Micah’s POV
The moment I stepped inside the ice rink, the freezing air hit my face, but the atmosphere inside was absolutely boiling. The stands were completely packed, and the deafening roar of the crowd echoed off the high ceiling. I paused near the glass, my stomach twisting into a tight knot as I heard what the students were chanting. They weren’t cheering for the team. They were chanting Damon’s name over and over again.
Right next to me, Raven was caught up in the madness, shouting his name along with the rest of the crowd while she furiously snapped photos with her camera.
I secretly rolled my eyes and leaned closer to the cold glass barrier to focus on the ice. The scrimmage was incredibly intense. I watched as Damon cut across the center line, physically shifting his weight to steal the puck right away from Noah. Damon slid effortlessly across the ice, sending the puck straight into the back of the net. The girls in the stands went absolutely wild, screaming at the top of their lungs and chanting his name even louder.
Noah didn’t look angry. He simply skated back toward the bench, taking off his visor and ruffling his damp blonde hair.
He took a seat on the bench and grabbed a plastic bottle of water, taking a slow drink while the head coach hovered over him, urgently whispering strategy into his ear. Noah didn’t even seem to be paying attention to the coach. His expression was completely unreadable.
I glanced up at the massive scoreboard. Noah was clearly trying his best, but Damon’s line was currently leading by one point. Noah needed at least two consecutive scores to pass him, win the scrimmage, and secure his position as team captain.
My face was completely laced with worry, and my hands gripped the edge of the barrier. As if he could actually feel my gaze, Noah suddenly turned his head. His sharp blue eyes locked directly onto mine through the glass. I flinched, my breath catching in my throat as a slow, deliberate smile spread across his handsome face.
My heart did a violent flip, and I started thinking about how incredibly hot he looked with that confident smile. But then reality hit me. Why on earth was he smiling when he was literally losing the most important game of the semester? He was a handsome psycho.
Raven suddenly leaned right beside me, bracing her camera against the glass to get a clear shot of the bench. "I saw that smile, Micah. Noah seems pretty happy that his brother showed up to watch him."
"I... I don’t think so," I stuttered, my cheeks turning warm as I quickly looked back at the ice.
Noah pulled his visor back down, adjusting his gloves before he skated back out onto the center of the rink. The whistle blew, and the game resumed. This time, the entire energy shifted. Noah was suddenly taking the absolute lead, moving with a terrifying amount of speed and precision.
My heart raced wildly in my chest. I didn’t understand the complex rules of hockey, but I knew exactly what needed to happen. The puck had to enter the opposing team’s net, and that is exactly what Noah forced to happen.
Noah scored a brutal goal, leveling the playing field. The crowd cheered for his shot, but the applause wasn’t nearly as loud or chaotic as it had been when Damon scored. The campus was still completely intoxicated by the article I had published.
On the sidelines, the head coach looked visibly relieved, clearly assuming that whatever lecture he had given Noah on the bench had finally worked.
Noah just needed one more score to completely win the game.
I clasped my hands tightly together, closing my eyes for a brief second to mutter a few frantic prayers under my breath.
The whistle blew again, and the final minutes of the game began. The play instantly turned messy and aggressive. The players were slamming into the boards, and I was starting to get genuinely worried about Noah getting hurt.
As the clock ticked down, Damon started pursuing Noah relentlessly, trying to use his massive frame to crowd him and steal the puck. Noah completely refused to give it up. He dribbled past Damon with a flawless, tight maneuver, breaking through the defense before slamming the puck straight into the net.
The final whistle blew, signaling the end of the match. Noah’s team won.
I pressed my hand against my chest, letting out a massive, shaky breath of pure relief. On the ice, both teams suddenly converged around Noah, lifting their hockey sticks and chanting "Captain! Captain!" together. Seeing the players unite, the students in the stands had no other choice but to join in, filling the arena with the sound of Noah’s title.
"You seem incredibly relieved," Raven remarked, snapping one last photo of the celebration before lowering her camera.
"I am," I admitted, my voice soft. "I couldn’t let my brother lose his entire position because of the scandalous article I wrote last night."
"You don’t have to feel guilty at all, Micah boy," Raven said, giving me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "The numbers were amazing. Just make sure volume two is ready soon. Take your time with it. Good luck!" She gave me a quick wink, turned around, and walked out of the rink.
I shook my head, staring after her. I would never truly understand the kind of chaotic person Raven was.
As I turned back toward the ice, I suddenly felt a heavy, suffocating presence materialize right behind me. I turned around quickly, secretly hoping to see Noah walking up to the glass, but my stomach dropped when I realized it was Damon standing there instead.
"I saw you looking at the ice and smiling," Damon said, his dark eyes burning with irritation. "Thanks to you being here, Noah completely flipped the switch. He won, and I lost."
I frowned, stepping back against the barrier to create some space between us. "What exactly does any of that have to do with me?"
"Remember when I told you that you would have to earn your inspiration?" Damon asked, a predatory smirk slowly returning to his face. "Especially for volume two. This is the exact time."
I wished I could physically punch a hole straight through Damon’s arrogant face, but I knew doing something that reckless would land me in massive trouble, especially if word got back to my father. I forced a fake smile onto my face instead.
"What I have already gotten from you is more than enough for the column," I said coldly, my eyes immediately darting past his shoulder to search the locker room entrance for Noah.
"Is it really enough?" Damon asked, noticing how desperate I was to find my stepbrother. He leaned even closer, completely invading my space until his chest was almost pressing against mine. "Are you looking for Noah? What if he is currently busy fucking that gorgeous girl from yesterday in the back room?"
I flinched violently at his words, a sharp, painful pang of jealousy striking my chest. I didn’t want to imagine Noah with anyone else. I tightly shut my eyes to block out the mental image, but Damon reached out, placing a heavy, possessive hand firmly on my shoulder.
"Don’t worry, holy boy," Damon whispered mockingly near my ear. "I have a foolproof way to bring him out from wherever he is hiding."
I didn’t trust a single word coming out of Damon’s mouth. More than anything, I didn’t want to see Noah right now if he was actually spending his time with that girl from the party.
"I am not interested in your games, Damon," I muttered, trying to push his hand off my shoulder.
"You already know that I always end up getting exactly what I want," Damon said, leaning down further until our faces were hovering only inches apart, his breath warm against my skin. "Just count down to three, and your precious Noah will pop out."
"Three?" I asked, completely confused by his twisted confidence.
Damon ignored my question and started the countdown himself, his eyes locking onto my lips. "Two."
Before the number one could even leave his mouth, a heavy hand suddenly grabbed the collar of Damon’s jersey from behind. With a massive surge of pure, violent strength, someone yanked Damon completely away from me.
A fist flew through the air, punching Damon square in the face with a loud, sickening crack. The force of the blow sent Damon crashing hard against the tiled floor.
My eyes widened in absolute horror and shock as I looked up at the person standing over him.
Noah.