After our little intimate time together, I creeped out of the room holding unto his hands like they were all I had.

The game had only gone half before we left and he was back to continue now.

I was still wondering how his wounds healed so quickly or maybe it's part of the many things I'm still to discover.

**************************************

My legs still felt like jelly by the time we stepped outside the arena. The match had been a warzone. Hockey, I’d thought, was brutal enough. But this? This had claws behind every blade, fangs behind every cheer. Kael had played like a beast barely contained inside a man's shape.

The air was icy, but his presence next to me felt warmer than fire. We didn’t speak for a while. Was his eyes were telling me a lot. The match was over. We’d won. But the real game, the one I know she'll come back, but I don't know when.

Kael led us toward the training complex tucked behind the main arena. His jaw was tight, fists clenched at his sides.

“You okay?” I asked finally.

He winked and smirked and it sent sparks in my body “I should be asking you that.”

“I’m not the one who tried to rip someone’s throat out during the third quarter,” I said.

He chucked. “I didn’t rip anything. Technically.”

We reached the training doors, and Kael paused, glancing sideways. His voice dropped an octave. “You shouldn’t have had to see that. Any of it.”

“But I did. And I stayed.”

He opened the door for me, holding it with a subtle nod.

Inside, the lights were dimmed low. The scent of sweat, leather, and faint antiseptic clung to the air. The hum of the heating system was the only sound until a figure stepped out from the hallway to our left.

Tall, lean, with silver-streaked dark hair and amber eyes that felt too sharp, too knowing.

Kael’s posture straightened slightly. “Lucien.”

The man smiled slowly and sauntered forward. "I was wondering when you two would come back from your victory stroll."

Kael turned to me. “Sasha, this is Lucien. My Beta.”

Lucien stopped in front of me and offered a hand, his gaze cutting straight through me like a blade wrapped in silk. “So, you're the mysterious new physiotherapist everyone keeps whispering about. The one who somehow calmed our Alpha mid-rage on the ice.” he smirked.

I hesitated before taking his hand. It was warm. Too warm. Like touching a flame that hadn’t quite gone out.

“I’m Sasha,” I said, my voice smaller than I intended.

Lucien’s smile widened. “I know.”

Kael stepped subtly between us, holding me by the waist. Protective I guess. “Lucien was just leaving.”

Lucien’s brows lifted. “Was I?”

“Now you are,” Kael said sharply.

But Lucien didn’t move. His gaze found mine again. “You know, Kael’s been different since you got here. Lighter. But also... unsteady. It's fascinating. Almost like his wolf doesn’t know what to make of you.”

“I’m sure that’s none of your concern,” I said carefully.

Lucien laughed. “Everything is my concern, Sasha. Especially when a stranger steps into our den and starts waking sleeping thi......”

“Oh, I don’t think,” Lucien continued. “I smell. I feel. You’re not just anyone, sweetheart. There’s power sleeping under your skin. Real power. The kind that makes old wolves nervous.”

Kael’s voice turned deadly. “Lucien......”

" Haven't you seen her mark” Kael said sounding furious.

Lucien raised his hands in mock surrender. “ Ohhhh she's our Luna ..... Interesting. Fine. I’ll play nice. For now.”

He turned to me one last time. “But you should ask Kael why your scent stirred the ancient markings in the East Hall. It’s been dormant for decades. Until you.”

With that, he vanished into the hallway, leaving silence and tension like broken glass in his wake.

I looked at Kael. “What did he mean by that? What markings?”

Kael’s jaw ticked. “Lucien likes to stir trouble.” He said closing the gap between us and laying a soft kiss on my lips.

I smiled but responded “That’s not an answer.”

“The markings he’s referring to are runes. Old ones. Connected to the Moon. They haven’t responded to anyone since… Don't bother anyways" he said holding my hands. I'll be in my room. He winked and turned to leave.

“Since who?”

He faced me again. “Since Selene.”

The name hit something in my chest like a bruise I didn’t remember getting. “That voice. In my head. She called herself a goddess. Said you were hers. That I’m a mistake.”

Kael went still. “She spoke to you?”

“Yes.” I swallowed. “Twice now. First after the match, then again just now. She’s… angry.”

His fists clenched. “Of course she is. She doesn’t like losing control.”

“Who is she to you?” I asked.

He looked up slowly, pain flickering through his eyes. “She was my first mate. She forced our bond. But... I rejected her. And she’s never forgiven me nor does she want to let go.”

I stumbled back a step. “So she wants to break whatever this is between us?”

“She’ll try. Especially if she realizes you’re waking.”

“Waking?”

Kael exhaled heavily. “Your wolf, Sasha. It’s stirring. That’s what she smells. What Lucien sees. You're not human. Not fully.”

I wrapped my arms around myself. “You knew. You knew and you didn’t tell me.”

“I was trying to protect you.”

“From what?”

“From her.”

The silence stretched. Then, softly, I asked, “And who’s protecting me from you?”

Kael’s eyes darkened, his voice barely audible. “Me? No one. You don’t need protection from me. Just trust. And time.”

But time, I feared, was something we were already running out of.

I could hear something somewhere, far beyond the rink, the snow whispered in a voice I could now almost understand:

“The bond must break. The mate is mine.”