest while the mate bond pulsed again.Not sharply.Not like the pain of rejection.This was different.Warm.Weak.Distant.Alive.“Damon!”Mason reached me first.He dropped beside me and grabbed my shoulder while the other players gathered around. Coach Grant blew the whistle and ordered everyone to move back, but their scents and voices still crowded the air.“What happened?” Mason asked.“I’m fine.”The words came out through clenched teeth.“You fell.”“I lost my balance.”“You don’t lose your balance.”Coach crouched on my other side.“Can you stand?”“Yes.”I tried.The moment I shifted my weight, another faint pull moved through the bond.My wolf surged forward.Alive.The word echoed through me with terrifying certainty.Our mate is alive.I gripped Mason’s arm.His expression changed.“You felt it again.”I looked at him.The arena seemed t