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48. Smell Like Flowers
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 49. That's Odd
The next day, Riley's house transformed into a bustling hive of holiday activity, with family members arriving in waves. The cheerful chaos did little to help my mood, which hovered somewhere between overwhelmed and utterly reclusive. I stayed in my room most of the day, feeling out of place. A lot of Riley's relatives didn't even know I was still alive, so just the idea of facing their shocked expressions and managing awkward reintroductions sapped the little emotional energy I had. I traced my locket as I listened to the cheerful noise coming down the stairs. Nothing would ever feel right again without Mom. Or my grandfathers. Strangely, the locket didn't just bring images of my mom to mind. Alec was there now, too. It made sense, I guess. I wouldn't have the locket anymore if it wasn't for him paying enough attention to know how important it really was to me. I hoped he and Kris were having a good holiday. I refused to give anyone my number before leaving, citing the fa
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 50. Jet Lag
My plane touched down at the airport, and surprisingly, I felt a wave of relief wash over me as the brisk, cold air hit me the second I stepped off the plane. The humid heat of Texas had been a nice change at first, but it wore on me quickly. This chill in the air felt invigorating, almost like coming home. Walking to the baggage claim, I spotted Adrien standing at the back, almost hidden among the crowd. I sighed. Despite everything, I wasn't as angry with him as I had expected to be. When his eyes met mine, a broad smile spread across his face. He didn't hesitate. He kicked off the wall and started towards me immediately. Clearly, he had been waiting for me. He approached shyly and murmured, "Hey." "Hey..." I replied a bit awkwardly. "My flight landed a little while ago, and I noticed one of the next was from Texas, so I decided to wait for you... I hope that isn't too weird," he added quickly. I snorted lightly. Out of all the weird things, that wasn't the strangest. "No,
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 51. Just Being There
The ice shimmered under the bright arena lights as I skated hard down the rink, pushing the team forward. A defender from the opposing team almost collided me, but Bear crashed into him with such force that the guy sprawled into the boards. I aimed quickly, sending a shot hurtling toward the goal. The goalie stretched desperately to block it, but the puck slipped right between his legs. The crowd erupted, a sea of cheers echoing off the rink's walls. I skated around the goal, my stick held high, adrenaline pumping through my veins. I loved this. This feeling. This moment right here. His eyes met mine as I passed the goalie, and I froze. They weren't just blue. They glowed a vivid and electric blue that popped from under his helmet. Startled, I glanced up at the stands and saw more faces with those same glowing blue eyes staring back at me. I gasped, and the crowd fell silent. I startled awake, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. I realized I was alone in Adrien's
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 52. Wanna Join Me?
I ended up staying awake for the rest of the night. Partly to ensure Adrien stayed in bed and partly because I was trying to avoid another nightmare. They'd been happening more frequently, and the vivid images of glowing blue eyes still lingered in my mind.Adrien finally stirred around the time the sun started peeking through the curtains. He opened his eyes, giving me the strangest look before rolling over, burying his face in the pillow I'd been using.He mumbled, his voice muffled through the pillow, "Did you stay awake all night or something?"I laughed. "Well, yeah. After finding you in the bathtub, I didn't want to risk waking up and finding you on the roof or something."He rolled over with a puzzled look. "Bathtub?"He didn't remember any of that? I opened my mouth to explain, but he flashed me a grin. "Just kidding."I playfully punched him on the arm, and he yelped dramatically. "Whatever, I didn't hurt you."Adrien sat up, rubbing his head. "Damn, I have the worst heada
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 53. Starving
After the unexpected situation in the communal showers, I headed back to my room. They had continued their activities as if I wasn't even there. I rushed through the shower and took a chance not putting my binder on before darting back down the hall to my dorm. I didn't want to be in the shower anymore. They needed their privacy, even if they didn't care enough for it themselves. I tossed my bag onto the floor and flopped on Alec's mattress. I inhaled deeply, then I grabbed one of his pillows and buried my face in it. Alec's distinct scent filled my senses. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed it until that moment. When Alec finally let his guard down, I really started enjoying just being near him. It had all become so routine, a rhythm I'd grown accustomed to even when we occasionally butted heads. Something reassuring about his presence kept me level, even when things got messy. I rolled onto my back, staring up at the bottom of my mattress, the pillow still pressed agains
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 54. The Enemy
