Off The Ice

Off The Ice

Kwindumas · Completed · 221.5k Words

1.2k
Hot
5.9k
Views
162
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

I didn’t see Tyler coming.

One second I was rounding the corner. The next, a hand closed around my wrist, pulling me suddenly into a nearby room.

The door shut behind us.

My breath stuttered as my back hit the wall and Tyler loomed in front of me, his chest rising and falling, eyes dark with something fierce and feral.

“Tell me,” he said quietly, his hand sliding to my waist, deliberate but restrained. “Is Mark really the sweetest?”

My heart hammered.

“Or,” he continued, leaning in just enough that I could feel the heat of him, “did you say that just to piss me off?”


When Westfield’s golden boy and star hockey player, Tyler Mercer, suffers a career-threatening injury that keeps him off the ice, the last person he wants overseeing his recovery is Harper Lane, a quiet, sharp-tongued classmate thrust into the role of playing his temporary physiotherapist.

Tyler is determined to push her out. Harper is determined to prove she's not just a fill-in.

What begins as resentment slowly shifts into understanding, and understanding turns dangerous when feelings get involved and their choices start to affect more than just themselves.

She was never supposed to fall for him.
He was never supposed to need her this much.

With betrayal closing in and the final game looming, they must decide what matters more: the futures they’ve been chasing… or the one they never planned for.

Chapter 1

I almost fell in love once.

Not with Tyler Mercer. Not really. But with the way he made everyone around him feel like they mattered.

That’s how it felt, anyway, watching him from the stands.

It was the first Friday night hockey game of the season, the one everyone at Westfield Academy turned out for, whether they cared about hockey or not. The atmosphere smelled like cold metal and popcorn, the kind of scent that lingered on your jacket for days after. The student section buzzed with restless energy, bodies pressed against the glass, faces painted blue and white for our team. The cheerleaders clustered near the penalty box, leading chants that half the crowd actually knew.

That was Tyler’s world.

Mine was somewhere in the nosebleeds, far enough that no one noticed me clutching a notebook I’d been scribbling in between cheers. I’d told myself I was there for ‘research,’ for an essay about school spirit, but that was only half true.

From up here, I could still see him.

Helmet tucked under his arm, Tyler Mercer was all easy grins and confident swagger as he glided over to his teammates during warm-ups. Even off the ice, his presence was magnetic—not arrogant, not performative, just self-possessed. Tyler wasn’t just Westfield’s golden boy. He was the boy. Captain of the team. The one whose name people chanted like it could will the puck into the net. The one the scouts had already circled in their notebooks, even though he hadn’t turned eighteen yet.

And tonight, he looked untouchable.

When the buzzer signaled the end of warm-ups, I gathered my things and started weaving my way down toward the concourse, thinking a hot chocolate might keep my fingers from freezing just before the game would start.

“Watch it!”

The barked voice yanked me out of my thoughts as I nearly collided with a wall of broad shoulders in a varsity jacket coming up the stairs. I muttered an apology, clutching my notebook tighter.

Then promptly tripped on the edge of the bleacher.

Strong hands caught me before I could faceplant.

“You good?”

I blinked up, dazed, and there he was. Tyler Mercer, up close, warm hand steadying my elbow. His friends—all in matching jackets, all laughing about something I wasn’t privy to—didn’t even glance back as they kept walking.

But he did.

“Oh—yeah. I’m fine.” My voice cracked in a way that was definitely not fine.

“Sorry about that,” he said, and he meant it. He gave me this small, lopsided grin that made my heart stutter in a way I wasn’t ready for.

“You should probably keep your eyes on where you’re going, though. These bleachers are brutal.”

And just like that, he was gone, jogging back to his crew before I could come up with anything remotely clever to say.

I almost fell in love right then.

Not with him—I didn’t know him. But with the fact that someone like him could stop, even for a second, for someone like me.

The lights dimmed slightly as the teams were called back out for the opening faceoff. A voice boomed through the speakers, announcing players one by one, the cheers rising with each name. Tyler’s got the loudest, of course.

The game started in a blur of chaos—pucks flying, players crashing into the boards, the crowd roaring at every near miss and save. I didn’t even like hockey, but when Tyler had the puck, you couldn’t look away. He was fast, and calculated. The kind of player who made it look like magic instead of work. He didn’t just play; he owned the ice.

“Mercer!” someone yelled behind me, and I wasn’t sure if they were cheering for him or praying.

