Chapter 3 A Rival On Ice

Adrian’s POV

The cold air inside the hockey arena usually calmed me. But today, it didn’t.

My stick scraped lightly across the ice as I skated toward the center of the rink, my mind refusing to focus on practice.

Instead, the image of her face kept flashing in my mind. The new girl.

I didn't even know her name.BThe girl I had rejected in front of the entire academy.

My jaw tightened.

I had done the right thing. I had to do it.

An Alpha couldn’t afford weakness, and a random girl showing up out of nowhere claiming the mate bond was not something I was willing to entertain.

Still….My wolf had been unusually restless since yesterday.

“Captain.” Coach’s voice cut through my thoughts. 

I looked up. The entire team had gathered near the bench, and standing beside Coach was someone I had never seen before.

A tall guy with pale skin and dark hair stood calmly with his hands in his pockets.

His posture was relaxed, but something about him felt… off. Coach cleared his throat.

“Listen up, everyone.” The players went quiet. “We have a new transfer student joining the academy today.”

The guy stepped forward slightly. Coach continued.

“His name is Damian.”

A few players exchanged curious glances.

“And before any of you start complaining,” Coach added, “yes, he’s joining the hockey team.”

Murmurs spread across the rink. Then Coach said the part I didn’t like.

“He’s a vampire.”

The atmosphere changed immediately.

Wolves and vampires had never exactly been best friends. I studied Damian carefully. He looked calm. Too calm.

Almost amused.

Coach turned to me.

“Adrian, since you’re the captain, I’ll let you decide whether he stays on the team.”

All eyes shifted toward me. I slowly skated closer to Damian. He met my gaze without hesitation. Interesting. Most people at Blackwood avoided eye contact with me.

I stopped in front of him and forced a polite smile.

“Welcome to the team.” Damian smiled back. But there was something sharp in his eyes.

“Thanks.”

I rested my hockey stick on my shoulder.

“However,” I added casually, “we don’t just let anyone join the Blackwood team.”

A few of my teammates grinned.

Damian tilted his head slightly.

“Oh?”

“You’ll have to prove you’re worthy.”

His smile widened.

“And how do you suggest I do that?”

I gestured toward the ice.

“You play.”

Coach nodded approvingly.

“A practice match,” I said. “You against me.”

Damian didn’t hesitate.

“Game on.”

The scrimmage started immediately.

At first, I assumed this would be easy.

Vampires were fast, sure, but hockey required teamwork and strategy.

But within the first five minutes… I realized something was wrong. Damian was fast.

Ridiculously fast.

He moved across the ice like he had been playing hockey his entire life.

“Pass!” one of my teammates shouted.

I swung the puck toward him, but Damian intercepted it effortlessly.

“Nice try,” he said smoothly.

Before anyone could react, he shot the puck straight into the goal. The red light flashed.

Goal.

My teammates cursed under their breath.

Coach raised an eyebrow.

“Again!”

The game continued. But things only got worse. Damian’s movements were precise, calculated, and terrifyingly efficient.

By the time the scrimmage ended, the scoreboard made the result painfully clear.

Damian’s side had won. And he was the reason why. The players gathered around him, laughing and congratulating him.

“Man, you’re insane!”

“Where did you learn to play like that?”

Damian only shrugged modestly.

“Just a hobby.”

I skated toward them slowly. The excitement faded slightly when they saw my expression. I stopped in front of Damian.

“Not bad,” I said.

He smiled. “Thanks, Captain.”

The others began leaving the rink, still talking about the match. Damian leaned slightly closer to me. His voice dropped so only I could hear.

“You should probably watch your back.”

My eyes narrowed.

He straightened and smiled again like nothing had happened. Then he walked away. I stood there for a moment, gripping my hockey stick tightly.

Something about that vampire felt wrong.

Very wrong. And my instincts rarely lied.

Damian was going to be a problem.

A big one. 

Later that afternoon, I was walking down the academy hallway when suddenly, Someone slammed into me. Soft hands grabbed my arms.

“Oh!” a familiar voice gasped dramatically.

I looked down. Diane.

Of course.

She pressed her body slightly against mine, her hand resting on my chest.

“Adrian,” she said sweetly. “I didn’t see you there.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“You literally walked straight into me.”

She smiled innocently.

“Maybe I wanted to.”

Her fingers slowly traced the front of my jacket.

“You’ve been avoiding me lately.”

I smirked slightly.

“Have I?”

Diane leaned closer.

“You know,” she whispered, “everyone says we’d make the perfect couple.”

I chuckled softly. “Everyone says a lot of things.”

Before she could move away, I grabbed her waist suddenly and pushed her gently against the locker behind her.

The metal door slammed lightly. Diane gasped, clearly enjoying the attention.

My hand remained around her waist as I leaned closer.

“Is this what you wanted?” I murmured.

Her eyes sparkled.

“Maybe.”

She placed her hands on my shoulders.

“I mean… it’s obvious you like me.”

I tilted my head slightly.

“And what makes you think that?”

Diane smiled confidently. “Because I’m the hottest girl in this academy.”

I laughed under my breath. She always did love saying that. Then her expression suddenly changed.

“Speaking of girls…” she said.

Her voice turned slightly bitter.

“That new girl yesterday… Lena.”

Lena! That's her name!

My grip on her waist loosened slightly.

Diane rolled her eyes.

“Honestly, I don’t know why people are even talking about her.”

“She’s weak. She’s nothing special.”

She looked up at me carefully.

“You’re not actually thinking about her, right?”

I stared at her for a moment. Then I shrugged casually.

“I’ll date whoever I want.”

Her smile faded.

“And if that happens to be Lena…” I added with a small smirk.

“That’s none of your business.”

Diane’s face fell.

“You can’t be serious.”

I laughed lightly and stepped away from her. “Relax, Diane.”

I turned and began walking down the hallway again..Behind me, I could practically feel her glare burning into my back.

Then suddenly, a familiar scent reached my senses. I turned slightly.

Lena.

She was walking down the hallway with another girl, talking quietly. The moment I saw her, something inside me shifted.

My wolf stirred again. The same strange pull returned.

Even after rejecting her, the bond hadn’t completely disappeared. My gaze followed her without thinking. She looked different today. Confident.

Unaffected by what had happened yesterday. Which somehow made her even more intriguing. My body reacted before I could stop it.

Heat spread through my chest. My grip on the hockey stick tightened. I forced myself to look away. This was ridiculous. I had already rejected Lena. She meant nothing to me. And yet…

For some reason, my eyes kept drifting back to her. And something deep inside me whispered a dangerous thought.

I may have made a mistake.