I got up from Alec's bed, smoothing the sheets and pulling everything tight in the meticulous way he always did. The last thing I wanted was for him to know I'd been rolling around on his bed while he was gone.Jules and I headed down to the dining hall. A few guys were milling around, but the hall was mostly dead. Jules piled his plate high while I grabbed a bowl of cereal and some fruit. We sat across from each other.Jules eyed my plate. "Dude, you're never hungry," he said.I laughed. "Well, you eat enough for both of us."He shrugged, digging into his food. "Yeah, well, I feel like I'm growing a damn inch a day. This shit is crazy."He was talking about puberty, which was still a work in progress it seemed. He was one of the ones actively going through it, and I made a mental note to watch his behavior. While his desires wouldn't precisely mirror the others', maybe I could learn a thing or two. I needed to start figuring out how I was going to fake male puberty while secretly go
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 55. Southern Blood
Adrien and I bundled up as best we could before heading out into the storm, but as soon as we stepped outside, the icy wind lashed against us, the snow whipping through the air like a wall of white. Adrien grabbed my arm firmly and pulled me along. "Come on, this way!" he called. I squinted against the stinging flakes and kept close, trusting Adrien's familiarity with the path to guide us through the blinding snow. It felt like an eternity before we finally reached the dining hall, shivering and covered in a thick layer of frost. We stomped the snow from our boots and shed our layers, our faces flushed from the cold as we made our way to the buffet. We loaded up our trays, Adrien filling his plate high again. He sat beside me, and as I picked at my salad, I noticed that he had eaten just as much as he had earlier that day. After finishing our meals, we headed to the rink together, braving the snowstorm again. Adrien immediately grabbed my arm this time, pulling me through the b
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 56. Don't Mess With Texas
Jules barged into the room, dropping Bear's bedding on his lap before claiming the spare bed. Bear huffed dramatically, tossing the blankets onto the floor and setting up his makeshift bed there. Meanwhile, I was caught in the middle of a dilemma. Adrien's bed or Jules's? Or should I just crash on the floor next to Bear? They all seemed to want me nearby. I decided to sit on Adrien's bed, where I'd slept the night before. My pillows were already there, and it seemed like the path of least resistance. Jules stretched out on his newly claimed bed, his grin wide as he quipped, "Wow, all this room just for little ole' me. Another perk, thanks to my 'proclivities.' My mom would be so proud!" He winked at me. "I just d..on't want to hurt your arm d...ick," Bear huffed. Jules just smiled and said, "Say dick again, please. It'll make my night." Bear threw a pillow at him and repeated "DICK" far louder and far more clear. Jules pretended to swoon. "Damn, I love it when you talk di
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Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 93. Playbook
I stood there frozen for what felt like forever, racing to catch up with what I was seeing. Cam and Jules weren't talking.They were wrapped up in each other. Cam had Jules pressed against the wall, their bodies close, lips locked in a kiss that made it clear this was about more than any argument over me.I took a step back, feeling the awkwardness settle into my bones. This wasn't what I'd expected when I followed them. I intended to walk away, to give them their moment. Then I glanced down and saw Cam's clothes in my hand. Of course, he was still in his boxers. I couldn't just walk away. He was already in trouble. Getting caught kissing a guy in the stairwell, barely dressed, would be his undoing. There is no doubt about that. He couldn't get in trouble and disappear without helping me fix whatever the hell was making random voices constantly whisper in my head. It was tolerable right now, but I had a sneaky suspicion that wouldn't be the case for long. I walked up the stairs a
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 92. Weirder
I woke up to the door flying open and crashing against the wall. I jerked upright, struggling to adjust to the dim light assaulted by the bright lights from the hallway. The voices were quieter, even though I could still feel them. Jules stood in the doorway, looking like he was seconds away from tearing the room apart. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and before I could even get a word out, he stormed inside, fury radiating off him.“Cam!” Jules barked, crossing the room in just a few long strides. His energy was wild, dangerous, and aimed directly at Cam.I blinked, trying to catch up. My mind was jumbled, especially when I glanced over and saw Cam. He was sitting on the edge of the desk. Shirtless.Just sitting there, like it was the most natural thing in the world to be in nothing but his boxers. The sight threw me off, but his bed made my head spin. Cam’s bed was perfectly made, neat and untouched. Mine wasn’t.Or rather, the bed I was in wasn’t.I barely had time to process an
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 91. Smelled Good
The cold air bit through my skin, chilling me to the bone, but I didn't care. I sat on the steps outside the dorm, legs pulled up, arms wrapped tight around them, trying to keep myself together. It was freezing, but it wasn't the cold that had me shaking. It was the voices.“Jamie… Jamie…”They whispered repeatedly, the name grating at me like nails on glass. My real name. A name that didn't feel like mine anymore. I hadn't been Jamie in a long time.But the voices wouldn't stop."You're not who you say you are."It kept going relentlessly, pushing against my skull. My thoughts tangled up in themselves, a knot I couldn't untie. They were loud, louder than anything I could handle. And they weren't just words.They were pulling at something deeper. My insecurities, my secrets, things I'd buried long ago.I wasn't Jamie anymore. I'd changed. I had to. I wasn't that scared girl hiding in the shadows, pretending to fit into a world that would never accept her. Not anymore. But the vo
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 90.
