Page 7 of Puck & Her Blades

The floor’s made out of rubber, and its chemical scent is powerful.

The only light comes from a glowing purple neon band that circles the ceiling and floor.

Lopez stares down at me in the shadows. “This is your room. It’s simply lucky for the sake of the Institute’s reputation that you were chosen because of your skating ability and ex-family’s name and not because of your good behavior. Perhaps, your new pack can beat some manners into you.”

Perhaps, I can become a good enough actress that they don’t need to.

I stare around at the locker room. It’s tiny, not much more than a closet.

There are no windows.

There’s a large metal locker at the back and a black bench running around the wall. The floors and walls are painted violet.

The color scheme matches the team’s jerseys.

A flat screen television hangs on the back wall, which is streaming live from the pre-match arena.

I stare at in fascination, and my heart skips a beat. I wring my dress between my hands.

This is the first time that I’ve seen an ice rink in a year.

It’s thrilling.

I stare at the crowds, allowing myself for a moment to be caught up in the buzz and excitement.

There must be about twenty thousand fans out in that audience.

In the last year, I’ve been stuck in a single room at the hospital or in a cell. I’ve seen my Beta doctor, physical therapist, and a trainer.

But nobody else.

Seeing both the ice and this many people doesn’t feel real.

It’s like being reborn.

“Thank you,” I breathe. I can’t tear my gaze away from the rink. “Thank you.”

“Well,” Lopez huffs like she doesn’t know how to react, straightening her top, “it’s nice to finally get some appreciation for all my efforts. You should be delighted that you’ve been matched with such a good pack. After all, with anyone else, you’d never have been allowed to skate again, but with this pack, it’s a requirement.”

I turn to look at her, as hope soars through me. “What do you mean?”

Lopez’s lips quirk. “So, I finally have your attention. You’ve been matched with the Blade pack.”

I stare at her in shock.

What the hell?

The Blade pack are the billionaires who own this arena, along with the hockey team. The owner is also the coach and Head Alpha. He adopted Jackson, the impossibly gorgeous Captain, who’s Chief Alpha.

Jackson makes up one of the most feared attacking teams in the NHL alongside his bonded Alpha mate, Zev.

The Alpha wingers are near unstoppable.

Jackson is also known as the Ice King.

He’s cold, commanding, and refuses all press interviews.

Zev, on the other hand, is his wild child Second Alpha. He’s in the press the whole time because of his playboy antics and fights.