George's POV
I hit the ice harder than I needed to.The moment my skates touched down, I pushed off without waiting for the rest of the team to settle into formation, cutting across the rink with more speed than control. The cold air burned against my lungs, sharp and grounding, but it didn’t do much to quiet the noise in my head.
Faster.
That was the only thing that made sense right now. If I kept moving, I didn’t have to think.
“Damn, captain’s in a mood today.” The comment came from somewhere behind me, half amused, half wary but I ignored it.
I circled back, grabbed the puck from the edge, and drove it forward, weaving past two players without slowing down. My stick hit the ice harder than necessary when I passed, the sound echoing louder than usual in the rink.
“Hey, take it eas
