Kayden
The next morning came faster than I wanted. My alarm woke me up at six, blaring, and for ten minutes I lay there staring at the ceiling, remembering last night.
The tension between Rhys and me and his scent were clinging to the back of my mind, no matter how much I tried to block them out.
"Oh, fuck this," I groaned as I pushed myself up, showered, dressed, and headed out before I had the chance to overthink anything else.
The practice facility was already buzzing when I arrived. The sound of skates carving into the ice echoed off the rafters. Pucks slammed against the boards with a thunderous crack, and someone was shouting across the rink.
It felt like stepping into another world entirely—one where last night didn't exist and where I didn't have my Omega instincts threatening to leak out.
Rhys was already on the ice, predictably early, going through his edge-work drills. His face was unreadable but looked sharp. When his eyes flicked toward me for half a second, I thought he would say something, maybe wave at me, but he immediately looked away like I wasn't even there.
Fine, I thought. If that was how he wanted to play this, I could handle it.
"Kayden! You are here early," Coach Torres barked as he walked in with his clipboard. "I see living together has changed you."
Changed me? I had only been with him for twenty-four hours.
Before I could speak, Coach tapped me on the shoulder. "Today," he paused, his eyes sweeping over me quickly and then to Rhys. "We are running full breakaway setups. You two together."
Of course, we were.
"Yes, Coach," I said, stepping onto the ice and feeling the familiar bite of the cold air hitting my lungs. Rhys didn't say a word. He didn't even acknowledge that I was there as we lined up for the first drill.
His jaw was tight, his expression hardening as if it were carved out of stone. But the moment the whistle blew, something changed. We moved, and for the first time since joining the team, I let it all out.
Rhys passed the puck without looking, trusting I would be where he needed me. I caught the pass on my tape without hesitation, skated hard around the defender, and sent it back to him with a clean drop pass.
He took the shot, and the puck buried itself in the back of the net with a snap. Then we switched fast, in the blink of an eye.
The practice was better than last time.
My body already knew exactly how to fall in sync with his, and my movements met his like he'd been waiting for this rhythm all along.
Then the coach blew the whistle. "There we go! That's what I want to see!" he screamed excitedly, pointing to Rhys and me. "Great teamwork!"
Rhys's expression didn't change, but I felt the shift in him; it was less rigid than before. He didn't look at me, but he didn't avoid me either.
"Nice one, Vale!" Theo clapped me on the shoulder as we reset. "You and Rhys played like you've been paired for years."
"Yeah, man, that was clean," Reid added as he skated past me.
I smiled at them, but, of course, there was always one.
Luca Rossi scowled at me, watching me like I didn't deserve the jersey on my back.
He snorted loud enough for half the rink to hear. "It's just one good run. Don't get ahead of yourselves. One run doesn't fix anything."
I didn't respond and just stared. Rhys didn't either, though I saw his shoulders stiffen when he appeared beside me.
No words were spoken, and the practice continued. My passes fit perfectly with Rhys's speed, and his positioning opened just enough space for me to break through the defensive line.
Even Coach stopped shouting at one point and watched, his arms crossed, nodding quietly to himself as if he had already known this would happen.
When the final whistle blew, Coach clapped his hands together loudly. "Alright, that's enough for today! Good work, especially you two." He pointed at us with his marker. "Keep that up, and the playoffs next week will be a hell of a show."
A ripple of adrenaline rushed through the team, and a few players let out cheers.
Luca Rossi rolled his eyes and walked off toward the lockers, muttering incoherent words I was glad I didn't hear.
"Vale, Calder." Coach jerked his head toward the hallway that led to the offices. "My office. Now."
Rhys grabbed his water bottle and walked ahead without waiting for me. I followed, my pulse starting to pick up again—not from practice this time, but from the memory of last night and the way everything between us kept piling up, layer by layer, refusing to fade.
Whatever Coach wanted, it wasn't going to be simple. And whatever Rhys felt about me, he still wasn't ready to show any of it.
We reached the coach's office in the blink of an eye. The moment I entered and closed the door behind us, Rhys spoke up. "What happened? You called us in like something was wrong."
Coach didn't even let him finish. He spun around from his desk with the broadest grin I had ever seen on his usually stone-faced expression.
"What happened?" Rhys demanded, sounding impatient.
Coach barked out a laugh. "Good news happened! The kind of news that makes a coach drop to his knees and thank every ancestor he has ever had. That kind of news."
Rhys blinked slowly. "…Okay?"
The coach slapped a stack of papers on the desk so loudly that we both jumped. "Kayden, you are a blessing to this damn team. I mean it. A full blessing. Your arrival has already made waves, and those waves have reached the right ears."
My heart kicked hard against my ribs, and I immediately exchanged looks with Rhys. "Coach… what do you mean?"
He pointed at us with both hands. "We finally got them. The two biggest brands we've been chasing for three years. Not one. Two."
That made Rhys straighten. "Wait… which brands?"
"Voltrex Sports and Aurum Hydrate," Coach announced proudly. "Two multimillion-dollar giants. Voltrex is the top hockey gear manufacturer in the country, and Aurum Hydrate is the number-one electrolyte and performance drink in the league. They have contracts with world-class athletes, movie stars, Olympic medalists—basically anyone who breathes near a camera and makes it look good."
I felt the breath leave my lungs. Those names were the kind of brands I had dreamed of since I was fourteen. They were the kind of brands that changed careers, signed lifetime contracts, and put athletes on billboards across entire cities.
"And they want the two of you," Coach continued. "Both of you. Together."
Rhys's eyebrows shot up. "Together? Why?"
Coach grinned as if he already knew the answer. "Because you two have chemistry. On the ice, it was obvious even today. And off the ice—well—" he shook his head with amusement. "Let's just say the internet is doing half the marketing for them. The board is ecstatic. They approved it instantly. This is the kind of deal that brings in sponsors for an entire season. We need the funding, and you two are bringing it in!"
He handed each of us a folder that was as thick as a textbook. "These are the preliminary briefs. The brand representatives want to interview you both this afternoon. Like—" he checked his watch, "—three hours from now. They want a fast turnaround because playoffs are next week, and they want the campaign to drop before the first game."
My hands trembled slightly as I opened the folder. My face was featured in mock-up posters, and my name was printed beside Rhys's, as if we were already a duo.
The words "The New Era Begins" were in large, bold letters.
I swallowed hard and then smiled brightly. "This is… Coach, this is my dream."
"And you are living it," he said. "You earned this, Kayden. Your arrival didn't divide the team as some people feared," he looked at Rhys. "Your arrival caught the attention of the public and also pushed Rhys to sharpen up, too, even if he pretends he's annoyed about it."
Rhys exhaled slowly, still reading the folder. "This is huge."
"Huge?" Coach snorted. "It is massive. Life-changing. And I need you both to behave at your best today. Represent the team well. Answer questions clearly. Looks like you belong on the cover of a magazine, because after today, you will."
I nodded hard. "I'll do whatever they need."
"I know you will," Coach said, clapping me on the shoulder. "This is only the beginning. You two have a spotlight forming over your heads, and trust me, the world is about to see you shine."
Rhys finally looked at me—for the first time that day—but I still couldn't read his expression. Then he slowly spoke, the words coming out as if he were being forced to say them. "Guess we're partners in this now."
"Guess we are," I murmured.
Coach grinned and clapped again. "Now go. Get ready. Dress like champions. The interviewer will arrive at the training center by four."
"Yes, Coach," we both said and left the office.
My heart raced with bright, burning excitement as I realized my dreams were starting to come true.