SoulBound To The Hockey Captain

Selena. I didn’t know how addicted I was to staying alive until I started to die. “Urgh—” The sound ripped out of my throat as I emptied whatever little remained of last night’s dinner into the toilet bowl. My stomach clenched so violently it felt like it was trying to turn itself inside out. Every heave sent a sharp pain tearing through my ribs until they ached from the force of it. When I finally lifted my head, my ears were ringing. A dull, relentless pounding hammered against my skull, each beat making it worse. My vision blurred for a second, black spots dancing in front of my eyes as I struggled to catch a single steady breath. “Selena, you can’t stay in there all day. The entire county is waiting for you. ” The voice outside the bathroom door sounded distant, muffled beneath the roaring in my ears. I groaned, my whole body shaking uncontrollably. Another wave crashed over me without warning, twisting my stomach so hard I doubled over the toilet again. Nothing came up this time except bitter acid that burned my throat and left tears streaming down my face. It felt like if I threw up one more time, my body would finally give up and spill out my intestines with it. I winced and weakly pushed myself off the toilet. My legs shook beneath me as I stumbled out of the bathroom stall and into my private preparation suite. Gerald was standing by the door, checking his watch. When he finally looked up, his eyes landed on me, and he gave me a sad smile. “There you are,” he said, slipping his watch back into his pocket, “We’re almost out of time.” He looked me over, taking in my pale face and trembling hands before asking, “Were you able to eat anything this morning?” I opened my mouth, but I didn’t need to answer because the look on my face told him everything. He sighed and walked toward me. “Selena, look at me.” I slowly lifted my head. “You’ve worked too hard to let this get inside your head. You’re nervous, that’s all. Every athlete feels it before the biggest competition of their life.” “I’ve been throwing up all morning,” I whispered. “I know.” “My body doesn’t feel right.” “It will once you get on the ice.” His voice was calm, almost reassuring. “Adrenaline does funny things.” I looked down at myself, at the body that no longer felt like mine. The strength and elegance I’d spent years building had slowly disappeared, leaving me thin and frail. My face had become so hollow that my cheekbones stuck out, and my skin was so pale that purple veins showed through my arms despite the makeup covering them. My costume, which had fit perfectly only a month ago, now hung loosely over my shoulders, while my sharp collarbones and sunken chest made it impossible to hide how much weight I’d lost. When did I start looking like this? A month ago, I had woken up feeling sick. At first, I thought it was just a stomach bug, but then I couldn’t eat without throwing everything back up. A few days later, I started coughing up blood, and that was when I knew something was seriously wrong. But Gerald had told me no one could know except him. Not the doctors working for the competition or the skating federation. Nobody. If the media discovered how sick I really was, they would pull me out of the Crystal Blade International Championships before I ever stepped onto the ice. I felt Gerald step behind me and wrap his arms gently around my waist, pulling me against his chest. The warmth of his embrace broke the last bit of strength I had left, and I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back the tears burning behind them. “Baby don’t cry,” he murmured, resting his chin against the top of my head. “I just don’t know if I can skate.” “You can. You’re exhausted, that’s all. You’ve pushed yourself harder than anyone else in this sport. After today, I’m taking you away from all of this.” Then his hand slipped back into his pocket, and his eyes flicked toward the door. After making sure no one was watching, he pulled out a small white pill and held it between his fingers. “Here.” I stared at it, my stomach twisting. “This again? You said I wouldn’t have to take it again.” “I know, but this one is stronger than the last one I gave you.” His voice remained low and reassuring. “The first dose helped you get through the preliminaries, but this one will give you the energy you need to become the Crystal Queen. It’ll double your strength and keep you going until the competition is over.” “I don’t know…” He smiled as if my hesitation was nothing more than pre-competition nerves. Taking my hand, he placed the pill in my palm and gently folded my fingers around it. “Trust me, baby. This isn’t cheating, I promise. It’s just a very special vitamin a doctor friend of mine gave me. Athletes use things like this all the time. It’ll give your body the little push it needs.” I looked down at the tiny pill resting in my hand and then back