Kade’s POVMy knuckles throb, the sting of raw skin pulsing with every beat of my heart. Blood is smeared across my fingers as I flex them, testing how bad the damage is. The refs tossed me into the penalty box like a rabid dog, shoving me down onto the bench while the game moved on without me. I should be cooling off, getting my breathing under control, letting the adrenaline settle. But I can’t. Not when he’s still out there.Rook fucking Volkov.He’s on the other side of the ice, looking as smug as ever, his lips split from my punch, his grin only widening when he catches me watching him. I should have known he’d enjoy this. The bastard always does. He doesn’t care about the game, doesn’t care about the fight itself—he just cares that I lost control first. That I was the one who snapped, the one who gave him exactly what he wanted.I drag a hand through my hair, gripping the back of my neck as I try to shake the feeling of him off me. I can still feel the press of his body against
Kade POVThe bar is packed when we get there, the energy buzzing, drinks flowing easily. It’s one of the places hockey guys always hit after games, filled with a mix of fans, reporters, and the usual crowd looking to get close to anyone with a shot at the big leagues. I let the guys pull me toward the bar, already ordering rounds, the familiar rhythm of celebration settling over us.I grab a drink, lean against the counter, and try to let the noise drown out everything else, but then I feel it. A stare, someone is staring at me. I don’t have to turn to know who it is. My grip tightens around my glass, my jaw clenching as I finally glance over my shoulder.Rook.He’s across the bar, sitting in a booth with a few of his teammates, but his eyes are locked onto me, unwavering, unreadable. He hasn’t looked away once, like he’s been waiting for me to notice. There’s no smirk this time, no cocky grin, no teasing insult waiting to be thrown across the room. Just him, watching me.And the wors
Rook POVI’ve not been able to get the other night out of my head. My body pressed against Kade’s, the way his tongue pushed into my mouth like he was begging for fucking more.Practice has been fucking hard, mainly because I’m constantly hard. Every time one of the guys barrels into me, my mind goes straight to Kade. I see flashes of that night, his body arching, the way his breath hitched when I pushed him just far enough but not all the way. I could’ve had him. I know it. He knows it. And that’s exactly why I didn’t take him.I don’t just want him. I want him ruined for anyone else. I want him addicted to the way I play with him, stalking him, tormenting him, owning him. I want him to crave me like oxygen, to shudder at the thought of me not being there. So I walked away, and ;eft him standing there, breathless, confused and desperate.That’s how he makes me feel every fucking day.Today’s game is another chance to get inside his head, to tighten the grip. Like a snake, coiling aro
Rook POVWhen I reach his locker room, he’s alone, shirtless, pacing. His muscles flex as he mutters curses under his breath, hands raking through his hair. His whole body screams frustration, but it’s the anger in his eyes that holds me still for a second.I glance down the hall and catch sight of my father walking away. Yeah. He’s been here. He’s made sure Mercer knows exactly what’s expected of him.The moment my father’s footsteps fade, Kade stops, lifting his head. His eyes lock onto mine, and the fire burning there makes my blood fucking race.“Here to fucking gloat?” he sneers, his voice is thick with venom.I step inside, slow and steady, watching as he yanks on his gear. His movements are sharp, and rigid, like it’s taking everything in him not to slam his fist into something.“Don’t go getting dressed for me,” I say, smirking. “I’d much rather you were naked.”His glare sharpens, but I don’t stop. I close the space between us, enjoying the way his jaw clenches, the way his b
Kade POVI feel like I’m going to be sick. Every second on that ice, every forced mistake, every moment I hold back when I should be driving forward, it eats at me like fire in my veins. The weight of it presses down on me, making my entire body burn with frustration. I want to fight back, to do something, to show them that I’m not just some pawn they can move around at will, but what can I do? There’s no escape from this, no way to break free without tearing my entire life apart in the process.Walking away from hockey isn’t an option, so when the final buzzer goes, I don’t wait for anyone, don’t stop to acknowledge the loss or pretend I care. There’s nothing to celebrate. I rip my helmet off before I even step off the ice, storming down the tunnel and straight into the locker room. My jersey is off in seconds, thrown to the bench like it’s the problem, like it’s the reason I feel like my own skin is suffocating me.“What the fuck was that, Mercer?” Coach is on me instantly, his voic
Kade POVThe drive to my hometown is nothing short of hell. Every mile that passes should bring relief, should make it feel like I’m gaining distance, like I’m putting space between myself and the people trying to own me, but it doesn’t. The weight in my chest doesn’t lift. The knot in my stomach doesn’t loosen.But it doesn’t matter. For now, I have a few days of freedom, a few days where I can breathe. I’ll see my mother, spend time with my two little sisters, remind myself that there are still pieces of my life that belong to me.That’s all I need right now. The drive feels like it’s stretching longer than it should, each mile dragging, like my body knows I shouldn’t be doing this. My grip tightens on the wheel as I finally turn onto the gravel road leading to the trailer park, the familiar sight hitting me like a punch to the gut.Nothing’s changed here, the trailers are lined up in uneven rows, some looking better than others, but most bearing the wear and tear of too many years,
