Wolf On The Ice

chapter 3

"Something's up with Hale and the new PT girl."

Logan froze outside the locker room, his hand on the door. Inside, his teammates' voices carried clearly to his sensitive ears.

"Reed? The quiet one?" That was Dex, the team's goalie.

"Yeah. They're avoiding each other like the plague, and Hale nearly killed Tyler yesterday because Reed was watching."

Logan's jaw clenched. The conversation wasn't exactly private—not in a locker room filled with werewolves who could hear a pin drop from fifty feet away—which meant they wanted him to hear.

"Think they hooked up?" someone else asked.

A chorus of laughs followed.

"No way. She's too smart for that. Besides, have you seen her? Tiny little thing. Hale would break her in half."

Logan pushed the door open with enough force to c***k the frame. The room fell silent instantly, a dozen pairs of eyes turning to him.

"Practice. Five minutes. Anyone not on the ice gets to run stairs until they puke." His voice was deadly quiet.

No one argued.

---

Mia kept her eyes fixed on the medical supply inventory in front of her, pretending not to notice the whispers. Two equipment managers had been huddled near the storage room for ten minutes, occasionally glancing her way.

"They're saying he destroyed the therapy room because of you," Ellie said, appearing beside her with two coffees. She handed one to Mia.

"They're wrong." Mia took the coffee gratefully. "He destroyed it because of him."

"Same difference." Ellie hopped up on the counter. "The whole team knows something happened between you two. The humans think you're sleeping together. The wolves..." She hesitated.

"The wolves what?"

"They can smell it. The bond. Even broken, it leaves a trace." Ellie sipped her coffee. "They're wondering why the great Logan Hale would reject his mate. It's not exactly normal behavior, even for an alpha."

Mia set down her clipboard. "I need this job, Ellie. I can't become locker room gossip."

"Too late for that. But don't worry—they're more afraid of him than they are curious about you." Ellie's expression turned serious. "How are you feeling? Physically, I mean."

"Like I got hit by a truck. Everything hurts. I can't sleep. Can't eat." Mia rubbed her chest absently. "Is this normal?"

"For a human experiencing bond rejection? I don't know. It's rare enough for wolves and humans to bond in the first place. Usually takes someone with a little spark of something extra."

"Something extra?" Mia frowned. "I'm completely normal."

Ellie smiled knowingly. "If you were completely normal, the bond wouldn't have formed. There's something in you that called to his wolf. Something special."

Before Mia could ask more questions, the door to the training room banged open. Tyler Moore, his face already mostly healed from yesterday's incident, stuck his head in.

"Hey Reed, Coach wants you on the ice. Peters twisted his knee."

Mia grabbed her medical bag. This was the part of her job she loved—the actual work, not the drama. On the ice, with an injury to focus on, she could forget about mate bonds and curses and golden eyes that haunted her dreams.

At least, that was the plan.

---

Three days after the rejection, Logan was hanging on by a thread.

He sat on the bench, watching his team scrimmage, his knuckles white on his stick. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to go to her. To claim her. To erase the rejection and make things right.

But he couldn't. Wouldn't. For her sake.

"You look like s**t," Jackson said, sitting down beside him.

"Not in the mood, Jax."

"Too bad. As captain, it's my job to care when my star player is falling apart." Jackson lowered his voice. "What happened with you and Reed?"

Logan's head snapped up. "Nothing."

"Bullshit. The whole team can smell it. Bond, then rejection." Jackson's eyes held no judgment, just concern. "That's heavy stuff, man. For both of you."

"It's none of your business."

"It became my business when you put one of our defensemen through the glass." Jackson's tone hardened. "And when our best physical therapist started looking like death warmed over. The team needs both of you functioning."

Logan stood abruptly. "I'm handling it."

"Clearly," Jackson said dryly. "Look, whatever your reasons, you need to figure this out. Fast. Because right now, you're a danger to everyone around you."

As if to prove Jackson's point, a commotion on the ice drew their attention. Peters was down again, clutching his knee. Mia was already skating out to him, medical bag in hand.

Logan watched her work, her small hands competent and sure as she examined the injury. Her dark hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail, exposing the slender curve of her neck. The wolf in him whined.

Mine.

"She's pretty hot, right?" The voice came from further down the bench. Brady Wilson, the team's newest forward and the only human on the first line. "I'm thinking about asking her out."

A growl built in Logan's chest before he could stop it.

"Dude, don't," someone warned Brady.

"What? She's single. I'm single. And I could use some... physical therapy." Brady grinned, oblivious to the danger.

Logan was across the bench in a flash, hauling Brady up by his jersey. "Say that again," he snarled, his face inches from Brady's.

Brady's eyes widened in terror. "Whoa! What the hell, man?"

"Logan!" Jackson was there immediately, wedging himself between them. "Back off. Now."

But Logan couldn't back off. The wolf was too close to the surface, his control slipping away like sand through his fingers. All he could see was another man touching Mia. Wanting Mia. Taking what was his.

"Hey! Break it up!" Coach Barrett's voice cracked like a whip across the ice.

It was Mia who finally broke through the haze of rage. She stood at the edge of the ice, her eyes locked on Logan's, a silent plea in them. Don't do this. Not here. Not now.

With a monumental effort, Logan released Brady, who stumbled back, gasping.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Brady demanded, straightening his jersey.

"Stay away from her," Logan growled, low enough that only the wolves could hear.

"Who? Reed?" Understanding dawned on Brady's face, followed by a smirk. "Oh, I get it. You've already tapped that."

Logan lunged again, but this time Jackson and Dex were ready. They grabbed him, physically restraining him as he snarled and fought.

"Get him out of here!" Coach yelled. "And someone explain to Wilson that he's got a death wish!"

The last thing Logan saw before they dragged him down the tunnel was Mia's face—pale, worried, and so very sad.

---

"You can't keep doing this." Dr. Emma Chen, the team doctor, handed Logan an ice pack for his bruised knuckles. "Two incidents in three days? Coach is ready to bench you."

Logan said nothing, staring at the wall of the medical office.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?" Emma asked, her tone gentler. "As your doctor, anything you say stays confidential."

"Nothing to tell."

Emma sighed. "Logan, I've known you for five years. This isn't like you. The rage issues, yes. The lack of control? No." She paused. "Is it the bond rejection?"

Logan's head snapped up. "How do you—"

"I'm mated to a wolf, remember? I can see the signs, even if I can't smell them like the others." Emma sat across from him. "Why did you reject her?"

For the first time in days, Logan felt the urge to talk. To explain. Maybe because Emma wasn't a wolf—she wouldn't judge him by their standards.

"My father killed my mother," he said quietly. "Lost control. The wolf took over completely."

Emma's eyes widened. "And you think you'll do the same to Mia?"

"I know I will. It's the curse. The Hale alphas—we're born wrong. Our wolves are too strong." Logan's voice was bitter. "The only way to save her was to push her away."

"But the rejection is making your control worse, isn't it?"

Logan laughed humorlessly. "Catch-22, Doc. If I claim her, I might kill her once the curse takes hold. If I reject her, I'll definitely lose control and might kill someone else."

"There has to be another way."

"If there is, I don't know it." Logan stood. "And neither did my father, or his father before him."

As he walked out, Logan could feel his control slipping a little more with each step. The wolf was growing stronger. Hungrier. More desperate.

And somewhere in the building, Mia was hurting because of him.