Stealing My Best Friend’s Mate

7- Returning

Sloane's POV

The first day back at Black Shadow University feels strangely... normal. Students hurry between buildings with coffees in hand, conversations filling every walkway while backpacks bounce against shoulders.

Midterms are creeping closer, the hockey team's victory last week is still the hottest topic on campus, and life continues as though mine hasn't completely fallen apart.

Funny how the world works. It keeps spinning even when yours stops.

Zia stretches sleepily beneath my skin. 'Breathe.'

"I'm breathing." I adjust the strap of my bag.

"Talking to yourself already?" Xavier's familiar, deep voice reaches me from behind, and Zia instantly conceals herself.

Turning, I find Xavier crossing the courtyard toward me, one hand tucked into the pocket of his jeans while the other cradles two coffee cups. Even from across campus, heads turn.

Of course, they do. After all, he's Xavier Bishop. Future Alpha. Captain of the Black Shadow Wolves' hockey team. Campus heartthrob- the only person who's more sought after than Kai.

Girls practically trip over themselves just to smile at him.

Unlike my ex, Kai, who loves the attention, Xavier doesn't seem to even notice. Or maybe he simply doesn't care.

"You were muttering," he says, stopping beside me before offering one of the coffees.

Right werewolf hearing, I remind myself, and Zia sinks deeper within.

"Caramel, babe."

Warmth settles unexpectedly inside my chest. He isn't going to drop the "babe" thing now, I see.

"I don't remember telling-" Right, amnesia. I don't finish what I'm saying because it's obvious Kai tells him what I like, to keep up pretenses- and I also have my role. Also... it works because lol- amnesia.

Coffee daily is a luxury I can't afford, so Kai would usually get it for me. My eyes sting again at his betrayal. Before I can think too much about it, Xavier’s fingers brush mine as I take the cup. No sparks flow because he isn't my chosen mate, and Zia rolls her eyes, resurfacing enough to say, 'You want his sparks?'

No, I don't, I deny. It’s just… when we kissed it was- whatever.

Xavier feels... natural. Comfortable even.

"Ready?"

I take a sip and close my eyes, basking in the sweet blends I haven't tasted for two weeks. "For class?" I take another sip of the iced brew.

"For our date."

I nearly choke on my coffee. "Our-"

"My girlfriend can't keep forgetting we're dating."

Heat floods my face. Right.

Rolling my eyes dramatically at his joke, I fall into step beside him as we make our way to our first class.

Over the next few days, campus settles into a rhythm.

Every afternoon, Xavier waits outside my final lecture. We eat together, study together, and sometimes walk around the lake. Sometimes we simply sit beneath the old oak tree near the arts building without saying much at all.

Oddly enough, silence becomes easy with him. Not awkward.

By late afternoon, Xavier always glances toward his phone. "Practice." And he leaves me on my own. He hasn't visited my shabby apartment since I returned to campus, and I appreciate it. At home, I can be myself, and Zia is free to be as well.

Today, however, Xavier takes my hand when I get to my feet, adjusting my bag strap. "You coming?"

I blink. "To hockey?"

He nods once. "You've always watched the games."

Usually, I did go to the matches, but that was because of Kai, and I rarely went since I had work. From campus, I go to a convenience store where I work until twelve, four nights a week. They pay well, which is why I can cover rent. Tonight is one of my free nights... My stomach twists briefly before I smile.

"I guess girlfriends are supposed to support their boyfriends, whether they remember or not, huh."

"So I've heard."

__

The arena buzzes with energy long before practice begins. The smell of fresh ice greets me the second we step inside. Skates carve deep grooves across the rink while pucks slap loudly against the boards and several players notice us immediately.

"There he is!" Liam Brooks, the team's goalie, skates over first, and my cheeks warm because his outburst has everyone turning around to stare.

Another player glides over, laughing. Mason Carter, defenseman. Broad shoulders, crooked grin, and probably incapable of taking anything seriously.

"Damn, Bishop." He nudges Xavier's shoulder. "What's happening with Kai?"