By the second period, Westfield was up by one, and the energy in the arena felt electric. Tyler skated backward toward the goal, stick steady, eyes locked on the puck like nothing else existed. He called a play I didn’t understand, passed, pivoted, and by some miracle had the puck back within seconds. The crowd erupted as he shot for the net.

Blocked.

The other team wasn’t messing around.

It got rougher. Players shoved, sticks clattered, bodies slammed into the boards with gut-punching force.

Then it happened.

One second, Tyler was gliding across the ice like nothing could touch him. The next, he was slammed so hard into the glass that the impact rattled through the stands. I felt it in my chest.

He didn’t get up.

The roar of the crowd fell into an eerie silence.

The ref’s whistle pierced the air as the game screeched to a halt.

From my spot halfway up the stands, I gripped my notebook like it could anchor me while trainers swarmed the ice, crouching around him. Even from here, I could tell something was wrong. His helmet was off now, and his head lolled in a way that made my stomach twist. He tried to move, then froze, crumpling back onto the ice.

The players circled like a wall, blocking him from view, but I couldn’t look away from the gaps between them. Couldn’t unsee the boy who’d smiled at me like it cost him nothing now lying there like everything had been taken from him.

Minutes dragged on like hours until finally, finally, they helped him off the ice. His arm was cradled against his chest, his skates dragging.

I caught sight of my mom hurrying down from the stands, weaving through the line of trainers and officials to meet him at the tunnel. The crease between her brows told me more than any scoreboard could.

By the time she came back up to where I was sitting, the crowd had already shifted its focus back to the game.

“It’s bad,” she murmured, leaning down so only I could hear. “He tore his shoulder—rotator cuff. He’s going to be out for at least four months—maybe longer.”

“Four months?” I echoed, the words catching in my throat.

In hockey time, that might as well have been forever.

I don’t remember who won the game.

All I remember is—that moment was the night Tyler Mercer went from Westfield’s golden boy to its biggest what-if. And that night I learned how quickly someone untouchable could fall.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)

The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)

2.7k Views · Completed · Emma Mountford
Saints and Sinners- She was the light to my dark.
The saint to my sinner. with her innocent eyes and devilish curves.
A Madonna that was meant to be admired but never touched.
Until someone took that innocence from her.
She left.
The darkness in my heart was finally complete.
I avenged her, I killed for her, but she never came back.
Until I saw her again. An angel dancing around a pole for money.
She didn’t know I owned that club. She didn’t know I was watching.
This time I won’t let her escape.
I will make her back into the girl I knew.
Whether she likes it or not.
2/ Judge and Jury- I can’t stop watching her.

I’m not even sure I want to.

Taylor Lawson, blonde, beautiful, and totally oblivious to how much dangers she’s in.

She’s also the one juror in my upcoming murder trial that hasn’t been bought.

The one who can put me behind bars for a very long time.

I know I should execute her.
After all that’s what I do.

I am the Judge.
I eliminate threats to The Family.
And Taylor is a threat.
But I don’t want to kill her.
Possessing her, making her love me seems like a much better plan for this particular Juror.

3/ Rags and Ritches-
The Alpha Of The Shadow Pack And His Mute Luna

The Alpha Of The Shadow Pack And His Mute Luna

186.2k Views · Ongoing · Beatrice Putnam
She was born cursed and silenced. He was born cursed and destined to lose everything.

Vanessa, the mute runt of a cursed litter, has only ever known cruelty and abuse. Her voice stolen by a witch’s spell, her freedom crushed by a brutal father, she’s been promised to a monster she doesn’t want. But fate intervenes when she’s left for dead—bleeding, broken, and bound—only to be rescued by Alpha Alfred of the Shadow Pack.
Alfred, fighting against a generational curse that has doomed his brothers to remain wolves forever, never expected his fated mate to be a fragile girl on the brink of death. But the moment he breathes in her scent, everything changes.
Together, they must confront the past, survive betrayal, and uncover the true key to breaking the curses that bind them. Will their bond be strong enough to save them both?
The First Female Alpha

The First Female Alpha

5k Views · Ongoing · egbunachidalugodwin
I caught him.

The man I was meant to marry—the rising Alpha, the pride of the Pack—thrusting into another girl like I didn't exist.

But I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I didn't even flinch.

Because the pain had carved me hollow long before he ever touched her.

He thinks I'm weak. That I'll stand by his side in two days, smile for the ceremony, and hand him my loyalty with the Alpha title.

But he's wrong.

I'm not the broken little Luna they think I am. I'm the storm they never saw coming.

The Pack worships him, but only I know the truth buried beneath his perfect lies. So I'll take everything he wants most—the throne, the title, the crown he was born to wear—and win it out from under him, in front of everyone who ever called me unworthy.

