“I’m sorry,Ava,”Coach Grayson said.”The roster is final.The Silver Ridge Pack Athletic Council has stamped it.” I stood in front of the bulletin board and stared at that list for five minutes. My name was gone. Under the youth figure-skating scholarship,the place where Ava Stone should have been was now Nora Vale. At first,I thought it was a mistake.Later,I understood.Kaiden had done it. My fated mate had given my place to his new girl. I went to the parking lot to find him. He was leaning against his car,scrolling through his phone.When he saw me,he only lifted his eyes. “Nora’s Pack is barely holding on,”he said before I could speak.”If she doesn’t get this scholarship,she’s finished.” “You’re strong.Even without a wolf,you can still make it into the Regional Qualifier.” “That is a full spot at the North Ridge Olympic Training Center,”I said.”You know what that means.” “You’ll figure it out.” I looked at him.He looked away. He sighed,pulled out a black card,and held it out as if he were offering a tip. “I’ll pay.Coaches,ice time,equipment,Pack medical coverage,all of it.I bought the spot.” Rain began to fall,and the cold seeped into my clothes. I looked at the card,then at him. He once told me training would get me out of that rotten home,tear off the label of”wolfless trash,”and let me make my skating dream real. So I trained like my life depended on it,and worked at Silver Ridge Ice Center whenever I had time. But now,the person putting a price on my dream was him. I turned and walked away. His voice came through the rain,colder than the rain itself. “You grind your hands raw in that dump of a shop,spend your whole life chasing money,and now you’re pretending you’re above it?” “There’s more money on this card than you’ve ever seen in your life.” I stopped and looked back at him through the rain. I had thought promises did not rot,that a mate bond did not break.In that moment,it all rotted from the inside out. I smiled at him. “Of course,Kaiden.Think whatever you want.” When I got back to Silver Ridge Ice Center,my phone buzzed. It was Rina. “Ava.Tell me I saw it wrong.I saw Nora take your place.” “You didn’t see it wrong.” “It was Kaiden.It had to be Kaiden.Did you talk to him?” “I just came back from him.” I leaned against the back counter and looked at the row of skates waiting to be sharpened. “He said he’d pay for all my training.Said he bought my spot.” The other end of the call went silent for a long time. “That bastard,”Rina said.”Tell me you threw the card in his face.” “I left.” “Ava,that was your scholarship.Do you know how many nights you stayed up for it?And your dad-” “It won’t help.” “What?” “Kaiden and the Hawthorne Pack funded the scholarship and built the rink.If they can take me off once,they can do it again.” She went quiet. “I saw Nora’s Instagram.Kaiden booked a restaurant to celebrate for her.” “Good for her.” “Good for her?That’s it?” “I have to go.A customer just came in.” I hung up before she could say anything else.
The next day,I went to North Ridge Training Center to register.The air smelled of cedar and ice wax. I saw Kaiden with his arm around Nora. Nora saw me first.She shrank back at once and hid behind Kaiden. “Kaiden,I’m scared.” He stood in front of her like a wall. “Ava,don’t make a scene.” I tried to walk around him.He grabbed my wrist. “What is wrong with you?Nora didn’t do anything.Do you have to make it this ugly?” I yanked my hand free. “Let go of me.” People in the hallway turned to look. Nora’s tears came right on cue.She stepped out from behind Kaiden. “Ava,I’m sorry.If you want to blame someone,blame me.I never meant to hurt you…This is all my fault.” She took another step forward.Kaiden pulled her back into his arms. “Look at her.”Kaiden’s Alpha tone pressed down on me.”Look what you’ve done to her.Ava,I never thought you could be this cruel.” Whispers rose around us. “That’s her,right?The girl who works at Silver Ridge Ice Center.” “Wait,isn’t she the one who lost the scholarship?” “Yeah,she lost to Nora.Honestly,look at her.No wonder the Alpha heir got tired of her.” “Nora looks like an angel.I’d choose her as future Luna too.” I stared at Kaiden. “I said,let go of me.” He did not let go.Instead,he shoved me. I slammed into the lockers,my shoulder blade hitting metal with a dull thud. I looked up at him. He looked back.There was not a trace of hesitation on his face. We grew up together.When he was ten,he was sent here to learn the Hawthorne Pack’s ice business in the north. During his first week,before he knew how life on the icefields worked,a few young wolves cornered him behind the rink.I raised a sharpened skate blade and scared them off. From then on,he followed me everywhere. When someone bullied me,he would pin them to the ground,his eyes so black it looked as if he might tear out their throat. “Ava,I will always be here.” “We’ll leave this place together.North