For right now, I had to focus on the game. What better way to be protective than to wipe the fucking ice with her shitty exes? The grief and sadness twisted into something that felt a whole lot like vengeance.
On behalf of the omega that was one day going to be mine.
Chapter
Thirteen
Cade
“Another five-minute penalty for Hawke,” the announcer called out, the shock ringing loud and clear in his voice. Our group wasn’t necessarily known for fights.
That changed tonight.
The Wardens were out for blood. We talked strategy through clenched teeth, every single one of us on edge. Despite the distraction of wanting to kick their asses, we also wanted to show them we were better players too.
Kieran was practically giddy when he slammed his big body into the penalty box. He was skating a fine line, close to getting himself ejected. I wasn’t sure what had changed. Maybe this was his way of coping with today, but if he wasn’t careful, he’d find his ass tossed before we were even out of the second period.
We’d already had to clear the ice more than once for bloodshed. The refs were visibly frustrated, the officials confused, whistles coming late, tempers flaring faster than they could control.
We’djustgotten play restarted again.
Conrad, for his part, hadn’t let a single puck get past him in the first half. He was locked in and swallowing rebounds like they were nothing. We were obliterating the competition, far better than we ever had before.
I pushed myself harder, skates carving clean lines through freshly smoothed ice, weaving around confused Narwhals. The puck danced along my stick as I carried it over the blue line, cutting inside the defender.
Their goalie moved too early, dropping his angle, glove held a bit too high.
It didn’t matter.
My shot was sharp, snapping off his leg pad and rattling the net.
“What the fuck is your guys’ problem?” Sutton, their delta, cursed as he skated past me.
I said nothing.
We’d promised Lana we wouldn’t say a word. Even Wilder, one of the calmest players on the ice, had reached his limit. They always discounted the beta. Underestimating him tonight would be a mistake.
He was our not-so-secret weapon.
Wilder intercepted the puck along the boards and sent it clean across the ice to Mason, threading it past two defensemen. We were a man down, but it didn’t matter.
Someone slammed into me from the side, sending me into a brief tailspin. I recovered fast, one of the benefits of being an alpha on high alert. Faster reflexes and quicker balance recovery. Not as quick as our deltas, but it was a close second.
Even through his cage, I could see Milo Cruz’s glare. “What the fuck is your problem?” he growled. “This is unsportsmanlike. You’re going to get fined.”
“And yet, it’ll be worth it,” I sang out, not bothering to stay quiet this time.
I could feel the anger radiating off him, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face.
“This moment,” I added quietly, skating past him. “I want you to remember it.”
He was so distracted he didn’t see the play developing behind him. I pivoted, intercepted the puck, and slammed into one of the Narwhals’ rookies, separating him from it. The puck shot straight to Wilder, who snagged it effortlessly.
His huge body barreled down the ice. He was probably built more for football, but damn if that beta couldn’t move. Powerful strides, head up, owning the ice.
By the time the first-line was pulled off for a shift change and replaced by the second, I collapsed onto the bench, my chest heaving. Satisfaction, adrenaline, and giddy vengeance pulsed through me. This was the exact outcome I wanted.
“Somebody tell me what the fuck that was,” the coach demanded as we leaned over the boards.
