Page 159 of Puck & Her Blades

There’s an uneasy silence settling over the crowd, when instead of the typical celebrations, the large screen begins to fill with images from CCTV cameras.

They’re taken from the coach’s room and locker rooms here in the arena.

Cygnus truly did an incredible undercover job.

In the last few days, I found every bit of evidence that I needed to reveal the abuses against Roarke’s star players, along with his corruption. To give credit to my frenemy, Wolfie, he came through for me as well, slipping me evidence of rule breaking within the mascot system.

It may not be enough to put Roarke into the Alpha Center but it doesn’t need to be.

Right now, it’s the court of public opinion that matters.

We have a contract that frees us of Roarke’s control, and he’s never going to be able to go back on it after this. He’s also never going to be able to run a sports team.

With any luck, this will open an investigation into how all dynamics are treated within the sporting world, which has never before been seen in America.

I hope.

Jackson used his contacts in the resistance to get the Omega film director to weave the evidence into as dramatic a five minute film as possible.

Hard-hitting, shocking, and intimate.

After the fans both in the arena and around the globe are high on the thrill of their beloved fans and mascot just winning the Alpha Cup for them, it must twist the knife in their gut to see the dirty truth behind the glossy mask.

A shocked silence has fallen over the crowd. Both the Blades and the Florida Alphas are standing shoulder to shoulder in solidarity.

I’m trembling, and Cygnus wraps his arm around my waist.

The film is shocking, even for me.

I blink the tears from my eyes at scenes, which include Cygnus’ mistreatment, Jackson taking the beatings for his teammates, Asher fastening his choker back on and being treated like trash, and Zev being forced to race laps until he pukes, while Roarke does underhand deals over the mascots.

To my shock, the film finishes with a shot of me on the ice, when Jackson arranged for me to have the rink to myself after practice, and I skated again.

I didn’t know that I’d looked like that in the dim light: a shadow caught in the twilight.

The film closes to a deathly silence.

Then a furious, rumbling growling starts up.

Shocked, I realize that it’s not only the Alphas in the audience, but all the dynamics who look ready to rip the arena apart.

What have we unleashed?

“Now, calm down,” the commentator attempts with an uncomfortable chuckle. “I don’t know what’s going on or how this system got hijacked. But we’ll be returning to our normal—”

When he’s cut off, the crowds applaud.

“How fucking dare you.” Roarke storms toward Cygnus, and the hair on the back of my neck stands up. Roarke’s raging, and his dominance is terrifying. “When did you break into my study? Steal from me? I’m going to throw your ass into the Institute. Do you think that they care there, whether you need to laze in bed or enjoy reading, rather than working?”

“You’re not going to hurt any of us again.” Cygnus growls, standing protectively in front of me.

Roarke smiles, slyly. “Since you’re exposing everything about our pack, how about I tell everybody what happened to you at the lake? What that illness did to you?”

He’s going to publicly announce that Cygnus should be a Reject.

Shit.

Cygnus balls his hands into fists. “If you truly want to hurt me — the only part of Mom that you have left — and break your promise to her, then go ahead. It’s not like you haven’t already been hurting me for years. But if you do, then won’t you be exposing yourself?”

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