Chapter 5
969 Words
AUTHOR’S POV
The tunnel swallowed Kael before Octavia could call after him.
She stood rooted to the spot, her pulse refusing to slow.
Around her, the arena returned to life as if nothing unusual had happened. Vendors shouted about hot dogs and popcorn. Fans hurried back toward their seats before the third period began. The giant scoreboard flashed countdown graphics while music thundered through the speakers.
Everything was normal.
Except for the knot twisting tighter in her stomach.
Maya appeared beside her, carrying two untouched cups of coffee.
"...Well."
Octavia looked at her.
"Well what?"
"I leave you alone for five minutes, and somehow the hottest Alpha on campus personally comes looking for you."
"Don't start."
"I'm serious."
Maya handed her a coffee.
"What did he want?"
Octavia stared toward the players' tunnel.
"He wanted my photographs."
"What photographs?"
"The ones I took of Damien."
Maya frowned.
"You mean the fight?"
"No."
Octavia lowered her voice.
"The men Damien met during intermission."
Maya's smile slowly disappeared.
"What men?"
Octavia glanced around before gently pulling Maya toward a quieter corner near the media offices.
"There were three of them."
"Okay."
"They weren't university staff."
"How do you know?"
"They carried themselves differently."
"Differently how?"
"I don't know..."
Octavia searched for the right words.
"...Like soldiers."
Maya crossed her arms.
"And?"
"They handed Damien a black envelope."
"So?"
"They mentioned photographs."
Maya's expression changed instantly.
"They mentioned your photographs?"
"They asked if 'the girl' knew anything."
"And Damien?"
"He said no."
Maya looked uneasy.
"You think they meant you."
"I don't know."
"But Kael somehow knew exactly what I photographed."
Neither of them spoke for several moments.
Finally Maya sighed.
"Let's look."
Octavia hesitated.
"Here?"
"We'll find an empty media room."
...
Two minutes later they slipped inside a small editing suite.
Rows of computers lined one wall.
The room was empty.
Octavia locked the door before placing her camera on the desk.
Her fingers suddenly felt clumsy.
"Please tell me you actually got something," Maya whispered.
"I wasn't exactly posing them."
She removed the memory card and inserted it into the computer.
Hundreds of photographs appeared on the screen.
The opening ceremony.
The players.
The fight.
Crowd reactions.
She clicked through them quickly.
"There."
The first image appeared.
Damien stood beside the three men.
Their faces were partially turned away.
The picture was clear enough to recognize them if someone already knew who they were.
"Zoom in."
Maya said.
Octavia enlarged the image.
One man wore an expensive charcoal overcoat.
A silver ring rested on his right hand.
Another carried a leather briefcase embossed with an unfamiliar crest.
The oldest man's face remained hidden beneath the brim of a black fedora.
"There's another one."
Octavia clicked forward.
The second photograph showed Damien accepting the black envelope.
As she zoomed further...
Something small caught her eye.
"What is that?"
Maya leaned closer.
The edge of the envelope had opened slightly.
Inside...
A photograph.
Only part of it was visible.
A young woman.
Long dark hair.
Only half of her face could be seen.
The image quality wasn't perfect, but Octavia's breath caught.
"...Is that..."
Maya's eyes widened.
"It looks like..."
Neither of them finished the sentence.
Because the woman inside the envelope looked remarkably like Octavia.
A sharp knock echoed against the editing room door.
Both women jumped.
"Media staff."
A man's voice came from outside.
"We're checking rooms before the third period."
Maya immediately minimized the photographs.
Octavia quickly removed the memory card and slipped it back into her camera.
"We're coming."
She unlocked the door.
A middle-aged arena employee smiled politely.
"Sorry to interrupt."
"No problem."
"The third period starts in two minutes."
"We'll head back."
"Enjoy the game."
He walked away.
Only after his footsteps disappeared did either of them breathe again.
Maya grabbed Octavia's arm.
"You saw that."
"I know what I saw."
"That picture..."
"I know."
"No."
Maya shook her head.
"You don't."
"What do you mean?"
"What if it wasn't a coincidence?"
Octavia frowned.
"What if they weren't asking Damien about just any girl?"
The implication settled heavily between them.
Maya whispered,
"What if they were talking about you?"
...
The arena had somehow become even louder when they returned.
The scoreboard counted down the final twenty minutes.
Third Period
Moonfang Wolves – 2
Crimson Titans – 2
Every seat was occupied.
Students stomped their feet in anticipation.
The players returned to the ice one by one.
Kael emerged last.
He adjusted one glove before skating toward center.
As if sensing her presence...
He looked up.
Across thousands of spectators...
His silver eyes found hers almost immediately.
There was no confusion.
No searching.
Just instant recognition.
Octavia felt strangely self-conscious.
Without thinking, she rested one hand over the camera hanging from her shoulder.
Kael noticed.
His gaze lingered there.
Then, almost imperceptibly...
He gave the smallest shake of his head.
Don't.
She understood the message immediately.
Don't use the camera.
Her brows knitted together in confusion.
Why?
The referee dropped the puck before she could think further.
Play resumed with explosive intensity.
Only three minutes had passed when Damien slammed one of Moonfang's defensemen into the boards long after the whistle.
Boos rained from every corner of the arena.
The referee signaled another penalty.
Damien laughed as he skated toward the penalty box.
As he passed the media section, he lifted his head.
His eyes met Octavia's.
He smiled.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Then he raised one finger to his own lips.
A silent warning.
Don't say a word.
A chill ran through Octavia's entire body.
She wasn't imagining it anymore.
Whatever she had accidentally photographed...
Both Kael and Damien knew about it.
The only difference was that one Alpha wanted to protect her from it...
While the other looked terrifyingly confident that she was already trapped.
- Writer
