Chapter2
1376 Words
BIANCA~
I stood in Father’s office the next morning, my stomach still twisted in knots from the dining room bombshell. Thomas Arnold’s greasy smile kept flashing in my head, but Father had dismissed me after breakfast with one cold order: “My office. Now.”
He didn’t waste time. He picked up a thick file from his desk and held it up so I could see the label clearly. “Bianca’s Professional Hockey Contract.” The only thing I had ever truly loved. The only place I ever felt free was gliding across the ice, stick in hand, the world disappearing except for the puck and the roar of the crowd. It was mine. The one thing that made me feel alive.
He tore it in half right in front of me. The sound ripped through the quiet room like a gunshot.
“You’re finished.”
I froze, staring at the torn papers in his hands. My mouth went dry.
“You’ve been removed from the team.”
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“Your coach already knows.”
No. This couldn’t be happening. I had only failed and it couldn't be this major.
“Your locker will be cleared tonight.”
The room started to spin slowly.
“Your jersey number will be reassigned tomorrow.”
It felt like the air had been ripped from my lungs. I couldn’t breathe. Hockey was the only escape I had, the one thing Father couldn’t control or so I thought. Now it was gone. Just like that.
I asked quietly, my voice barely above a whisper, “What happens to me now?”
Father smiled in that cold, calculating way that always meant he had already won. His eyes didn’t even blink as he leaned back in his big leather chair.
“I’ve arranged a deal.”
He spoke like he was discussing a minor alliance matter, calm and detached. An older Alpha from another powerful pack wanted a political marriage with me. The words sank in slowly, each one heavier than the last, crushing me under their weight.
Father stood up, walked around the desk, and grabbed my chin hard, forcing me to look up at him. His grip hurt, fingers digging into my skin like claws.
“You’ll marry him next week.”
I tried to pull away, but he held tighter, his breath hot on my face.
“In exchange, our packs will merge their territories and strengthen our alliance.”
He let go of my chin with a small shove. I stumbled back a step, my legs shaking badly. The office felt too small, the walls closing in fast. I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think. I just turned and left without another word, my whole body trembling as I shut the heavy door behind me. The hallway stretched long and empty, echoing my footsteps like a death march.
I pulled out my phone with numb fingers and dialed the only person I believed still cared about me.
Jayden.
He picked up on the second ring. I didn’t even let him speak.
“Jayden… please. Meet me at the cliff behind the mansion. I need you. I can’t do this alone. Everything’s falling apart.”
There was a short pause on the line. “Alright. I’ll be there.”
I slipped out through my hideout entrance, heart pounding the whole way down the familiar path. The wind whipped my hair as I reached the cliff, the sea crashing far below like angry whispers. This was it. We could run away together. Start over somewhere far from Father, from Thomas, from all the s**t. Jayden was my escape. He had to be. He was the only one who ever made me feel safe.
He showed up a few minutes later, hands in his pockets, blonde hair messy from the sea breeze. I ran straight to him and poured everything out. The torn contract, the forced marriage next week, the pack alliance, Thomas’s disgusting face at breakfast. The words poured out fast and desperate, my voice cracking as I grabbed his arm.
“Jayden, he tore up my hockey contract. I’m off the team. Coach knows already. They’re clearing my locker tonight. And Father… he’s making me marry some old Alpha next week. Just for a stupid pack alliance. I can’t do it. We have to run. Please, say we’ll run away together tonight. You and me. We can disappear.”
Jayden started laughing.
At first I thought I misheard him over the wind. But he kept laughing, low and cold, shaking his head like I’d told the funniest joke in the world. His blue eyes sparkled with something I didn’t recognize.
“Jayden… what the f**k? This isn’t funny. I’m serious. My life is over.”
He wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. “Oh, Bi Bi. You really are pathetic, aren’t you? A useless addition to the pack.”
My stomach dropped like a stone as I stared at him as if he had grown a second head. “What are you talking about?”
He stepped closer, that familiar grin now twisted. “You want the truth? Fine. I’ve been waiting to say this for a long time. I always envied you, Bianca. From the moment I saw you at that boring event. You had everything. Wealth. Fame from your hockey career. Real talent on the ice that people actually cheered for. Connections through your father’s powerful pack. And what did I have? Nothing. A nobody from nowhere, scraping by, watching you live the life I wanted.”
I stared at him, shock freezing me in place. “Jayden, stop. This isn’t you.”
“Oh, but it is,” he continued, his voice dropping lower, more confident. “So I worked slowly. Patiently. To destroy you from the inside. Every sweet word, every kiss, every time I held you. It was all part of it. I fed your father information. Little things at first. Doubts about your focus, your loyalty. I planted ideas that you were too distracted by ‘personal s**t’ to seal deals like the one with Prince Niko. And yeah, I helped your father push you out of the hockey team. I made sure the coach heard the right rumors. Made the deal smooth so your father could cut you off completely. It was easy. You trusted me with everything.”
Shock hit me like ice water. My hands shook as I grabbed the front of his jacket, fingers twisting hard in the fabric. “You’re lying. Tell me you’re f*****g lying, Jayden! After everything? The nights on the bridge, the way you kissed me, the way you said you loved me, you helped him destroy the only thing I had?”
He laughed again, right in my face. “Loved you? Please. You were just a tool, Bi Bi. A way to get close to the Russo pack’s power. And now look at you, about to marry some old p*****t while I walk away with everything I learned. Your secrets. Your weaknesses. It’s almost too perfect. The Russo pack has always been dragged down by a useless member like you.”
“You bastard!” I yanked harder on his jacket, tears burning my eyes. “I gave you everything. I trusted you when no one else—”
Jayden grabbed me and with a wild look in his eyes screamed, “You have always been a pathetic and whiny b***h. A useless omega w***e who brings nothing but shame. I want you to die.”
“Jayden, please. I understand you're pissed but please—” However, it was wasted effort, his grip tightened and he shoved me hard.
I lost my balance near the cliff edge, rocks crumbling under my feet. For one terrible second our eyes met. His face was calm. Almost peaceful. No regret. Just cold satisfaction and a grin on his face.
Then he pushed me.
I fell backward into nothing. The freezing ocean rushed up fast, waves crashing loud in my ears. The impact knocked the breath from my body, cold saltwater swallowi
ng me whole, dragging me down into the dark depths. My lungs burned as water rushed into them.
- Writer