Ridge Training Center,the International Pack Ice League,the world beyond the Pack.I’ll be with you the whole way.” Now he was protecting another girl and shoving me against a wall with his own hands. Nora cried harder. “Kaiden,don’t…let’s go.This is all my fault.” Kaiden lowered his head and kissed her hair. “It’s not your fault.Not one bit.” He gave me a warning look,then left with his arm around her. I leaned against the lockers,struggling to breathe. The office was at the end of the hall.I passed the wall of outstanding athletes. Nora’s picture hung in the center,larger than everyone else’s. A rising star who overcame hardship.The brave story of a future Luna. I looked at it for one second and laughed. I remembered a late night after training,when I came back to the skate shop. My father was waiting in the parking lot.I could smell the sour rot on him from ten feet away. “Where’s the money?” I did not answer.I tried to get past him and unlock the door. He grabbed my hair and slammed my face into the outside wall. “I’m talking to you.Are both your ears deaf?” “I don’t have any money.” “The Hawthorne Pack’s Alpha heir is that rich,and you follow him around every day.You can’t get a few hundred dollars out of him?” He slapped me across the face. “You hiding it from me?Where is it?Huh?” He searched my pockets roughly.I pushed him away. That was a mistake. The next second,he kicked me in the stomach.I hit the asphalt and curled up in pain. “You ungrateful bitch.You’re just like your mother.Trash,both of you.” He turned to look for something heavier.A tire iron,maybe a metal pipe.I could not see clearly. That was when Kaiden’s car pulled into the parking lot. He was out before the engine shut off.With an Alpha’s strength,he had my father pinned down in two moves,then pulled me up from the asphalt. He checked my face,my arms,and my ribs again and again. “Where did he hit you,Ava?Tell me where you’re hurt.” I could not answer.He took off his coat and draped it over my shoulders. “It’s all right.I’m here.” That night,he did not go home.He stayed with me on the broken couch behind the shop until dawn. The next day,he went with me to the police station and watched my father get locked in a holding cell. He held me tight and said, “I’ll take care of you from now on.When I become Alpha of the Hawthorne Pack,you’ll be my Luna.” Back then,I actually believed him.
One week before the Regional Qualifier,the club held its final mock competition.Judges,scores,procedure,everything followed official competition rules. I came in first,nearly twelve points ahead of second place. Nora came in last. She tore down the score sheet,crumpled it up,and threw it into the trash. “Whatever.I already got the training scholarship.” Kaiden was waiting for her with two coffees. When she saw him,her eyes lit up at once,as if she were not the girl who had just fallen apart on the ice. “You were beautiful.” She rose onto her toe picks and kissed his cheek. I passed them on my way to the locker room. “Ava.” I did not stop. “Ava.Hey.” He moved in front of me and blocked my path. “Are you still angry about the training scholarship?” I did not answer. “Is that really necessary?I told you,she needed it more.You could go to the Regional Qualifier and win with your eyes closed.” He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “The black card is still yours.Coaches,training camp,Pack doctor.If you want it,I’ll cover all of it.” He thought money could glue broken things back together. “I don’t need it.” “There you go again.How much can you make in a month?What I’m offering you is more than you’ll earn in a lifetime.” Nora skated over from behind him and put her gloved hand on his arm. “Kaiden,don’t.She’s just not used to it yet.” She gave me a careful,sad,practiced smile. “Ava,I had nowhere else to go.My dad lost everything,my stepmother keeps tormenting me,and the Pack doesn’t want me anymore.”Tears welled in her eyes again. I had watched this performance for a year. In every conversation,she was the victim.In every look,I was the one who made her cry. “Kaiden and I will take care of you,”she said.”Whatever you need,just tell us.” I tugged at the corner of my mouth. Kaiden frowned.”What’s so funny?” “You two are perfect for each other.I hope she becomes your Luna soon.” His face changed. “Ava-” I walked past him and went into the locker room. “Ava,come back here.” I ignored him. That night,Rina sent me a screenshot from Nora’s Instagram. Nora was leaning against Kaiden’s leg.He was holding a bottle of wolfsbane beer. In the background,a group of friends lifted their glasses and shouted,”Congratulations,Nora!” Rina:Don’t let it hurt you.She doesn’t deserve to affect your mood. I tossed my phone aside. I picked up my training notes and started writing my program plan for the Regional Qualifier. As long as I kept training,I did not have to think about anything else.
