Chapter 2 Rink
Chapter Two
Elara’s POV
The morning air at Crescent Ridge Academy carried the bite of autumn, sharp enough to sting my lungs as I walked across the courtyard. My bag felt heavier than it should, and not just because of books. Eyes followed me. Whispers chased me. Every step I took, I could feel the weight of students who already seemed to know something about me.
I kept my head down, pretending not to hear the murmurs. It was the first week, and I already hated the way my name traveled through their lips.
She is new.
She does not belong here.
Why is she even looking at Kael?
I had barely spoken to Kael. He was the captain of the Crescent Ridge hockey team and the one everyone called Alpha, even outside the rink. His presence was like a storm waiting to break. The first time I saw him in the hallway, his gaze had cut through me so sharp it was hard to breathe. I had looked away too fast, but it was too late. Someone had noticed.
By the time lunch came, the whispers had turned to something more dangerous.
I was on my way to the cafeteria when a group of girls blocked my path. Their smiles were too sweet to be kind. The tallest of them, a brunette with icy eyes, stepped forward.
“You are Elara Morgan, right?” she asked, though it did not sound like a question.
I nodded slowly.
Her smile sharpened. “You must be new here. So let me help you out. Stay away from Kael. He is not for you. He is not for anyone like you.”
Her friends laughed softly, forming a circle around me. My pulse quickened. I could feel the heat of humiliation crawl up my neck.
“I never said I was-” I started, but she cut me off.
“You do not have to say it. We saw the way you looked at him. He does not even know you exist. And if he does, it is only because we told him. You do not want to be on his bad side.”
The circle tightened. One of them shoved my shoulder lightly, but it was enough to make me stumble back. Laughter echoed around me.
I wanted to disappear.
Before I could react, a low voice broke through the mocking sounds. “That is enough.”
The girls froze.
I turned my head and saw three boys standing a few feet away. They were not just anyone. I recognized them from the hockey posters that lined the gym. Teammates of Kael.
The one who had spoken stepped forward. His blond hair fell into his eyes, and there was a quiet strength in the way he carried himself. “Move.”
The brunette’s expression flickered, but she rolled her eyes and stepped aside. Her friends followed, muttering under their breath. The circle broke.
I let out a breath I did not realize I had been holding.
The blond boy looked at me, his tone softening. “You okay?”
I nodded quickly, though my heart was still racing. “Yes. Thank you.”
Another boy with dark hair and sharp features gave me a crooked smile. “Do not listen to them. They live for drama. I am Jace.”
The blond boy added, “I am Rowan.”
The third one, taller than both, with eyes so gray they looked like storm clouds, gave a slight nod. “Luca.”
Their names sat heavy in my mind. These were Kael’s closest teammates, boys who held their own kind of power here.
“Why did they say that about Kael?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Rowan’s eyes softened. “Because Kael is… complicated. People think they know him, but they don’t. They just like to follow his shadow.”
Jace grinned. “Do not worry. You are safe now. If anyone bothers you again, tell them you are with us.”
I blinked at him. “With you?”
“Yeah,” he said easily. “Consider it protection.”
The idea unsettled me, but also sent a strange warmth through my chest. Protection. It had been a long time since anyone had offered me that.
Before I could respond, Rowan shifted the topic. “You coming to the hockey game tonight?”
“I was not planning to,” I admitted.
“You should,” Luca said, his voice steady and low. “You will understand everything when you see him on the ice.”
The way he said it made me shiver.
That evening, I found myself sitting in the crowded arena, surrounded by the thunder of cheering students. The air smelled of cold metal and sweat, the hum of energy rising with every second. I sat near the front, where the ice was clear and sharp beneath the lights.
The team skated out, and the roar of the crowd doubled. Banners waved, voices shouted, the sound vibrating in my chest.
My eyes searched until they found him. Kael.
He was easy to spot. His presence burned brighter than the rest. The captain’s jersey clung to his strong frame, and his stride was smooth, commanding. When he lifted his head, his eyes swept across the stands. For a moment, I swore they landed on me.
The breath caught in my throat.
The game began. Pucks shot across the ice, bodies clashed, blades cut sharp lines. I had never cared about hockey before, but watching them play was like watching a war. Speed, strength, strategy, every move laced with power.
And Kael was at the center of it.
He was not just a player. He was a force. The way he moved, the way his teammates fell in line with him, the way the crowd screamed his name—it was like watching a king command his army.
At one point, he slammed another player against the wall, the sound echoing through the arena. The other boy fell back, stunned, and Kael skated off with the puck as if nothing could touch him.
The crowd erupted.
My heart pounded as I leaned forward. I could not look away.
When the final buzzer rang, Crescent Ridge had won. The team gathered, Kael in the middle, his hand raised in victory.
Around me, students screamed and clapped, but I sat frozen. There was something more than a game happening here. Something raw and dangerous.
As Kael’s eyes flicked toward the stands again, I felt it in my bones.
Whatever this was, it was only the beginning.
Tbc