at the man I’d trusted with my career, my future, and my heart. I nodded, even though something deep inside me was begging me not to. I reached for the glass of water on the table, placed the pill on my tongue, and swallowed as he gently rubbed circles against my side before letting his hand slide beneath the edge of my skating skirt, his touch lingering against my hip as he turned me to face him. He pressed a kiss to my forehead and smiled. “After this competition, I promise you’ll get the break you deserve. We’ll go to the hospital and figure out what’s making you sick, and when you’re better…” His smile softened as he looked into my eyes. “We’ll finally get married. We won’t have to hide our relationship anymore.” The thought made my chest ache because I loved him. “Promise me,” I whispered, searching his eyes for even a single moment of doubt. “Promise me we’ll be together forever.” For a second, he didn’t answer. He only smiled at me, the kind of smile that had always made me feel safe and soothed my fear. “I promise,” he said. #### The roar inside the Royal Ice Arena was deafening. More than twenty thousand fans filled the seats, chanting as camera flashes exploded across the stadium and millions watched around the world. The Crystal Blade International Championships had come down to the two biggest names in figure skating, Rebecca Volkov and me. We’d been rivals since we were teenagers, but for the first time in my career, I felt a strange dread settling in my chest, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake it. As the crowd cheered as I walked toward the rink entrance with Gerald beside me. His lips were moving, and I knew he was giving me one last pep talk but I couldn’t hear a single word he was saying. My heart was pounding too hard. My body buzzed with a strange energy that made it impossible to stand still. Even in the freezing arena, sweat trickled down the side of my face. I wiped it away with the back of my hand, only for it to come back a few seconds later. “Deep breaths,” Gerald said, giving my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “The medicine is working exactly the way it’s supposed to. You’re ready.” I nodded, though I wasn’t sure whether I was agreeing with him or trying to convince myself. When we reached the edge of the rink, I looked up just as Rebecca stepped onto the sidelines with her coach. She looked flawless. Her blonde hair was pulled into a sleek bun that hadn’t moved an inch. Every crystal on her dress sparkled under the arena lights. Compared to her, I looked like I was barely holding myself together. Rebecca noticed me almost immediately. She casually excused herself from her coach and walked over, rolling one shoulder as if she was just stretching. Normally, one of us would’ve started an argument before either of us had the chance to say hello. But I didn’t have the energy. My head was spinning too fast to think of a single insult, so I turned away. “Selena.”Her voice stopped me in my tracks. When I looked back, she was smiling at me, but there was something unsettling in her eyes. It was the look of someone who knew something I didn’t. “How are you feeling?” she asked. I frowned. “What?” “You look like a ghost.” Her eyes slowly searched my face. “Are you sure you’re okay?” “I’m fine, Rebecca.” I forced a smile. “Just cold.” She let out a quiet laugh. “Sure.”She stepped closer until only the two of us could hear.“I bet it feels like your heart’s trying to burst out of your chest.” The smile disappeared from my face as I looked at her in disbelief.“What did you just say?” Rebecca’s smile only widened.“Just hold it together until you get on the ice. You’ve waited your whole life for this moment. It would be such a shame if you missed it.” I stared at her, my pulse pounding harder with every passing second. “What are you talking about?” She tilted her head, almost amused by my confusion. “Oh…” she said sweetly. “Nothing. Just make sure you enjoy every second out there. It’ll be your last time, after all.” Then she winked and walked away, leaving me frozen where I stood. What the hell did she mean by that? “Rebecca, wait—” Before I could take a step, Gerald grabbed my wrist. “Ignore her,” he said. “She’s trying to get inside your head before you skate. Don’t let her win before the competition even starts.” I looked from Rebecca’s retreating figure to Gerald’s calm smile. Every instinct inside me told me to run after her and demand an explanation, but before I could move, the announcer called my name. “Representing the United States Olympic Champion Selena Hart!” The cheers were so loud they shook the walls with people jumping to their feet and waving flags while chanting my name as I forced my legs toward the center of the rink. I took my opening position, lowered my head, and waited for the music as Rebecca’s haunting words echoed inside my mind. ‘It’ll be your last time.’