Contract With My Hockey Alpha

RUBY

The moment my boyfriend ran toward her, my world came crumbling down around me.

Not because he was leaving me. But because the Moon Goddess had just chosen my worst enemy as his fated mate.

“I, Graham Scott, accept you, Lizzy Harris, as my mate,” he said, looking into her eyes the way he never looked at me.

The air grew thick with cheers and excitement from our schoolmates as Graham pulled her into a kiss that felt like a knife to my chest, twisting deeper with every second.

Lizzy Harris.

The daughter of the Alpha of the Whispering Crystals Pack.

The girl who made my life at Kington College a living hell.

And now, the mate of the boy who once swore he’d love me forever.

The whispers started almost immediately—a chorus of pity and judgment buzzing in my ears.

“Poor Ruby.”

“How could she have thought she’d keep him?”

“I knew the goddess would never mate Graham to such a lowly omega.”

I needed to get out. Now.

Pushing through the crowd, I kept my head down, the lump in my throat growing tighter with every step. As I burst outside, I wanted to scream, to break something—to wake up from this nightmare.

How could Graham do this to me?

I tried to fight back the tears, but I couldn’t. Memories flooded in—two years of love, trust, and promises. Gone.

He told me fate didn’t control us. A month ago, when I turned eighteen and didn’t feel the pull of a mate, Graham told me it didn’t matter. That he would choose me, no matter what...

“Ruby, please wait!”

I froze, my heart twisting painfully at the sound of his voice.

Wiping away my tears, I turned slowly to see him running toward me. When he finally stopped a few steps away, he was breathless.

He looked... torn. Guilt swam in his gaze, but there was something else—something he was trying to hide.

“Why?” My voice came out broken. “Why did you kiss her? Why did you accept her?!"

The girl who made my life hell at school.

The words sat unspoken between us as I blinked back tears.

He sighed, dragging a hand through his dark hair. “Ruby, I just accepted her. And the kiss, I—” He exhaled shakily. “I don’t even remember when I kissed her.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “You don’t remember? You were all over her, Graham. You looked at her like she was your whole world!”

“That’s not what it was!” His voice cracked. “Everything happened so fast. The bond—”

“The mate bond,” I cut in, my laugh hollow. “Right. The same bond you said didn’t matter. You told me you’d choose me, remember?”

“I still choose you, Ruby.” He took a hesitant step forward.

“No.” I stepped back. “You didn’t. If you chose me, you wouldn’t have stood there and said those words to her.”

He reached for me, but I stepped back again. “Don’t touch me.”

“Ruby, I never wanted to hurt you,” he said softly.

“Well, congratulations,” I bit out. “You did.”

I turned to walk away, but his hand shot out and caught my wrist.

“I still love you, Ruby. That hasn’t changed.”

I wanted to believe him. I really did.

His fingers brushed my cheek before he pulled me into his arms. Every part of me screamed to push him away to tell him to go back to his mate.

But then he pressed his lips to my forehead, murmuring,

“You’re still my girl, Ruby. I swear. I love you.”

Tears burned in my eyes. I loved him. That’s why it hurt so much. That’s why it felt like my entire world was caving in.

“Let’s just leave,” I whispered.

He tensed, pulling back slightly. “The party hasn’t ended.”

“Graham, I can’t go back there.”

He hesitated before nodding. “Okay. Give me a second. Let me say goodbye to my friends"

I nodded, too exhausted to argue. “Fine. I’ll wait.”

I stood there for what felt like forever. The cold air did nothing to numb the pain clawing at my chest. Minutes passed, and when I couldn’t take it anymore, I decided to go back inside—even though every part of me didn’t want to.

Just as I reached the entrance, I spotted one of his friends.

“Have you seen Graham?”

Nick hesitated before giving me a strange look. “Uh… he’s upstairs.”

“Thanks,” I said, and without thinking I rushed up the stairs.

The hallway was dimly lit, the muffled sounds of the party barely reaching me. There were many rooms, and I wasn’t even sure which one until—

“Oh, fuck… Graham, faster!”

The breath whooshed from my lungs. My heart stopped.

No. No, no, no.

I turned to the slightly ajar door, even though every fiber of my being screamed not to. But I pushed it open anyway.

My world crumbled around me when I saw Graham thrusting into Lizzy from behind.

“Graham!” My voice cracked.

His head snapped toward me and when he saw me he pulled out of her in a rush, yanking his pants into place—but his eyes were still dark with lust, as if he was still under the influence of the mate bond.

“How could you do this?”

“Ruby, I—”

“Are you going to choose this worthless omega over me?” Lizzy cut in angrily.

Graham turned to her. “Lizzy…”

“No words. Let’s continue what we were doing,” she said, pulling him toward her, kissing him again.

I felt sick. My vision blurred with tears.

I turned and ran, rushing down the stairs. My chest felt like it was caving in, my breaths coming in ragged gasps.

The moment I burst outside, I collided into someone.

A strong grip steadied me before I could fall.

“Watch where you’re going, little wolf.”