His Fake Girlfriend, His True Mate

Chapter 6

_Lyra's POV_

I knew Ryder Kane as someone who was cold, distant and impossible to read. He had looked at me like I was nothing more than another problem he had to deal with.

But on the ice, he was completely different.

The moment he stepped onto the rink, something changed. He was no longer just the arrogant hockey captain who pushed everyone away. He looked confident, focused and completely in control.

I stood near the edge of the rink with my camera and notebook in hand, watching the Frostfang Club during practice. My job was simple. I needed to capture content, take photos and create a better image of the team after everything that had happened. Especially for Ryder.

The media still talked about the scandal. Every mistake he made was being watched. Every action was judged. But as I watched him move across the ice, I finally understood why he was the captain.

Ryder moved across the ice like he belonged there. Every turn was smooth. Every movement was controlled. He was faster than anyone else but it wasn’t only his speed that caught my attention.

It was the way he played with complete confidence like he already knew what was going to happen before it did.

He knew where the puck would go before anyone else could react. He knew where his teammates would move before they even made a decision. It was almost like he could see the entire game several seconds ahead.

I lowered my camera for a moment. I hated admitting it but he was impressive.

“Still trying to figure him out?”

I turned and saw one of the team staff members standing beside me.

I quickly looked away from the ice. “Figure out who?” I asked.

The man gave me a knowing smile. “Ryder.”

I frowned slightly. “I’m not trying to figure him out.”

He laughed softly. “Everyone tries.”

I looked back at Ryder as he passed the puck to another player.

“He is just difficult to understand.”

“That is a polite way of saying impossible,” the staff member replied.

I almost smiled at that because he was right. That was exactly what Ryder Kane was. He was impossible.

____________

Practice continued for another twenty minutes before a new group entered the rink.

At first, I didn’t think much of it. I assumed they were just another team joining for a practice session. But the moment Ryder noticed one of the players, something in his expression changed.

The player was tall and confident, with a smile that made it obvious he enjoyed getting under people’s skin. He removed his helmet and looked directly at Ryder.

“Well, look who it is.”

Ryder’s face immediately became colder. “Asher.”

The player’s smile widened. “Kane.”

There was something between them, something that felt deeper than a simple greeting. It wasn’t friendship but it wasn’t hatred either. It felt like an old rivalry that had never truly ended.

Asher’s eyes moved around the rink before landing on me. Then his smile changed. Like he had just noticed something interesting. I immediately disliked that look.

“Well,” he said slowly. “This is new.”

I glanced behind me, wondering if he was talking about someone else but his eyes stayed on me.

Ryder noticed too. The look on his face darkened.

“Asher.”

His voice was calm but there was a clear warning behind it.

Asher only smiled. “So this is the girl?” he asked.

My eyebrows lifted slightly.“The girl?” I repeated.

Asher looked between Ryder and me. “I expected someone who could actually handle you.”

Heat rose to my face and I stared at him in disbelief.

Excuse me?

Before I could respond, Ryder spoke. “Watch what you say.”

His voice was quiet but there was something sharp underneath it. It was a warning.

Asher raised his hands. “Relax. I’m just surprised.”

His eyes moved back to me. “You must be patient.”

I crossed my arms. “Why?”

“Because Ryder Kane is not exactly known for being easy.”

I glanced at Ryder, then back at Asher. “That is something I already noticed.”

For a moment, Asher looked amused and even Ryder seemed slightly surprised by my answer. Then Ryder’s eyes narrowed.

“Funny.”

I ignored him.

Asher laughed softly. “Interesting.”

I wasn’t sure why but the way he said that made me uncomfortable. It sounded like he had noticed something I hadn’t.

The practice match started soon after. I moved closer to the rink to record videos for social media.

At first, everything seemed normal. The players moved across the ice, following the game like any other practice session. But then Ryder changed.

The more competitive the match became, the more intense he grew. His movements became sharper and his expression turned colder.

