Chapter 14

“What?” I asked, looking at Lucas’s blue eyes then down at his tanned skin.

He didn’t even have to flex his abs in order for me to see them.

I felt uncomfortably hot suddenly.

“You can feel them,” Lucas encouraged me, “if you want.”

“I—uh.” Lucas stepped closer to me. I looked into his eyes tentatively. “Isn’t that a little—”

“Shana, we’ve been friends since we were kids,” Lucas said. “Don’t make it something bigger than what it is. Plus, I know you haven’t forgotten all our weekly sleepovers.”

He was right. We used to have sleepovers almost every single weekend at either his grandma’s house or my mom’s house.

“But you didn’t have abs then,” I clarified.

“I have them now,” he said, wiggling his brows humorously.

“Put those things away,” I said poking him in the chest, hiding my nerves with humor. “They’re like weapons.”

Lucas chuckled, lowering his shirt. “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Mind if I use your fancy bathroom?” I asked Lucas.

“Be my guest,” he said, going back to putting on the rest of his uniform.

Once I shut the bathroom door behind me, I took off my shirt and replaced it with the Dragons shirt James had given me, repping Lucas’s number.

When I finally walked out of the bathroom, I was surprised to see Lucas in all his gear.

“What do you think?” I asked him, turning around and lifting my hair up so he could see his number on the back of my shirt.

He was silent so I turned to face him.

There was a shit-eating grin on his face. “I love it.”

“James gave it to me.”

“I know everyone claims you’re a bad luck charm,” Lucas started, “but I think you’re my good luck charm. Especially wearing that.”

“Don’t jinx it.” I joked, but his words hit me harder than I expected.

You’re my good luck charm.

There was a surplus of shouts that came from the hallway and Lucas gave me a knowing smile.

“I think it’s game time,” he said, giving me one last once over.

“Good luck,” I said. “Not that you’ll need it.”

“Do you know what I need?” He held his arms out to me. “A hug.”

I complied, unable to resist.

“You always gave me the best hugs,” I confessed as I felt his arms tighten around me.

“I always thought the same thing about you.”

There was a knock at the door, making us break apart. When Lucas opened the door, a volunteer staff member said that she would take me to the VIP section where my seat was.

Before I left Lucas’s dressing room, I gave him a smile. “You’ve got this.”

“I know,” he said. “Duh. I’m captain for a reason.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re so full of yourself.”

The last thing I heard was his laugh as I was led down a long, bright hallway.

The staff member led me through a wide set of double doors that led straight into the stadium. There stands were already packed as people took their seats, ready for the game to start.

The VIP seats were situated directly in the front, right behind the Shadow High Dragon’s player bench. From here, I could see the entirety of the rink.

As I shuffled to my seat, other VIP members glanced my way as if they were confused as to who I was.

I brushed off their stares and kept my eyes glued to the ice, waiting for the Dragons to come out.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Shadow High Dragons and the Moon Crest Jaguars!” an announcer shouted over the speakers, making the crowd go wild.

Both teams walked in from opposite sides of the stadium, and my eyes immediately fell on the Dragons. Lucas walked in front of all his teammates with his head held high.

All of the players were muscular, tall, and intimidating overall, but something about Lucas begged to capture your attention. He looked every bit of the Alpha he was in that moment.

When he skated on the ice, his eyes searched the VIP section. When his eyes found mine, I tossed him a wave and smiled.

I couldn’t tell if he smiled back before the whistle blew, signaling the start of the game. Everything began to move in rapid succession.

I’d never been to a hockey game before, but it was a highly intense sport. Players were skating with speed and throwing their bodies into each other.

The Jaguars were fierce, and their defense was forceful. When our team would get close to the goal, they’d push us back. But the Dragon’s defense was just as good, if not better.

I could hear Lucas shouting orders from the rink, easily communicating with his teammates. They listened to every command he gave them, and they all worked together seamlessly.

It almost felt addicting to watch them play. I felt silly for never attending any of their games. They were impressive.

Lucas clearly knew the sport well, because before I knew it, the Dragons were up by fourteen points.

Lucas shouted something again, resulting in our team winning another point.

I felt myself shine with admiration and giddiness.

Lucas wasn’t the Bear I used to know. He was the leader of the Dragons… a strong Alpha captain with the skill and precision to command an entire team of players.

Everyone in the stadium around us was chanting his name because they knew it too.

“He’s so dreamy!” I heard a girl from beside me say to her friend next to her. I recognized her from our school. “And strong…”

“He can break my heart and I’d thank him,” her friend commented.

I held back the urge to snort with laughter. Even without trying, Lucas was garnering women’s attention.

When there were only seconds left on the clock, Lucas managed to swing the puck right into the net the Jaguars were defending, giving our team the victory they so deserved.

Our side of the stadium burst into cheer. I stood from my seat, cupped my hands around my mouth, and screamed so loud my throat ached.

The players on the ice all huddled together, surrounding Lucas in a circle of celebration. The audience went wild, and I could see that everyone from our school was going wild.

The people in the stands started to move from their seats and push their way down to the ice rink.

I wanted to go down with them and congratulate Lucas, but from here, it was impossible to reach him. The crowds had already started forming around the glass surrounding the rink, wanting to get close to the players.

It would be impossible for me to get through them all and make it to the Dragon players.

I found myself submerged in the crowd, separated from Lucas by rows of people.

Lucas’s smile beamed as he continued hugging his friends and teammates. I couldn’t see much of his face from under his helmet, but I could tell he was excited by the way he slapped the back of all his teammates.

When he tried to get off the ice, students pushed their way forward, wanting to catch his attention.

It was strange, seeing so many people admire him like this. It felt foreign to me, but if anyone deserved this kind of praise, it was Lucas.

He was a true star. A real athlete.

Lucas’s head searched the crowds as if he was looking for someone. His eyes locked on mine and a devastating smile spread over his lips.

“I’ll be over there!” I mouthed at him, pointing to the side door away from the crowds of people.

Lucas nodded before he was pulled by a fan who threw her arms around him.

Suddenly, everyone around me was pushing their way forward. I began moving forward with the flow of people. Squeezed out of the stands, I was about to fall down the set of stairs until a loud voice shouted—

An Alpha voice.