Kade POVSitting here with my mother, I can tell she sees right through me. She hasn’t asked yet, hasn’t forced the conversation, but I know it’s coming. She always knows when something isn’t right, and this time, I won’t be able to lie my way out of it. Eventually, I’ll have to be honest with her because the last thing I want is to leave and have her stuck here, worrying about me with no real answers.The original plan had been simple. Next time I visited, I wanted to bring her and my sisters back with me for a while, let them see where I live, take them somewhere nice, somewhere safe. But now, with the way things have spiraled out of control, with how deep I’m tangled in things I should have never been involved in, that’s no longer an option. My life is too messy, too dangerous, and I won’t risk dragging them into it.The front door swings open suddenly, cutting through the heavy silence, and a high-pitched squeal follows as Louise and Amelia burst into the trailer, their excitement
Kade POVI let out a slow breath, staring into the coffee like it might have answers. “I’m fucking stuck. I tried refusing, tried fighting back, but he threatened me. Every time I try to pull away, he pushes harder. According to him, I belong to him. He talks like I’m just an object, something he owns, something he gets to control, and I can’t find a way out of it.”Her eyes darken, worry bleeding through every part of her expression. “What does he want from you?” she asks, voice barely above a whisper.“He’s using me,” I say, swallowing down the anger that rises in my throat just from admitting it out loud. “I have to throw games when he tells me to. Miss shots. Make sure the other team wins. He’s placing bets, rigging outcomes, and I’m the insurance that he walks away with the winnings.”The air in the trailer shifts, thick with tension, with fear, with the kind of understanding that comes from knowing exactly who we’re dealing with. My mother doesn’t speak right away, and when she
Rook POVHis breathing is wrecked, his body completely still, and I know it’s killing him that he let it happen, that he let me see him like this. The fact is, he wanted it and he asked for it in so many ways before actually saying the words. So I gave it to him, even if he hates himself for letting me touch him.Slowly, I drag my fingers down his back, my touch softer now, teasing, and almost lazy. He flinches, but he doesn’t pull away. No, he doesn't try to escape and he doesn’t say a word either.I grin, pressing my lips against the back of his neck, letting the weight of what just happened settle between us. “You don’t have to say it,” I murmur, my voice is deep, low, and possessive. “We both already know.”His fingers twitch, his wrists still bound to the bed, but he still doesn’t answer. He's not going to, maybe because he's still too fucking stubborn to admit the truth? Too stubborn to accept he wanted this and wants me.I pull out slowly, watching the way his body reacts, the
Rook POVHis smirk widens, knowing he’s landed a hit. “I’ll scream his fucking name so loud you’ll hear it for weeks,” he continues “And you’ll finally learn that you. Do. Not. Own. Me.”The last of my patience burns away, incinerated by the fucking audacity of him, by the way he’s looking at me like I don’t already own every single fucking part of him. I thrust into him, my hands gripping his hips like a vice, and his taunting words break apart instantly.He groans, a sound torn from his throat before he can stop it, his fingers clenching into the sheets beneath him. I press him into the mattress, my weight locking him in place, making sure he feels every inch of what he just asked for.“You think you can—”I slam into him again, cutting him off. His body arches, another deep sound spilling from his lips before he bites down into the sheets, trying to muffle himself.“You don’t own—”Another thrust. Another ragged, helpless fucking groan.“You can’t fuck for—” I push deeper, harder,
Rook’s POVHe’s laughing. Laid out beneath me, wrists still cuffed to my bed, completely at my mercy, and he’s fucking laughing.I feel it, a deep pulse of something dark, something dangerous, curling inside me as I watch the smirk play across his lips. He knows what he just did, knows exactly how far he’s pushed me, knows that I’m hanging by a thread, and he loves it.My fingers tighten around his hips, my grip bruising, possessive, it's the only thing keeping me from completely losing it. He feels perfect beneath me, like he was always meant to end up right here, pinned, unable to fight, finally fucking admitting he’s mine.“You really don’t fucking learn, do you?” My voice is low, almost calm, but I feel the way he tenses, the way his body reacts despite the smirk still tugging at his lips.I lean down, my weight pressing into him, my mouth hovering just above his. His breath is warm, uneven, his chest rising and falling beneath me, his skin flushed, his body so fucking wired from
