Page 56 of Break The Ice

I stand up on the plastic seats and cup my hands around my mouth.

“I FUCKING QUIT. SHOVE YOUR FUCKING CONTRACT UP YOUR ASS.”

The coach whirls around, his face drains of colour and goes white. “You can’t.”

“Fucking watch me. My contract allows me to quit at any time. Ask Callan. He checked it with his lawyer friend, and I’ll sort it out with Andreas tomorrow,” I snarl, belatedly remembering my agent.

I pull my hood up and turn, stalking towards the exit, ignoring Wesley, who calls for me to come back.

I make it outside and find Callan. He spots me, and I can see on his face that he knows something is up, but he can read the nuances of the closed off bonds better than I can. I don’t let him talk. Fuck, I don’t want to talk. I slam our mouths together and push him up against the wall, running my hands up under his shirt.

He kisses me back with equal fervor.

I kiss him until I can no longer hide. I pull back and rest my head on his shoulder.

Callan is the solid strength, my anchor. The person who is in my corner when all of everyone else isn’t.

“They benched me for practice.”

“Oh, Raider, I’m so sorry.”

“I quit.”

“Is that what you want to do?”

“I don’t want to spend my last game on the bench. I don’t want to sit and watch my team play while I’m stuck by two assholes who are deciding to punish me for my brother’s mistake.”

“Okay.”

And that’s what I love about Callan. He supports my decisions. He doesn’t argue with me or tell me I’m wrong. Callan doesn’t try to convince me to do things his way. He simply accepts that I can make my own choices.

And he trusts me.

Wren comes storming out, looking in both directions. He isn’t wearing shoes or skates, just socks. He marches up to me and, just when I think he’s going to hit me, he hugs me and Callan.

The warmth and strong feel of his body makes me feel smaller and safe, even though we’re the same size.

“You’re not angry?”

“Not at you.”

I close my eyes at the relief. I didn’t know until that moment that I was worried about what he would think. I was worried if he would call me an idiot and try to force me to go back and beg.

I’m not begging.

Ever.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Wren nods. “Give me ten minutes, and we can head home.”

We don’t head home.Wren ends up in a huge meeting with the team, and I end up being dragged back inside. My agent is on the phone when I walk in to find the whole team standing with their arms crossed.

“Coach Smith,” our CEO and the team owner Haydan Bently says. They’ve got several screens up, and I see the board. “Are you telling me the entire team has quit?”

My jaw drops open. What?

“Yes, Alpha.”

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