Captain Ice Cookie Run Novels & Stories

His boots made a lot of noise as he came towards me. "Coach, what is wrong?" I asked, wiping the sweat from my face. "The problem is you, Oliver Downhill!" Coach Miller appeared to be fuming as he was staring at me. "What is the meaning of this announcement? This is an ice hockey rink, not a place for you to talk about your love life! This is a school, not a place for you to make announcements about your relationship with Aurelia Winterfield!" I put my hands up in the air trying to defend myself. "Coach I am the future Alpha of the Flaming Wolves Clan. I can make announcements whenever I want and the people in charge of announcements will do what I say."

"The bet is over. You won. Everyone knows. You don't have to keep playing the part of the attentive boyfriend in your own house." His expression shifted. The corners of his jaw tightened, a small muscle pulsing there. "The bet." "Yeah. The one where you see if the girl with the viral breakup is pathetic enough to fall for the hockey captain. Remember that bet?" Ryan didn't flinch. Instead, he reached out, his hand slamming against the shelf next to my head. The sound echoed in the small space. He leaned in, his face inches from mine, his scent—mint and something metallic, like the ice, suffocating me.

Oh my God. It dawned on me at that moment… Lucas already lost the captain's title… There's no way Coach is letting Kianeffing Maddox go. “Everyone gather around.” The coach's voice came as he hugged Scott, “That's my boy. I am really proud of you.” “And to everyone on the team. We have our new MVP and captain of the team. Kian Maddox.” The coach announced. The rink erupted with cheers and whistles. Lucas threw his helmet on the floor, getting everyone's attention.

“Do you have any idea what this game means for the pack?” I don’t answer him. I know what it means. Moonveil has humiliated us twice before. If it happens again, well, it’ll be shameful. In my defense, I wasn’t myself during either of those games. This time, everything will be different. Coach turns away from me and keeps on talking to the team, giving us our last instructions before we move to the ice. The lights are blinding and turning everything white. I skate to the center at the same time Ray does.

Whoever it was under the sack, the person wasn't moving much, though their shoulders twitched as if they were trying to wriggle free. Every student at the Academy knew the rule: after ten o’clock, the hockey pitch was off-limits. It belonged to the Five Brothers. Camden, Cassian, Jax, River, and… me. This late at night, anyone found here was either stupid, reckless, or asking for trouble. So whoever was under the sack was definitely asking for trouble. Camden caught sight of us, his expression unreadable under the faint moonlight. “Got ourselves an intruder,” he called out, his voice edged with that casual menace he used on people who didn’t know better.

“I’m a little out of practice.” “A little?” He smirks, lazily gliding toward me. Effortless. Like the ice bends for him. “You look like Bambi on roller skates.” Heat surges to my cheeks. “You’re supposed to be helping me.” “I am.” He flicks a puck in my direction. “Rule number one: stop whining.” The puck skitters across the ice. Instinct kicks in I catch it on my stick, handle it without thinking. For a second, it feels right. Then my balance falters, and I stumble.

“Just your brain being stupid.” But the feelings from the dream wouldn’t leave. The way his lips felt. The way he said my name. It scared me more than any big hit on the ice. I couldn’t like Toby that way. I was Alan Voss. Hockey captain. Going to the NHL. Guys like me didn’t have dreams about other guys. I needed to prove it. To myself and to everyone. The next morning I texted Sarah, one of the girls who had been asking me out for months.

“It’s glitching, I—” “Take it outside. Do not return until tomorrow.” Humiliation crawled up my neck as I grabbed my bag and bolted. The second the door shut behind me, the alarm died like magic. New text popped up. “Blue Gatorade. Now.” I wanted to smash the phone against the wall. Instead I bought the stupid drink and stomped all the way to Rink 2, anger and shame mixing into something ugly in my chest. The arena was freezing and almost empty. Asher was out on the ice alone, carving through orange cones with scary speed. The puck stuck to his stick like it was glued there.

“You don’t look like you want to be here.” “You wouldn’t blame me, Cole,” I whisper, moving closer to him. “I didn’t think that an athlete who’s going to be a real breakout star and play in the NHL is involved in illegal racing, and you do know the risk. You could lose your legs, your life even, and still, the worst that can happen if you get caught by the police, what would happen?” Cole moved closer to me, trying to say something, but instead, he just pecked my forehead and smiled at me.

I blink, realizing the team has been running drills while I have been standing here, half in my own head. “Yes, Coach,” I answer quickly, straightening. His eyes narrow slightly as he studies me. “Get your head in the game. You cannot afford distractions right now, not as captain.” “I know.” The words come out automatically, but they sit heavy in my chest. I push off the boards and skate back into position, forcing myself to focus, forcing my body to move the way it always has. Pass, pivot, shoot, repeat. Muscle memory takes over, but it is not enough to quiet the noise in my head.