Nhl Booktok Controversy Novels & Stories

My breath hitches in my throat as my eyes strain to focus on the bold, black text blaring across the top of the sports news site: NEYLAN ASTOR AND AUREL LAURENTIS CAUGHT ON CCTV? ANONYMOUS LEAK SENDS HOCKEY WORLD INTO CHAOS.

He looked back at Lucian's bare neck, his expression unreadable. Collins, the backup goalie, leaned forward from his bench, his hands flat against his leg pads. "Miller, the league is going to drop the hammer on us. If we walk out onto that ice with an unregistered player, they will forfeit the entire final series. My agent just texted me. The network is already running the story on a loop." "Shut up, Collins," Miller snapped, not even bothering to look back at the bench. He raised his hockey stick. The composite blade caught the bright glare of the overhead locker room lights. For a brief second, the whole room braced for trouble, every Alpha body tightening in preparation for a fight.

And I couldn't blame her. The game was being held in Boston, neutral territory, big arena, sold-out crowd. Duncan had pulled out all the stops for his publicity stunt, and it was working. Every sports channel was covering it. Every hockey analyst was weighing in on whether the Edinburgh Raptors could actually compete with the Chicago Wolves. The consensus was no. We were expected to dominate. I sat in the locker room, suited up, staring at my phone. One more try. One more attempt to reach her before I went out on that ice.

He needs to handle this with dignity and discretion in order to prevent a breach of the morality clause in his contract. “Okay, so first we’re not going to say the possibility of any child coming into the world is bad, especially if it might be your kid. But it's sure not ideal, now is it? Why didn't you wrap it up? You boys know better than anyone that there's plenty of girls out there just looking for the free ride that an NHL player can provide.” “I always use condoms. I think I did. I’m not sure. I was drinking that night,” he stammers.

“Oh, you.” “You leaked my book? How could you do that to me?!” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Noah said with a shrug. His teammates started to laugh as if they knew something I didn’t know. He was lying, I knew it. “You’re lying, just admit it!” I said stepping up closer.

I crashed backward into the lockers with a deafening bang, pain shooting through my spine as the metal dug in. The crowd erupted, phones started flying up, people shouting and recording. Natalie stormed in and raised her arm, clearly wanting to slap me back and I'm ready for that. "An eye for an eye, a slap for a slap." But when her hand was about to land on me, another hand caught her wrist. "Hands off, Blondie!" Asher's deep voice boomed through the chaos like a command on the ice. The star winger of the hockey team pushed through the crowd with powerful strides, his broad shoulders cutting through the sea of phones and staring faces.

The Exposure Morning shattered the peace. Phones buzzed nonstop. News alerts filled every screen. Victor Kane had released a massive online post claiming proof that two NHL players were vampires. Old photos of Jake from decades ago. Blurry pictures from the gala fight. Close-ups of bite marks. The internet exploded. #VampNHL trended worldwide. Alex’s coach left angry voicemails. His teammate Brody sent shocked messages. “I knew something was weird… but this?” The league announced an emergency investigation.

Long enough that his eyes dropped to my mouth for a fraction of a second before coming back up to hold mine. I skated to the bench for a line change and kept my face completely neutral and tried to remember what composure felt like from the inside. It felt like something I was performing rather than something I actually possessed. Later that night, I checked my phone on the way out of the arena. The clip was already everywhere. People had slowed it down the same way they had slowed down the fight footage. The same conversation, louder now, sharper. One account with a significant following had posted a side-by-side of every collision we had been involved in over three seasons and the caption

Because it required acknowledging something I preferred ignoring. “They asked about leadership.” She waited. “They asked about pressure.” Another pause. “They asked about emotional control.” “And?” I leaned back in the chair. “And they acted like none of the hockey matters.” The therapist studied me carefully before responding. “Do you believe that’s true?” “Obviously.” “Then why are NHL organizations spending so much time discussing those subjects?” I looked away. The answer existed. I just didn’t want to say it. She noticed. Of course she noticed. “Leo.”

"The only way either of us makes that final list...is if one or both of them are disqualified." A slow smile crept back onto my face. "So this time...make sure Ronan doesn't have the chance to bury the scandal." I inhaled deeply. The morning air suddenly felt much colder. My eyes hardened. "I know exactly what to do." The answer came without hesitation. "I'll make Liora another offer, one she will grab with both hands. I'll buy the pictures she took." A quiet laugh escaped my lips. "As long as those angles make it onto the internet..." I slowly clenched my bleeding fist. "...forget the NHL and IIHF, not even ordinary professional clubs or organization with a reputation to protect will want h