THE PUCKING FORBIDDEN LOVE.

Chapter 2: The Two Worlds

Silas’s POV

The rink was loud. So f*****g loud. Somehow, every sound felt like it was even more loud today. Skates carving on ice, sticks cracking against pucks, shouts echoing off the boards. Cheers of rehearsing cheerleaders echoing in the rink. Normally, I thrived in it. I thrived in the attention I got for being the best f*****g player, but today, every sound seemed distant, like I was hearing it from underwater, you know, that drowning sound you hear at the depth of water.

We were running drills. Simple passes at controlled speed. My body knew the routine, but my eyes kept tracking the glass walls around the rink, like I was expecting someone to be there. I didn’t even know who. I didn’t even know why.

‘Pick it up, Everheart!’ Coach barked from the bench.

I snapped back into motion, but my timing was off. The puck bounced off my blade and I almost slipped. I recovered, skating hard into the corner, forcing a pass that was too sharp and rough. My teammate missed it entirely.

‘Seriously?’ he muttered, glaring at me. I was pretty sure it was a glare, even though I couldn't see his face through the helmet.

‘Yeah, my bad,’ I said, but my voice was flat and unemotional. I skated away.

The whistle blew, signaling a shift. We lined up for a scrimmage. I tightened my helmet strap and crouched for the faceoff. My opponent grinned at me. I didn’t return it, my face as hard as a rock. The puck dropped. I was a second late reacting, and he won the draw clean.

I chased him down the ice, cutting in front, forcing a turnover. I should have been proud of the recovery, but my head was somewhere else. I kept scanning the stands out of habit, but there was no one there, apart from the cheerleaders.

Halfway through the period of our game, a teammate clipped my shoulder going for the puck. I spun and shoved back harder than I needed to…unconsciously.

‘Easy, man!’ he snapped.

I didn’t answer. My pulse was already up, my jaw tight.

The next rush down the ice, I got the puck and carried it over the blue line. Two defenders closed in. Normally, I would have split them without thinking. This time, my stick handling faltered for just a second. The puck slid too far ahead, and one of them stole it. I growled, feeling my wolf simmer just beneath the surface.

‘Silas, wake up!’ Coach again. His voice echoed loudly in my ears.

I tried to skated back, but my legs felt heavier than usual. I forced myself to. Every stride was tight and controlled, but it lacking my usual speed. Great.

The play ended with our goalie smothering the puck. I bent over, catching my breath, the cage of my helmet pressing against my face. My mind wasn’t on the scoreboard. It wasn’t even on the game.

It was on her.

Coach’s whistle cut through the already tense air. Cutting the tension and stares I was getting from my teammates. I skated to the bench, dragging my feet more than I should’ve. His glare locked on me like a sniper.

‘What’s eating you, Everheart? You’re playing like you left one of your eyes in the locker room or at home.’ His voice had that edge, it sounded like walking on gravel ‘Best damn player on this roster, in this school, prolly in the state, and you’re out here coasting like you’re in a Sunday beer league. Also being too aggressive.’

I kept my helmet on, looking away, muttering disinterestedly, ‘I’m fine, coach.’

‘Fine?’ He barked out a humorless laugh. ‘Fine gets you benched. Fine gets you watching the rest of the game from the sidelines. Fine gets you staying with the spectators or fans while we go against our rivals that day.’

I stiffened. No, f**k. I couldn’t afford to get benched, and not especially on that game. That would be my chance to show my father. That would be a chance for me to kick-start my career, damn it.

He turned to the rest of the guys, pacing restlessly in front of the bench like he was ready to skate into battle himself.

‘Listen up! This game, the one next month not just any game. It's a face-off against Brighton State, you all know that. Our biggest college rival. They have been gunning for us since we embarrassed them last season, and trust me, they remember. I overheard they've been training like pieces of shits this season. Hard. I need my best out there, not ones stuck in their own zone.’

Then his gaze swung back to me, pinning me in place. I shifted on my feet, finally facing him, my eyes dimming. His glare shifted, but he spoke anyways.

‘So here’s the deal, Everheart. Pick it up, or you can enjoy the view from the bench while someone else earns your ice time. Clear?’

‘Clear,’ I muttered, even though my chest felt tight.

‘Clear?’ He raised a brow. My jaw clenched.

‘Clear, sir.’

‘Good. Now let’s play like we are the team that beat the hell out of Brighton last year, not the sorry bunch of losers I’m seeing right now.’

He didn’t believe it that I was fine, but he didn’t push.

Thank f**k.

When practice ended, I left the ice fast, not wanting to speak to anyone even though Finn had nudged me during Coach's talk that I should wait over and he wanted to speak with me. I didn’t talk in the locker room. I didn’t even shower.

I just walked after changing.

By the time I stopped, I was standing across from the library.

Through the glass, she was there. Alone at a table. Reading. Completely focused, like the world outside didn’t exist.

I stayed where I was, in the shadow of the building. I told myself it was curiosity. It wasn’t.

Something in me was pulled tight, and it only loosened when I looked at her.

After a minute, she shifted in her chair and lifted her head to my direction. I moved before she could see me. Gone before she could look up.