Chapter 36: Jealous
Rhys
I stood motionless on the ice, ignoring the music blaring through the arena speakers and the teammates shouting in excitement. Instead, my eyes were fixed on Kayden and the blonde man in front of him. My fists were balled so tightly at my sides that the leather of my gloves groaned in protest.
Who the hell was he?
The man with the blonde buzz cut was still grinning even when his eyes met mine, and he looked entirely too comfortable with his hands on Kayden’s jersey. And Kayden... who had been ignoring me on the ice was suddenly glowing while staring at the blonde man. They were far too intimate for my liking.
I shouldn’t care who he hugs, but somehow, I felt something hit my chest as I stared at them. Why do I care? Why was I tempted to rush over to them and pull Kayden away from the unfamiliar man?
"Damn, Cap," Miller’s voice came from right beside me, filled with teasing. "Careful. If looks could kill, that guy would be a pile of ash right now." He leaned in a bit closer, squinting at the glass. "The guy looks hot. You think that’s Kayden’s boyfriend? He’s definitely his type."
The word boyfriend hit me like a blindside hit to the ribs. Miller knew what he was doing, trying to get under my skin, and he was winning. I didn’t answer because I couldn’t. I just turned on my heel, ignoring him, and skated towards the tunnel.
When I reached the locker room, it was buzzing with excitement from the teammates. I pushed past some of them, ignoring the shouting and blasting of music. I had no time to celebrate. I was fuming.
"Fuck this," I said as I paced by my stall, the image of Kayden kissing that man’s cheek looping in my head like a nightmare. I could already see the headlines in my mind: AVALANCHE NEWBIE’S MYSTERY MAN or THE END OF VALDER?
I let out a frustrated groan. It wasn’t as if I cared about the "ship," I just wondered what the fans would think.
"Fuck this," I repeated, running a hand through my damp hair. I should be happy, giving a Captain’s speech, but I wasn’t. Instead, I was waiting for Kayden to appear so I could maybe confront him—get him to be with me in private.
Finally, after a few seconds, the heavy door creaked open again, and the second Kayden walked into the room, I felt every hair on my body stand up. It wasn’t just that—even my heart started pounding hard in my chest at the sight of him.
What the hell was he doing to me? I thought as I inhaled deeply and tried to look away, thinking it would resolve my pounding heart, but I couldn’t. I continued staring at him. He looked exhausted, his face flushed and his eyes slightly glazed, but there was an electric energy radiating off him that made my Alpha instincts scream for attention.
I inhaled deeply, trying to smell his orchid scent, but he didn’t smell like it. It was a sandalwood scent instead, which was surprising because I loved his flowery scent.
Once Kayden entered, all eyes turned towards him and everyone started clapping. He waved at them, walking past me towards his stall without turning his head in my direction. I stood there, my heart hammering hard against my ribs, watching the way he moved. I noted the anger he had for me was still there, and it was why he hadn’t talked to me yet.
I couldn’t keep calm, so I took the initiative and called his name. "Hey, Kayden—"
I tried to speak to him, but my words were cut short by the Coach, who appeared in the locker room.
"Hey everyone! Listen up!" Coach Reid’s voice boomed, cutting through the celebration. "You all did well tonight!" he said, clapping his hands.
I stopped in my tracks, my eyes still burning into the back of Kayden’s head.
"That was an amazing game," Coach continued, pacing at the center of the room with a grin. "But don’t get comfortable. We still have two more games to win if we want to kick the Wolves out of this series for good. We need to stay healthy and stay sharp to finish the sweep." He paused and stopped walking, a satisfied look appearing on his face as he gestured toward the open door.
"To make sure we stay in top form, the board has sent us some extra help, which is why I’d like to introduce our new team physician, Leo Ackerman."
The room went deathly silent as a figure stepped into the locker room. My eyes widened in pure shock as I realized who he was. It was him. The blonde from the glass. The man who had been touching Kayden.
He walked in with a casual, confident stride, looking entirely too comfortable in a team-issued jacket. He didn’t look at me; he didn’t even look at the Coach. His eyes went straight to Kayden, and a knowing, playful smile crossed his face.
Beside me, I heard Kayden let out a breathless, happy gasp. He jumped up from his stall, his face lighting up with more genuine joy than I ever see him with when he’s with me.
"Oh goodness, Leo!" he screamed, his voice vibrating with excitement as he gestured toward the newcomer. "This is your surprise?"
I stood frozen, watching the exchange between them. Kayden was vibrating so much that I couldn’t help but frown. Since the man was scentless, it only meant he was a Beta. Why the hell was he so happy to see a Beta? Unless there was a history between them. A history I was curious about.
"Wait, do you guys actually know each other?" Miller asked, sounding just as stunned as I felt.
Kayden nodded quickly, his eyes shining with a light I hadn’t seen in a long time. "Yeah. We go way back."
"Wow," Miller breathed, his head snapping towards me. He didn’t say anything, but the look he gave me was loud enough. It was pure mockery.
"Fuck you," I mouthed to him, and he just shrugged in response.
The Coach clapped his hands to gain back our attention. "Well, I am glad that you are familiar with someone here," he said, pointing towards the teammates. "You all should introduce yourselves if you can."
Everyone started introducing themselves to Leo. Even the quieter players offered handshakes, but I stayed rooted to the spot. I didn’t move. I didn’t offer a hand and just glared at him.
Leo’s eyes eventually drifted toward me, skipping over the others as if he had been looking for me all alone. He didn’t seem bothered by my silence; in fact, he looked amused.
"And you must be Rhys Calder. Hard to miss the Captain," Leo said with a smooth tone, entirely too confident, as if he was trying to get on my nerves.
I gritted my teeth so hard my jaw ached. He said my name like it was a fun fact that he picked up.
"We will fly back to the city tomorrow morning to prepare for games four and five," Coach added, clapping his hands to reclaim the room’s attention. "Get some rest tonight. You earned it."
"Rest? Are you kidding, Coach?" Theo suddenly screamed from the back of the room, throwing a towel into the air. "We hit the clubs tonight! The Avalanche is celebrating!"
The room erupted, and everyone started screaming, clapping their hands, and whistling. But none of that concerned me. Instead, I was focused entirely on Kayden and Leo. They were holding each other. Kayden’s hands were resting on Leo’s arms, and Leo’s hands lingered on Kayden’s shoulders in a way that looked far too practiced.
Both of them were whispering, lost in their own worlds as if the rest of us didn’t even exist. Then Leo’s brown eyes met mine, and he smirked at me.
The jealousy that had been simmering in my gut since the first period of the game finally boiled over, turning into a cold, hard knot of fury. Every instinct I had was telling me to rip Kayden away from him—to put myself between them until that smug smile disappeared from Leo Ackerman’s face.
Kayden was supposed to be looking at me like that. Instead of him.
"Rhys, you coming?" Jaxson asked, bumping my shoulder, trying to pull me into the celebration.
I said nothing but nodded in response. They were laughing now, and then Leo hugged him yet again. I clenched my fists tighter and scoffed.
Alright. Since we were going to the club, I wasn’t letting Kayden Vale out of my sight for a single second.