Claiming What Was Mine

CHAPTER 1 Elara’s POV The glass door of the Blackthorn Blades training facility is cold against my palm. November in Minnesota has a way of cutting through everything, but I welcome the sting. It keeps me present. Keeps me from thinking about what I'm walking into. I'm not the same woman who fled this city four years ago. My reflection in the door confirms it. Tailored black pants. Cream turtleneck. Certification badge clipped to my belt. My chestnut hair is pulled back in a braid. I push through the door. The facility swallows me whole, gleaming white corridors, the sharp bite of antiseptic, and underneath it, that unmistakable scent of ice and sweat and ambition. Somewhere beyond these walls, a crowd roars. Practice. The team is on the ice. My wolf stirs, sensing something I refuse to acknowledge. I shove her down. Not today. Not ever. "Dr. Voss!" Coach Mack McGregor barrels toward me, a stocky, barrel-chested man with a graying beard and eyes that miss nothing. He extends his hands toward me and I shake it. "Finally. Do you know how long I've been trying to get a qualified PT in here? The last one retired...nice guy, but he couldn't keep up with the boys. You come highly recommended." "Thank you, Coach." I say. My voice is steady. "Call me Mack, please. Everyone does." He gestures for me to follow. "Let me show you around." He shows me the locker rooms, gym, hydrotherapy pools, treatment rooms. State-of-the-art everything. Money isn't an issue for the Blades, they have the best of everything. I follow quietly behind him. "And here's the viewing window," Mack says, leading me to a glass panel overlooking the practice rink. "Best seat in the house." I look down and there he is. Kael Blackthorn. Four years haven't been kind to him...they've been brutal. He's bigger than I remember. Broader shoulders, harder edges. His black hair is slicked with sweat, and his silver eyes burn with a ferocity that makes my wolf whimper. He moves like a predator. Every pass, every check, every shift of his powerful body is deliberate. The other players scramble to keep up. He's a god on ice, and he knows it. My heart slams against my ribs. My wolf claws at my chest, howling. Mate. Mate. MATE. Please no. I press my palm flat against the glass, steadying myself. Breathe. In. Out. I spent four years building these walls. He doesn't get to knock them down with a single glance. Mack is still talking. "The boys are good. Play hard. But our captain... he's something else. Best player in the league. Shame about his knee." My pulse stutters. "His knee?" "Old injury. He's been hiding it. Won't admit he needs help." Mack shakes his head. "Stubborn bastard. That's where you come in." I watch Kael's knee as he pivots. There it is...a slight hesitation. A barely perceptible hitch in his stride. He's compensating. Overworking his right side. He's in pain. The thought should satisfy me. He deserves pain after what he did. Instead, my wolf whines. Practice ends and the players file off the ice, sweaty and loud. I watch them strip off their helmets, joking, shoving each other. Kael is last. He's talking to Jax Stone...a massive, scarred enforcer with a buzz cut and cold blue eyes. They're too far away for me to hear, but I see Jax clap Kael's shoulder. See Kael nod. Neither of them looks up. Good. I square my shoulders, adjusting my badge. I've rehearsed this moment a thousand times. It's nothing. I can do this. "Ready to meet the team?" Mack asks. I nod. "Lead the way." The locker room hallway is very small and packed with different bodies. We keep on walking and then I see him. My chest tightens. He's walking toward me, still talking to Jax, unaware. Up close, he's even more overwhelming. He's tall and muscular. That scent..pine and ice, hits me like a physical blow. I ignore Mack completely who is asking me what is wrong. Don't react. Don't react. Don't... He looks up. Our eyes meet. I suck in a breath. Kael freezes mid-step. His pupils dilate. I watch his chest rise and fall as his breathing changes. His wolf is right there...I can see it in the way his muscles tense, the way his hands curl into fists. "Elara," he whispers. My name on his lips sounds strange. No matter the amount of preparation prepared me for this moment. "Alpha Blackthorn," I said, keeping my face blank. I act like I don't know him, like he is just a random stranger and not a man that rejected me four years ago. I don't let my voice shake. "I'm your new physical therapist." Jax goes stiff beside him, recognition dawning on his scarred face. Kael's jaw works. His silver eyes search mine, desperate for something. A crack. A flinch. Anything that proves I'm still the girl he broke. I give him nothing. "We have your first appointment scheduled for tomorrow," I continue. "I'll need to assess your knee. Prepare for a full examination." "Elara." He says it again, softer. His hand reaches for me. I step back. "I'm Dr. Voss to you." I walk past him without a backward glance, my heels clicking against the concrete. I feel his gaze on my back. Feel the pull of the bond, trying to drag me back to him. My wolf is screaming, clawing, begging me to turn around. I don't. We already hurt enough. I don't stop until I'm around the corner, until his scent fades, until I collapse against the wall and press my palm to my racing heart. My breath comes in ragged gasps. My hands are shaking. My whole body is trembling. I'm not that girl anymore, I tell my wolf. I'm not. But the bond doesn't care. It's still there, pulsing under my skin, reminding me that he's mine and I'm his and nothing I do will ever change that. I have even forgotten that Mack is still beside me until he touches my shoulder, his face crumpling with worry. “Are you okay?" He asks. No. I'm not and I'm not sure if I will ever be.