( CAM POV ) The night of the dance was still burned into my memory. It had started off innocent enough—awkward conversations, forced smiles, and that strange, tense feeling of being out of place. I'd gone with some girl from my class, though I can't even remember her name now. We barely spoke. I didn't care to impress her, didn't care to dance. I spent most of the night wondering why I was even there.Then Jules found me.I'd known him for a while, but we weren't exactly close. He was one of those guys who radiated confidence without trying. Everyone liked him. He was different, though. He wasn't pretending like everyone else at the dance. He didn't have to force anything.When he approached me, it was late, and most of the crowd had already left. We ended up outside, sitting by the field, where no one could see us. The stars were out, scattered across the sky like they had a purpose.Something I felt like I lacked.We didn't talk much, just sat there, staring out into the dark. Th
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 89. Boy-war?
Alec, Kris, Bear, and I sat near the back of french class, barely keeping it together. Kris was the only one who wasn’t struggling. He had this uncanny knack for getting every pronunciation right, even with the most tongue-twisting words. I slouched in my chair, staring at the chalkboard. The teacher had written a list of words, each more difficult than the last. “Oeil,” “Bouilloire,” “Rouge-gorge.” She was pacing in front of the class, listening to us mangle each one as we tried to sound them out. Kris, of course, had breezed through them. Bear and I? Not so much.“James, try again,” the teacher said, her voice soft but with that edge that made you feel like you were disappointing her. “It’s ‘oeil,’ not ‘oil.’ You have to use the back of your throat more.”I sighed. “Uh... Ool?”The teacher winced, like I’d just stepped on her favorite pet. Kris smirked from beside me, barely holding back a laugh, and Bear gave me an exaggerated shrug.“Close enough,” she said, though I could tell
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 88. Secrets
It had been a couple of days since everything about Cam came to light, but the shock hadn't worn off. The team was still uneasy around each other, and every conversation felt forced, like we were all walking on eggshells. Cam had been allowed to stay at the school and on the team under certain conditions.Strict ones. Dean Carrigan laid it out pretty clearly. Cam wasn't allowed to leave campus or go into the woods where we used to run drills. He had to move permanently into the dorms, too. No going home for breaks, no visiting family. It was like the school had put him under house arrest.I wasn't sure how I felt about it. On one hand, Cam deserved consequences for the deception, but something didn't sit right with me. It became obvious pretty quickly that he was struggling with more than just losing his powers. The necklace that had been the source of his magic wasn't just making him look perfect.It was doing something else, something deeper. At first, I thought it was just physi
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 87. Perfect
Wanda glanced between Bear and me. She must have noticed the exhaustion, the confusion on my face. She rubbed her eyes, then turned to Bear."You're fine," she said, motioning toward the door. "Go back to your dorm, rest up. No need to worry. If you need emotional support, let me know." Bear huffed, then nodded and left. He didn't like being a part of the drama, and he had somehow got sucked in. Wanda turned to me as the door closed behind him, her demeanor shifting instantly. This wasn't just a check-up anymore. She pulled up a chair and sat across from me."Jamie," she started. "We need to talk." I straightened up, bracing myself."You've been through a lot today," she continued. "But there's something we need to address. Cameron."The betrayal was still fresh. I nodded for her to continue."I've known Cam since he was about ten," Wanda said. "Back then, he was just a normal kid. Quiet, kept to himself. But after one break, he came back different. Perfect. Too perfect. It wasn't
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 86. Even
Dean Carrigan pulled the curtain aside with a sharp motion, grabbing the person tangled beneath it. I braced myself, fully expecting to see Whitaker. For him to team up with the Dean to expose my secret to the entire school of boys.But...It wasn't him. It wasn't Whitaker at all.Dark, messy hair covered a face dotted with acne.A face I knew all too well. The stained t-shirt and baggy khaki shorts were familiar. I'd seen them recently. My heart seemed to freeze as the realization sank in.It was Cameron. I struggled to piece it all together. How could it be Cam? This was the last thing I expected.Carrigan didn't pause, didn't hesitate for a second. He yanked Cam up by the front of his shirt, lifting him until they were eye to eye. "Cameron!" Carrigan barked. "You crossed a line with this nonsense, son! You, of all people, should understand how important today is, yet you choose to cause chaos. Just like last year."Cam didn't fight back. He didn't struggle or resist. He just sto
Hockey Alphas - Pawns For Pucks 85. Blurring the Lines
The curtain that separated the regular gym from the rest had been pulled across to serve as a background for the stage they had set up to speak from.I was pinned against the wall, right beside where the curtain met the gym wall. Just on the other side was the entire student body of IronCrest. If Whitaker exposed me, it would be in front of the whole school. My heart pounded against my already constricted chest. This couldn't be happening.Not here, not now.Whitaker loomed over me, his fingers hovered over the top button of my jacket. "I've been watching you for a while, James," he said, slowly undoing the first button. "There's something about you… something I just can't quite put my finger on.""Funny," I shot back, trying to keep steady despite the panic. "I've only seen you once."He smirked, and it made my skin crawl. It was oddly familiar, but I was so panicked my mind was racing too fast to piece together where. "I'm always in the shadows, James. It's where I do my best work.