Screw the Pack. Screw the respect. Screw being tame.

I'm fury dressed in skin, madness wearing heels, and heartbreak turned into a goddamn weapon.

They wanted a loyal Luna??

Instead...

They created a monster.

And when the throne is finally mine...

The Pack won't remember the name of the Alpha who betrayed me.

They'll remember the woman who took his crown...

and became the First Female Alpha.
Legacy Of Dragons, Royal Dragons Book 2

Legacy Of Dragons, Royal Dragons Book 2

1.5k Views · Ongoing · arianniahrain
Legacy of Dragons
Ria and the Balaur brothers never imagined how far their family would come.
After surviving betrayal, loss, and the lies that nearly destroyed everything they loved, they dedicated themselves to building a future. What began as a training facility for dragons soon grew into something far greater—a place where dragons and other species from around the world could learn, train, and thrive together.
Now the facility is flourishing. Their children have grown, many finding their own mates among dragons, shifters, and other species from distant lands. The family Ria fought so hard to protect has expanded beyond anything she once dreamed possible, bringing new friendships, new adventures, and a growing legacy of grandchildren.
As old secrets continue to surface, long-held beliefs about dragons and mixed-species bloodlines are being challenged. Truths buried for generations are finally coming to light, reshaping everything they thought they knew about their world.
Mated To The Last Scribe

Mated To The Last Scribe

1.6k Views · Ongoing · Lyra Lupine
Every story Iris Vale writes comes true.

A missing woman is found exactly where her latest story said she would be.

A warehouse burns down hours after she publishes another.

Then anonymous messages begin appearing.

WE KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW.

The problem is that Iris doesn't know anything.

At least, she doesn't think she does.

When her stories attract the attention of billionaire Alpha Cassian Blackmoor, Iris is pulled into a hidden world of werewolves, secrets, and deadly conspiracies.

Cassian believes she may be connected to a mystery that has claimed the lives of powerful Alphas for years.

His wolf believes something else.

That she is his mate.

As enemies close in and events from her stories begin unfolding in real life, Iris must uncover the truth behind her impossible gift before she becomes the next target.

Because someone is watching.

Someone is waiting.

And someone will kill to keep the truth buried.
Taste of Fate: The Vampire King's Human Mate

Taste of Fate: The Vampire King's Human Mate

8.7k Views · Ongoing · Miranda Carr
I never knew my blood could kill a king—until I met one. Sebastian, the ruthless and immortal King, rules with precision. For centuries, he's ruled with ruthless precision, his heart as cold as the stone throne beneath him. One moment, I'm nothing. The next, I'm his obsession. His touch burns like ice fire. His stare follows me through shadows. And when he feeds from me—God help me—it feels like drowning in darkness and craving more. He tells me my blood is unlike any he's tasted, that my scent drives him to the edge of madness.


He reached for the back of my head and pulled me up just enough to reach my neck. When his fangs slid into me, the pain was instant, electric. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. My hands found his shoulders, clawing for something to hold. My legs kicked. Tears streamed down my cheeks.

He moaned against my throat as he drank, and the sound was devastating.
Bella and Her Beast

Bella and Her Beast

21.7k Views · Completed · Sheridan Hartin
For all the little girls who grew up wondering what happens after the prince kisses the girl—this is the story they never told you.
.
Locked in her frozen tower, Bella dreamed of warmth, of touch, of freedom and of love. Cursed with the power of ice and snow, she’s spent her life alone. A secret they tried to protect the world from. Her only escape comes in the form of the books she reads. Stories of heat, desire, and the kind of love that could melt even her frostbitten heart.
Damien is the Beast. A dragon King with a temper forged in flame and a soul hollowed by duty. The world fears him. The people call him a monster. But beneath the scales and the rage lies a man who has never been touched by love.
When frost meets fire, the world shatters. She was never meant to leave her tower. He was never meant to find her. But destiny doesn’t bow to kings or care for cages and now the question burns through them both: Can Bella have her Beast? Or will the girl of snow melt in the heat of his desire?

.
"I’m keeping her."
"What?"
Before I can react, he scoops her up. Her small body fits easily in the cradle of his talons. For a split second, she looks startled, but not afraid. Her hand rests against one scaled finger, and she stares up at him with that same curious wonder, as though she’s already forgotten she was ever meant to fear me.
"Put her down," I try to command, panic threading through my thoughts. "You’ll hurt her."
"She’s ours," the beast insists, possessive and fierce. "Our snowflake."
Omega Bound

Omega Bound

2.8m Views · Completed · Veronica White
Ayla Frost is a beautiful, rare omega. Kidnapped, tortured, and trafficked to rogue clans and corrupt alphas to do with as they pleased.  Kept alive in her cage, broken and abandoned by her wolf, she becomes mute and has given up on hope for a better life until one explosion changes everything. 

