CLAIMED ON ICE

FIVE

“Are you okay there, captain?”

A hand grabbed Rowan's shoulder, snapping him out of his reverie. He saw Jonah's worried face and blinked. “What?”

His friend raised a brow. “You've been spacing out, man. Are you sure everything is okay?”

“We have a match with Crimson Rinks,” he murmured. “Those guys are beasts. We can't have the captain spacing out right before a match, you know?”

Rowan swallowed, nodding. Of course, he knew what was at stake. Crimson Rinks were a difficult team and their center, Sebastian Kingsley, was another headache entirely. “I'm fine. I'm just… thinking.”

Jonah scoffed. “You know you're a terrible liar, right?”

“At least, I tried.” Rowan shrugged, running a hand through his hair. He looked down at his feet. “It's nothing to worry about.”

His friend didn't push further. “Alright. I'll take your word for it.”

The changing room was loud, with the players getting ready for the upcoming match. Lockers slammed loudly as his teammates rummaged through their things, getting the stuff they needed.

Rowan's vision swam for a moment, the environment turning into a messy blur. He inhaled sharply, drawing Jonah's attention.

His friend’s brows furrowed in confusion as he gripped his shoulder. “You okay?”

The alpha blinked repeatedly, fingers tightening around his hockey stick. “I think I…”

A sharp sting in the neck cut him off and he tensed, fingers brushing over the spot covered by his jersey.

Rowan turned his head slightly, only to hiss when the pain shot through him again. The sting had turn into a full-on burning sensation that he couldn't just brush off.

Jonah's frown deepened. “Is there something wrong with your gland?”

Rowan shook his head, standing up. “I’m going to the restroom real quick.”

His friend also stood up, worry etched on his face. “Should I come with? I can—”

“No,” Rowan refused, taking his hand off his neck. The b no“I can handle it. Just get the team ready.”

Without waiting for a response, he headed for the restroom.

Inside, Rowan locked the door before pulling aside his collar, revealing a dark mark curved along his neck.

“What the hell is…” Rowan murmured, leaning close to the mirror to see it clearly.

It was right on his scent gland, slightly darker than his skin and therefore impossible to ignore. He tapped a finger against the mark, sucking in a breath at the shiver that action sent through his body.

The mark was supposed to gone already. “f**k…” he trailed off, his mind going to the person behind this.

It had been a week since that… day. A careless night that he couldn't even remember. But it left Rowan with marks, hickeys and soreness that only reminded the alpha of how he had embarrassed himself.

Of all people… it had to be Adrian Voss.

He had healed few days after, thanks to his alpha biology and Rowan was ready to forget that night ever happened but…

“Why won't you fade away like the rest?” Rowan questioned, staring at the mark on his neck.

After staring for a moment, he gave up and raised his collar back up. With a quick glance at his reflection to confirm that the mark was covered, Rowan took a deep inhale.

He turned on the sink and splashed his face with water, running his fingers through his hair. “I need to get my head in the game.”

Distractions weren't allowed.

******************

The cold air scraped against Rowan's face every time he breathed. He lifted his head and caught his coach's gaze.

“You can do this,” she mouthed.

His teammate and defenseman, Theo Mercer slid towards him. “Doing good, cap?”

Rowan clenched his jaw, glancing briefly at the scoreboard. “Cover me.” With that he pushed forward, trusting that Theo would do what he was told.

Rowan's legs ached badly, his shoulders heavy from the constant collisions and all he wanted was for the match to end.

But if he wanted to win, giving up wasn't an option.

So Rowan kept moving, fingers flexing around his hockey stick. “Just one more,” he murmured.

The ice beneath his skates blurred as he chased the puck across the rink, the sound of blades cutting against the surface mixing with the shouting from the stands.

The arena felt unusually loud tonight. But the alpha didn't let that faze him and soon he had the puck in his grasp.

“Fifty seconds left in the period,” the commentator announced, voice crackling through the arena. “And the score remains tied. Both teams are refusing to give an inch tonight.”

“Sebastian Kingsley and his team are on fire tonight,” he continued. “It seems the Crimson Rinks actually have a chance at a win tonight.”

Rowan's grip tightened around his stick and from the corner of his eye, he could see a player of the Crimson Rinks coming at him fast.

The alpha braced himself and took the hit, the impact rattling through his body. It

sent him sliding a few feet across the ice but he managed to stay on his feet.

A roar went through the crowd.

“He’s still got the puck!” the commentator yelled. “I don’t know how he held onto that!”

“Is Rowan Kane still human at all?!”

“I doubt he is,” another replied dryly.

Rowan could feel the exhaustion creeping in, the ache in his muscles, the sting in his palms from gripping the stick too hard.

“Go for it!” Samantha screamed, her voice carrying across the rink.

The puck slid back to Rowan and his vision narrowed to the net, goalie and the tiny opening available.

The alpha didn't second guess himself.

His stick snapped forward and the puck hit the net, changing the scores and securing his team's victory.

The horn blared and the arena erupted into cheers.

“An unbelievable finish!” a commentator exclaimed.

“Rowan Kane has just given us another proof why he's the best in the game!” another said.

“No one does it like him!”

Rowan stared at the scoreboard, a smile on his face before his teammates crashed into him. “Finally!” someone yelled, hitting his helmet. “I thought you were going to make us suffer all night.”

He laughed, pushing them away. “f**k you.”

“f**k you too, captain!” Jonah yelled back, clapping his shoulder.

The commentators were still losing their mind and thousands of people were screaming.

He caught his coach's gaze and she gave him a small nod. That was approval enough.

His teammate were still celebrating around him.

A sharp sting suddenly spread across his neck, burning like a needle had been pressed into his skin.

Rowan's hand instinctively flew up, fingers brushing over the spot. “Hey…” His vision blurred at the edges and he blinked multiple times to correct it.

Theo noticed his expression change. “You okay?”

Rowan tried to reply but his mouth wouldn’t cooperate.

The sting grew stronger, spreading heat through his veins. His legs, already exhausted from the game, finally gave out.

The last thing he heard was someone shouting his name before the world turned dark.