The week before the Regional Qualifier,the club shortened training hours so everyone could adjust. Most of my teammates used the time to rest.I picked up extra shifts at the Silver Ridge Ice Center shop. On Wednesday afternoon,Kaiden’s car stopped outside. Kaiden got out and leaned against the door,his sunglasses pushed into his hair. “Ava,come here.” I kept working and pretended I had not heard him. “I’m talking to you.”He frowned and walked over. He reached as if to grab me,then saw the grime on my hands and pulled back. “Go wash up.You’re coming with us.” “Where?” “The mountain cabin.Nora needs to rest.You’re coming too.” “I’m not going.” He sighed.”Don’t start this again.Nora wants to make peace.Stop being difficult.” “There is nothing between her and me that needs making peace.” “Ava.” “I have to train.” He let out a short,ugly laugh. “You don’t even need to.Come on.Leave this dump for the weekend.Nora really wants to fix things.” “I’m not going.” His patience ran out.He laughed again,and this time there was no warmth in it. “Suit yourself.” He pulled out a stack of hundred-dollar bills and threw it at my feet. “Your wages for the month.I paid your boss for you.Take the money,keep your dignity,and stop showing up in front of me and Nora.” I did not move. “Not enough?”He threw down another stack.”How about now?” Coach Grayson came out of the back office.When he saw the cash on the floor,he hurried over. “Mr.Hawthorne.What is this?We don’t need this.” Kaiden did not even look at him.His eyes were fixed on me. “Pick it up.” I still did not move. Nora got out of the car and ran over with wide,innocent eyes. “Kaiden,please,don’t do this.You’re scaring her.”Nora crouched to pick up the money.”Ava,don’t be angry with him.He’s only doing this for me.He didn’t mean it that way.” She held the stack of cash out to me with both hands,her eyes wet. “Come with us.I don’t want to be the reason you two fight.” I looked at her,then at Kaiden. He felt no regret at all.He thought I should kneel and thank him. I walked past both of them,went into the back room of the shop,and shut the door. Through the wall,I heard him say, “See?You try to help her,and this is how she repays you.” The car started.Music faded down the street. A minute later,Coach Grayson put the money in front of me. “Take it,kid.” “No.” “Ava.”He pushed the money toward me.”Your father,your situation…you need this.” The bills smelled like Kaiden’s cedar,a scent that used to make me feel safe. I walked to the sink in the corner and turned the hot water all the way up. Soap,scrub,rinse.Again and again,until my skin turned red and hurt. That night,my father came again. He was drunker than before,and he saw the cash. He took the money and smashed up the shop. When the police arrived,he was swinging a hockey stick at the lights,with display cases knocked across the floor. It took two officers to cuff him.He spat bloody foam at me. “You called the cops on your own father.People like you should rot in hell.” I watched the police car drive out of the parking lot. So this was what it felt like to have no one at your back.
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