Chapter 87: Southern Stallions
Rhys
"Are you all ready?!" Coach Reddick shouted as he gathered everyone around, minutes before we hit the ice.
It was finally the day we play against the Southern Stallions.
The locker room was loud, but as Coach stepped into the middle of the room, the noise died down instantly as he looked into our faces.
"Tonight," he started, pointing to each and every one of us. "We kick off against the Southern Stallions. They are the second seed for a reason; they are known to be fast and more aggressive than the Wolves, so we must make sure we rush them in this second round." He looked at me for a second, and then at Miller, then Jaxson.
"We have been practicing without stop for two days, and now I want to know where your heads are at. We are the team everyone wants to take down because we have been winning nonstop. So everyone, how are we feeling?"
"Hungry!" someone yelled.
"I didn’t ask one person, I asked the Northern Avalanche team! How are we feeling?!" Coach Reddick pushed, his voice louder this time.
"Ready to hunt!" the room shouted back, and everyone started banging their sticks against the floor.
I joined the Coach and raised my stick, screaming, "Cold as ice!"
"Hard as stone!" they all chorused, and together with the Coach, we all screamed, "AVALANCHES! TAKE THE THRONE!"
We hit our sticks on the ground again and then bumped fists together.
My eyes met with Kayden’s. He was tapped into the energy, but I was worried for him. He had no idea how dangerous the Stallions were because this was his first game with them. As the Left Defense, they wouldn’t make it easy for him.
Kayden was the smallest among us, and the Stallions are known to find the weak link in a team to attack.
I knew they would try to find it in him because he looked too soft to be on the ice and he wasn’t powerful enough to withstand them.
"Dear Captain, are you ready to lead the team?" Coach Reddick’s voice brought me out of my thoughts.
I nodded immediately, turning my attention toward him.
"Great. Now go out there and do your best," he said, his voice level but firm. "We have worked too hard to let up now! This year, the Northern Avalanche will take the win home again and break a long history of streaks!" He clapped his hands and pointed toward everyone. "Let’s go win!"
"Yes, Coach!" everyone shouted back in response.
As the meeting ended and the guys started the final ritual of snapping on pads and pulling jerseys over their heads, I moved toward Kayden’s stall.
When no one was looking, I caught his arm, pulling him slightly to the corner closest to the restroom where we wouldn’t be heard or disturbed.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, making sure my voice was low enough that only he could hear. "So... I didn’t check up on you last night because of the game today. Did you take any suppressants to give you stamina on ice?"
Kayden didn’t look up at first as he was fixing his skates, but he replied, "Leo already gave me an alternative," he muttered. "It’s under control, Rhys. I told you this already yesterday. I am sure you have read my files; everything is under control. And also, I don’t pump suppressants inside of me before playing," he corrected. "It’s just to keep my identity in check."
I wasn’t convinced. The memory of when he had fainted on the ice before due to the stomach bug flashed through my head, and I didn’t want a repeat of that. It could cost us the win, and also, I couldn’t bear to watch him suffering. It was a distraction I hoped to avoid.
"Are you sure, Kayden? You are not in pain or feeling anything? I..." I paused, gripping my helmet hard in my hand. "Just remember what I told you during practice. The Stallions are worse than the Wolves. Keep your head up and don’t let them trap you. I will always be by your side. If anything feels even a little bit off, you tell me by signaling. Our signal should be you dropping your stick. Do you understand, Kayden?"
Kayden finally looked at me as soon as I finished speaking, reaching for his helmet. I expected him to be as worried as I was, but he looked completely unfazed, which only made me more on edge.
"Why are you not replying to me, Kayden? I need to know if everything is going..."
"Calm down," he said, rolling his eyes before sliding the helmet on. He snapped the chin strap into place and pointed toward me. "Stop making things obvious. I have been playing hockey for years, Rhys. I will be fine," he assured me as he adjusted the visor and tapped me on the shoulder as he walked past me, heading towards the tunnel. "You sound like a nagging husband."
Nagging husband? Of all words? I scoffed and pointed a finger towards him, squeezing my face angrily. "You..." I stopped and slid my helmet on as I trailed behind him.
He was right—I shouldn’t be so bothered since this was not his first time on ice—but I worried for him, and I truly did sound like a nagging husband.
"Be careful on ice," I whispered as I skated past him, heading to the front as the Captain.
"You too," I heard him whisper back.
I held my stick tighter and inhaled deeply as our team name sounded from the speakers.
"And making their way onto the ice," the announcer’s voice boomed, dripping with a tone that was a little too pointed to be neutral, "The Northern Avalanche. After a week of headlines that had nothing to do with hockey and everything to do with secret relationships, many wondered if we’d even see this roster intact tonight."
I frowned as I skated out, feeling the eyes of over twenty thousand people boring into us. The screams were deafening, but they weren’t entirely filled with cheers. I could hear the skepticism and the anticipation; there were some even booing us.
And just when I had thought that the announcer was done, he continued. "We are looking forward to seeing if this team can actually focus on the puck. Will the Avalanche prove they are still the team to beat, or has the scandal finally cracked the ice?"
My fists around my stick tightened, but I didn’t blink. I didn’t let what the announcer was saying affect me and kept my face fixed forward, gliding toward the face-off circle where the Southern Stallions were already lined up.
Their captain, Leon Brown—one of my teammates back in college, or as I usually addressed him, stupid fucking Leon—gave me a mocking smirk as our eyes met.
"Fancy seeing you again this season, Chris," he teased, tapping his stick against the ice. "I saw your little scandal on the news about a secret omega, Chris," he chuckled.
I glared at him and then scoffed, noting how he had intentionally called me ’Chris’ twice in a row. It was what he had always called me. I didn’t know if he was doing it on purpose or if he was just illiterate to say my name right.
"Eight years of playing on the ice, stupid Leon, and still you get my name wrong. Is this why you keep losing to me? Because your stupid little brain finds it hard to understand things?"
Leon scoffed, waving his stick at me, and looked at Kayden who was standing behind me. "This must be the one traded to your team a few months ago. He looks too small to be on ice and I can’t wait to crush him," he chuckled, pointing his stick at Kayden.
I clenched my jaw so hard I thought it would break when I heard the threat in his tone.
This was why I was scared of Kayden fighting against the Stallions. Leon was as big as I was, if not bigger, and he was a ruthless player who would do anything to win.
"I..." I tried to respond, letting out my alpha instinct—the one that wanted to protect Kayden—but I was cut off by his voice.
"Less talking, let our wins speak for us tonight," Kayden told him. "I hope you play well, stupid Leon."
Leon’s eyes widened when Kayden spoke up using the nickname. "That’s not my name, you..." His words were cut short by the referee’s whistle.
"Let’s play fairly, stupid Leon," I repeated, chuckling, and winked at him as I moved backwards a bit just as the game was about to start.