Rejected By My Hockey Alpha

The final buzzer shattered the arena's tension.

"We did it!" A bruised forward shouted, leaping off the training table.

I finished wrapping his sprained wrist and stepped back. "Keep ice on it tonight, Miller."

"Yeah, yeah! Thanks, Lyra!" He bolted toward the ice rink.

The roar of the crowd shook the bleachers. Kael hoisted the championship trophy above his head. His hockey jersey clung to his sweat-drenched chest. The arena lights caught the wild grin on his face.

Then, the scent hit me.

It crashed through the stadium like a physical wave. Sharp cedar and crushing frost. An Alpha's unchecked pheromones, fueled by pure adrenaline and victory.

My knees buckled.

I grabbed the edge of the metal medical cart. A white-hot needle of pain pierced my scalp. My heart seized, cramping so hard I tasted blood in my mouth.

The severed mate bond. The phantom tether he tore to shreds exactly a year ago.

A memory slashed through my vision. The grand hall of the werewolf summit. Hundreds of eyes watching. Kael standing over me, his voice echoing off the stone walls. *I reject this bond. I reject you.* The agony of that night had nearly killed me.

Now, the invisible ashes of that bond flared into a raging fire.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I needed to leave.

Before I could take a step, the crowd parted.

Kael skated to the edge of the rink. He stepped over the barrier, his skates grinding against the rubber mats. He didn't look at his cheering teammates. He didn't look at the flashing cameras.

His pale gray eyes locked onto mine.

"Lyra," he said. His voice was a low rumble, barely carrying over the screaming fans.

I gripped the cart tighter. "Go back to your team, Kael."

He took another step forward. The frost in his scent grew heavier, pressing down on my shoulders. "You're hurt."

"I'm working," I snapped. "You're suffocating half the stadium with your pheromones. Reign it in."

He frowned, his jaw flexing. He wanted to say something. I could see the battle raging in his expression. The guilt he carried from last year fought against his massive Alpha pride. He needed to apologize, but the cameras were flashing. His hockey scouts were watching from the VIP boxes.

"Just give me five minutes," Kael muttered, stopping two feet away. "In the locker room."

"I don't have five seconds for you."

"I saw you wince. The bond—"

"There is no bond!" I yelled, my voice cracking. "You made sure of that."

A flashbulb popped. People were staring now. The whispers started, cutting through the celebration.

"Is that the half-wolf?"

"Why is he talking to her?"

Before Kael could answer, a blur of red lipstick and blonde hair pushed through the crowd.

Marnie threw her arms around Kael’s neck. She pressed her chest against his hockey pads, loud and triumphant.

"You were amazing, baby!" she shrieked.

Kael stiffened. "Marnie, let go."

She didn't move. Instead, she turned her head, fixing a venomous glare on me. She grabbed his arm, digging her manicured nails into his sleeve.

"What are you still doing here, Lyra?" Marnie asked, her tone laced with fake pity. "The game is over. The medical staff can pack up."

I grabbed my supply kit. "I was just leaving."

"Good," Marnie sneered. "Because you're ruining the mood. Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? He rejected you in front of the entire pack council. Now you're stalking him at his games?"

"Marnie, shut up," Kael growled.

"Why should I?" She leaned heavier against him, making sure everyone saw her claim. "She needs to learn her place. You're going to the pros, Kael. You don't need a half-breed dragging down your reputation. You proved that last year."

The crowd’s murmurs grew louder.

"She really showed up to his game?"

"Have some dignity."

"I heard she begged him not to break the bond."

The whispers burned like salt in a fresh wound. My skin felt hot. The phantom mark on my forearm throbbed in time with my racing pulse. The familiar scent of cedar wrapped around me, pulling at my instincts. A sick, twisted part of my half-wolf soul wanted to submit to him. It wanted to fall to my knees and beg the Alpha to soothe the pain.

I hated him. But right now, I hated myself more for still feeling the pull.

I forced my spine straight. I looked Marnie up and down, then shifted my gaze to Kael.

"Congratulations on the win, Alpha," I said. My voice was pure ice.

Kael reached out, his hand hovering in the air. "Lyra, wait. Don't do this here."

"Do what?" I asked loudly, making sure the nearest fans heard me. "Acknowledge your victory? You have your trophy. You have your cheerleader. Leave me alone."

"I need to talk to you," he insisted, dropping his pitch to a harsh whisper. "Please."

"You don't want to talk. You just want to clear your guilty conscience." I stepped back, putting distance between his suffocating scent and my trembling body. "Keep it. It looks good on you."

I turned on my heel and shoved through the crowd.

"Lyra!" Kael yelled.

I didn't look back. I heard the scuffle of his skates, but he didn't follow. His pride anchored him to the spot. He wouldn't chase a rejected half-wolf in front of his adoring fans.

I bolted down the concrete tunnel, escaping the blinding arena lights.

My chest heaved. The pain in my arm escalated from a dull throb to a searing brand.

I shoved open the door to the medical supply closet and slammed it shut, locking the deadbolt. The tiny room smelled of rubbing alcohol and sterile bandages.

I leaned against the metal door and slid to the floor.

"Make it stop," I gasped, clutching my left forearm.

The fabric of my long-sleeved shirt felt like sandpaper against my skin. I yanked the sleeve up to my elbow.

I stared at my arm, my blood running cold.

The mate mark. It had faded to a pale, barely visible scar twelve months ago.

Now, the intricate knot of the wolf and moon was raised. It glowed a furious, pulsing dark red.

I traced the edge of the searing lines. A violent shudder ripped through my frame.

This wasn't just my pain.

Through the jagged, burning edges of the resurrected mark, a foreign emotion flooded my mind. Panic. Agony. A suffocating tightness in the chest.

It was Kael.

I covered my mouth to muffle a sob.

The bond wasn't dead. He had torn it apart, but it had never truly died. And wherever Kael was standing out there, he was burning right along with me.