Too Late, Alpha: I Choose Your Rival

Ch 8: Run All You Want

Kael’s POV:

The silver blades of my skates carved deep grooves into the ice rink as the gush of cold air hit my face when I handled the puck effortlessly.

Gliding through my teammates, with a flick of my wrist, I drove the puck with the curved blade of my stick and slammed it into the top corner of the net, scoring the last goal of the training session.

With the first practice match of the season fast approaching, our Blood Fang team was already playing with an aggressive edge. We were Lycans and dominance wasn't just taught… it was hardwired into our blood since birth.

But after scoring the goal, when I skated back toward the blue line to catch my breath…I realized my mind wasn't entirely on the game today.

"Alright, man, be honest with me. The entire academy has been losing its mind.” Rex spoke, skating up beside me and leaning his body heavily on his stick.

Sweat dripped down his nose, but his curious gaze was solely fixed on me. “Why the hell did you kiss that wolfless girl last night? I forbade you several times, but what was going on in your mind?"

I leaned back against the Plexiglas, keeping my face entirely neutral as I shrugged my shoulders. "It provoked Ethan. Wasn’t that enough?"

"Come on, Kael. Everyone knows Ethan has always been pathetically jealous of you. The guy is inferior to you, and he knows it.”

Rex frowned, narrowing his gaze on me as his tone sounded a bit tense. “But…you didn't need to cross a line like that. That was his girl, wasn’t she? And as far as I know, you don’t touch those who belong to others…especially wolves."

He slightly tilted his head, his tone dripping lower. "So tell me, what's the real reason? Why her?"

I didn't choose to answer his question…but to be honest, I was just as confused with my own actions.

No matter how hard I gave it a thought last night, I couldn't understand why I hadn't been able to resist that sudden, violent urge flaring within me to claim her lips when the entire crowd was watching us.

But the moment she looked up at me with those defiant, beautiful ocean eyes, my inner Lycan, Thunder, had practically roared in my skull, fiercely demanding that I mark her mine right at that moment.

And unknowingly, my mind slipped back to the sensations that were still vivid from last night.

I clearly remembered Elisa’s timid, flustered expression right after I finally parted my lips.

Her breathless gasp, her lips shimmering wet with my saliva, and the sensation of her warmth when my bare palm touched her smooth bare back…

Recalling every electrifying sensation left a small, curious smile lingering on my lips when I tilted my gaze down.

"Oh, man. You must’ve gone nuts…" Rex muttered, staring at my face in sheer disbelief.

Probably because it was the very first time he was watching me make such a face while reminiscing about the moments from last night.

But before I could shove my glove into Rex's face to shut him up, a sharp voice cut through the chilled air of the arena.

"Kael!”

The small smile vanished from my face as I turned towards the player's bench to see Jane standing there, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

Jane was my childhood friend and the daughter of a high-ranking minister of the Lycan kingdom.

With her flawless beauty and sharp intelligence, she was known as the 'golden daughter' of our North Lycan Territory.

Until Elisa had crashed into the picture, everyone in our lycan wing had already assumed Jane would naturally step into the role of the Blood Fang cheer squad leader.

And I have been well aware of Jane's long-term crush on me. She made her feelings obvious for years, even going so far as to cancel her prestigious abroad scholarship just to chase after me here at Marvian Academy.

I have always purposefully stayed away from complicated emotions like love…mainly because as the future lycan king, I couldn't afford to harbor a weakness that might become the target of my enemies.

And despite her persistence, I made it clear and had never crossed the line of friendship with Jane. Simply put, I didn't want to lose an old friend.

However, Rex instantly sensed the dangerous shift in the atmosphere the moment he noticed her. Raising his hands with a shrug, he stepped out of her way and skated toward the other side of the rink, giving us some space.

Jane stepped closer to the edge of the ice and held a deeply scornful expression before she gnawed at me, "Are the rumors about you two true?"

I raised an eyebrow, gliding closer to the boards. "What rumors?"