Kade POV“Go on,” he murmurs, voice laced with a quiet threat. “Fight me. Push back. Watch what happens when I leak that fucking video behind my father’s back. You’ll be back in that trailer before you can even beg me not to.”My stomach twists, the air between us thick and suffocating. Shit.I wanted this,I wanted to push him, to taunt him, to make him snap and lose that thin grip he had on his self-control. But I also know exactly where my limits are, and I know damn well I can’t afford to lose everything.I can’t risk losing my career. I can’t risk my mother being stuck in that fucking trailer for the rest of her life, and Rook knows that.“Now open up,” he orders, his tone leaving no room for argument.Everything in me screams to keep fighting, to resist, to keep taunting him just to prove that I’m still in control of something, but I can’t. Not this time. Because in the end, it isn’t about pride. It’s about survival.So I obey. His fingers tighten in my hair as he thrusts deep, g
Kade POVHe watches me carefully, waiting for something, waiting for a reaction that I refuse to give him.“You still think this is a game,” he finally says, his voice quieter now, lower, like he’s talking more to himself than to me. “That’s fine. You’ll catch up soon enough.”I scoff, shifting my shoulders, rolling the tension out as much as I can with the limited movement I have. “You keep telling yourself that,” I mutter.His smirk flickers, just for a second, and I know I’ve hit something. He doesn’t like that I’m still pushing, that I haven’t given him the satisfaction of backing down.Good.I settle in, relaxing into the position like I have all the time in the world. “What now?” I ask, voice dry, unimpressed. “You gonna keep me locked up here like some kind of pet? Gonna drag me around, tell everyone you finally broke me?”He leans in closer, so close I can feel his breath against my skin, so close that for a second, the air between us tightens, like the tension is about to sna
Kade POVThe pounding in my skull is relentless, a deep, stabbing ache that makes it hard to focus. My body feels too heavy, my limbs sluggish, weighed down by something I can’t place. The air around me is cold, pressing against my bare skin in a way that feels wrong, and when I try to shift, to lower my arms so that I can push myself up, something jerks me back, stopping me mid-motion.A sharp clank of metal rings out, the sound slicing through my haze like a gunshot. I blink, my breath catching as I force myself to register what just happened. My arms are stuck. My wrists are secured. Slowly, I lift my head, the dull weight of exhaustion dragging against me as I follow the pull of resistance, eyes locking onto the handcuffs wrapped tight around my wrists.Thick, heavy-duty steel glints under the dim light, the chain stretched taut, looped around the top bar of the bed behind me. The second I process what I’m seeing, my body reacts. My pulse kicks up, my muscles tensing as I yank, tr
Rook POVMy father watches me for a moment, his fingers tapping against the glass in his hand before he sighs, setting it down with a dull thud. “Enough about Mercer. There’s business to take care of,” he mutters, rubbing a hand over his jaw before pushing himself up from the chair.I arch a brow, stretching out lazily but already knowing where this is going. “Business?” I echo, amused. “That your way of saying you need me for something?”His lips twitch, but it isn’t a smile, just that knowing look that tells me whatever he’s about to say isn’t up for negotiation. “A shipment came in late. Someone’s been fucking around with my routes, and I need to send a message,” he says, cracking his neck before grabbing his coat from the back of the chair. “And since you’re so damn unbothered about Mercer, you can come along.”I sigh but stand anyway, shoving my hands into my pockets as I follow him out the back door of the villa. The air is crisp, the sky dark and quiet, but the silence doesn’t
Rook POVHe’s a fucking mess. I thought he was stronger than this, more resilient, more stubborn, more mine. I’ve spent years pushing him, chipping away at him, watching him almost break and rebuild himself over and over again, just to knock him down again. He’s taken my shit for so long that I thought he could withstand anything. But my father? Fuck. My father shattered him in a week. A week.That’s impressive, I can’t deny it, but it also pisses me off. I had a plan. A long, drawn-out, torturous plan. I was going to take my time with him, make him fight me every step of the way until there was nothing left to fight with. I wanted to watch him crack slowly, wanted to see him resist and resist until he finally begged for me to fuck him.Instead, my father sped up the process, ripped through him like it was nothing, and now Kade is already at the edge.It’s almost disappointing. I wanted to make him desperate, make him crave it, make him ask for it. I wanted to stretch him out on the h
Rook POV **Warning this chapter includes Dub-Con**His eyes widen, his breath hitching for just a fraction of a second. But then, just as quickly, he shakes it off, snapping right back into his anger, shoving the reaction away like it never existed.“You can’t just claim someone,” he bites out. “You can’t just say I’m yours when you have nothing from me! You kissed me, that doesn’t mean shit! That doesn’t make me yours!”I sigh, already bored of his little outburst.Then he makes a mistake. “Paul fucked me,” he sneers, his voice dripping with venom. “He owns more of me than you ever could.”My grip tightens on the wheel, my pulse slowing to something dangerous.He laughs, mocking, taunting, enjoying the reaction he thinks he’s getting. “Hell, even Darren owns more of me than you do.”I slam on the brakes, the tires screeching against the road as the car jerks to a sudden stop. Kade barely has a second to react before I’m out of my seat, yanking open his door and grabbing him by the co