Beneath the Ice : Claimed by My Three Hockey Alphas

chapter 4

Riley~

I had barely gotten any sleep as the morning light filtered weakly through the high windows of the art studio.

My body was already reacting in ways that scared me. My skin burned and I felt my scent felt stronger than usual, heavier, and there was a deep, unwanted ache in my stomach that made every step uncomfortable.

I didn’t understand what was happening. I only knew it was connected to them, and that knowledge made my stomach turn with disgust.

I had come to the studio before anyone else on purpose. I needed the quiet. I needed the smell of paint and the feel of a brush in my hand. If I focused hard enough on the canvas, maybe I could ignore the way my pulse kept jumping. Maybe I could pretend the bond had never snapped open the night before. I mixed colors with hands that wouldn’t stay steady and tried to breathe through the fear.

Stay small. Stay free. Do not give them anything.

That was the only plan I still trusted. I had spent years surviving by making myself small. I had come to this university on a scholarship I earned with my own hands, not because of any Alpha or any pack. I was here to paint, to stay invisible, and to slowly find a way to clear my father’s name. I was not here to be claimed. Not by them. Not by anyone. The last f*****g thing I wanted was to have any thing to do with those bastards.

I was so lost in my thoughts that didn’t hear them enter at first.

One moment the doorway was empty. The next, the three of them filled it completely. Jax stood in the center, taller and broader than I remembered, scars catching the light. Theo was on his right, golden and too calm, like this was already decided. Kai stayed slightly behind them, silver hair falling into his eyes, silent as always.

Their scents hit me all at once. Heavy. Familiar. Unwanted. The bond pulled hard under my skin, trying to drag me closer even as every memory of childhood cruelty rose up like a wall between us. My throat tightened as I took a step back until the edge of the table pressed against my hip.

Jax spoke first, voice low and certain.

“Ha! Talk about fate playing a joke. So the bond is real. You belong to us.”

The words landed like a slap. Belong. As if I was something they could simply take. As if the years of humiliation meant nothing.

Theo’s mouth curved in something that was almost a smile. “Oh come on now, we're not the boys who hurt you anymore, Riley. But we are still your Alphas. Fighting this will only make it worse for everyone. Besides, I'm sure the symptoms are already driving you crazy. We can settle this and be done”

Kai’s voice was quiet, almost flat. “You will not run.”

The three of them stood there like they had already written my future. The studio suddenly felt too small. Their presence pressed against me from every side. I could feel the old fear rising, the same fear that used to freeze me in school hallways when they blocked my path. But underneath the fear something hotter burned. Anger. Real, sharp anger that I had carried for years and never been allowed to speak.

I remembered everything.

I remembered Jax shoving me into the lockers so hard the metal rattled and everyone turned to stare. I remembered Theo dropping the protein bar at my feet and telling me to pick it up while the whole hallway laughed. I remembered Kai standing at the end of the corridor, arms crossed, watching in silence and never once stopping them.

I remembered the parking lot after the pack meeting, Elara’s scissors cutting my hair while they called me fat traitor omega, and the three of them doing nothing. I remembered the word “TRAITOR” written across my locker. I remembered Jax body-checking me in gym class hard enough to leave bruises. I remembered Theo’s cruel poll about who would ever claim an omega built like me. I remembered my father being forced to kneel on the cold stone floor while they sat in the front row and watched.

My hands curled into fists at my sides. My voice came out shaking, but I forced the words through.

“I don’t belong to anyone. Least of all to you. Get f*****g lost.”

Jax stepped further into the room, his eyes never leaving my face. “The pack will expect a claiming. You know how these things work. An unclaimed bond this strong will cause problems for everyone. It will not stay quiet.”

Theo’s tone stayed light, but the words were sharp underneath. “There’s also the political side. People are already talking about what you might be. You can’t pretend this is only about the past. We aren't children anymore so please let this go.”

Kai moved closer than the other two. His eyes stayed fixed on mine, heavy and unblinking. “The bond will not let any of us rest. Including you. You must accept it.”

That word “must” snapped something inside me.

All the fear and shame and quiet rage I had swallowed for years rose up at once. My voice climbed higher than I meant it to. I didn’t care who might hear outside the studio. I didn’t care how small I looked standing in front of three Alphas who had once made my life a living hell.

I thought of every time they had broken me a little more. Every shove. Every laugh. Every time they had treated me like I was nothing. I had survived their cruelty. I had survived the fall of my family. I had survived years of being treated like I was less. I had not fought this hard to reach Redwolf University just to be owned by the same people who had helped destroy me.

My chest heaved. Tears burned at the edges of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I stood there shaking, the bandage on my palm already spotted with fresh blood, and stared at the three of them with every bit of strength I had left and said the only thought I had towards these bastards,

“I would rather die than be claimed by the boys who made my life a living hell.”

“Riley–”

“I, Riley Kensington, hereby reject Jax, Theo and Kai. There will be no bond, no mating and no acceptance.”