Jane gritted her teeth, her voice sounded sharp, trembling in rage. "The rumors about you and that wolfless runt… Did she climb up in your sheets last night, Kael? Well, knowing you, I don't believe those rumors, but…is that true?”

For a second, I was completely spellbound hearing that bizarre allegation.

And to my surprise, in the back of my head, Thunder purred softly the moment I unknowingly imagined Elisa draped in that backless black and red sexy dress last night, and seated nervously on my bed.

Her grip on my bedsheet was trembling a little, and in the dim light of my room while I approached the bed…a blinding thirst stirred down my throat.

Just imagining that impossible scenario, my breath hitched as I was shocked by myself.

I, Kael Blackthorn, was actually imagining things about a girl I would have never bothered to look at in the first place a week ago…that exact wolfless girl who belonged to that Ice Moon dog!

But last night, when she drew closer to me, I clearly remembered seeing a mysterious spark in her eyes that was enough to make me lose all my self-restraint.

I bit my lip, unable to stop my mind from racing toward what would happen once I finally reached her on my bed…

Snap.

But then, Jane flicked her fingers right in front of my face, snapping me out of the daze.

"Kael? Hello? I am talking to you... What's going on in your mind?"

For the first time ever, I felt a surge of irritation at being interrupted by her.

But a faint chuckle echoed in my mind as I mumbled to myself, ‘I might really be out of my mind, like Rex said. What am I even thinking?’

But as I was reining in my thoughts, my face hardened a little when I murmured, "Why would you care about those baseless rumors, Jane?"

She held a brief pause, unable to explain that those rumors had her frustration boil over. But after a deep exhale, she gnawed, "I don’t understand it, Kael… Why would you kiss her? I couldn’t believe it the first time I heard of it…

“I know, you have always stayed completely away from werewolf maidens, Kael. So what happened? Don’t tell me, did that runt seduce you into kissing her?"

With a blank expression, I remained silent. But I saw her jaw clenched tight.

She curled her right hand into a fist before she roared, "You need to cancel her enrollment as the Blood Fang's cheer squad captain immediately, Kael. I don’t care about that damn lottery system…and I know you have the full authority to do it as the team captain.

“Kick her out, Kael. She doesn't belong with us. And we won’t accept her either!"

My brow furrowed into a frown, as I was a bit baffled at the uneasy emotions stirred inside me. I couldn’t understand why I was hesitant to accept her suggestion, which seemed rightful.

Elisa truly didn’t belong to us. Keeping her around would only stir more troubles for her.

But unknowingly, a wave of my dominant pheromones emanated into the air, making the temperature around the bench drop a little when I narrowed my gaze on her.

"Why would I bother going along with your whims, Jane? It was the decision of the official academy lottery that placed her here, not mine. And I don't intend to waste my time worrying about these petty things.”

As I spoke, suddenly, my sharp instincts flared when my eyes quickly scanned at the upper arena of the stadium.

Then, I flinched.

Standing at the edge of the balcony above the upper arena, a small, petite figure was standing by the railing.

And in the blink of an eye, I recognized it was Elisa.

Dressed in an oversized blue hoodie and sweatpants, she was silently peeking down at me, but her ocean eyes looked quite curious.

But the exact moment our eyes locked above the vast, empty arena…a visible surge of panic washed over her face, turning her cheeks flustered red.

Without a second delay, she turned around and took off, as if she was running away from me like a startled little prey.

I kept staring at the spot where she had been standing until a second ago, and the unsettled emotions that were bothering me now instantly transformed into a quiet amusement.

A slow, predatory smirk curled the corners of my lips as my inner Lycan purred with dark satisfaction of catching her red-handed.

‘First you egg me on with a kiss in front of the whole school, and now you’re running from me the moment I catch you watching, huh?’

I murmured in my mind, turned back to the ice, while ignoring Jane's furious glare entirely.

I gripped my hockey stick tightly, and my voice echoed into a dangerous whisper I had meant only for myself.

"How cute, little kitten. Run all you want... but you're already in my rink."