The Alpha's Hockey Mate

CHAPTER ONE Harper’s POV I had just finished my own match. My skates were still cold against my feet as I settled into the upper viewing section overlooking the rink, watching the arena slowly fill again for Tyler’s game. Tyler was next and I already knew he was going to win. Because I had made sure of it. To Tyler, I was nothing more than his girlfriend. A supportive one. A quiet one. The girl who waited for him after every game, celebrated every goal he scored, and kissed him like every victory belonged to him alone. He didn’t know that I was the reason he never had to stay down for long. My fingers rested lightly against the railing as I watched him skate effortlessly across the ice during warm-ups. No one knew that my father was the founder of the Frost Wolves Hockey Club. The team Tyler wore so proudly across his chest. Years ago, my father built the organization from nothing. Today, coaches respected him, sponsors trusted his judgment, and executives listened whenever he spoke. If I wanted to use his name, I could. One conversation with my father could change the way people looked at a player. One recommendation could earn someone another chance. One decision from him could open doors that had already been closed. That was exactly why I kept my identity a secret. I wanted people to see Harper. Not the founder’s daughter. I wanted to be known as a hockey player who earned her place on the ice, not a girl whose father owned the team. I didn’t want my teammates whispering that I only made the roster because of my last name. I didn’t want every goal I scored to be dismissed as favoritism. And I certainly didn’t want people believing Tyler’s career existed because he was dating me. So I stayed invisible. But when it came to Tyler… My rules became flexible. Whenever his career hit a wall, I found myself stepping in. A quiet conversation with my father. A recommendation passed to the right coach. A second opportunity when everyone else had already given up on him. Tyler still had to step onto the ice and prove himself. I simply made sure someone believed in him long enough to give him the chance. Everything…Just to make sure he never stopped smiling. I leaned forward slightly as the crowd began chanting his name. “Tyler! Tyler! Tyler!” A smile spread across my face before I could stop it. “You’re going to win today,” I whispered, my eyes never leaving him. Tyler had always looked different on the ice. Like the pressure that usually crushed everyone else somehow disappeared the moment his skates touched the rink. It was one of the things I admired most about him. People only saw the player who scored goals and celebrated victories. They never saw the nights he sat on my apartment floor, convinced his career was over after another poor performance. They never heard him question whether he was good enough to play professionally. They never saw him break down after being overlooked for another opportunity. I had. Every single time. And every single time, I found myself doing whatever I could to help him stand back up, not because he asked but bcause he didn’t even know.Sometimes I wondered if I had crossed a line. Whether I should have stayed out of it and let him fight his own battles. But then I’d see him smile after another win, his eyes shining with pride, and every doubt inside me would disappear. As long as Tyler was happy….I was happy. The announcer’s voice suddenly echoed throughout the arena. “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the captain of the Blackhawks…” The cheers that followed were just as loud as they had been for Tyler. My smile slowly faded. “…Xavier Knight.” The moment he stepped onto the ice, the atmosphere changed, even my smile disappeared because I knew nXavier wasn’t just another captain. He was the player every team dreaded facing, fast, calculated, unshakable. He wasn’t the type to celebrate after scoring or taunt his opponents. He simply played and he played to win. I watched him skate toward center ice, his sharp eyes calmly studying every corner of the rink before settling on Tyler’s team. A quiet sigh escaped my lips. “Stay focused,” I murmured, though Tyler was far too far away to hear me. “Don’t let Xavier get inside your head.” The referee skated toward the center circle with the puck in hand. The crowd grew louder, anticipation filling every corner of the arena. I barely noticed the footsteps approaching from behind. I was too busy watching Tyler when someone skated on my leg and it made me fall… Something slammed hard against the back of my leg. “Ah!” Pain shot through my calf before I could steady myself. I twisted around just enough to catch a familiar blonde ponytail disappearing into the crowd. Mila, of course. She didn’t even bother looking back. My fingers reached for the railing, but they closed around empty air. The next thing I knew, my balance was gone. My body pitched forward, and I crashed onto the concrete steps with a painful thud. For one brief second….The entire arena seemed to fall silent, then the laughter started. It spread through the viewing section like wildfire, growing louder with every passing second until it drowned out the noise from the rink. My heart dropped..Slowly, I lifted my head. Dozens of eyes were staring at me. Some people covered their mouths, trying, and failing, to hide their laughter.Others didn’t even bother. Their fingers pointed in my direction as whispers quickly turned into open mockery. “The fat girl’s down!” “I knew she’d lose her balance sooner or later.” “Poor Tyler… that’s his girlfriend.” “She doesn’t even look like a hockey player.” Every word landed harder than my fall. Heat rushed to my face as I struggled to push myself back onto my feet, wishing I could disappear before another pair of eyes found me. I looked down.nMy trousers had ripped across one side. The skin around my knee was scraped, and the tear had exposed part of my leg. My hands quickly covered the torn fabric as my heart pounded inside my chest. Please...Please don't look at me. I wished the ground would open up and swallow me. I could still hear people laughing, some had even taken out their phones. My vision became blurry as tears filled my eyes Then I remembered Tyler I quickly lifted my head and searched the ice. He was looking toward the stands, tooward me, our eyes met. Relief washed over me, he saw me, he knew I had fallen, he would come, he had to, he was my boyfriend. I forced a weak smile despite the tears threatening to fall. "Tyler..." I whispered his name. Even from this distance, I knew he heard me. His expression changed. His eyes moved away from me and swept across the arena. The crowd, the cameras, his teammates, his jaw tightened. For one second..I waited. Then...He looked away. As if I didn't exist, as if he had never seen me. My smile slowly disappeared."...Tyler?"My voice cracked. He adjusted his gloves, turned aroundband skated back toward the center of the ice without looking at me again. Something inside me broke, he chose them. He chose his reputation over me, the laughter became even louder. "I told you." "Even Tyler doesn't want her." "He pretended not to know her." "I don't blame him." "I'd be ashamed too." Tears rolled down my cheeks before I could stop them. I lowered my head, trying my best to cover myself. I didn't want anyone to see me anymore. I just wanted to disappear. The laughter died. One by one, the voices disappeared until an eerie silence settled over the stands. Confused, I slowly lifted my head. A pair of black skates stood directly in front of me. My gaze traveled upward. Black jersey, broad shoulders. Number Seventeen.My breath caught. Xavier Knight. Then...The laughter slowly faded. One voice after another became silent. Even the whispers stopped. He was supposed to be on the ice. Instead...He was standing in front of me. He looked down at my torn trousers. Then at the scrape on my knee. Then at my trembling hands that were desperately trying to cover myself. His expression turned cold. Without saying a single word, he removed the thick team blanket resting over his shoulders. He unfolded it carefully. Then he bent down in front of me.Gently... He wrapped the blanket around my waist and legs, making sure the torn fabric was completely hidden. His movements were calm.. He never looked at me in a way that made me feel embarrassed, he simply made sure I was covered. Only after he was certain the blanket hid everything did he straighten up. The entire arena watched in complete silence. No one laughed anymore,n one dared to. Xavier finally looked at me. For the first time since I fell...mI didn't see pity in someone's eyes. Only quiet concern. He slowly held out his gloved hand. “Stand up”