Rejected By My Hockey Alpha

The night wind bit through my thin jacket as I hurried across the campus courtyard.

I just wanted to reach my dorm. I needed to scrub the scent of the banquet off my skin and lock the door.

A massive shadow detached itself from the brick wall near the entrance.

"Lyra."

I froze. Kael stepped into the pool of light cast by a flickering streetlamp.

He looked nothing like the arrogant champion from the arena. His tailored suit jacket hung open, the silk tie ripped away. Sweat soaked the collar of his dress shirt. He leaned heavily against the brick, his broad chest heaving as if he had just skated a triple overtime.

"Get out of my way," I said, gripping my medical bag tight against my hip.

He didn't move. "We need to talk."

"We have nothing to say to each other." I stepped to the left.

He mirrored my movement, blocking the narrow walkway. "Please."

His voice cracked. The sound sent a dangerous jolt straight to my chest.

"You made your speech at the lodge," I snapped. "You told the scouts I was a delusion. Go back to your party."

"The amulet broke." He lifted a trembling hand, dragging his fingers through his messy hair. "You felt it. I know you did."

"I felt a coward losing his shield," I shot back.

He flinched. The Alpha pride that usually rolled off him in waves was entirely gone, replaced by a suffocating aura of panic. "I'm burning alive, Lyra. My organs feel like they're tearing apart."

"Welcome to my last twelve months," I said, locking my knees to keep from shaking. "Take some aspirin."

Kael’s jaw clenched. A low, territorial growl vibrated in his chest. "Don't walk away from me. Not tonight."

"You don't get to command me anymore."

"I'm not commanding you!" He slammed his fist against the brick wall. The sharp crack echoed across the empty courtyard. "Do you think I wanted to rip my own bond apart?"

I stared at him. The phantom mark on my forearm throbbed, syncing perfectly with the frantic, erratic pounding of his heart. I could feel his physical backlash. It tasted like ash and copper in the back of my throat.

"You wanted the major leagues," I said, keeping my tone absolute ice. "You chose a contract over your mate."

"It wasn't just hockey." Kael leaned in, his pale gray eyes wild and bloodshot. "Thorne isn't just a scout. He represents the Northern Factions."

My stomach dropped. "The pureblood council?"

"Yes." Kael dropped his voice to a harsh whisper, glancing over his shoulder. "They made it a condition. Sign the contract, secure the pack's financial future, but I had to sever the bond with you."

"Why would the council care about a half-wolf?"

"Because of what you are." He closed the distance between us, grabbing my shoulders.

His grip was entirely desperate. His hands were freezing.

"They know about your bloodline, Lyra," he insisted, shaking me slightly. "They demanded I leave you vulnerable so they could—"

I shoved his chest hard. "So they could what?"

He stumbled back, coughing violently. The physical toll of the broken bond was wrecking his system. He doubled over, clutching his ribs as a spasm racked his massive frame.

A twisted knot of pity tightened in my throat. I hated him for abandoning me. I hated him for humiliating me. But seeing him broken and bleeding from the nose tore at my fading defenses. My hand twitched. The dormant mate instincts screamed at me to reach out, to press my hands to his chest and soothe the agony.

I dug my nails into my palms until the skin nearly broke.

"Tell me the rest," I demanded, forcing my spine straight. "What did they want with me?"

Kael straightened up, swiping a streak of dark blood from his upper lip. "They threatened to kill you, Lyra. If I didn't reject you publicly, if I didn't prove my loyalty to the purebloods, they were going to hunt you down."

"You're lying," I said, my voice shaking. "You just wanted the fame."

"Look at me!" he roared, tearing his shirt open.

The sight made me gasp.

Black, jagged veins crawled up his chest, originating from the spot over his heart where our bond used to anchor. The corruption was spreading, eating away at his skin.

"This is what happens when an Alpha denies his true mate," Kael rasped, his knees finally buckling. He hit the concrete hard, staring up at me. "I took the poison. I took the rot. I let them think I hated you so they wouldn't look twice at your bloodline."

I stared at the black veins. My mind reeled.

All this time, I thought he was living a perfect life. I thought he was celebrating his freedom.

He was dying.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Because you would have fought them," Kael choked out, gripping the edge of my jeans. "You would have died trying to protect me. I couldn't let them take you."

My heart fractured. The absolute hatred I had harbored for twelve months cracked down the middle. I reached out, my fingers hovering inches from his corrupted skin.

The heat radiating from his chest was intense.

"Lyra, listen to me," Kael said, his grip tightening on my pant leg. "The amulet was suppressing the bond's energy. Now that it's shattered, the council will know the tether is trying to repair itself."

"Let it," I whispered, the words escaping before I could stop them.

"No." He shook his head frantically. "They need a severed mate. They need the raw energy of a broken tether to—"

"Well, well. Look who finally crawled out of the arena."

The sharp, mocking voice sliced through the cold air, cutting Kael off.

I spun around.

Marnie stepped out from the thick line of oak trees flanking the dorms.

She wasn't alone. Four massive figures walked behind her.

They weren't hockey players. They were pureblood enforcers. Their eyes glowed a sickly, unnatural amber in the dark.

"Marnie," Kael snarled, instantly stepping in front of me. "Back off."

"You're pathetic, Kael," Marnie sneered, adjusting the collar of her designer coat. "I warned you to stay away from her. But you just couldn't resist the leash, could you?"

"I said leave," Kael barked. He flashed his fangs, his Alpha aura flaring in a desperate attempt to assert dominance.

The four enforcers didn't flinch. They spread out, forming a tight semicircle around us, blocking the path back to the street. Their silence was deadly.

"Did you really think the council would trust you to stay away?" Marnie asked, her lips curling into a vicious smile. "They knew the bond would flare up eventually. They just needed you to break the amulet first."

My pulse skyrocketed. The mark on my arm erupted, turning from a dull ache to a scalding brand.

It wasn't just Kael's pain anymore.

A scent hit me, completely drowning out Kael's cedar.

Burnt copper and damp shadows.

It was the exact same scent that had flooded our bond at the banquet hall. The unseen watcher.

I stared at Marnie's crew. The dark, suffocating aura rolled off their skin in thick, heavy waves. They weren't just here to drag Kael back to his VIP life.

"You," I whispered, taking a slow step backward. "You were at the lodge."

Marnie’s smile widened, revealing slightly elongated canines. "The shield is gone. The bond is exposed."

She raised her hand, pointing a manicured finger directly at my chest.

"Grab them both," Marnie ordered.

The enforcers lunged.