Micah’s POV
I had never seen Noah raise his hand against another person in my entire life. He was supposed to be the gentle, reliable golden boy of our family, the son who followed every single one of our father’s strict rules without a single complaint.
I watched in absolute horror as Noah hovered over Damon, pinning him down and throwing another brutal punch straight into his face. Damon did not even try to fight back. He just lay there on the cold, hard floor, taking the heavy blows while a bloody smile stretched across his lips. His dark eyes remained locked entirely on me through the gap in Noah’s arms, sending a chilling, silent question right into my soul.
’Do you see the real version of the beloved brother you admire so much?’
All around us, students were gasping and frantically pulling out their phones to record every single second of the varsity violence. I rushed forward, grabbing the fabric of Noah’s jersey and pulling back with everything I had. He did not budge at all, because he was so much bigger and stronger than me.
"Noah, stop it, you are going to hurt him," I begged, but he completely ignored me, his knuckles connecting with Damon’s jaw again. I tightened my grip on his shoulder, desperately changing my tactic. "You are going to hurt yourself too."
That did it. Noah completely froze, his bloody fist hovering in midair. He turned his head slowly to look at me, his breathing ragged and his eyes darker than I had ever seen them. Then he looked down at Damon, who was still letting out a low, breathless laugh despite the dark blood pooling from his nose and mouth.
The hockey coaches finally pushed through the crowded rink, running way too late as usual. They started panicking the exact moment they saw the scene, looking back and forth between their star captain and the son of the university’s wealthiest athletic investor. It was incredibly obvious that they had no idea who to blame, because they could not afford to lose either of them.
"I am fine," Damon said, pushing himself up off the tiles and wiping his bloody face with the back of his hand, completely dismissing the coaches.
An intense wave of worry washed over me as I watched the blood spill down his chin, wondering if he was going to survive that much blood loss. But before I could take another step toward him, Noah moved his massive frame directly into my line of sight, completely blocking Damon from my view. He looked down at me, his chest heaving. "Are you fine, Micah?"
"I am not the one who just got beaten up," I snapped, feeling a volatile mix of frustration and fear. "You need to apologize to him right now, Noah."
Noah glanced back at Damon, then looked right back down at me with a smooth, mocking smile. "You heard the man, Micah. He just said he is completely fine."
I opened my mouth to argue about how clearly injured Damon was, but Noah calmly pulled off his heavy hockey glove, exposing his bare right hand to me. His knuckles were raw and deeply split, and his fingers were covered in thick, fresh blood.
"I am actually the one who is not fine," Noah murmured, his voice dropping back to that soft, gentle tone that always made my chest ache. "You should help me get to the clinic, Micah."
I looked down at his ruined hand and nodded, my anger instantly melting away into protective worry. As I turned around to leave the rink with him, I caught one last glimpse of Damon over Noah’s broad shoulder. Damon was currently being swarmed by the medical staff, but his chaotic eyes were fixed right on me, and he gave me a slow, wicked wink. I quickly looked away, my heart hammering against my ribs. Maybe Noah was right. Damon was perfectly fine.
I walked Noah all the way to the campus infirmary, which was located a few blocks away from the main sports complex. The school nurse quickly cleaned up his split knuckles, wrapping the broken skin tightly in a fresh white bandage.
"It is nothing too critical," she said, giving Noah a warm, comforting smile as she clipped the bandage in place. "But you need to stay away from any heavy physical tasks for the rest of the day so the skin can heal properly."
"He is a varsity hockey player," I intervened, looking at her with deep concern.
The nurse chuckled softly, glancing between us. "Trust me, I know exactly who Noah Miller is. Just avoid handling a stick for twenty-four hours so the wound does not break open again during practice."
Noah nodded politely, his perfect golden-retriever persona sliding right back into place. "I understand completely. Thank you, nurse."
The nurse left the small, curtained cubicle to give us some privacy. The moment the fabric clicked shut, a heavy silence returned to the room. I stared at his bandaged hand, the anxiety in my chest building up to a dangerous breaking point. "Why did you do that, Noah? Why did you attack him like that?"
Noah looked away from me, a rare flash of guilt crossing his features as he stared down at the linoleum floor. "He was saying completely nasty things about you, Micah. I couldn’t just stand there and listen to him disrespect you."
My heart instantly stopped. A cold sweat broke out across my skin as a terrifying thought consumed my mind. Did Damon tell him? Did Damon reveal that I was the anonymous writer behind that scandalous column? I quickly lowered my head, desperate to hide the sheer panic in my eyes. "What exactly did he say to you?"
Noah stood up from the clinic bed, reaching out to gently ruffle my hair with his uninjured hand, his touch warm and comforting. "Do not worry your head about it, Micah. He is just a spoiled, pathetic bastard who likes to push people’s buttons."
A massive wave of relief washed over me, and I let out a shaky breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. Noah didn’t know about the writing after all. My secret was still perfectly safe.
"Are you heading back to the house now?" Noah asked, adjusting his jacket over his broad shoulders.
"I have an evening lecture to attend first," I replied, grabbing the strap of my bag.
"Alright. Do not stay out too late tonight," Noah said, his voice returning to its normal, protective warmth. "I have to go check on a few things for the team layout, but I will be back home well before midnight."
"Sure, brother," I said softly. I watched him pull back the medical curtain and walk out of the clinic room, leaving me completely alone in the small bay.
I let out a deep, shuddering sigh and placed a trembling hand over my chest. It seemed like that bastard truly hadn’t exposed my column to Noah. But my mind kept looping in circles, filled with a deep, unsettling confusion.
"What on earth could Damon have possibly said to make my gentle, rule-abiding brother snap so violently?"
"I only asked him if he would be upset if I started dating his cute little brother."
The smooth, mocking voice came out of nowhere, shattering the quiet room. I gasped aloud, springing up from the clinic bed so fast my chair rattled against the wall. I turned around and saw the privacy curtain of the adjoining bay slide open with a sharp snap.
Damon was standing there, leaning casually against the metal pole with his nose freshly taped up and a wicked, amused smirk on his lips.
"Hey, little reporter," Damon murmured, his dark, chaotic eyes locking onto mine as he stepped straight into my personal space. "Did you actually miss me?"