All Chapters of Faking It With Hockey Alpha: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Aurora.The doorknob twisted to the left as I threw my shoulder against the painted wood to hold the frame shut. I dragged the hall table across the linoleum floor and wedged it under the lock before backing away with my phone clutched in my hand. My thumb hovered over the emergency dial pad.“Should I call the police?” I whispered to the empty living room.A strange, deep instinct warned me to put the device down and step away from the screen. Calling regular officers felt like a terrible mistake, an intuition that screamed the authorities would only make this situation worse. I chose to wait for Roland instead and that specific decision would cost me a great deal of pain. I tapped Roland’s contact name and pressed the speaker to my ear.“I am pulling onto your street,” Roland answered on the first ring. The sound of his car engine roared in the background. “Stay away from the windows.”“He is standing right outside my door,” I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut to stop the tears fro

Aurora.The glow of the cracked screen cast long shadows against my living room wall while I stared at the black-and-white photograph. The man standing outside the original city stadium possessed the exact same sharp jawline and the same piercing eyes I had looked into just ten minutes ago in this very room.I zoomed in on the grainy image and traced the faint, jagged scar resting just above the man’s left eyebrow. Roland carried that exact same mark from a hockey stick accident he claimed happened during his rookie season. I rubbed my thumb over the digital newsprint and tried to force a rational explanation into my panicked brain.This man had to be a grandfather or a distant relative who shared a strong genetic resemblance. Families passed down physical traits all the time, but the faded publication date stamped in the corner refused to let me accept that comfortable lie. October 14, 1974.My phone screen flickered and the battery icon flashed red before the device shut down and we

Aurora.Kai shoved me toward the metal frame of the window and unlatched the glass with a sharp jerk of his wrist. The cold night air whipped into the bedroom, carrying the distant hum of city traffic and the smell of rain.“Get out onto the fire escape,” Kai ordered, shoving his hand against my shoulder to force me forward. “You need to climb down to the alley and run toward the main avenue.”“I am not leaving you here alone,” I protested, grabbing the windowsill to anchor myself. “You can barely stand up, Kai.”“You staying here will get us both killed,” Kai growled, prying my fingers off the frame one by one. “They are not here for me. They want Richard Hayes’ daughter and I am not letting them put you in a cage. Move.”“Come with me,” I pleaded, staring at the fresh blood soaking through his torn shirt.“I will hold the doorway,” Kai stated, grabbing a heavy iron fire poker resting by the brick hearth. “Do not stop running, no matter what you hear behind you. Do not look back.”I

Roland.My blood burned in my veins as I slammed the sports car into park, blocking the ramp of the concrete garage. The sharp thread of awareness that had pulled me out of the council meeting had guided me straight to this lower level, a primal radar directing me through the dark streets before my mind could process the route.I lunged out of the vehicle and crossed the concrete floor in three long strides, positioning my body directly between Aurora and the intruder standing in the high beams.“Get behind me, Aurora,” I ordered, pushing her gently toward my bumper without breaking eye contact with the man in the grey suit jacket.“You took your time getting here, Roland,” the stranger remarked, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves with infuriating composure.I flared my nostrils and took a deep breath, searching for a familiar pack signature or scent mark, but the air around him remained completely flat and cold.He was not a rogue from our territory, nor was he a soldier sent by the

Roland.I stared at the glowing screen of my phone and shoved the device into my pocket without typing a reply. My wolf surged against my ribs and demanded immediate violence as I threw the SUV into reverse and slammed my foot onto the gas pedal.The tires spun against the asphalt and I tore out of the driveway, merging onto the dark road without bothering to check for oncoming traffic.“Victoria, get the perimeter team on the radio right now,” I ordered through the dashboard microphone and swerved around a slow-moving delivery truck.“I just verified their positions five minutes ago,” Victoria answered over the speakers, and paper shuffled in the background of her office. “They reported a quiet street and zero movement near the fire escape.”“Aurora just messaged me that someone is outside her door,” I snapped and pressed the accelerator down to the floorboards. “Call the guards and tell them to breach her apartment immediately.”“I am dialing the lead unit now,” Victoria stated, and