"Drop it, Carter," is all Xavier says, and Mason turns toward me instead.

"I'm Mason."

He knows who I am and knows that I know who he is.

"Sloane."

"The famous Sloane."

Famous. Right. That again. I am not known in the pack because I've done nothing extraordinary. I am "famous," as he puts it, because I am the orphan omega. The girl with no family, no home to return to, and no relatives I even know exist. Swallowing around the familiar ache, I barely even feel the sting behind his words.

Kai's family is the only one who says, "She's ours." I feel at home in the beta house. They were my family... until Kai cast me aside.

From my peripheral view, I see others coming our way, and Zia also senses Kai's presence and dulls herself until she can't anymore.

Another voice cuts across the ice before anyone can say anything else. "Quit flirting and get your asses moving!"

Coach Peters and everyone groan immediately.

"Sloane, we'll catch up soon," Mason laughs before skating away.

Xavier reaches for his helmet. "I'll be about an hour."

Why is he- right, amnesia, I remind myself as his gray eyes linger on me for a second longer than necessary. I'm not supposed to know anything about the game. Then he skates onto the ice.

__

Watching practice is... fascinating. Kai and Xavier dominate the rink together. They're considered the best forward line in the conference.

Kai is explosive, fast, and flashy. He smiles while he plays, weaving effortlessly around defenders before firing blistering shots into the net. The crowd absolutely loved him.

Xavier is the opposite. Precise. Every movement serves a purpose and is calculated. He reads the ice before anyone else seems to. Captain for a reason.

Watching them together, it's easy to understand why they've been best friends for years. They barely need words. One glance, a nod, and the puck somehow finds the other every single time.

A whistle echoes, and the coach starts another drill.

From my peripheral view, I see members of the cheer squad coming in, and my stomach turns. Kai's new woman and my friend. Former. I try my best to ignore Judy and this… situation- players sprint at full speed from opposite ends of the rink.

Minutes go by, and I stand near the boards chatting with Mason, who is in the penalty box. "I swear Coach hates me."

"You've said that three times," I return, and he glances up at me as if he hadn't expected it.

"Because it's true."

A laugh escapes me, just as movement flashes from the corner of my eye. A forward loses an edge while racing toward the boards.

Too fast. One second, he's cutting across the ice, and the next, his skate slips, and his body twists violently out of control.

I watch in horror as he slams sideways into the glass, and the entire panel shudders. Everything goes quiet, and I turn towards Kai, whose eyes are like saucers. Reflex.

A single c***k splits through the rink, sharp enough to make everyone freeze.

Kai's voice follows, filled with panic. "Sloane!"

Shouts erupt across the rink as a web of fractures spreads across the panel in front of me, and my stomach drops. All sounds fade beneath the pounding of my own heartbeat.

I should move. I know I should. But my body refuses to listen.

Someone screams, "LOOK OUT!" followed by the sharp sounds of cracking glass, but I am still motionless.

Zia surges awake beneath my skin, her warning raw and primal. 'Move.'

Before I can react, suddenly, strong arms wrap around my waist, and one powerful yank tears me backward, and everything seems to move in slow motion from there. My eyes widen as I see shards of glass scatter across the floor from where I had been standing.

I'm sliding across the ice, but I didn't feel the impact of my body hitting the floor. I'm turned and against a solid chest, my lungs seize, then heave when I see Xavier's head hovering above me, his eyes full of worry.

There is nothing romantic about nearly being clobbered, about nearly being crushed by a hockey player and a collapsing panel of glass- but a sizzle crashes through me, nevertheless.

"Babe, are you okay?!" It's Kai, and he sounds panicked and as if he's running. But that's not what catches me.

Because I am distracted by the strange humming beneath my skin, growing stronger with every second Xavier keeps holding me. Roughly, I feel Xavier's arm around me pull away. "Look at me."

Dazed, I blink rapidly before lifting my eyes, my thoughts a little unfocused. Because what was that? What was that sensation my wolf reacted to?