The players from Asher’s team kept pushing him. They bumped into him, challenged him and tried to get a reaction out of him. And Ryder pushed back harder.

“Careful, Kane,” one of the players called with a mocking smile. “Your little girlfriend might see your temper.”

I froze slightly at the comment. Ryder stopped moving, only for a second. But I noticed.

Something shifted in his expression. His jaw tightened and his grip on his hockey stick became stronger.

For a brief moment, I thought I saw something strange in his eyes. There was a flash of gold. I blinked and it was gone. I stared at him.

No. That was impossible.

I was just tired. That had to be it. After everything that had happened recently, maybe my mind was simply creating things that weren’t there.

First, there had been a giant wolf in the underground parking garage. Then this strange feeling about Ryder. And now I thought I saw his eyes change?

I definitely needed more sleep.

_________

The game continued but Ryder looked more aggressive. He wasn’t completely out of control but he was close. It looked like he was fighting against something inside himself. He was holding back a side of him that wanted to break free.

I found myself watching him more closely. There was something about him that I couldn’t explain. It was a strange feeling....the same feeling I had gotten from the wolf. I quickly shook my head and pushed the thought away.

No. I was not doing this again.

Ryder Kane was not a wolf. He was just a difficult hockey player with an attitude problem. That was all. I turned my attention back to filming. Then everything happened at once.

A player hit the puck harder than expected, sending it flying across the ice straight toward me. I didn’t even have time to move.

One second, I was standing there with my camera in my hand. The next, everything blurred. Ryder was suddenly in front of me. His hand wrapped around my wrist as he pulled me backward and my back hit his chest.

A second later, the puck crashed into the wall behind us. The loud sound echoed through the rink. Then everything went silent and everyone stopped.

For a moment, all I could focus on was him. His hand around my wrist. The warmth of his body behind me. The sound of his breathing.

Ryder Kane looked angry....but not at me. He wasn’t angry because I had interrupted practice or caused a problem. He was angry because I had almost been hurt.

Then I saw something I had never seen in him before. There was real fear in his eyes. He was scared for me.

My heart skipped. “Ryder?” I whispered.

His gray eyes met mine and for a moment, he looked almost lost, like he had reacted without thinking. But then the cold expression returned.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

The question surprised me. I slowly shook my head.

“No.”

He looked at me carefully, like he was making sure that I was telling the truth.

“You’re not supposed to stand there.”

I frowned. “What?”

His jaw tightened. “You heard me.”

I stared at him, still trying to understand his reaction.

“You knew that was coming. Anyone would have moved.”

I shook my head. “No, they wouldn’t have.”

He looked at me silently.

“The puck was too fast,” I continued. “I didn’t even see it until it was already right in front of me.”

For a moment, Ryder said nothing. Because he knew I was right. He had reacted before anyone else even realized there was danger. Slowly, his hand released my wrist. And for some reason, I immediately missed the warmth of his touch. The thought annoyed me more than it should have.

“Why did you do that?” I asked quietly.

His eyes moved away from mine. “It was nothing.”

“It wasn’t nothing.”

He didn’t answer. The silence between us felt strange. It was as if there were words between us that neither of us wanted to say.

Then his eyes lowered to my wrist, where his hand had been holding me. His expression changed only for a moment. But I saw it. There was a softness....almost like regret. Then it disappeared and the cold mask returned.

“You distract me,” he whispered.

I blinked. “What?”

His eyes returned to mine. “You heard me.”

My heart started beating faster. “I distract you?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t understand why those words affected me so much. Maybe it was because Ryder Kane never admitted anything. He never showed weakness. But right now, he looked almost frustrated.

Before I could respond, someone called his name from the ice. Ryder looked away and the moment between us disappeared. But the feeling remained.

I watched as he returned to the rink. He became the same cold captain everyone knew. The same impossible man who pushed everyone away.

But now I knew that there was something hidden beneath all that arrogance. Something he was trying very hard to keep buried.

And the worst part was, I wanted to know what it was.