All Chapters of Pucking Forbidden Claim: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Rook’s POVThe locker room is humming with the usual pre-game energy, the guys are stretching, taping their sticks and adjusting their gear. They are all going through the motions like this just any other game. It's not. At least for me it isn't. Sitting on the bench, I lace up my skates with slow deliberate movements, letting the anticipation settle deep into my chest. This game isn't important in our standings, and such, it's just a charity game. it's meant to be a time when we put on a good show, winning and losing means nothing. I don't care about the show, the only thing that matters to me right now, is that Kade Mercer is on the other side of the ice. For the first time in years, I don't know what version of him I'm going to get on the ice. Yesterday I felt it, the shift in him, something told me he wasn't himself. Mercer is always cocky, reckless and for some reason, he's always pushing forward like he doesn't give a fuck about anything but winning. Yesterday though? He was s

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

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

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 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