Thane Knight is the alpha of the Midnight Pack of the La Plata Mountain Range, the largest wolf shifter pack in the world. He is an alpha by day and hunts the shifter trafficking ring with his group of mercenaries by night. His hunt for vengeance leads to one raid that changes his life. 

Tropes:
Touch her and die/Slow burn romance/Fated Mates/Found family twist/Close circle betrayal/Cinnamon roll for only her/Traumatized heroine/Rare wolf/Hidden powers/Knotting/Nesting/Heats/Luna/Attempted assassination
The Rejected White Luna

The Rejected White Luna

9.9k Views · Completed · Elle Writes
"I, Kael Trevor Dominus, Alpha of Nightfang Pack, reject you, Aria Magnus, as my mate."
"No... You can't do that."
Those words shattered Aria's world in front of the entire pack.
As the daughter of the Alpha of Silver Moon Pack, Aria was born with a powerful legacy. But with a weak wolf that could never shift, she became a disappointment in the eyes of her own people. She was mocked, ignored, and treated as a weakness instead of the future Luna she was meant to be.
She believed finding her fated mate would finally change everything.
Until Kael rejected her publicly and chose another.
"Because a mate who cannot shift is no mate at all. She's a weakness. And weakness spreads."
Broken but refusing to surrender, Aria leaves the only home she has ever known. But fate has a different plan waiting for her.
When she crosses paths with another powerful pack, Aria discovers a shocking truth: she has been given a second chance mate. The only problem? She never expected him to be someone who could change her entire destiny.
With a new bond awakening hidden powers within her, Aria is no longer the weak wolf everyone looked down on.
Now she has the chance to make those who hurt her pay.
But when Kael realizes the woman he rejected has become the one person he cannot lose, he wants her back.
Will Aria choose revenge, or will she find a love greater than the betrayal that destroyed her?
The Billoniare's Fake Husband

The Billoniare's Fake Husband

3.3k Views · Completed · aitypearl207
Tyler has been through more than most, and life has never given him a real break. All he wants is to finish his job and figure things out—but one wild trip to Vegas changes everything. He wakes up married to Quin McKenzie, the same man who made his life miserable years back and probably doesn't remember.
Quin is wealthy, controlling, and desperate to keep his inheritance, so he offers Tyler a deal: stay married until he clicks thirty and get paid. Tyler doesn’t trust him, but he needs the money Quin was offering, so he agrees.
What starts as a fake marriage soon turns into something messy and real. Feelings begin to get involved and walls start to crack. Suddenly Tyler is risking his heart for a man he swore to hate.
Now, with secrets coming out and time running out, they both have to decide—is this just a mistake… or something worth fighting for?
The Princess's Revenge

The Princess's Revenge

67.1k Views · Completed · Xena Kessler
Two nations are at war. Valencia's pack is massacred by Alpha Marcus, and she is enslaved by him. When he dies, she is to be buried alive with him as a sacrifice.

Alpha Logan is an illegitimate son whose mother disappeared when he was 10 years old. He grew up suffering from humiliation and lacking maternal love.

Alpha Logan saves Valencia at Marcus's funeral, which seems to be destined by fate—part of the Moon Goddess's grand plan.

As Valencia accidentally discovers prophecies in Logan's mother's diary that seem to be related to her, the truth gradually surfaces. Valencia appears to be merely a tool in a princess's revenge plot. How will Logan and Valencia navigate their path amid the national war and pack politics?
Real Heiress, Hidden Boss​

Real Heiress, Hidden Boss​

16k Views · Completed · Aria Woods
They wanted a real daughter, so they traded me for her.
On the engagement day, my fiancé slipped a ring on her finger. My parents handed me a train ticket to oblivion.
They celebrated their victory while I disappeared.
What they didn't realize was that letting me go was the worst mistake of their lives.
I am the surgical prodigy saving lives that science deems hopeless. I am the muse of the art world. I am the true heir to a dynasty they couldn't even dream of.
Now, I am back.
Not as the girl they abandoned, but as the storm they prayed would never come.
My ex-fiancé kneels in regret. My fake sister chokes on her jealousy. And the CEO who once looked through me? He is now crawling, desperate to taste the success he once threw away.
The joke isn't on me.
It's on them.