Stealing My Best Friend’s Mate

10- Victory

Xavier’s POV

'Is mate still watching?' Moros rumbles.

The shrill blast of the final buzzer reverberates through the arena before the scoreboard flashes across the massive screen hanging above center ice.

BLACK SHADOW WOLVES 5

STONE CREEK DIREWOLVES 2

Dire wolves. Hah. They tack that part on just to feed their superiority complex. We're all wolves. Only the names of our universities change... usually. The change in names was a recent thing, but dire wolves? As if borrowing the name of some extinct legend suddenly gives them the upper hand. It doesn't. Us "regular" wolves still beat the Dire wolves.

The crowd erupts.

A rush of adrenaline surges through me as my teammates collide around me, gloves smacking against helmets and sticks lifting into the air. We did it. Another win. Another step closer to proving ourselves.

Pride settles in my chest, but it barely has time to take hold before Moros pushes forward again, turning towards Sloan, who was wearing a grin, and my chest swells more. She is still seated as if she feels out of place while everyone else is going wild, not seeing me, but I see her through the restless bodies.

Students leap from their seats, stomping against the bleachers until the entire building seems to shake beneath our skates. Navy and silver flags wave wildly through the stands while our supporters chant the school's name over and over again, drowning out every other sound inside the rink.

Another victory. Another step closer to the Conference Championship.

Black Shadow Wolves pour onto the ice, tapping gloves against one another as congratulations fly from every direction. Mason barrels into Noah hard enough to nearly send both of them sprawling before Liam skates over, laughing so loudly the referee shoots him an exasperated glare.

"I told you they couldn't get past me!" he bellows proudly, ripping off his mask. "Five goals for us and only two for them. That's what I call a beautiful afternoon."

"You also spent half the third period talking to their goalie," Ethan points out as he glides past.

Liam shrugs without an ounce of shame. "He looked lonely."

Mason snorts. "No, he looked like he wanted to hit you."

"Same thing."

Their bickering earns another round of laughter from the team, yet I struggle to join in. Something about today's game felt off regardless of our easy win.

The victory is convincing. Coach Peters will be pleased with the scoreboard, and qualifying for the Conference Semifinal is exactly where we expect to be. Yet beneath the celebration lingers an uneasiness I can't quite shake.

Because Kai didn't play like Kai today.

I've spent years on the same line as him. We've practiced together since we were kids, learned each other's habits until passing the puck became second nature, and built a rhythm few teams in the conference have ever managed to break.

Today, that rhythm stumbled. Not often, but enough for me to notice.

Twice he missed a pass I know he normally would've intercepted. Once he skated straight past an opening, I've seen him exploit hundreds of times before. Even during a power play, when the puck landed perfectly on his stick, his hesitation gave Stone Creek enough time to recover defensively.

The rest of the team probably dismissed it as an off day, but I can't. Because I know him too well. Every few shifts, I caught his attention drifting toward the stands, toward the exact section where Sloane sat.

The realization unsettled me far more than it should.

Why?

The question circled endlessly inside my head as we lined up to shake hands with Stone Creek.

Why is he watching her? It makes no sense.

Kai is the one who insists he and Judy are together now for everyone. He's the one parading her through campus with an arm slung possessively around her waist. He's the one who went as far as forging medical paperwork just to keep Sloane away before publicly acting as though she'd already become part of his past.

If that's what he wanted, why isn't he looking at Judy?

Why does his attention keep wandering back to Sloane?

The answers refuse to come, because he can’t be jealous, right?

Moros shifts uneasily beneath my skin, and my gaze instinctively follows Kai's once again, and sure enough, he's looking up there.

A strange knot forms beneath my ribs.

Across the rink, the cheerleaders gather near the tunnel to congratulate the team as they always do after a home victory. Judy's bright smile is already fixed in place as she claps enthusiastically for every player making their way off the ice, her silver pom-poms tucked beneath one arm.

Then she notices.

Not Kai, but me. More specifically, me noticing Kai. For the briefest moment, our eyes meet, and her smile falters when she follows his line of vision.

Understanding flickers across her face, followed almost immediately by irritation, and I look away before she catches me staring a second time. The last thing I want is to become tangled in whatever mess is unfolding between the three of them.

Except… I'm already tangled in it.

Fuck, all I wanted was Sloane, minus all this drama. If I can actually get wishes granted- heck, minus all the memories she had with Kai as well. Maybe not even have them together to begin with. Make her mine- my moon chosen.

Movement to my left catches my attention.

Instead of following the rest of us toward the tunnel, Kai veers toward the bench. Judy is waving him over like an eager puppy. The moment he reaches her, she leans over without the slightest bit of shame, both hands framing his face before pressing a lingering kiss to his lips.

The crowd whistles, and a few girls squeal as they've just witnessed the greatest romance ever written. My stomach churns when I realize hardly anyone is watching Kai anymore. They're watching Sloane. Maybe half the arena has turned toward her. Some cover their mouths in disbelief. Others exchange whispers behind raised hands. A few don't even bother hiding their laughter, as though her humiliation is tonight's real entertainment.

Phones begin to capture her stillness- as if they expected Sloane to suddenly burst into tears. Most don't know she doesn't even remember Kai is her boyfriend. So to her, he’s not cheating.

My jaw clenches, not waiting another second, even when someone slaps my back, holding one of my arms. Turning away from the celebration, I skate straight toward the bench gate.

"Hey, Cap!" Mason calls after me, but I ignore him.

I hop over the boards before disappearing through the opening and stripping off my helmet. The cool arena air hits sweat-damp hair as I weave through staff and players' families gathering near the tunnel.

By the time I reach the railing, Sloane is coming down to me. Her boyfriend, as far as she knew.

Her smile appears almost automatically. Small.

Polite, and it doesn't reach her eyes. And somehow, that bothers me a hell of a lot more than Kai kissing Judy ever could. I wanted her to be joyful when she sees me. Her eyes shining like I mean the world to her- the way she used to look at Kai.